tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33839602134534683062024-03-12T22:47:51.329-04:00SFTool BlogWelcome to the SFTool Blog. The Sustainable Facilities Tool helps you do more than learn about high-performance buildings and purchasing. SFTool helps you put knowledge into practice and assemble the people you need to get stuff done.<br><br> We’ve decided to share our experiences while developing SFTool. We’ll talk about interactions with the building community, challenges we’ve overcome designing the site, and putting high-performance ideas into practice.Ivan Limanskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778114413639460694noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-85257209244714435792017-03-09T14:15:00.000-05:002017-03-09T14:15:18.255-05:00Circadian LightIn its <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USGSA/bulletins/174616c">December newsletter</a>, the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings highlighted some of its recent work on circadian light and its effects on office dwellers. Circadian rhythms are defined as "physiological processes that occur in the body approximately every 24-hours." The most well-known of these is the wake/sleep cycle we all experience with the sun every day. The light we see in the morning and throughout the day tell our bodies it's time to be awake and alert. The darkness of night encourages sleep. Here are a few excerpts from the newsletter:<br />
<ul>
<li>The average person spends only 17 out of 169 hours each week outside in the sun.</li>
<li>Receiving more circadian light during the day results in better sleep and more positive moods.</li>
<li>The design of a building significantly affects the ability of its occupants to get sufficient daylight exposure.</li>
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You should definitely check out the rest of the newsletter; it's a quick, interesting read. But if you're looking for even more, follow the links within the newsletter, and check out our resources on <a href="https://sftool.gov/explore/green-building/section/1/lighting/system-overview#interior/daylighting">daylighting</a> and its effects on <a href="https://sftool.gov/explore/green-building/section/30/ieq/system-overview#facility-wide/lighting">occupant health</a>. Go get some sun!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396848540736129412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-66769483060713926252016-10-28T10:32:00.000-04:002016-10-28T10:32:01.728-04:00Happy Halloween!We're brushing up on tactics to fight <span style="color: #e69138;"><b><i>energy vampires</i></b></span> this Halloween! Didn't know there was such a thing? <span style="color: #e69138;"><b>Energy vampires</b></span> are scary <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">–</span> vampire plug loads can account for as much as 10% of your electricity bill.<br />
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So how do you fight <span style="color: #e69138;"><b>energy vampires</b></span>? Check out SFTool's <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/about/426/plug-loads">Plug Load</a> page and more <a href="http://energy.gov/articles/4-ways-slay-energy-vampires-halloween">strategies from the Department of Energy (DOE)</a>.<br />
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Visit DOE's <a href="http://energy.gov/energyween">Energyween</a> page for more Halloween-themed tips plus some great costume and pumpkin ideas!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396848540736129412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-43354511343767483812016-09-22T12:00:00.000-04:002016-09-22T12:00:18.668-04:00New SFTool Framework on Managing Climate-Related Risks to Federal Supply ChainsWeather-related events, such as heat waves, hurricanes, and flooding events, have disrupted the movement and provision of goods and services throughout the United States and abroad, increasing operational costs for Federal agencies. To avoid future disruptions and associated costs, Executive Order 13653 calls on Federal agencies to mitigate risks to their supply chains posed by climate change.<br />
<br />To help Federal agencies meet the requirements of this EO and manage climate-related supply chain risks, we've partnered with GSA's Office of Acquisition Management to develop a new set of pages, <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/553/managing-climate-change-risks-federal-agency-supply-chains"><em>Managing Climate Change Risks to Federal Agency Supply Chains</em></a><em>.</em> They provide a framework for assessing climate- and weather-related risks to supply chains and developing plans to minimize those risks.<br />
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<br />The framework, outlined in the figure to the right, offers information for approaching risk management in the context of climate change through four common risk management steps. Each step provides flexible guidance to meet the needs of different agencies, as well as background information on the fundamentals of climate change. By working through the framework, agency staff can determine whether new risk management strategies or changes to existing risk management practices may be necessary to accommodate climate change-related risks.<br />
