Upon graduation, you were hired as a purchasing manager for a medium sized company. You now also chair the company's "green committee," which is responsible for implementing environmentally friendly policies and procedures.

While participating in the company's annual United Way "Day of Caring" event, you find yourself painting the study room walls at the Boys & Girls Club with a purchasing manager from another company. You notice some interesting filing cabinets. "Oh," Tamara says, "we donated these to the Boys & Girls Club. They're very cool looking, aren't they? That's because everything about them is environmentally friendly. It's one of those new 'cradle-to-cradle" products. Every piece of the product was previously used, all the chemicals are nontoxic, and when it's time to buy new cabinets, every piece comes apart easily and can be reused in other products. Nothing ends up in a landfill."

You're lucky you find this out because your company will soon purchase new filing cabinets for all your offices. Just a few months ago, the green committee approved a "Sustainable Products Checklist" with 10 eco-friendly variables to consider when making a purchase, such as whether the product is recyclable, energy efficient, nontoxic, and locally available. The committee's purchasing guidelines, signed by the president, state that if product prices are within 5 to 10 percent of each other, the product with the highest sustainability score should be purchased.

For the previous three decades, the company has purchased all its office furniture from a local vendor. The vendor is very community oriented, and you constantly run into him at community events. You use the checklist to product comparison for filing cabinets, and the result aren't even close. The only item the local vendor scores high on is that its products are locally available, which is environmentally friendly and priced 6 percent higher.

"I wish I could get the cabinets for you", the local vendor says when you inquire about him selling you the environmentally friendly cabinets, "but the company selling that product refuses to sell through other distributors. You know you've always done business with us, and we provide excellent service and prices. We can really use your business right now. Let me know as soon as possible when you want me to deliver the cabinets."

What would you do?

a/. Purchase the slightly more expensive environmentally friendly cabinets

b/. Purchase the slightly less expensive regular cabinets from the local vendor

c/. Something else (if so, what?)