Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Green Building and Green Operations
National Information
Regional Information
EPA Region 8 is working to decrease its impact on the natural environment by working in a high performance, green building and paying close attention to the environmental impact of our daily activities. The building Region 8 Headquarters occupies, 1595 Wynkoop Street, which achieved the gold rating under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), was designed and constructed in a more environmentally friendly way than a traditional building. Some features of 1595 Wynkoop Street that help us decrease our environmental impact include:
- Extensive use of daylight to reduce need for artificial light
- A vegetated green roof to control storm water and decrease urban heat island effect
- Waterless urinals and low-flow plumbing fixtures to decrease water use
- High recycled content materials throughout the building help preserve resources
But it is not enough to simply build a green building; a big part of the equation is how the building is operated and the behavior of the occupants. Region 8's Environmental Management System helps us improve our environmental performance by quantifying the impact of our operations (e.g., electricity, water, material consumption and transportation) and taking actions to reduce those impacts. Region 8 is working toward a project Gold rating in LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EBOM) to ensure our high performance in building design.
The green design, construction, operation and maintenance of 1595 Wynkoop, combined with close attention to our collective actions, help EPA Region 8 in our efforts to practice what we preach.
