| Green initiatives are a driving force in the Obama | | | | To achieve cost-effective sustainable design, the |
| Administration's economic plans. The $787 billion | | | | federal government has set forth a six-step process |
| American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is | | | | that the Obama Administration hopes the private |
| expected to create 3.5 million green economy jobs | | | | sector will utilize. |
| over the next two years. While federal agencies like | | | | · Site selection and preparation |
| the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the | | | | · Utilization of building operating systems that |
| General Services Administration (GSA) have increased | | | | minimize the use of non-renewable products |
| budgets and revitalized green mandates to power | | | | · Insistence on the use of sustainable building |
| the Administration's sustainable agenda, there are | | | | products |
| signs that the private side is getting on board. | | | | · Address the preservation and conservation |
| With increased public and private commitments to | | | | of water |
| green initiatives, awareness of sustainable design | | | | · Improve the building interior environment to |
| polices and practices have become paramount to the | | | | the benefit of the occupants |
| success of the green movement. Since the | | | | · Implement environmentally responsible |
| emergence of the green movement, sustainable | | | | operational and maintenance practices |
| design has remained a random compilation of national | | | | Accordingly, the GSA has received a $5.5 billion |
| policy interspersed with local applications. | | | | budget allocation for green projects. The EPA has |
| The Obama Administration is applying standardized | | | | finally received supplements to its dwindling budget. |
| third-party sustainable fundamentals to federal | | | | The Agency's budget was trimmed each of the past |
| projects and carrying those fundamentals to state | | | | 8 years, resulting in a 27% cumulative decrease. |
| and local levels. Effective sustainable design addresses | | | | The new $10.5 billion budget includes a $3.9 billion |
| three basic concepts: | | | | allocation for improvements to the country's water |
| · The reduction of negative factors on the | | | | infrastructure. Specifically, the agency will address |
| environment | | | | 1000 clean water projects and 700 drinking water |
| · The reduction of negative health and | | | | initiatives ranging from, San Francisco to Chesapeake |
| comfort factors upon building occupants | | | | Bay and including major projects in The Great Lakes |
| · The increase of building efficiency and | | | | and Lake Champlain. |
| performance | | | | The acknowledged universal and primary |
| Like all federal agencies, the GSA is determined to | | | | consideration in sustainable design has become the |
| minimize the bottom-line impact during the | | | | carbon footprint. The recognition of the carbon |
| implementation of sustainable design for all the | | | | impact offers sustainable designers tangible criteria |
| agency's projects. In the past, the private sector has | | | | upon which every product, every building and every |
| been wary of the cost of green design and | | | | green initiative can be evaluated and promoted. In |
| construction. GSA maintains that increased | | | | fact, the future of sustainable design and the |
| construction costs related to effective sustainable | | | | development of carbon regulation will not only drive |
| design are more than offset by the reduction in | | | | sustainable design but will unify the private and public |
| operating costs and specifically in reduced energy and | | | | sector's sustainable focus. |
| waste costs. | | | | |