Green Building Goes to Washington
A new executive order requires federal agencies to reduce the environmental impact of federal buildings.
A new executive order requires federal agencies to reduce the environmental impact of federal buildings.
The executive order mandated by President Bush calls for the head of each federal agency to reduce "energy intensity" (energy consumption per square foot of building space) by 3 percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2015, or 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015.
The order also establishes goals for all new construction and major renovations of agency buildings in accordance with green building strategies such as resource conservation; use of recycled materials; building site selection; and indoor environmental quality.
The strategies comply with the guiding principles set forth in the 2006 Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings Memorandum of Understanding, signed by 16 agencies in January of 2006.
"USGBC applauds the executive order, which demonstrates a commitment to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions," says Rick Fedrizzi, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president. "Buildings are a major contributor to climate change: Annually, they consume 40 percent of the energy and 70 percent of the electricity in the U.S., and are responsible for 40 percent of the nation's CO2 emissions. But LEED certified green buildings have been shown to use 40 percent less energy than conventional buildings. With numbers like these, we can make a tremendous impact on energy consumption and mitigating climate change."
In addition to establishing goals for building performance, the executive order sets environmental targets in the areas of purchasing and acquisition, renewable energy, toxics reductions, recycling, renewable energy, electronics equipment, fleets and water conservation.
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