The Business Travel and Procurement Working Group met for the first time on Tuesday, March 31st to begin preparing a strategy to reduce energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to purchases of goods, services and travel.  In this introductory meeting, working group members shared information about current initiatives and brainstormed other actions that could significantly reduce energy use and associated GHG emissions.  The group looked not only at direct energy use, but considered the energy embedded in purchases and packaging throughout supply chains.  The exchange of information revealed that working with UBC suppliers has already yielded results that could have much broader application.  In some cases the results go beyond lower GHG to include improved workflow, greater productivity and cost savings.  Just a few of the successes to build on are:

• Campus Mail Services switching to online viewers to eliminate the need to send out 10,000 pages of statements annually
• Supply Management is getting suppliers to uncrate deliveries and take back packaging.  Together with Land and Building Services, they got a major supplier to eliminate about 3200 pounds of packaging waste annually
•  The Campus Bookstore retrofitting its retail facility so that unnecessary lighting could be eliminated
•  UBC Travel arranged with Westjet to have a 2% rebate directed to Offsetters to offset the GHG impact of flights

Looking ahead the group will be considering opportunities in the areas of:

• Further elimination of packaging
•  More efficient routing of deliveries and courier services
•  Improved tracking of the GHG associated with travel
• Better understanding of the carbon embedded in UBC purchases and retail goods
• Paperless systems 

The Business Travel and Procurement Working Group will meet again on Tuesday, April 21st to discuss goals and targets and to begin refining actions and evaluating implementation requirements.