Robert Lane
Director, Green the Capitol Office

The new director of the Green the Capitol Initiative is anything but green — at least in terms of his background.

With more than 30 years of experience working around the country on issues ranging from land use, water resources and habitat preservation, Robert Lane isn’t exactly new to environmental issues.

“It’s great to be on Capitol Hill again,” he said. “I’m looking forward to making a contribution and helping to usher our environmentally-friendly vision into its next phase.”

Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard said he’s also looking forward to working with Lane to evolve the Green the Capitol Initiative.

"Bob brings a wealth of experience in greening issues from both the private and the public sphere,” Beard said. “He’s a great addition to the green the Capitol team.”

His extensive career has often focused on reforming and modernizing federal programs as they relate to environmental issues. In the late 1970s, he reformed Western water policies under President Jimmy Carter’s administration.

"We put water use under scrutiny because we need to be able to protect the environment and make sure the benefits of a project outweigh the cost,” Lane said.

As a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, he worked to develop roads and protect wildlife in Wyoming. He also planned National Conservation Areas in Nevada, which safeguarded areas of historic value, including an area that immigrants used to travel into California during the gold rushes of the 1840s.

Lane said those experiences, along with many others, will guide him as he works at the helm of the Green the Capitol program.

"What we do is good for the environment and it also has to make sound business sense,” he said.

He’s looking forward to taking on challenges and contributing to a more environmentally aware House.

"The policies that we have here are visible evidence of our commitment to the environment,” Lane said. “We’re not just talking about it; we’re really doing it.”

Although he’s only a few weeks into his tenure, he has no shortage of ideas for the second phase of Green the Capitol. Among them: looking into employee parking and transportation. “We know we can modify our space, the next step is going to be about modifying behavior to not just reduce our carbon footprint, but to become more carbon healthy,” he said.

He’ll also continue to work with the Architect of the Capitol and Senate leadership to “achieve a greater green impact.”

Lane is currently working to green the Transition process by promoting recycling and reuse during the moves and providing environmental education to new employees. The office also recently launched a feature called “Picture Your Move.” Available on HouseNet, it features an interactive green office that highlights environmentally-friendly office products and services available in House offices. 

“My vision is that there will be evidence in almost every corner of the House that we’re going green — from environmentally sound products to the way we operate technology — and we’re getting close,” he said.

Allison Rogers
Program Manager, Green the Capitol Office

Allison Rogers serves as Program Manager at the Green the Capitol Office. In her role, Rogers coordinates the day-to-day strategy and project management to support the Green the Capitol goals of carbon emissions reduction, energy savings and of making the House a model of sustainability. 

“Going green is about good business practice and good management,” she said. “It means operating in an way that is constantly focused on savings and is always conscious of finding innovative ways to use resources.”

Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Rogers worked with the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, where she coordinated the sustainability programs for Harvard College, Law School and Business School. Committed to bringing awareness about climate change to the general public, Rogers decided to compete for Miss Rhode Island where her platform was "Go Green! Global Warming Awareness." She won the pageant on Earth Day 2006. In January 2007, she became the first contestant to bring a climate change platform to the national stage at the Miss America Competition.

One of the first 50 people to be trained by Former Vice President Al Gore to present on global warming, Rogers spent a year traveling throughout the northeast working with schools, businesses and community organizations to "go green". Rogers has been recognized as a 2007 Wild Gift Fellow and she was awarded the "Individual Environmentalist of the Year" Award by Earth Day RI and "Strong Women and the Environment" Award by RI Clean Water Action, Ocean State Action and Environment Rhode Island. Rogers received her bachelor's degree in Comparative Study of Religion from Harvard University. She also recently received earned her Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she focused on sustainability education and organizational leadership.

"The mission of environmental sustainability is not just to preserve our natural environment for future generations. Of course, it is very much about making our culture one that protects our planet for future generations. But it is also about improving the quality of life for people today — helping to improve our health, finding better ways to build and sustain our communities, finding smarter ways to travel, saving money and creating a healthier world right now,” Rogers said.

Summer Montacute

Summer Montacute’s work at the Green the Capitol Office initially focused on the reduction of waste and improving reuse and recycling during the 111th Congressional Transition. With the transition to the new Congress a success, Montacute has taken on a new role as the Office Greening Program Manager for Member, Committee and Leadership offices. The goal of the program is to commit at least half of these offices to taking “core” green actions, such as acquiring energy efficient power strips or reducing their paper subscriptions.

"It is my vision that going green isn't seen as a special interest or side issue, but rather something that can be incorporated into our everyday lives; where we won't even have to think about our actions because the choices before us will all be sustainable,” Montacute said.

Montacute received her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University where she worked as a representative for the Harvard Resource Efficiency Program, promoting sustainability awareness on campus.

Committed to environmental education and green living, she brings a variety of conservation experience to Green the Capitol. Her previous work includes the development of social programs in compliance with Forest Stewardship Council certification, as well as environmental research for both the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Resource Management and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Montacute said she’s looking forward to making a difference in her role, "Going green isn't something that can happen overnight, but there is no time to be wasted in taking the first steps,” she said. “What better place to begin than the Capitol of our country?”

Joshua Mantell

Joshua Mantell joined the Green the Capitol Office in May 2008. He works primarily with the Member Office Greening Program and other Green the Capitol programs. He previously interned for Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, working on issues ranging from music piracy to lead paint in toys.

Mantell became interested in the federal government’s role in environmental issues, and specifically climate change, after attending a conference in 2005 that focused exclusively on the issue of greenhouse gases. As an intern with Senator Boxer, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he continued to pursue these issues before becoming a member of the Green the Capitol Office.

The Green the Capitol Initiative is an opportunity for the House to lead by example, Mantell said.

"If a large government institution can achieve carbon neutrality than states can reduce their carbon emissions as well,” he said. “Every person that we can get to change a few of their habits — that’s a win.”

Mantell graduated in June 2007 with a B.A. in History from University of California, Santa Barbara.

For questions or comments please call the Green the Capitol Program office at 202-225-0892