GSA Pledges to Pursue Zero Environmental Footprint

At the U.S. Green Building Council’s Federal Summit in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2010, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) administrator Martha Johnson announced a bold new goal for the agency responsible for all the facilities of the federal government: net-zero environmental footprint. Johnson stressed that the key word was “eliminate”—not “limit”—the impact of the federal government on the environment.

GSA has long been a leader in the push for more sustainable building practices. Johnson proposed that GSA could achieve a zero footprint by using federal buildings to test new technologies, focus on occupants as well as building design, encourage smart-grid-capable design, purchase only green products, run the federal fleet on alternative fuels, and develop metrics and methods for tracking progress towards green goals.