GSA Blog

Going Green: Sustainability and Climate Updates from GSA

Addressing climate change is a triple win for America. For the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), tackling climate change means: 

• Creating clean-energy jobs;
• Saving taxpayer money by reducing energy costs; and
• Building a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous future for the next generation. 

Every day, we move forward, step by step, on these goals. Over the last several weeks, we have showed our commitment to sustainability through innovations and leadership announcements: 

Sustainability Implementing Instructions
GSA experts contributed to the Implementing Instructions for Executive Order 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs through Federal Sustainability. GSA is already playing a big role in supporting these goals, and the release of this latest, detailed policy will only add to our efforts by giving GSA additional government-wide responsibilities in areas from low embodied carbon materials, to sustainable leasing, to Scope 3 greenhouse gas accounting.

Addressing Climate and Sustainability in Federal Buying
GSA hosted its first GSA Acquisition Policy Federal Advisory Committee public meeting on September 22, 2022. The GAP FAC will advise GSA on using acquisition tools and authorities to target high-priority challenges. The committee will first focus on driving regulatory, policy, and process changes to embed climate and sustainability considerations in federal acquisition. These changes include recommending steps GSA can take to support its workforce and industry partners in ensuring that climate and sustainability issues are considered throughout the acquisition process. GSA welcomes the 28 inaugural members. 

Making Progress on Low-Carbon Construction Material Procurement Event in Ohio
On September 15, General Services Administrator Robin Carnahan joined White House officials and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in Ohio to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s Buy Clean Initiative. Administrator Carnahan discussed how GSA is working to catalyze markets for low-carbon construction materials. She highlighted our successful use of clean construction materials at GSA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded projects.

Understanding Domestic Solar Panel Production
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to spur Made-in-America clean energy industries, GSA issued a Request for Information (RFI) to learn more about what domestically manufactured solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and components are available. GSA seeks to encourage domestic manufacturing of PV panels through federal procurement. This effort is part of a comprehensive policy to support both decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid and securing a domestic clean energy supply chain.

Fleet Customer Focus Group Event Held in New Hampshire
GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) hosted a Fleet Customer Focus Group Event in Pembroke, N.H., at the Army National Guard Regional Training Institute. The Fleet team  explained the current and future state of GSA Fleet Services. The presentation also covered how GSA supports federal sustainability efforts by providing a path to electrify the fleet. GSA currently helps agencies acquire electric charging station infrastructure and alternative fuel and electric vehicles, and is aiming for 100 percent zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) acquisitions by 2035.

Celebrating National Drive Electric Week 2022 (#NDEW22)
On September 23, National Drive Electric Week started. It’s a campaign raising awareness about the benefits of full-battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. GSA celebrates this week because we help our federal agency partners plan, acquire, and deploy electric vehicles. Our goal is to simplify electric vehicle adoption by providing the necessary training resources and data so our customers can make the best decisions for their fleets.