<br />An Excel-based companion workbook allows you to document findings as you work through the framework. This workbook, as well as a PDF version of the framework for offline use, is available for download from the new pages.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396848540736129412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-54064720831427389512016-08-18T13:25:00.002-04:002017-03-15T15:43:47.532-04:00Energy Exchange 2016<span id="docs-internal-guid-78846887-9eaa-ece8-740c-25dbe8386a1e"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We just got back from the Department of Energy's Energy Exchange training and trade show, held in Providence, Rhode Island last week. Check out the photo of the Rhode Island State House! Energy Exchange provides stakeholders from every aspect of green buildings and energy the opportunity to connect and learn from each other. Members of the SFTool team took the opportunity to promote our resources through presentations at Energy Exchange! We demonstrated <a href="https://sftool.gov/fedsat" target="_blank">FEDSAT</a> and how it can help Federal building managers and operators meet the requirements of the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act (FBPTA). SFTool staff also highlighted our ability to educate all employees about sustainability and its impact on the world around us. Energy Exchange was a blast, and we’re already looking forward to next year!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.66px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-64378997137554731802016-06-29T15:54:00.000-04:002016-06-29T15:54:12.474-04:00Green Leasing: Coming Soon to SFTool!<div class="MsoNormal">
On Monday, the General Services Administration accepted two
awards at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Conference and
Expo in Washington, D.C. They’ve got a great <a href="https://gsablogs.gsa.gov/gsablog/2016/06/29/gsa-recognized-as-a-leader-in-sustainability/">blog
post</a> describing the awards they won,
which included being recognized as a <a href="http://www.greenleaselibrary.com/green-lease-leaders.html">Green Lease
Leader</a>. Here at SFTool, we’ve had green leasing on our mind for a while,
and are preparing to launch content that will help you figure out what green
leasing is and why it has become so important. Our panel of industry experts
spoke at BOMA's conference on Monday as well, and will speak again at Greenbuild in Los Angeles
in October, so if you’re curious, come to the session! What we’ve learned is
that tenants, both Federal and commercial, are increasingly requiring
sustainability in their buildings, but a large part of their facilities are
leased; GSA has more than 8,000 leases nationwide! Incorporating sustainable
strategies into leases is necessary to successfully make the building you
occupy more green and efficient. However, green leases are still not fully
understood by everyone involved. Landlords, tenants, and brokers can all
benefit from learning more about how green clauses impact a building’s
performance and how they affect everyone’s bottom line. To this end, we are
working on a Cost-Effective Upgrades Calculator to help building owners and
tenants see what building upgrades or adjustments could be made and paid back
during the life of a lease. The results are based on building size and climate
zone, and can be bookmarked so you can always revisit or share with your
building’s decisionmakers. On top of all that, you will be able to select
individual building upgrades to learn about what they are, how they impact your
building, and how to start implementing them. All of this will be framed by the
information from our conference panels, so don’t worry if you can’t make it to
LA. Look for the prototype on <a href="http://www.sftool.gov/">www.SFTool.gov</a>
in the next month or two!<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-15865154405039819232016-06-15T15:03:00.000-04:002016-06-24T14:32:04.084-04:00Sustainable Child Care CentersThose involved in sustainability and combating climate change often cite a desire to leave a better world for their children as part of their motivation. Many may forget that there is plenty we can do for the kids right now to keep them healthy and get them started early on the path to living green. We recently released our <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/about/502/child-care-centers">Child Care Center module</a>, which is loaded with everything you need to make sure a child care facility in your building is designed and operated sustainably, with the kids in mind. You can tour the different areas of a child care center, learning strategies and tips for making the spaces kid-friendly and kid-healthy.<br />
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There are many building aspects we take for granted as adults that affect children differently. For example, windows at a height acceptable for an adult might be too high for a child to see. Lighting fixtures should promote indirect lighting; the children will be looking up at the adults in the classroom and shouldn’t be looking into direct light! A lot of these seem like no brainers, but you would be surprised at how these little considerations come together to have a big impact on child care centers. Design from the child’s perspective.<br />
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Material selection is especially important for children’s facilities. It is no secret that kids spend a lot of time on the floor (and occasionally licking it!). Non-toxic flooring and furniture with <a href="https://sftool.gov/search?Query=Volatile+Organic+Compound+%28VOC%29">VOCs</a> well below the legal limit are important, as are any cleaning products used on the toys, furniture, and flooring. All this ensures that children are protected from anything that could harm their growth or intellectual development at this early stage of life.<br />
