A recent assessment of the environmental management systems (EMS) at nine national wildlife refuges in the Northeast Region confirmed that this region continues to lead the way in green facility management. Refuge buildings have been fitted with recycled content carpets and rubber flooring, low-mercury fluorescent lights, roof shingles made from recycled tires, ground-based (geothermal) heating and cooling systems, programmable temperature controls, insulated blankets around hot water heaters, and new cabinets to store hazardous materials. Outside, composting toilets, recycled plastic lumber for boardwalks and other construction projects, and recycled tire mulch help reduce the ecological impact. Refuges also look to renewable solar energy for general electrical needs such as boardwalk and storage building lighting and cooling systems for hazardous waste sheds.

In refuge offices less paper is being wasted by using double sided printers and copiers, and new recycling containers have improved recycling programs. "We’re using about 40 percent less paper" reported Charlie Vandemoer, project leader of Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex . Libby Herland, project leader of Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex stated that approximately half of their documents are double-sided. Paper-saving techniques also include increasing on-line communication said Deborah Long, project leader of the Long Island National Wildlife Refige Complex. Office practices also save electricity. According to Deputy Refuge Manager Frank Drauszewski, staff at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge make sure they turn their computers off at night.

The region’s refuges also excel in integrated pest management, resulting in reduced chemical use on refuge lands. Practices include using insects for bio-control of invasive plant species and open marsh water management for mosquitoes. For fleets, re-refined oil and biolubricants have been used and 2-stroke outboard motors are now replaced with 4-stroke motors. Many employees have reduced refuge vehicle use by carpooling. Several stations reported purchasing hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicles. Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland has been using biodiesel since 1995 and recently started using biodiesel in their heavy equipment according to Deputy Project Leader Larry McGowan and maintenance wage leader Richard Webster.

Refuges also get help from friends in their greening efforts. For example, some Friends Groups recycle toner cartridges and cell phones. At John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, a volunteer suggested participating in an innovative program to recycle 20-ounce plastic bottles, said supervisory outdoor recreation planner Suzanne Kelley. The refuge collects the bottles and sends them to an environmentally and socially conscious company which refills the bottles with a concoction of worms and markets the contents for composting (vermicomposting). The refuge receives a small cash rebate for each bottle they send in.

The EMS assessment, a requirement of the Service, was conducted via telephone by Dave Washburn, Ed Kaiser, and Catherine Hibbard of the regional office engineering, safety, and refuges programs, respectively. They interviewed refuge project leaders and staff where greening programs were formally established with an EMS. Stations were scored on 10 categories of implementation, including environmental policy, goals and targets, and monitoring and measurement. All refuges were achieving their greening goals and therefore scored in the "partial implementation" class. Because John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge was the only refuge to have taken the extra step of reviewing and updating their Environmental Management Plan, they received enough points to achieve "full implementation". As a result, they will be certified as having an EMS in place and their environmental programs will not be assessed annually, but once every three to five years under the Service's environmental auditing program. The remaining programs will be assessed annually until they achieve full implementation. Other refuges where an EMS is implemented and not specifically mentioned above include Edwin B. Forsythe, Eastern Neck, and Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuges.