Executive Order — 13693
Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Federal Green Challenge is a national effort under US EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, challenging EPA and other federal agencies throughout the country to lead by example in reducing the Federal Government’s environmental impact.
Congratulations to Federal Green Challenge Winners in EPA’s Great Lakes Region!
- Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, IL) for improving environmental performance in three categories. In Waste, for the facility’s work increasing the amount of material composted by 115% by starting an on-site composting program for landscape materials and food scraps. In Electronics, for its work to increase the number of computers with the power management features enabled by 63% by ensuring all electronics are set up with power management, duplex printing, and other energy-efficient features. And finally for Transportation, for reducing the number of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles by 91% by taking advantage of GSA’s green vehicle initiatives for leased vehicles and for using bio-diesel in facility-owned vehicles.
- Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center (North Chicago, IL) in the Education and Outreach category for its development and use of a quantitative risk-based formula to evaluate risk of environmental activities and target educational initiatives. See the Chicago Tribune Article here
- Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System (St. Paul, MN) in the Transportation category for doubling the number of electric vehicles purchased. This is a national award.
Additional information about these awardees and awardees from other regions is posted here
Thank you to all FGC participants that nominated themselves and continue to lead by example!
Listen: An interview with Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Exchange)
The Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI) includes two competitive grant programs.
The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program supports locally-led collaborative efforts that bring together diverse interests from the many municipalities in a region to determine how to best target housing, economic and workforce development, and infrastructure investments to create more jobs and regional economic activity.
The Community Challenge Grant Program fosters reform and reduces barriers to achieving affordable, economically vital, and sustainable communities.