Protecting Our Employees and the Environment Office of Administration and Resources Management ^ 2011 Accomplishments ------- ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments CONTENTS Letter From the Designated Agency Safety and Health Official and Senior Sustainability Officer 3 Management Systems and Self-Assessments Provide a Framework for Continual Improvement 5 Safety and Preparedness Remain Top Priorities 8 Motivating Employees to Embrace a Healthier Lifestyle 11 Adding More Sustainable Buildings to the Agency's Portfolio 14 Continued Support for Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy 17 A Holistic Approach to Electronics Stewardship 21 Conserving Water Resources 23 Responsible Waste Management - Source Reduction, Donation, Reuse and Recycling 26 Curtailing Transportation Impacts 30 Expanding the Circle of Knowledge 33 Closing Remarks 36 ------- ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT THIS REPORT, which exemplifies what the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA) did in 2011 to provide a safe and healthy workplace for its more than 17,000 employees and to reduce the environmental impacts of its offices, laboratories and research vessels. We reduced our lost-time injury and illness case rate by 18 percent (bringing it down to 0.27 cases per 100 employees in FY 2011), motivated employees to embrace a healthier lifestyle, expanded our inventory of sustainable buildings, continued implementing energy and water conservation projects, promoted electronics stewardship and responsible waste management practices, curtailed transportation-related impacts, and shared lessons learned with the broader community. In addition, we remained on track, and in some cases, ahead of schedule, in meeting the long-term safety, health and environmental performance targets that the White House and Congress have set for federal agencies. Further- more, our 2011 performance earned a green score (the highest rating offered) on the Office of Management and Budget's Sustainability/Energy Scorecard. As the Designated Agency Safety and Health Official and Senior Sustainability Officer, I am obviously pleased that the EPA is meeting required targets and earning a high scorecard rat- ing, but the agency's motivation for pursuing such excellence comes from a deeper place. Our mission, protecting human health and the environment, simply demands it of us. We are the EPA - an agency created more than 40 years ago to protect America's natural resources for the betterment of current and future generations. It is a privilege to be entrusted with this mission, and we aim to embrace it as a guiding principle in managing our own internal affairs. To put it simply, we recognize the importance of practicing what we promote, which is why we continu- ally strive to improve employee well-being and reduce our environmental footprint. The EPA aims to lead by example and provide a responsible model for other organizations to follow. I hope this report will inspire readers to support progressive safety, health and environ- mental practices in their own organizations, as I believe the nation will become stronger, more efficient and more productive as efforts to protect human health and the environment con- tinue to take root. Craig E. Hooks Assistant Administrator Office of Administration and Resources Management ------- ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments Management Systems and Self-Assessments Provide a Framework for Continual Improvement r> IN RECENT YEARS, both the public and private sectors have gained a greater understanding of the impact that safety, health and environmental issues have on efficiency and productivity. Failure to address these issues sets the stage for costly accidents and unnecessary waste. Fortunately, the EPA has been working diligently to integrate safety, health and environmental considerations into all levels of its planning and operational decisions. Doing so enables the agency to identify and mitigate potential hazards before they cause accidents and to ensure that environmentally responsible best practices are being fully implemented. The goal is to be proactive and to strive for constant advance- ment rather than being satisfied with the status quo. The agency's management systems and internal self-assessments establish a foundation that allows for continual improvement. The EPA's commitment to environmental management systems (EMSs) dates back more than a decade, and its focus on safety and health management systems (SHMSs) rounds out and complements the agency's long-term strategy to use management systems as a driver for excellent safety, health and environmental performance. SHMSs Enter the Final Stage of Implementation SHMS, a management approach that provides a framework for identify- ing, minimizing and controlling hazards and risks, has the potential to improve an organization's safety and health performance record, raise employee morale, foster a safety ethic, and make employees more aware of the responsibility they have to recognize and eliminate haz- ards and prevent accidents. In 2011, EPA Administrator Lisa P.Jackson issued The EPA's Commitment to Safety and Health Management Systems, to express the agency's confidence that SFIMSs will bolster safety and health performance. The EPA is leading each of its major offices and laboratories in imple- menting a SHMS by September 2012 - an initiative that the agency " The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is committed to safety and health management systems as a means of integrating into our culture the One EPA ethic that all of us are responsible for mitigating workplace hazards and risks to help minimize occupational injuries and illnesses." — Lisa P. Jackson, EPA Administrator ------- protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments pursued aggressively throughout 2011. Early in the year, the EPA released a SHMS Implemen- tation Plan that outlined the 12 milestones that EPA locations must achieve to successfully implement a SHMS. The EPA also released the first four modules of its SHMS Implementation Guidance Manual. Additionally, the EPA continued to perform comprehensive onsite hazard risk assessments at individual offices and laboratories to help them identify potential vulnerabilities that must be addressed during SHMS implementation. By the end of June 2011, the EPA had completed assessments