What´s New
The Biodiesel Technical Reference Guide
The Biodiesel Technical Reference Guide is meant to help federal agencies along the West Coast learn the basics about biodiesel quickly, including legal requirements and incentives. Using a navigational tool called the “Biodiesel Wizard”, the Guide provides references and links to technical information about how to use and store biodiesel and gives case studies of federal agencies/installations who are currently using biodiesel fuel. There are also links which identify where the federal agencies can buy biodiesel fuel. In the near future, there will be an online survey for federal agencies to identify their current biodiesel usage.
This project is a collaborative effort to show “Federal Leadership by Example” in helping to reduce diesel exhaust emissions on the West Coast.
Are you a EPA Region 9 Champion of Green Government?
“Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” are a common trio found in our world today, but how often and consistently are they practiced? It may be easy to recycle your aluminum can from lunch, but to organize a facility-wide waste reduction program is another level. These types of initiatives go above and beyond federal regulation and should be applauded for their excellence in the protection of environmental and public health.
Region 9 is in our seventh year of recognizing ‘Champions of Green Government’ entries. EPA consults waste, water and air programs to determine those individuals, teams or facilities that have dedicated time and energy to improving their federal facilities beyond current standards. Projects of all sizes are encouraged to apply.
If you are a Champion of Green Government or know someone who is, FFCP wants to know. Nominations may be submitted beginning January 1, and must be postmarked or e-mailed no later than March 1. Self nominations are welcome.
For details go to: http://www.epa.gov/region09/cross_pr/fedfac/cga.html
Sustainable Laboratory Design Conference to be held in Portland Oregon October 18-20, 2005
Share your expertise in sustainable laboratory design, engineering, or management by making a technical presentation, displaying your designs or share a project for informal review at the
‘Roll-up Your Sleeves’ Roundtable. Presented by the USEPA and Dept. of Energy. See http://www.labs21century.gov for more details.
EPA releases top-25 green power purchasers
The top 25 green power purchasers are buying enough energy to run more than 150,000 homes a year, according to EPA. The top-25 list includes a diverse set of agencies, companies and organizations that have voluntarily bought the most renewable energy and are part of EPA’s Green Power Partnership. Together, the top 25 are purchasing more than 1.6 million MWh (megawatt hours) of green power annually. Read all about it!
Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS) Newsletter and Annual Report available
The Federal Network for Sustainability (FNS) is now five years old, and is celebrating by issuing our first newsletter. The network was launched on Earth Day, April 2000, when a small group of Federal leaders on the west coast saw the need to promote the principles of sustainability within government organizations. FNS is working closely with the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) to create sister networks elsewhere in the country. The OFEE’s spring newsletter is posted on their website now – check it out! Spring 05 Closing the Circle News
Our latest Annual Report highlights our newest sustainable practices being implemented by our member agencies.
Navy Region Northwest releases their new Sustainability Goals – Dec 2004
Commander Navy Region Northwest has adopted Sustainability as the guiding principal for strategic planning of mission and installation management. Check out the details in this new report
BPA gets gold partner award from EPA
On Nov. 15, BPA will be recognized as a gold partner in the Federal Electronics Challenge pilot (FEC). The awards and new partner signing ceremony will take place in Washington, D.C. During 2004, BPA became one of nine FEC pilot partners seeking to reduce the environmental and energy impacts of federal government acquisition, use and disposal of electronic equipment. Given the average three-year life cycle of each computer, the federal government discards approximately 10,000 computers each week. Approximately 70 percent of the heavy metals in municipal solid waste landfills is estimated to come from electronics discards. For more on the FEC, check their Web site at http://www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/join_fec.htm
The Army Strategy for the Environment: Sustain the Mission, Secure the Future was released October 19th. For a complete copy of the Strategy please link to: https://www.asaie.army.mil/Public/ESOH/doc/ArmyEnvStrategy.pdf
FNS (local) copy
The strategy transitions the Army’s compliance-based environmental program to a mission-oriented approach based on the principles of sustainability and replaces the Army’s current “Environmental Strategy into the 21st Century” published in November 1992. The new Strategy builds on the lessons learned from sustainability pilot programs conducted at several Army installations, such as Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Carson, Colo., and Fort Campbell, Ky., and institutionalizes those efforts. As a result, this Strategy will build stronger relationships with local communities in order to find common solutions to environmental issues, while protecting training lands for Soldiers.
