U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced Thursday its commitment to 100 percent renewable electricity sources for the federal real estate portfolio by 2025. GSA will leverage its purchasing power to provide renewable energy to its real estate of 186 million square feet.
The Administration plans to eliminate fossil fuel use in any newly constructed facilities and achieve net-zero by 2030. The announcement aligns with President Biden's public pledge to combat climate change and invest in innovative low emission technologies.
“I am proud to affirm GSA's commitment to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025. This is an important step in reasserting the federal government’s leadership role in addressing the existential crisis of climate change,” commented 2021 Wash100 Award recipient and acting GSA administrator Katy Kale.
In addition to GSA’s recent announcement, the Administration has collaborated with the NAACP to establish an Environmental Justice and Equity Task Group. The goal of this Task Group is to improve engagement with diverse and underrepresented communities to create solutions throughout the federal sustainable building process. This includes design, construction, operation, renewal and occupancy leading to opportunities and green jobs.
“We are gratified and eager to begin this critical work of examining the past and present impacts of federal buildings on Black, Indigenous, people of color and low-income communities, as well as advancing the transformative possibilities through the work of the Environmental Justice and Equity Task Group,” added Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program senior director.
The GSA has also created a Federal Building Decarbonization Task Group which will explore opportunities and challenges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency, electrification and environmentally friendly building technologies at federal buildings.
"Buildings account for 40 percent of all energy consumed in the US, and 70 percent of the electricity. By the federal government demonstrating a path toward decarbonization, we can encourage greater use of renewable and clean electric resources across the country,” concluded Mark Chambers, senior director for Building Emissions, White House Council on Environmental Quality.
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