at 30 of its major offices and laboratories. EMSs drive Environmental Performance An EMS applies the same principle of continual improvement as a SHMS, but it focuses on environmental rather than safety and health impacts. EMSs have been in place at all major EPA offices and laboratories for several years. In 2011, the agency continued to take steps to strengthen its EMSs and optimize performance. For starters, the agency offered training to EMS coordinators and other EMS team members between April and July 2011. The training, delivered in four different cities, offered participants practical hands-on experience in applying EMS concepts and evaluating environmental performance. Also in 2011, third-party EMS conformance reviews were performed to determine how fully the agency's EMS reporting locations are satisfying the 18 elements of the International Organization for Standardization 14001 standard. Some recommendations for improvement were identified, and EPA locations immediately started implementing them. EMS - A Source of Empowerment and Innovative Ideas EMS awareness training helps employees recognize the role they can play in achieving a more sustainable workplace. Such empowerment has led to innovative thinking, prompting EPA employees to step forward and take action to reduce their facilities' environmental footprint. Recognizing the potential wealth of ideas that employees possess, Region 4 held a Go4Green competi- tion in 2011 to encourage employees to submit ideas. Fifty-three employees participated, offering suggestions on how to reduce waste, water and energy use, and vehicle fuel consumption. Four winning ideas (see below) were selected for immediate imple- mentation and others may be pursued in the future. ~ Idea #1: Install secure print features on multifunction copiers and remove personal printers. After selecting this idea as a winner, Region 4 formed a workgroup to eliminate 278 personal printers, an effort that is projected to save $687 per year in energy costs, reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 8,841 pounds, and reduce paper and printer cartridge use. ~ Idea #2: Implement more efficient document-control tools to limit unnecessary reprinting each time minor correc- tions are made. To implement this idea, the region will develop a new standard operating procedure, a routing database and supportive training materials. ~ Idea #3: Dim or turn off ceiling lights in the Region 4 Office's lobby area during daylight hours. Efforts to implement this idea are underway. Building automation controls are being introduced in the main tower lobby area and the cafeteria. Once in place, overhead lighting in these two areas will be turned off during the day. Additionally, photocell sensors will be installed to make better use of outdoor ambient lighting. ~ Idea #4: Reduce energy consumed by vending machines. In response to this idea, some of Region 4's older vending ma- chines are being retrofitted with Energy Miser devices, and newer machines are being reprogrammed to shut down during the evening hours and resume operation starting at 6:00 in the morning. 6 ------- Protecting Our employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments The EPA also continued developing Multi-Site EMSs (where applicable) to consolidate manage- ment activities and streamline EMS program procedures. Region 5 and Region 8 both established Multi-Site EMSs in 2011, bringing the total number of Multi-Site EMSs in place across the agency to four (see figure below). Additionally, at the end of the year, the EPA finalized its revised set of agencywide EMS objectives, targets and metrics, which outline the top environmental steward- ship priorities that EMS reporting locations will be expected to pursue starting in 2012. Multi-Site EMSs By the end of 2011, the agency had four Multi-Site EMSs, covering Region 5, Region 7, Region 8 and the Office of Research and Development (ORD). The facilities covered under each one are shown here. Region 5 ~ Regional office (Chicago, Illinois) ~ Regional laboratory (Chicago, Illinois) Region 7 ~ Regional office (Kansas City, Kansas) ~ Regional laboratory (Kansas City, Kansas) ~ Warehouse operations Region 8 ~ Regional office (Denver, Colorado) ~ Regional laboratory (Golden, Colorado) ~ Field office (Helena, Montana) ORD ~ Atlantic Ecology Division (Narragansett, Rhode Island) ~ Gulf Ecology Division (Gulf Breeze, Florida) ~ Ecosystems Research Division (Athens, Georgia) ~ Mid-Continent Ecology Division (Duluth, Minnesota, and Grosse lie, Michigan) ~ Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division (Ada, Oklahoma) ~ Environmental Sciences Division (Las Vegas, Nevada) ~ Western Ecology Division (Corvallis and Newport, Oregon) Self-assessment - The Cornerstone for Continual Improvement The EPA's work will never be done when it comes to pursuing strong safety, health and envi- ronmental performance, as it has committed to pursue continual improvement in these areas. Thus, managers must constantly ask themselves, "What can we be doing better?" The agency engages in a variety of self-assessment activities to answer this question. For example, over the past year, the EPA's Office of Administration and Resources Management sent auditors to 11 EPA locations (five offices, three laboratories and three research vessels) to identify opportunities for potential improvement and ensure that all applicable safety, health and environmental require- ments are being met. In addition, every EPA location used the agency's Self-Assessment Tool to conduct internal safety, health and environmental management self-assessments in 2011. More- over, the EPA continued to perform dive safety evaluations as well as energy, water, security and sustainable building assessments throughout the year. 7 ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments The EPA's Lost-Time Injury and Illness Record Improves The agency's total number of injuries and illnesses remained nearly steady between FY 2010 and FY 2011, but fewer cases were serious enough to require days away from work. In fact, the agency's lost-time case rate decreased by 18 percent over the past year, dropping to 0.27 cases per 100 employees in FY 2011. 