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You might be wondering where this all comes from. We’ve got you covered on that too. GSA has a comprehensive <a href="http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/103653">Child Care Center Design Guide</a>, full of information and requirements for planning in GSA controlled spaces (but applicable to everyone). We’ve also curated a list of credits in major green building rating systems that relate to child care centers.<br />
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All of these efforts offer a golden opportunity to involve young children in sustainability conversations. If they grow up turning out the lights, using less water, and understanding their place in the environment, future generations will be well suited to protect and improve the planet when it is their turn.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396848540736129412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-14067675989426249262016-05-18T16:40:00.002-04:002016-05-18T16:40:41.527-04:00Bike to Work Day 2016!Bust out the air pumps and oil up those chains, because Friday is <a href="http://www.bikeleague.org/content/bike-month-dates-events-0" target="_blank">Bike to Work Day</a>! Bike to Work Day is a day where anyone can try biking to work. Often, people associate a decision about whether to bike to work based on distance alone – but there is much more to it than that.<br />
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First and foremost, where your building is located is paramount to encouraging biking or walking to work, not just this Friday, but every day. Choosing a <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/about/46/sustainable-sites" target="_blank">sustainable site</a> can have as large an effect on the greenhouse gas emissions of your building as any other consideration. Commuting often makes up a significant portion of emissions, and biking and walking are zero-emission methods! In addition to access to public transportation, any location should be evaluated for its walkability and rideability. GSA and EPA recently released their <a href="https://www.slc.gsa.gov/slc/" target="_blank">Smart Location Calculator</a>, which rates buildings for several location efficiency factors – enter your address to find your Walk Score and more!<br />
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Second, providing the infrastructure for employees to easily bike is crucial to increasing adoption. <a href="https://sftool.gov/greenprocurement/green-products/12/park-recreation/17/bike-racks/0" target="_blank">Bike racks</a> are a must, as are showers and changing facilities. You probably don’t want your employees spending their day in sweaty gym clothes, so make sure they’ve got access to a place to clean-up and change. It may be worth seeking an agreement with a nearby office or gym with the appropriate facilities to accommodate cyclists if your building doesn’t have them.<br />
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Third, incentivize! Bicycling is not only good for the earth, it’s great for building occupants’ health and happiness. All over the country on Bike to Work Day, cities and towns set up events, offer breakfast, and even sponsor convoys between major employment centers around town to encourage newbies to come out. Haven’t pulled your bike out of the shed in a while? Many events offer free tune-ups, and more experienced riders should be carrying the tools and tricks you need to have a successful ride to and from work. Make sure you’ve got an extra inner tube, just in case.<br />
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Also, it may have been awhile (or it may be your first time) riding on public streets alongside traffic, so safety is paramount! Wear reflective clothing, especially if you leave before the sun is fully up. Don’t forget a lock either, if your workplace does not have indoor bicycle storage. Perhaps most important is your helmet; wear it and make sure it fits properly. Check your brakes too – we know you’re in a hurry to get to work, but you’ll have to slow down and stop at some point! On top of all this, make sure to <b>have fun</b> this Friday while you make the Earth a better place with a little less traffic!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-45004140764694181222016-04-18T10:04:00.000-04:002016-04-26T15:52:33.928-04:00Earth Day 2016: Trees!Did you know that Earth Day gets a theme each year? This year’s theme, defined by the <a href="http://www.earthday.org/">Earth Day Network</a>, is <i>Trees for the Earth</i>. Trees are certainly crucial for our continuing survival as a planet, but how does that affect your building? You may be surprised by all of the ways trees and wood products are accounted for in the realm of sustainability.<br />
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Even as steel skeletons dominate the skylines of many cities today, wood is still widely used in buildings. Floors, walls, and tables are just a few, and wood can be new or reused from other sources. In any situation, it is important to ensure your wood was sourced sustainably, and our new <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/541/verifying-delivery-sustainable-products-services">Verifying Delivery page</a> can help you do that. Organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ensure responsible forest management through their <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/about/43/materials-resources#certified">industry certification programs</a>, and are another way of confirming a wood resource’s sustainability.<br />
