GSA Leads Way Toward Clean Energy Economy
|
Video Length: 1 minute 12 seconds GSA’s role as the government’s landlord and procurement leader enables it to act as a catalyst for environmental sustainability and economic prosperity, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson told an audience of business leaders dedicated to improving environmental performance. “Sustainability makes sense. It makes good economic, policy, environmental and business sense,” Johnson said during a speech at the GLOBAL Environmental Management Initiative in Washington, D.C. “And, on top of all that, it makes for good government.” Because GSA has been leading sustainability efforts for many years, it is well positioned to move America toward a more sustainable future, Johnson said. “GSA is already in this game. Since the 1970s when our country faced an energy crisis, GSA has been committed to reducing the energy reliance of our building portfolio,” she said. “Today, federal buildings operate on average at 22 percent less energy than their private-sector counterparts.” GSA will require all new buildings in its federal inventory achieve gold standard for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. By early next year, the agency is also establishing 15 virtual meeting centers across the country to help decrease the need for government officials to travel. It’s these initiatives and more that are leading GSA toward its goal of zero environmental footprint. Johnson said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been essential to helping foster many sustainability initiatives and in creating innovation in new markets. “Thanks to more than $5 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we’re pursuing smart investments in new, green technology, and design in order to modernize and update more than 260 federal buildings,” she said. The Government Environment Management Initiative is an organization dedicated to environmental, health and safety, and sustainability initiatives.
Read Martha Johnson’s Speech >>
|
