Re: Janitorial Paper Products

Dear Building Manager:

Our organization is striving to be recognized as a Green Business by the City and County of San Francisco. In an effort to achieve this designation, we are implementing several resource conservation and pollution prevention practices required by the program. By participating in this program, we believe that we are doing our part in helping make San Francisco a more sustainable city.

As a tenant in your building, we have limited control over contracts, maintenance schedules, and fixtures, which impact our environmental footprint and ultimately, our recognition as a Green Business. Therefore, we request your help in providing information relevant to our application as well as your support for improving the health and well being of your tenants. We also see this as a wonderful opportunity for the building management to be seen as an environmental leader. Specifically, we request your assistance in purchasing minimum 35% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine free janitorial paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, seat covers, etc).

The Green Business Program requires that all recognized green businesses are leaders in environmentally preferable purchasing, and purchase janitorial paper products that contain a minimum of 35% post consumer waste and processed without the use of chlorine. The pulp and paper industry is a major contributor of global and environmental problems. The manufacturers which use virgin timber are not only destroying species-rich forests, but are also major generators of hazardous air pollutants such as dioxins and other cancer-causing chemicals. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the paper industry is the third largest contributor of global warming pollution.

We request that you help drive the market by using environmentally friendly janitorial paper (PCF paper with at least 35% PCW content) in the facility. We hope you'll join in this effort enthusiastically. We will contact you next week to follow up on this request.

Sincerely,