Sustainable Environmental Stewardship
High Performance and Sustainable Buildings
Key Resources
DOE Resources
Key Documents
High-Performance and
Sustainable Buildings
In January 2006, DOE signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) on High-Performance and Sustainable Buildings. The MOU commits the 19 participating agencies to establish and follow a common set of sustainable Guiding Principles for integrated design, energy performance, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, and materials aimed at helping Federal agencies and organizations:
- Reduce the total ownership cost of facilities;
- Improve energy efficiency and water conservation;
- Provide safe, healthy, and productive built environments; and
- Promote sustainable environmental stewardship.
Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management mandates all Federal agencies to follow the elements of the January 2006 High Performance Buildings MOU by requiring that:
- New construction and major renovation of agency buildings comply with the Guiding Principles set forth in MOU, and
- 15 percent of the existing Federal capital asset building inventory of the agency as of the end of fiscal year 2015 incorporates the sustainable practices in the Guiding Principles.
The Department has embedded sustainable building principles into DOE Order 450.1, Environmental Protection Program. Attachment 2 of this order establishes new Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Environmental Stewardship goals, and incorporates strategies to support the design and operation of sustainable buildings.
In FY 2006, 32 out of 44 DOE sites (73%) reported having sustainable environmental stewardship objectives and targets for achieving DOE's pollution prevention and sustainable environmental stewardship goals established in their site EMS.
The Department has also embedded requirements for HPSB in capital asset acquisition of new facility construction and major retrofits into DOE Order 413.3A, Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets. This Order provides the Department with project management direction for acquiring capital assets on schedule, within budget, and fully capable of meeting mission performance, safeguards and security, and environmental, safety, and health standards.
Key Resources
Federal
Green Construction Guide for Specifiers
EPA, in partnership with the Federal Environmental
Executive and the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), has developed the Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers. This guide seeks to
help federal agencies meet their project-specific environmental goals & mandates including:
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) works to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. USGBC has developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® as a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
Interagency Sustainability Working Group
Under the new executive order, Executive Order 13423-Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, issued in January 2007, the Interagency Sustainability Working Group is charged by the executive order Steering Committee to provide interagency assistance for implementing the E.O. 13423 sustainable building design requirements. Chaired by FEMP, the Working Group is composed of approximately 300 representatives registered in the ISWG database.
DOE Resources
Department of Energy Sustainable Building Assessment Tool
The DOE High Performance Sustainable Buildings Working Group developed this tool to assist DOE sites and programs in implementing and documenting compliance with the Guiding Principles for High Performance and Sustainable Building, for both new construction and existing buildings. Instructions on using the tool are provided in the various tabs within the spreadsheet.
DOE
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Building Technologies Program
DOE's Building Technologies Program works in partnership with states, industry, and manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of our nation's buildings. Through innovative new technologies and systems-engineered building practices we are transforming how we design, build, and operate the approximately 15 million new buildings projected to be constructed by 2015.
Federal
Energy Management Program
As the largest energy consumer in the United States, the federal government has both a tremendous opportunity and a clear responsibility to lead by example with smart energy management. By promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy resources at federal sites, the Federal Energy Management Program helps agencies save energy, save taxpayer dollars, and demonstrate leadership with responsible, cleaner energy choices.
FEMP's High Performance Federal Buildings Database
FEMP is sponsoring this federal portal to the High Performance Buildings Database. This database contributes to the purpose of exchanging information about federal agency sustainable design activities as demonstrated in these high performance federal building projects.
FEMP'S Sustainable Design and Operations Case Studies
A collection of case studies in the federal government as well as a few from industry. Case studies include Federal LEED Certified Buildings, Federal ENERGY STAR Labeled Buildings, FEMP assisted greening projects, and private industry endeavors.
DOE's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
As the largest purchaser in the United States, the federal government has both an opportunity and a clear responsibility to lead by example with environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), and EPP is embedded into the Guiding Principles of High Performance and Sustainable Buildings. The goal of DOE's EPP Program is to help DOE sites recognize the value of environmentally preferable products (especially those with attributes specified by Congress: biobased/recycled content, energy/water efficient, alternative fuels/vehicles, and non-ozone depleting) and transition to them as quickly as possible.
Key Documents
Contact Information
For more information, contact
Josh Silverman (202-586-6535).
This page was last updated on January 02, 2009
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