8 TH E QUALITY of the agency's work hinges on the caliber of its personnel, which is why it is critical for the EPA to recruit and retain high-quality employees, maintain a reputation of being a premier place to work, and consistently demonstrate its commitment to employee well-being. At the most basic level, the EPA must provide a safe and healthful workplace and equip employees with the knowledge and tools they need to avoid injury and illness on the job. Preventing injuries and Illnesses An organization's safety record speaks volumes about its commitment to its employees, and the EPA continued to maintain one of the lowest total injury and illness rates (0.62 cases per 100 employees) in the federal government and to reduce its lost-time injury and illness rate (see adjacent sidebar). The EPA continued to raise awareness about common causes of injuries and illnesses (e.g., slips, trips, falls, motor vehicle accidents, muscle strains) and provided infor- mation on how to avoid them. Also, internal self-assessments were conducted at all the agen- cy's offices and laboratories to identify and mitigate hazards before they caused accidents. Motor vehicle Safety The number of motor vehicle accidents that occurred across the EPA declined by 31 percent between FY 2010 and FY 2011. All the employees involved in the accidents were wearing seat belts, and none of the accidents were attributed to distracted driving - a testament to the EPA's commitment to support Executive Order (EO) 13043 (which requires seat belt use) and EO 13513 (which bans texting while driving). Throughout the year, EPA locations re- minded employees of their obligation to use seat belts and avoid texting behind the wheel. EPA locations nationwide provided electronic reminders; used posters, signs, stickers, or newsletters; incorporated reminders in their vehicle checkout process; asked security guards to ensure compliance; and used annual eight-hour field safety refresher training as a forum for delivering reminders. The EPA also provided online National Safety Council driver safety training to 440 employees in FY 2011. ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments EQUIPPING PERSONNEL WITH PROPER TOOLS In conducting the agency's business, EPA employees may engage in potentially dangerous activities. For example, they dive into water bodies to collect environmental samples; clean up sites contaminated with hazardous materials; respond to oil spills, natural disasters, and terrorist events; work with toxic chemicals in the laboratory; and research emerging technologies. As hazards cannot always be eliminated, the agency must equip personnel with the tools they need to protect themselves on the job. EPA employees performing work on the agency's behalf. Training lies at the heart of the agency's strategy, as workers are less likely to be injured if they are fully aware of the hazards associated with their jobs and know which administrative and operational controls and protective equipment options are available. In January 2011, the EPA distributed a revised version of its safety and health training policy and an associated guidance document. In addition, the agency worked on improving administrative elements of its training program so that managers and supervisors can more easily determine which training require- ments employees have met before deploying them to the field. New training courses were also developed. Following up on feedback provided by safety and health auditors, the agency posted 13 safety and health PowerPoint presentations to its Intranet in April 2011 to address topics related to mechanical work and warehouse operations (e.g., forklift safety, hot-work per- mits, electrical safety). Moreover, the agency's Cincinnati, Ohio, campus developed an introduc- tory health and safety training course for managers and supervisors. At the end of the year, a workgroup convened to revamp the agency's Level A, B and C Readiness training and exercise packages to ensure that emergency response personnel are prepared to respond to events that require Level A, B and C personal protective equipment. ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Also in 2011, the EPA worked on developing option plans to ensure that appropriate medical countermeasures (e.g., antibiotics) are readily available to emergency response personnel, as these employees could be called on to respond to incidents involving biological threat agents (e.g., anthrax). The EPA also continued writing its Emergency Responder Health and Safety Manual and produced a document titled Guidelines for Personal Protective Equipment Ensemble Selection to help emergency responders determine which type of personal protective equipment is most appropriate to use during different response scenarios. Refining policy and improving Guidance Safety and health is a dynamic field. As new hazards emerge, industry best practices evolve to keep pace. Thus, the agency must periodically revisit and update its safety and health policies and guidance. In 2011, the agency released updated versions of the following: ~ EPA Order 1440.2, Safety and Health Training Requirements for Agency Employees ~ SHEM Guideline 51, Safety, Health and Environmental Management Training ~ SH EM Guideline 57, Occupational Medical Surveillance Program ~ The agency's Diving Safety Manual In addition, the EPA developed new guidance in 2011 to address a common office hazard - unattended appliances (e.g., fans, coffee pots, space heaters), which have caused fires. It also initiated efforts to update its Vessel Safety Manual and a policy order that addresses qualifica- tions and training requirements for occupational safety and health personnel. At the end of the year, a workgroup convened to revise EPA Order 1440.1, which serves as the foundation for the agency's entire safety, health and environmental management program. The revised policy order will clarify the EPA's authority to oversee safety, health and environmental management aspects of operations and activities performed at its facilities. Upgrading the Agency's Personal Protective Equipment The agency upgraded its personal protective equip- ment in 2011. For example, Headquarters sent all the regions respirators that can be used in chemical, bio- logical, radiological and nuclear environments. Also, to eliminate drowning hazards, the Region 7 Office in Kansas City, Kansas, upgraded and assigned indi- vidual personal flotation devices (e.g., life preservers) to field personnel who perform electrofishing and to on-scene coordinators. Region 7 also enhanced personal protective equipment requirements for employees operating offroad vehicles. ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments Motivating Employees to Embrace a Healthier Lifestyle IN ADDITION TO ensuring workplace safety, the EPA is committed to helping employees achieve healthier lifestyles. Such commitment has taken on new urgency as the country struggles to ad- dress rising obesity rates, increases in Type 2 diabetes, excessive sedentary behavior and poor nutri- tional habits. Our nation's leaders, starting with the President, recognize the importance of encouraging Americans to adopt healthier behaviors, and employers are increasingly being asked to help employees achieve healthier, more balanced lives. The EPA welcomes this challenge and has taken action to encour- age a healthier and more productive workforce. The EPA Race around the Regions Challenge Between January and July 2011, the EPA sponsored its first agencywide fitness challenge - the EPA Race Around the Regions Challenge - to encourage employees to add physical activity to their daily routines, regardless of their fitness level or ability. Employees used the President's Challenge website to track their physical activity, earning approximately 100 points for every 30 minutes of exercise. The goal of the chal- lenge was to earn 8,000 exercise points - equivalent to the distance in miles around all 10 EPA regional offices and Headquarters. The program was a huge success: more than 2,500 EPA employees participat- ed, logging more than 170,000 hours of exercise. The agency tracked points earned by individuals and applied their points to the EPA location they repre- sented. For the team competition, in the category of large EPA offices (i.e., 500 or more employees), the Region 2 Office in New York, New York, had the highest average number of exercise points, with 30,592 points per participant, and the Region 10 Office in Seattle, Washington, had the highest percentage of employee participation, at 25 percent. In the category of smaller offices (i.e., fewer than 500 employees), the ORD's Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon, had the highest average number of exercise points, with 41,293 points per participant, and the Wheeling Office in West Virginia had the highest per- centage of employee participation, at 44 percent. For the individual competition, the Region 3 Office in ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments & EPA gf RACE Around "'^REGIONS Nearly half the employees who participated in the EPA Race Around the Regions Challenge completed an optional survey after the competition was over. Of the 1,153 people who responded: ~ 845 improved their fitness level ~ 607 improved their overall health ~ 344 lost weight ~ 235 tried a new physical activity Furthermore, given the opportunity to provide additional information about their success, participants had the follow- ing to say: "I lost more weight than I ever have in my life, and I got back into the spirit of exercise." "I found I slept better, was more relaxed and more productive at work." "1 got into the habit of bike commuting three days a week." "I got back into slimmer clothes I haven't worn for some time. That's not always easy when you work at a desk all day." "I lost a few inches and gained a few friends who are also work- ing towards a healthier lifestyle." "As a full-time working mom of a toddler, this challenge helped me stay motivated to stick to my walk schedule" "I became more active and this inspired my son to become more active, too." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was well represented; the top indi- vidual male and female point-earners both work at this location. Perhaps even more impressive than the numbers, however, were the testimonials that participants offered describing the impact that the challenge had on their lives (see adjacent side- bar). Some participants credited the fitness challenge with help- ing them lose weight or providing the impetus to quit smoking or eat healthier foods. Others said that it improved their produc- tivity, allowed them to bond with co-workers or relieved stress, all of which directly impact the quality of an employee's work. Other 2011 highlights Below are a few examples of health and wellness services that some EPA locations offered in 2011: ~ Headquarters developed a Walking Incentive Program for employees; continued co-sponsoring an annual Walk to Wellness (see photo below) and an Open Season Health Fair; offered seminars on numerous topics (e.g., chiropractic health, heart health, allergies); supported 15 blood drives; provided vaccines; and continued supporting mammo- grams and other preventative medical screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol, memory and glucose screen- ings. Additionally, Headquarters produced four wellness newsletters in 2011 and released two bulletins: Focusing on Food and Nutrition (issued in March 2011) and Stay Healthy Throughout Your Life (issued in September 2011). The latter listed routine medical screenings that people in different age groups should consider. EPA employees participated in a fitness demonstration at Headquarters' annual Walk to Wellness on May 18,2011. 12 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Region 8 offered health and wellness-related lectures, seminars, and lunch-and-learn brown bag sessions; established an in-house flu-shot clinic; delivered a presentation on influenza; continued offering a variety of health screenings; and started offering healthy choices in its vending machines. The EPA's Cincinnati, Ohio, campus continued educating employees about health and wellness topics through presentations, a monthly newsletter, emails and special classes. Presentations were delivered to raise awareness about diabetes, cholesterol, the impor- tance of sleep, carpal tunnel syndrome, sun and skin safety, breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and osteoporosis. The Cincinnati campus also continued maintaining a Wellness Center Intranet site, and it offered more than 20 fitness classes per week. A biennial health fair was held, which gave employees an opportunity to participate in a variety of screenings (e.g., lipid scans, Derma scans, bone density scans, blood pressure screening, biomechanical analysis) and to collect information on numerous health-related topics (e.g., heart health, nutrition, stress). In addition, the Cincinnati campus offered 10-minute chair massages to 144 