The Green the Capitol initiative began in March 2007, led by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The goal was to be more environmentally responsible, and to showcase sustainability for employees and visitors.
The number of issues that this project tackled is impressive, and they’ve shown strong results toward reaching three outlined objectives:
1. Operate the House in a carbon-neutral manner by the end of the 110th Congress
2. Reduce the carbon footprint of the House by cutting energy consumption by 50% in 10 years
3. Make House operations a model of sustainability
I heard Dan Beard, Chief Administrative Officer of the US House of Representatives, speak at the Ecocity World Summit, and was impressed by the number of initiatives that are underway. Beard showed slides of electric vehicles, bicycle commuting incentives and aggressive recycling programs. I was most impressed by the use of recyclable materials in the commissary and the composting of food wastes.
Beard indicated that carbon-neutral status would be very hard to achieve due to the inefficient power plant that provides electricity on Capitol Hill. There are plans to evaluate the plant and make it more efficient, but there are no inexpensive means to replace it. Until that issue is solved, the House will buy carbon credits on the Chicago Exchange to make up the difference to become carbon neutral.
It’s good to see some leadership on the federal level for sustainability issues.