Final Report to the President On October 18, 2004, Federal Environmental Executive Edwin Piñero sent to President George W. Bush a report entitled, “Leading by Example: A Report to the President on Federal Energy and Environmental Management (2002-2003).” Read all about it!
FNS Members Showcase Sustainable Buildings
On April 2, the Bonneville Power Administration – Ampere Annex in Vancouver, Washington, achieved LEED v2 Silver and became the 100th LEED certified project! This 3,000 sf renovation project retains 98% of the structure and shell from the existing 60 year old storage building. Employees can take advantage of alternative transportation with close proximity to a bus depot, bike storage and shower facilities, and car pool preferred parking. On site the project uses a catch basin to remove 80% TSS and 40% TP for stormwater management and treatment, and no permanent irrigation is needed as all plantings are established. In the building dual flush water closets and low-flow lavatories allowed for 45% water use reduction, demonstrating exemplary performance. The building also achieved 21.85% energy savings over ASHRAE 90.1-1999. During construction, the project diverted 91% of materials from the landfill. To support the regional economy, the project used 40% regionally manufactured materials with 75% of those materials harvested regionally, earning exemplary performance. Read more about the project
National Park Service, Denali National Park, AK. The current visitor facility is too small (3,500 sf) and has serious maintenance needs. For the past 2 years, a team of architects, engineers, and park staff have been working together to design a new 8,900 sf facility that will better meet the needs of the users. As one of the leaders in sustainable design, the National Park Service (NPS) has made it a priority to make the new visitor center a model of sustainability. Utilizing the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) evaluation process throughout the design, the team has applied and evaluated various design options with green energy at the heart of these decisions. NPS hopes to achieve a gold certification, although at this juncture a platinum level may be achievable. Read more about the project
DoD Issues Green Procurement Policy
September 1, 2004
The Department of Defense today announced an important step forward in its efforts to align mission and environmental stewardship by issuing a new “green procurement” policy. The policy affirms a goal of 100 percent compliance with federal laws and executive orders requiring purchase of environmentally friendly, or “green,” products and services. The policy also outlines a strategy for meeting those requirements along with metrics for measuring progress. See full text of News Release dated September 1, 2004
Draft Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Guides Available
The EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Team is happy to report that a Federal Register notice was published 07/01/04 announcing the availability for public review and comment of four draft Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Guides. These guides provide information to federal procurement officials in making EPP decisions that can help protect human health and the environment. They include the following:
“Greening Your Purchase of Carpet: A Guide For Federal Purchasers”
“Greening Your Meetings and Conferences: A Guide For Federal Purchasers”
“Greening Your Purchase of Cleaning Products: A Guide For Federal Purchasers”
“Greening Your Purchase of Copiers: A Guide For Federal Purchasers”
EPA is now publishing the revised guides in draft with a 60 day public comment period, so all interested parties can provide their comments and suggestions. You should now be able to get to the 4 guides (and leave comments) by going to the edocket site mentioned in the FR notice at http://www.epa.gov/edocket , and then either going to: (1) “View Open Dockets,” where you’ll find our docket on the 3rd page under OPPT-2002-0039, or (2) “Quick Search,” where you’ll find the docket after typing in OPPT-2002-0039 and clicking “search.” Once you get to the docket, click on OPPT-2002-0039 in “Docket Number,” and go to the “Documents” section of the next page (about half-way down), where you’ll find lines for all 4 of the guides. For the appropriate guide, click on the logo under the “Rendition” column to get an Adobe Acrobat copy of the guide. There’s a box toward the top of that page to “Submit Comment.” Please take a few minutes to provide comment on these guides and use this as an opportunity to tell EPA’s EPP Team what kind of information you’d like them to provide to simplify your efforts to buy greener products and services.