employees and supported winter holiday and summer workout incentive programs. Taking Wellness to the next level Although the EPA is committed to health and wellness, inconsistencies exist regarding the extent of services that are offered at different EPA locations. Thus, in January 2011, the agency convened a Health and Wellness Work- group, represented by multiple regions and program offices, to develop an agencywide program that defines a set of minimum health and wellness services that all EPA locations should consider offering. By the end of the year, the proposed program was presented to the Assistant Administrator of the EPA's Office of Administration and Resources Management, who agreed to launch it in 2012. Takers-fairs The EPA launched a Take the Stairs campaign in 2011, developing 10 motivational signs to encourage employees to use the stairs (rather than the elevator) as an easy way to increase their physical activity while simultaneously reducing the energy used to operate elevators. The posters have been made available to all EPA locations via the Intranet. In November 2011, the Region 10 Office in Se- attle, Washington - which is located in a 20-story building - held its first annual stair climb fund raising event. This event created two beneficial outcomes. First, it prompted 120 employees to partake in strenuous physical exercise. Second, it raised $2,927 for the Combined Federal Cam- paign, a charity that supports eligible nonprofit organizations that provide health and human services around the world. Using a pledge sheet, participants identified sponsors to donate money for each floor they climbed. Some participants climbed the entire 20 stories, took the elevator down, and climbed back up again. Three people actually repeated the process seven times, each climbing a total of 140 floors. 13 ------- protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments ^g^HlI ENERGY STAR certificates are awarded to build- ings that meet aggres- sive energy-efficiency criteria. In 2011, the Ariel Rios Building in Washington, D.C., and the Region 1 Office in Boston, Massachusetts (both pictured here), achieved ENERGY STAR building labels. With the addition of the Region 1 Office, the agency can now say that all 10 of its major regional offices have achieved the ENERGY STAR label. Five other EPA locations qualified under ENERGY STAR in 2011. Equally important as providing safe and healthful workplaces is the agency's commitment to promote sustainable building principles to ensure that its facilities are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. The agency continued to make advancements in this regard throughout the year. Green Building Certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) is an internationally recognized green building certification program. The EPA has steadily been earning LEED certifications at its facilities over the past decade, and in 2011, the agency gained one more certification when the Potomac Yard Two building in Arlington, Virginia, achieved a platinum rating under the LEED for Existing Buildings 2009 rating system. At the end of 2011, the EPA occupied 10 buildings certified under the LEED for New Construction rating system and five buildings certified under the LEED for Existing Buildings rating system. 14 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Also in 2011, the Region 2 Caribbean Environmental Protection Division in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico; the Region 9 Office in San Francisco, California; and the Region 10 Office in Seattle, Wash- ington, took steps to achieve certification under the LEED for Commercial Interiors 2009 rating system, and the new Region 7 Office (which will be in Lenexa, Kansas) worked toward achieving certification under the LEED for New Construction 2009 rating system. All four locations are using their leasing agreements as a vehicle to promote sustain- ability, collaborating with their landlords to ensure that green building features and practices are incorporated. Throughout the four locations, efforts are underway to install automated lighting controls; incorporate designs that maximize daylight; install energy- efficient mechanical systems, appliances, and equipment; select construction and furnishing materials that contain recycled-content material; specify the use of low volatile organic compound paints and adhesives; recycle construction waste; and promote alternative transportation. Pursuing the President's Goal EO 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, directs federal agencies to ensure that at least 15 percent of their Federal Real Property Profile inventory meets the Guiding Principles for High Performance and Sustainable Buildings by the end of FY 2015. The agency is on track to meet the 15 percent milestone, as it is already more than halfway there. Work remains, however, to achieve the end goal. In 2011, the EPA continued to take action to integrate sustainable features into existing facilities and identify opportunities for improvement in others. The EPA piloted the implementation of the Building Management Plan Guidelines (BMPG) at the Environmental Science Center in Fort Meade, Mary- land, and the ORD's Large Lakes Research Station in Grosse lie, Michigan. These two locations used the BMPG, a comprehensive set of sustainable building best management practices, to develop facility-specific plans and procedures that will allow them to meet the requirements of the Guiding Principles. These locations have upgraded their facility plans to address integrated pest manage- ment, exterior and hardscape management, landscape manage- ment, tobacco smoke control, occupant feedback, moisture control, and sustainable purchasing. They also intend to develop plans and procedures to phase out ozone-depleting substances and improve indoor air quality, solid waste diversion, green cleaning and storm- water infrastructure maintenance. Using the lessons learned from the pilot sites, the EPA will modify and strengthen the BMPG and continue implementing it at other locations. Dealing With Pests in an Environmentally Responsible Manner The majority (about 70 percent) of the agency's offices and laboratories have developed formal integrated pest manage- ment programs that outline strategies for reducing the use of chemical pesticides. In addition, about 80 percent of the agency's landscaped facilities have implemented