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<a href="https://sftool.gov/material/1986/wood">Wood products</a>, like hardwood flooring, that contain sealants, adhesives, or other coatings may contain volatile organic chemicals, or VOCs. Make sure any wood product complies with international standards, which will ensure the <a href="https://sftool.gov/explore/green-building/section/48/ieq/resources-impact#low-emitting-materials">indoor environmental quality</a> of your building remains impeccable.<br />
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Forests play a key role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a process known as ‘sequestering’ CO<sub>2</sub>. According to the Earth Day Network, an acre of trees sequesters enough carbon every year to offset 26,000 miles driven by the average car. In addition to preserving and managing forests, <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/about/43/materials-resources#reclaimed">reusing and recycling wood products</a> is also a great way to avoid chopping down trees unnecessarily. Often, this method is not only sustainable, but can be cheaper and produce more aesthetically pleasing results than new wood.<br />
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Planning an expansion or some landscaping? Save those trees! Any efforts in landscaping or development on your <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/about/46/sustainable-sites">site</a> should utilize low-impact development (LID). LID emphasizes maintaining a site’s existing hydrology as much as possible. Maintaining undisturbed areas or planting of <a href="https://sftool.gov/Search?Query=Xeriscaping%2FNative+Landscaping">local tree and plant species</a> are two of the best ways to achieve this.<br />
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Regardless of theme, Earth Day is all about protecting the natural resources of the Earth in a way that will allow every future generation to experience them as we have. If you’ve recently completed a project that highlights Earth day principles, or your organization does something special for Earth Day, <a href="https://sftool.gov/share">share</a> it with us, or connect with us on <a href="https://twitter.com/sftool">Twitter</a> so we can see!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-66196156769738867002016-03-15T13:24:00.004-04:002016-03-17T10:18:36.458-04:00SFTool on the Road – NFMT ConferenceIn our efforts to be a leader in green building education, SFTool goes out to meet building professionals and spread the good word on buying, building, and living green in your building. This month, we will be at the <a href="http://www.nfmt.com/baltimore/">National Facilities Management & Technology Conference/Exposition</a> in Baltimore, Maryland from March 22-24.<br />
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The focus of our booth is the <a href="https://sftool.gov/fedsat">Federal Facilities Skills Assessment Tool (FEDSAT)</a>. FEDSAT is a no-cost online skills assessment tool designed to help federal facilities personnel comply with the Federal Buildings Personnel Training act (FBPTA) of 2010. FEDSAT allows FBPTA affected personnel to demonstrate knowledge of high priority FBPTA “performances,” defined as typical job functions for facilities personnel.<br />
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FEDSAT helps facility managers assess their knowledge of the high-priority performances, fill gaps in those performances, and locate <a href="https://sftool.gov/continuing-education">free training resources</a> available from the Federal government, industry associations, and other sources, including resources that count for continuing education credits.<br />
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GSA’s <a href="https://acceleratefm.us/">Facilities Management Institute</a> allows federal facility managers to manage and track progress towards fulfilling FBPTA requirements, and FEDSAT is fully integrated with the system to evaluate personnel on the 80 highest-priority performances. FMI also allows qualified individuals to ‘opt out’ of certain performances in FEDSAT if they are already satisfied by another professional certification or educational course.<br />
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Come over to <a href="http://www.nfmt.com/baltimore/ExhibitorDetails.aspx?id=2803&showid=163nfmt">booth #2395</a> and chat with us about everything FEDSAT and our other educational resources have to offer! We’ll be looking sharp, like we did at the Greenbuild Conference in November – check it out below!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07396848540736129412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-89154742515398024652016-03-02T13:06:00.000-05:002016-03-02T17:44:22.016-05:00Social Sustainability<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sustainability is most often associated with environmental friendliness, energy efficiency, or improving occupant comfort. However, the social aspects of sustainability are just as important to the effort as the more publicized ‘green’ benefits. Taking a <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/399/life-cycle-approach" style="text-decoration: none;">lifecycle approach</a> to identify all aspects that affect human life in sustainability efforts ensures Social Sustainability is not overlooked.