
Major
Agricultural Research Center Leading the Way in "Going Green"By Don Comis October 28, 2003A major federal agricultural
research center that has been a leader in the use of biobased products, from
heating fuel to cleaning supplies, is sharing its experiences today at a
workshop aimed at encouraging other government agencies to use "green
products." The Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) is operated at Beltsville, Md., by
the Agricultural Research Service, the
primary scientific research agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. BARC representatives are speaking today at the
Biobased Procurement Workshop at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC. The
workshop is for federal procurement officers. The biobased products used at BARC range from soy urethane-backed carpet to
plant-based soap and other cleaning products, industrial lubricants, engine oil
and soy-based diesel fuel used to heat some buildings and run vehicles, lawn
mowers, generators, pumps and grounds maintenance equipment. Title IX of the 2002 Farm Bill requires all federal procurement offices to
give preference to USDA-designated biobased items as substitutes for less
environmentally friendly ones. Biobased products are made, at least in part,
from U.S. crops and animal products and replace petroleum or other less
environmentally friendly ingredients. Today's workshop includes exhibits from companies that make biobased
products from corn, soybeans and other farm commodities. In the afternoon, the
exhibitors will meet with procurement officers from each of eight
administrative areas in ARS to discuss how the agency's four regional research
centers--at Peoria, Ill., Albany, Calif., Wyndmoor, Pa., and New Orleans,
La.--might also become "green showcases." U.S. Department of Agriculture | |