Press Releases
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
04/19/2007
Pelosi, Democrats Launch 100 Percent Carbon Neutral ‘Green the Capitol Initiative’
The preliminary report on the
“Green the Capitol Initiative” was presented by the CAO in response to a March 1
letter by House Democratic leaders requesting the development of such an
initiative.
“The environmental challenges we
face are as local as our neighborhoods and as global as our planet,” Speaker
Pelosi said. “The House must lead by example and it is time for Congress to act
on its own carbon footprint. Today, we announce our intention to operate the
House in a carbon neutral manner at the earliest possible date with a deadline
of the end of this Congress.”
“I commend the CAO on this
thoughtful preliminary report on how the House can take steps to operate in a
sustainable manner that is more sensitive to the environment,” said Majority
Leader Hoyer. “Improving energy efficiency is the most effective first step
that any organization can take to make a positive effect on the world we live in
and that we leave to our children and
grandchildren.”
The recommendations in the CAO’s
preliminary report include:
- Operate the House in a
Carbon Neutral Manner
- Shift to 100 percent
Renewable Electric Power
- Aggressively Improve
Energy Efficiency
- Adoption of Sustainable
Business Practices
- Continued Leadership on
Sustainability Issues
- Offsets to Ensure
Carbon Neutral Operations
“Implementing these important
first steps signal we are not only doing the right thing, but we are taking
steps that will eventually save money,” said Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz.
“Through these recommendations we will show not only that these actions are
environmentally beneficial, but are fiscally
sound.”
Click here to read
the executive summary by the CAO:
http://www.speaker.gov/pdf/GTCsummary.pdf
Click here to read
the full report by the CAO:
http://www.speaker.gov/pdf/GTCreport.pdf