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Social Sustainability, is <a href="https://clas-pages.uncc.edu/inss/what-is-social-sustainability/" style="text-decoration: none;">defined broadly by the Integrated Network for Social Sustainability</a> as “the social relationships, interactions, and institutions that affect, and are affected by, sustainable development.” SFTool’s new <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/545/social-sustainability" style="text-decoration: none;">Social Sustainability module</a> describes best practices, offers strategies, and provides resources from around the world designed to identify sectors at-risk for human rights violations so organizations and individuals can easily verify compliance with national and international standards. Follow the guide to help your building and procurement projects achieve their economic, environmental and social sustainability goals.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Concerns over socially sustainable development can originate both domestically and abroad and can come in many forms, such as:</span>
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<li>Unsafe working conditions, discrimination, and other workers’ rights violations</li>
<li>Human trafficking</li>
<li>Child labor or forced labor</li>
<li>Privacy rights</li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/545/social-sustainability" style="text-decoration: none;">Social Sustainability</a> page brings a wealth of information from across the globe into one place, including guidelines from the UN Guiding Principles, Global Reporting Initiative, US Departments of Labor and State, and many more. Procurement resources are further broken down into <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/545/social-sustainability#pre-award" style="text-decoration: none;">pre-award actions</a>, like identifying human rights risks by category and country, and <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/545/social-sustainability#PostAward" style="text-decoration: none;">post-award actions</a>, including verification of contractors’ claims of sourcing sustainably. In fact, there’s a whole separate page dedicated to resources that help with <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/542/resources-verifying-sustainable-products" style="text-decoration: none;">verification</a>.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those more interested in the issues or looking to ensure their projects, organizations, or business efforts are in line with international standards can go to the <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/546/social-sustainability-initiatives-guidelines-standards" style="text-decoration: none;">Initiatives, Guidelines, and Standards page</a>. You can search by industry or guidance organization to see resources relevant to many social sustainability concerns.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SFTool’s new Social Sustainability module incorporates many strategies, best practices, and resources, but if you have an additional resource you think may be beneficial, send us a note using the ‘Give Feedback’ button at the bottom of every <a href="https://sftool.gov/" style="text-decoration: none;">sftool.gov</a> page!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383960213453468306.post-19007914860414517712015-12-22T10:51:00.000-05:002016-01-05T18:44:47.394-05:00Leading the World – How do Federal Agency Goals Stack up Against The U.S.’ Paris Climate Commitments?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In early December in Paris, France, nearly 200 countries agreed to the most comprehensive <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2646001/Final-COP21-draft.pdf">agreement</a> to date to combat climate change. The goal, which climate scientists believe is necessary to avoid catastrophic impacts from climate change, is to keep global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels, while attempting to reach a 1.5 degree cap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To accomplish this, the United Nations asked countries for their <a href="http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/United%20States%20of%20America/1/U.S.%20Cover%20Note%20INDC%20and%20Accompanying%20Information.pdf">Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)</a>. Submitted in March of 2015, the US set forth a goal to reduce emissions 26-28% from the 2005 baseline by 2025. This represents a 2.3-2.8% yearly reduction after achieving the initial 17% reduction by 2020 goal (orange line on chart below). The goal applies to the entire U.S. economy, and is based on projected improvements in technology and regulatory actions like EPA’s <a href="http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan">Clean Power Plan</a>. The final five years of the plan require doubling the nation’s current GHG reduction rate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have followed climate change policy at all in the US, this may sound familiar - and it should! The Federal government has already taken actions to cut its footprint in an effort to achieve sustainability goals - but how do they compare to those in the INDC, and where do they come from?