environmentally beneficial landscaping that reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other chemicals. Some locations have opted to allow portions of their lawns to return to their native state, thereby reducing the use of chemical applications and also reducing mowing demands (saving fuel, time and money). In addition, some EPA- owned locations require landscape maintenance crews to obtain preapproval before applying chemicals, and others include language in their leasing agreements or landscaping contracts to discourage the use of chemicals. Organic-based pest and disease controls and other nonchemical options are being promoted at some EPA locations. For example, the Region 9 Office in San Francisco, California, has introduced ladybugs to eliminate aphids and uses beer to reduce snail populations. Similarly, the ORD's Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon, has installed ladybug nesting boxes and bat boxes as pest-control measures. 15 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments Also in 2011, the EPA conducted sustainability assessments at three EPA locations - the Region 2 Laboratory in Edison, New Jersey; the Region 10 Manchester Laboratory in Port Orchard, Washington; and the ORD's Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division in Ada, Okla- homa. The assessments were conducted to determine how fully each location has integrated sustainable operations and maintenance principles, optimized energy performance, protected and conserved water, enhanced indoor environmental quality, and reduced the environmental impact of materials. With the addition of these three facilities, the EPA has now assessed 96 percent of its projected 2015 Federal Real Property Profile inventory by number of buildings (98 percent by gross square feet). The assessment findings will help the EPA determine what additional actions facilities must take to meet the Guiding Principles. Green Cleaning - A Component of Sustainable Operations The EPA promotes green custodial best practices. Environmentally preferable cleaning agents, floor products and odor-control products are used in lieu of conventional products at nearly all (92 percent) of the agency's locations. In addition, most EPA locations (87 percent) have modi- fied their custodial contracts to encourage the use of green custodial practices. At about half of the agency's locations, custodial service providers have created green cleaning stewardship plans that promote eco-effkiency and reduce adverse impacts to human health and the environment. A variety of other best practices are also being implemented across the agency. ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments OVER THE YEARS, the EPA has strived to be a leader in implementing energy conservation projects and championing renewable energy technologies. This past year was no exception. In 2011, the agency continued to implement mechanical improvements and energy-efficient upgrades, support the green power market, and install onsite renewable energy projects. By doing so, the EPA has positioned itself to meet the energy-reduction targets established for federal agencies (discussed on page 19) and is ahead of schedule in meeting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduc- tion targets (see next page). mechanical Improvements and Energy-Efficient Upgrades In 2011, the EPA initiated or completed several major mechanical system improvements and energy- efficient upgrades. For example, the Office of Air and Radiation's (OAR's) National Vehicle and Fuel Emis- sions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, implemented lighting upgrade projects, including: installing occupancy sensors, upgrading exterior lighting with light-emitting diodes and replacing interior lighting with T5 fluorescent bulbs. Additionally, the Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina made con- siderable progress in its efforts to upgrade fume hoods and install a new heat recovery system that will reduce the facility's high-temperature hot water load. Several other energy-efficiency projects were also underway. For example, major infrastructure replacement projects continued to progress at the agency's Cincinnati, Ohio, campus and the ORD's Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Once completed, these projects are expected to yield significant energy savings. Support for the Green power market The EPA continued to offset 100 percent of its electricity use with delivered green power and renew- able energy certificates. Two agencywide contracts supported renewable energy generation from wind, landfill gas and biomass resources in three states. Combined with four additional contracts for delivered green power and renewable energy certificates, the EPA purchased more than 260 million kilowatt-hours worth of renewable energy in FY 2011. ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments The Agency's Combined Scope 1 and 2 GHG Emissions Decline What are Scope 1 and 2 emissions? ~ Scope 1 represents direct GHG emissions from sources that the EPA owns or directly con- trols. For example, these may include emissions from fossil fuels burned in onsite boilers or emissions from the agency's vehicle fleet. ~ Scope 2 represents the EPA's indirect GHG emissions that result from consumption of pur- chased electricity, chilled water, hot water and steam. What is the reduction target? EO 13514 instructs federal agencies to establish agency-specific GHG reduction targets. In response, the EPA has committed to reducing its combined Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 25 percent by the end of FY 2020 compared to an FY 2008 baseline. What is the EPA's strategy? More than 93 percent of the agency's combined Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions are attributed to building-related energy consumption. Thus, in the long term, the EPA plans to meet the GHG reduction targets by reducing energy intensity at EPA locations. In the short term, the agency will also rely on green power purchases to achieve reduction goals, as allowed under current GHG emissions accounting and reporting guidance issued by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. How is the agency doing? In FY 2011, the agency's combined Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were 56.9 percent lower than the FY 2008 baseline. This impressive reduction was due in part to the agency's