Sustainability and Environmental Services

GSA’s goals are to help its customers reach their sustainability goals, reduce the environmental impact of the federal government, and to make the work environment more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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 & Sustainability Measures

• P-100
• Guiding Principles
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification
• Project identification and support

Energy Efficiency and Management

• Building commissioning and 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
• Lighting

Water Efficiency and Management

• Water-efficient equipment and fixtures
• Cooling plant optimization (chillers, cooling towers and associated controls)
• Landscaping and Xeriscaping
• Non-traditional water treatment

Stormwater Management

Indoor Environmental Quality

• Asbestos
• Lead testing (water and surfaces)
• Low volatile organic compounds (paints, adhesives, etc.)
• Molds
• Radon testing
• Underground storage tanks

Chemical Management

Sustainable and Green Purchasing

• Comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)

Recycling and Waste Management

• Solid waste management
• Cardboard and paper recycling
• Single-stream recycling
• Universal waste recycling: batteries, pesticides, lamps and mercury containing devices; states may elect to add to the list (i.e., electronics, aerosol cans).
• Waste audits
• Composting
• Construction and demolition waste recycling

Site Acquisition and Selection

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• Categorical Exclusions (CATEX); automatic or checklist
• Environmental site assessments
• Environmental impact statement
• Phase I and II Site Due Diligence studies

Sustainability and Environmental Management System (SEMS)

• Formation and implementation of a SEMS as per International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001
• Development and updating environmental procedures
• Building level self-audits
• Training

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

For more information, contact:
Lisa Haskins
Supervisory Program Management Specialist
Phone: 303-236-2414
Email: lisa.haskins@gsa.gov