Sustainability

Sustainability is an increasingly integral part of federal real property management. Green building and other greening policies are becoming more deeply imbedded in federal law and policy, as the economic, environmental and social benefits of such policies become clearer. To help the government in this effort, GSA’s Office of Governmentwide Policy has gathered policy and resources on sustainability.

Policy foundations

An increasing array of federal laws, executive orders, policies and guidance require sustainable building practices. Among the most important of them are:

• The Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program provides relevant sections of key laws – including the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
• Executive Order 13834, Efficient Federal Operations establishes Federal policies for energy and sustainability management. Additional information about sustainability and environmental policy as it pertains to energy can be found at the Council on Environmental Quality.
• The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings provide detailed requirements mandated by Executive Order 13834. The DOE’s FEMP provides three types of support services.

Tools and resources

Information resources to help agencies meet these requirements include:

• GSA’s Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings applies architectural, engineering, behavioral, policy and communications expertise to conduct research, develop standards, guidance and tools, and communicate and partner with the Federal community to advance green building practices and policies.
• Sustainable Facilities Tool helps facility managers, purchasing agents, designers, tenants and others to take action to green your buildings, purchases, and operations.
• The DOE’s FEMP provides agencies and organizations with the information, tools, and assistance they need to meet and track their energy-related requirements and goals.