extensive green power purchases, which were credited with reducing the EPA's reported Scope 2 GHG emissions by more than 79,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in FY 2011. Onsite Renewable Energy projects The EPA has been steadily implementing renewable energy technologies at its facilities over the past several years. Onsite renewable resources such as wind, solar and geothermal power supplied the agency with 8.8 billion British thermal units in FY 2011. In July 2011, the EPA com- pleted installation of a new 55-kilowatt, thin-film solar photovoltaic system on the rooftop of Research Triangle Park's Main Laboratory. In addition to benefitting from the energy that the system is generating, EPA representatives are using the photovoltaic system to promote the use of renewable energy to visitors and the local community. In September 2011, the ORD's Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, Rhode Island, became the first EPA laboratory to implement an onsite renewable energy system that couples wind and solar energy technology (see photo on next page). Eager to share its success with others, representatives from the EPA met with the town of Narragansett's planning department to share the design specifications for its renew- able energy system. ------- protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Meeting Future Goals The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and E013423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, require federal agencies to achieve a 30 percent reduction in energy intensity by FY 2015 (compared to a FY 2003 baseline). To keep pace with this goal, federal agencies were expected to reach the 18 percent reduction mark by the end of FY 2011. The EPA is right on target (see figure below). Its FY 2011 energy intensity was 18.1 percent lower than its FY 2003 baseline. The EPA's Energy intensity 450,000 I I 400,000 3 or s 2 350,000 = 300,000 d> £ -S | CO The ORD's Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, Rhode island, has installed four vertical wind turbines (pictured above) and a 20-panel photovoltatic sys- tem. The four 1-kilowatt wind turbines and the 5-kilowatt solar array will supply a portion of the laboratory's electricity, reducing demand from the grid. Onsite renew- able energy is just one aspect of the facility's overall energy reduction plan. Efforts are also underway to replace major mechanical systems. 250,000 200,000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Fiscal Year Federal Requirement ¦— EPA's Actual Performance 19 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments While the EPA is pleased with its progress, much remains to be done over the next four years to achieve the 30 percent reduction end goal. The EPA welcomes the challenge and is positioning itself to meet it. The agency's ongoing mechanical and energy-efficiency upgrades will help it get closer to the goal, as these improvements are estimated to save more than 50 billion British thermal units of energy per year once they are completed. Looking to the future, a major component of the EPA's energy conservation strategy involves targeting fume hood operations at the EPA's laboratories. Fume hood air-reduction studies are underway at the Region 1 Laboratory in Chelmsford, Massachusetts; the Region 6 Laboratory in Houston, Texas; the Region 7 Laboratory in Kansas City, Kansas; and the ORD's Gulf Ecology Di- vision in Gulf Breeze, Florida. The EPA is also performing fume hood hibernation projects at the Region 9 Laboratory in Richmond, California, and the Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina. These projects will allow the agency to capture energy savings in laboratories where fume hood capacity is temporarily not needed. Energy Assessments, Recommissioning Evaluations and Advanced Metering Assessments. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires federal agencies to perform energy assessments and recommissioning evaluations at 25 percent of covered facilities each year. Over the past three years, such evaluations have been performed at 78.5 percent of the agency's covered facilities. The EPA is on track to complete 100 percent of its required energy assessments and recommissioning evaluations by the end of June 2012. Advanced metering. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Indepen- dence and Security Act of 2007 require federal agencies to install advanced metering for electricity, steam and natural gas where it is feasible to do so. In response, the EPA completed installation of advanced metering hardware at six facilities in FY 2011 and awarded hardware construction contracts or 1 had advanced metering projects under construction at six additional facili- ties. Advanced metering hardware is now installed or under construction to capture 73 percent of agency wide reportable energy consumption. j ------- A Holistic Approach to Electronic^Stewardship OVER THE SPAN of just a couple of decades, the nation has experienced extraordinary growth in the use of electronics equipment. Computers, monitors and printers have be- come commonplace in nearly all facets of American life and business. While such progress has undoubtedly created many benefits, there are environmental impacts (e.g., disposal issues, energy demands) that require attention. EPA aims to minimize the impacts by promoting green electronics acquisition, efficient operational practices and responsible end-of-life management and by consolidating its servers and data centers. acquisition, Operations and maintenance, and End-of-life Management In 2011, nearly all (99.5 percent) of the computers, laptops and monitors that the EPA acquired were registered under the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool. Products bearing this desig- nation are preferable from an environmental standpoint because they satisfy specific environmental performance criteria that address material selection, energy efficiency, packaging, product longevity and end-of-life considerations. As for operations and maintenance, the EPA ensured that power management features (e.g., entering sleep mode or standby after a designated amount of inactivity) remained enabled on 100 percent of the agency's computers, laptops and monitors. It also deployed a software package to configure and moni- tor network printers and multifunction devices to default to duplex printing. The chief technology officer issued an agencywide memorandum in May 2011 to remind information management officers that all eligible equipment must be set to default to duplex printing. 