Sustainability and Environmental Services

GSA’s goals are to eliminate its impact on the natural environment, help its customers reach their sustainability goals, and reduce the environmental impact of the federal government.

GSA has expertise in sustainability and a history of leadership in green government. GSA embraces its responsibility to increase the sustainability of the federal government by reducing its use of natural resources and the environmental impact of its buildings, products, services, and its processes and activities. GSA’s mission statement recognizes the convergence of opportunity, capability and responsibility in a new commitment to achieve a zero-environmental footprint.

GSA’s zero-environmental footprint goal is a shared mind set and commitment. It is a strategy to empower individuals and organizations to take action to eliminate the impact of the federal
government on the environment.

GSA Region 8's sustainability and environmental expertise includes the following areas.

Integrated design

Energy and water efficiency and management

• Building commissioning/recommissioning
• Advanced metering
• Submetering
• Energy audits
• Innovative technologies
• Measurement and verification
• Life cycle cost and return on investment analysis
• Building automation systems
• Smart buildings
• Operational efficiency
• Renewable energy
• Data center “lessons learned”
• Lighting
• Xeriscape
• Water-efficient equipment and fixtures
• Cooling plant optimization (chillers, cooling towers and associated controls)
• Storm water
• Non-traditional water treatment

Indoor environmental quality

Sustainable purchasing

Recycling and waste management

• Solid waste management
• Cardboard and paper recycling
• Single-stream recycling
• Universal waste recycling: electronics/compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)/batteries/aerosols/paints/oils and lubricants
• Waste audits
• Composting
• Construction and demolition
  waste recycling

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

• Site acquisition and selection
• Categorical Exclusions (CATEX); automatic or checklist
• Environmental site assessments
• Environmental impact statement

Phase I and II Site Due Diligence studies

Sustainability and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS)

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001
• Development and updating environmental procedures
• Building level self-audits
• Training

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification

• Project identification and support

LEED Green Associate and Accredited Professional training program

Compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations

High-performance design, construction and operations

Customer and community outreach

• Partnerships
• Sharing “lessons learned”
• Collaboration
• Green teams
• How-to trainings