The U.S. General Services Administration operates its buildings at 5 percent below comparable commercial buildings and pays 12 percent less for utilities, GSA Administrator Lurita Doan testified at recently at the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on "Climate Change and Energy Independence: Transportation and Infrastructure Issues.”
GSA reduced energy consumption of its inventory by 4.7 percent in Fiscal Year 2006. The reduction is consistent with the goal of President Bush’s January Executive Order 13423 requiring a 30 perecent reduction by FY 2015.
“I am proud of the leadership GSA has demonstrated in the federal community to meet or exceed targets set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and by President Bush’s Executive Order,” says Doan.
Additional GSA environmental achievements and future plans include:
• Award-winning, energy-efficient buildings that incorporate sustainable design principles, such as the Charles E. Bennett Federal Building in Jacksonville, Fla., which cut energy consumption by more than 60 percent, a savings equal to the amount needed to provide energy to 208 homes for one year.
• GSA is working to integrate power controls into IT operations.• GSA’s Alternative-Fuel-Vehicles (AFVs) inventory consists of 62,424 AFVs and 351 Hybrid Energy Vehicles, amounting to 31 percent of the total GSA Fleet.
• GSA uses wind, solar and other innovative renewable energy sources in its buildings.
• GSA leads the development of alternative workplace arrangements for the federal community and, along with the Office of Personnel Management, is a co-lead agency for federal telework.
• GSA is working with USDA to identify opportunities to increase use of biobased products.
More information on GSA's green initiatives can be found at “Go Green: GSA Environmental Initiatives.”
