NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Jan Fiderio at 603.283.2107

August 16, 2010 for Immediate Release

Antioch University New England Adopts Cutting-Edge, Comprehensive Responsible Purchasing Policy

Looking beyond environmental sustainability, it considers social justice criteria

(Keene, NH) - In line with its commitment to sustainability and social justice, Antioch University New England (AUNE) has adopted a groundbreaking responsible purchasing policy (RPP) to guide its procurement of goods and services. While typical RPPs focus primarily on environmental standards, AUNE's policy also emphasizes social justice criteria relative to accessibility, inclusion, ethical production and local purchasing.

The policy sets high sustainability and social justice standards whose aims are to ensure the health, safety and inclusion of the AUNE community and visitors; reducing campus waste and greenhouse gas emissions; and strengthening the local economy by buying regional products and services. AUNE's Sustainability and Social Justice Committee will continually revisit the policy and update it based on in-house research and outreach.

To support AUNE purchasing decisions, the policy also includes detailed implementation guidelines that identify preferred product attributes and include a resource list of vendors with third-party certifications, such as ENERGY STAR, EPEAT, Quality Assurance International and TransFair USA. All phases in the life cycle of a potential product or service are considered, from material acquisition to manufacturing and distribution to disposal, including recycling potential.

About Antioch University New England (AUNE)
This is Antioch University New England's forty-sixth year as an institution of higher education. Located in Keene, New Hampshire, AUNE offers rigorous, practice-oriented, values-based master's, doctoral and certificate programs to more than one thousand students. Degrees in education, leadership and management, environmental studies and psychology reflect a dedication to activism, social justice, community service and sustainability. Antioch University New England is the oldest and largest of Antioch University's graduate campuses. For more information about Antioch University New England, visit our web site at: www.antiochne.edu.

About Antioch University
Antioch University is a five-campus university located in four states. Each campus has its own distinct academic programs, community life and regional or national identity. Antioch University is founded on principles of rigorous liberal arts education, innovative experiential learning and socially engaged citizenship. The multiple campuses of the University nurture in their students the knowledge, skills and habits of reflection to excel as lifelong learners, democratic leaders and global citizens who live lives of meaning and purpose. For more information about Antioch University's campuses, its university-wide PhD program, or the Antioch Education Abroad program, visit www.antioch.edu

Last Updated: 1/4/12