Maintenance Supplies Criteria

The Finger Lakes Buy Green team has agreed on the following criteria as the minimum standards required for each product listed under the maintenance supplies category.

All maintenance materials and tools, decking, and paint products must be certified by. . .
· Green Seal, GreenGuard, EnergyStar, or the Environmental Protection Agency,*
OR
Exhibit at least 3 of the following criteria**
· Non Toxic
· Zero or Low VOC
· Durable
· Made from Renewable Resources
· Biodegradable
· Recycled Content
· Have packaging that is recyclable, has recycled content, or is somehow reduced
· Energy Efficient

Additional criteria for specific products include:

All thermostats must not contain mercury.

All lighting products must be energy efficient and therefore longer lasting than conventional incandescent light bulbs, and flashlights must not require batteries.

Many of the products featured on the website go above and beyond these standards, providing consumers with a wide array of effective, healthy, environmentally friendly maintenance supplies. For additional information about a product’s qualifications, see the Green Attributes section under each product.

*Please note that while these third party certifiers have approved many products that we have chosen to feature, some corporations may not have paid the processing fee to become certified, their products may not meet the criteria, or their products may not fall into the established categories of these certifiers. Where products are not certified, they must meet the alternative criteria we have established. To learn more about Green Seal, Green Guard, EnergyStar, or the Environmental Protection Agency, please visit their individual websites.

** Criteria met by each product are listed in the Green Attributes section.