The City of La Palma will now formally incorporate environmental considerations into its purchasing decisions. The newly adopted “green” policy will take into account factors such as energy efficiency, resource conservation, waste minimization, recycled content, and toxicity along with the traditional concerns of price, performance, and availability in most of its decision making processes. The City desires to remain fiscally responsible while promoting practices that improve public health and safety, reduce pollution, and conserve natural resources.

Adopting the policy builds on current practices, as the City has already been incorporating environmentally friendly purchasing into a variety of business practices, including: purchasing replacement printers that duplex print, recycling spent toner cartridges, using Rubberized Asphalt Concrete and rubberized playground surfaces made from recycled tires, replacing aging heating and cooling equipment with more efficient models, using fluorescent lighting instead of incandescent bulbs, installing LED traffic signals, replacing city vehicles with hybrid vehicles when practicable, and utilizing copy paper made of wood harvested from sustainable forests.

"We're excited about the new policy. It will help clarify that La Palma wants to do its part to protect the environment and in many cases, choosing ‘green’ alternatives will save money over time," said City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto. “With so many more viable choices, making 'green' purchasing decisions is more practical than ever."