Source: United States General Services Administration
April 21, 2022
This Achievement Arrives More Than a Decade Ahead of Government-Wide Goal of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Reduction by 50% by 2032
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced a 51% reduction of its building portfolio’s annual operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—more than a decade ahead of the government-wide goal of a 50% reduction of GHG emissions by 2032. This marks a reduction in 2021 of over 1.1 million tons of annual emissions compared to the 2008 base year.
“We’re thrilled to reach this milestone, and we’ll keep pushing to reach the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “As a country, we must continue to invest in and upgrade our over 1,500 owned federal properties to build a cleaner, healthier future for America.”
GSA has worked relentlessly to save taxpayer dollars through energy efficient operations, smart building technologies, and industry-leading sustainable new construction and building modernization. This includes a focus on competitive utility purchasing to lock in favorable prices, smooth price volatility, and procure more renewable energy. These investments enabled the agency to avoid over $80 million in energy costs in 2021, with a total of over $648 million since 2008.
This year, in furtherance of new government-wide goals, GSA will expand support of customer agencies’ needs for zero-emission vehicles and carbon pollution-free electricity (CFE) procurement. By aggregating CFE procurement across multiple agencies, GSA will help agencies meet their GHG reduction goals, while also securing consistent prices to support agency missions and benefit taxpayers.
“GSA is ready to deliver in the fight against the climate crisis while serving agencies’ missions and saving taxpayer dollars. GSA is now also working to set aggressive new targets to reduce our buildings’ GHG emissions even further,” said GSA Public Buildings Service Commissioner Nina Albert. “This coincides with our goals of maximizing building efficiency; reducing energy, water, and waste consumption; lowering utility costs; and eliminating carbon pollution—which not only benefits the environment but our clients and taxpayers, as well.”
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet and overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, technology, and other mission-support services across government, in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.