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Executive Order (EO) 13514, signed by President Obama in 2010, was entitled ‘Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance.’ This wasn’t meant only to demonstrate leadership domestically, but abroad as well. EO 13514 has been superseded by <a href="https://sftool.gov/learn/annotation/447/executive-order-13693-planning-federal-sustainability-decade">EO 13693</a>, which strengthened many commitments to continue federal leadership.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">EO 13693 is directed at Federal agencies and their emissions. After initially achieving a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/19/fact-sheet-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-federal-government-and-acro">17% reduction</a> in greenhouse gases (GHGs) from a 2005 baseline by 2015, the new EO strengthens and extends the goal to a total of <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/23/obama-administration-announces-2016-greenhouse-gas-targets-and">41.8% reduction by 2025</a> from a 2008 baseline (blue line). The goal revision was a result of continued long range planning based on strong emission reduction progress to date, as well as updated emissions information. The chart below compares these Federal goals to those found in our INDC.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRQyMoUR-V5ZKV9s_CMpVn-DGNS7zd0hBwNpkCqDhQQLf5gdpPMb7Nqb5dhyphenhyphennQXgfdEcVHZN_haiSTauDh7A_YVY0FrkIjHFK0ldOrn4mpIoEsm9-bSiWlLCKbn6jafo6G-Y_zgdq4orV/s1600/FigureFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRQyMoUR-V5ZKV9s_CMpVn-DGNS7zd0hBwNpkCqDhQQLf5gdpPMb7Nqb5dhyphenhyphennQXgfdEcVHZN_haiSTauDh7A_YVY0FrkIjHFK0ldOrn4mpIoEsm9-bSiWlLCKbn6jafo6G-Y_zgdq4orV/s640/FigureFinal.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may find yourself asking a lot of questions at this point. What is the Federal government doing to lead the way? What does the nation have to do to catch up? <a href="http://energy.gov/eere/femp/federal-facility-annual-energy-reports-and-performance">How much of the total US footprint does the Federal government represent</a>? What emissions sources are considered in the <a href="http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2015-Main-Text.pdf">nationwide emissions</a> versus just the Federal emissions? For this post, we will focus on a few requirements and strategies that the Federal government has deployed that can be widely applied.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From 2003 to 2014, Federal buildings <a href="http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/06/f22/facility_sustainability_goals.pdf">reduced their energy use</a> at a rate of 1.9% per year. Paramount among the goals of EO 13693 is a 2.5% annual reduction in building energy use per square foot. The EO lists several strategies to help achieve this, including implementation of test-bed technologies and by monitoring monthly energy usage in the EPA’s <a href="https://www.energystar.gov/">EnergyStar</a> tool. Monitoring allows building operators to adjust energy use based on trends they observe. <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/submetering">Submetering</a> can identify on a more targeted basis which building aspects use the most energy, and identify areas for capital improvement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reducing energy is the first step - using renewable energy to meet the reduced load should be the second. The goal is 30% renewable energy use for Federal buildings by 2025. In fiscal year 2014, we were at 8.76%. <a href="http://energy.gov/eere/renewables">Renewable electric energy</a> comes in common forms, like solar and wind, as well as less common forms, like landfill gas, ocean wave, and geothermal energy. Also, agencies aren’t limited to buying renewable energy - they are encouraged to produce it on site in an effort to achieve <a href="https://sftool.gov/plan/421/transformation-net-energy">net-zero energy</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many Federal agencies, as well as many US businesses, maintain fleets of vehicles to operate. EO13693 mandates that, by 2025, 50% of all new Federal vehicle purchases be zero-emissions or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Planning for Federal facilities to have alternative fuel infrastructure for their fleets is included in the EO. <a href="http://www.afdc.energy.gov/pdfs/51227.pdf">Electric vehicle charging stations</a> are a popular and now widely available way of achieving these goals; if it helps reduce cost while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it’s a great choice for the private sector to make as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This post suggests three ways the US Federal government is leading the way to reduced GHG emissions that simultaneously reduce operational costs. These include reduced building energy use, increased reliance on renewable energy and increased alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure. Find out more about these and other sustainable best practices at <a href="https://sftool.gov/">sftool.gov</a>. By widely disseminating this information to both the public and private sectors, for free, we can help give ideas to the nation that reduce our environmental footprint while driving American innovation and economic growth.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0