U.S. General Services Administration
Greening Federal Buildings
GSA, the government's largest civilian landlord, leads the way in green building design, construction, retrofit and sustainable operations and maintenance. Through its commitment to sustainable design, GSA pledges to serve as a forward thinking and responsible steward of our nation's economic and natural resources.
Green Programs at GSA
Reduces federal utility costs by promoting optimal energy use.
Optimizing operations to provide sustainable, high performance workplaces to federal employees.
Award-winning program teaches federal and local agencies a coordinated system of technological and management practices to control pests in a safe, environmentally sound, and economical manner.
Benefits GSA with healthier, longer-lived plantings which rely less on pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, and minimize water use.
Steps for making all government offices compliant with Energy Star requirements.
How to use federal buying power to make sustainable choices.
Leveraging GSA's real estate portfolio to evaluate sustainable building technologies.
Enabling and enhancing Federal leadership in sustainable real property portfolio management and operations by promoting, coordinating, and stimulating green building across the Federal government.
Partners people and technology to create a green building strategy.
An integrated approach positively impacts all phases of a building's life-cycle.
GSA requires LEED Gold as the minimum requirement for new construction and substantial renovation of GSA-owned facilities.
Using videos and white papers from thought leaders to present a broad understanding of the principles of sustainable development. Includes architect William McDonough, author of "Cradle to Cradle."
Guidance and Policy
- Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction (179D) bulletin
- Facilities Standards (P100)
- GSA's Climate Change Adaptation Policy Statement [PDF - 185 KB]
- GSA's Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan
- Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898 [PDF - 508 KB]
Online Tools
- Carbon Footprint Tool (decommissioned in 2017)
- Sustainable Facilities Tool
Other Resources
Publications and Reports
- Applied Research Publications
- Assessing Green Building Performance: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of 12 GSA Buildings
- Re-Assessing Green Building Performance: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of 22 GSA Buildings
- The Benefits and Challenges of Green Roofs on Public and Commercial Buildings [PDF - 9 MB]
- Expanding Our Approach to Sustainable Design [PDF - 3 MB]
- High Performance Building Certification System Review
- GSA Net Zero Renovation Challenge Charrette
- Key Sustainable Products Standards [PDF - 999 KB]
- National Academies Report: Achieving High-Performance Federal Facilities – Strategies and Approaches for Transformational Change
- Putting Energy Research into Practice (page is no longer available)
- Submetering of Building Energy and Water Usage
- Sustainability Matters [PDF - 11 MB]
- Sustainable Building Rating Systems Summary
- Workplace Matters [PDF - 4 MB]
Federal Partners
White House
Department of Agriculture
Department of Defense
- Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment
- DoD Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health Network and Information Exchange
- National Defense Center for Energy and Environment
Department of the Interior
Department of Energy
- Better Buildings Program
- Commercial Building Energy Alliance
- Building Technologies Program
- Federal Energy Management Program
- National Laboratories
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Veterans Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of State
- Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations – Green Initiatives