21 ------- protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments Finding a Home for Retired Electronic Laboratory Equipment The OAR's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, transferred two gas chromatographs, seven pressure transducers and one electric kiln to federal, state and local facilities in FY 2011. It also sold the following through a U.S. General Services Administration auction: one distillation still, three gas analyzers, two engine measurement systems, nine pressure transducers, two gas chromatographs, two flow meters, two blower/cooling systems, one auto sam- pler and one mass detector. Focusing on end-of-life management, the EPA also ensured that retired computers, monitors, laptops and specialized electronic laboratory equipment (see adjacent sidebar) were donated, re- used or recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. For example, the agency sent equipment to UNICOR; the Comput- ers for Learning Program; and Responsible Recycling-certified companies that adhere to 13 specific environmental, worker safety and public health best practices. Server and Data Center Consolidation In an effort to counteract ballooning energy demands and operational costs associated with servers and data centers, the Office of Management and Budget launched the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative in February 2010. The EPA supports this initiative and has developed a plan (most recently updated in August 2011) that describes how it will reduce its servers and data centers. One particularly noteworthy project called the Email Optimization Initiative will modernize, stan- dardize and consolidate the EPA's entire email system so that it can be hosted from just four data centers, which will allow 180 servers from 45 locations to be removed from service. At the facility level, 22 EPA offices and laboratories took action in 2011 to reduce the number of servers they use or to decrease the square footage of data centers. For example, the Region 1 Laboratory in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, virtualized six of its servers; the Region 2 Laboratory in Edison, New Jersey, vir- tualized two servers; and the Region 3 Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, removed seven servers. In addition, the OAR's Radiation and Indoor Environments National Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada, is in the process of reducing its total number of servers from 10 to two, and the agency's National Computer Center at the Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina (see adjacent photo) initiated a project that has the potential to save 7.5 billion British thermal units per year. The EPA's National Computer Center has initiated a major con- solidation and configuration project that involves server visu- alization, server rack consolidation, energy-efficient equipment acquisitions and new hot-aisle containment configurations. 22 ------- protecting Our Employees and the environment Conserving Water Resources IN 2011, the EPA continued implementing its Water Conservation Strategic Plan, a document that prioritizes water-saving initiatives and provides a timeline for completing projects at specific EPA locations. Throughout the year, the agency worked to install new water-saving technologies, optimize the performance of existing systems and eliminate wasteful practices. At the end of the year, the EPA remained well ahead of the water conservation targets that the White House and Congress have established for federal agencies. Water reduction Targets Building on EO 13423's requirements, EO13514 directs federal agencies to reduce their potable water intensity by 2 percent annually starting in FY 2008 and continuing through FY 2020, which translates to a 26 percent overall reduction compared to an FY 2007 baseline. Although the EPA was only required to be at the 8 percent reduction mark by the end of FY 2011, its potable water intensity was 15.3 percent lower than the FY 2007 baseline, placing the agency ahead of expectations. The agency's past water conserva- tion projects, as well as those implemented in FY 2011 (described in the pages that follow), allowed it to achieve such success. EO 13514 also directs federal agencies to expand their water conservation strategies to account for water that is used for industrial, landscaping and agricultural (ILA) purposes, even if it is nonpotable fresh water. The executive order directs federal agencies to reduce their ILA water use by 20 percent between FY 2010 and FY 2020. Although the White House Council on Environmental Quality has not yet finalized guidance on this topic, the EPA stepped forward and calculated an interim FY 2010 baseline of its ILA wa- ter use based on data collected from seven EPA locations that use nonpotable water from lakes, creeks and wells for irrigation, agricultural research and process cooling. Impressively, over the span of just one year, the EPA has succeeded in reducing its nonpotable water use by 58.6 percent, handily surpassing EO 13514's expectations. The agency's success is attributed primarily to work that the Willamette Re- search Station performed in 2011. This location, part of the ORD's Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon, eliminated the continuous flow of well water to six retired onsite research ponds (see photo on next page). Estimates suggest that this will reduce the Willamette Research Station's nonpotable water use by approximately 110 million gallons, or 82 percent per year. ------- protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Continuous-flow well water entering one of six research ponds at the Willamette Research Station. In 2011, the water source was shut off to reduce unnecessary ILA wateruse. CAPTURING AND REUSING WATER HEADED FOR THE DRAIN For the past several years, the agency has focused on capturing air handler condensate and reusing it in facility cooling towers rather than allowing it to go down the drain. In 2011, new air handler condensate recovery systems were installed at two ORD locations: the Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, Rhode Island (estimated to save 170,000 gallons of water per year), and the Gulf Ecology Division in Gulf Breeze, Florida (estimated to save 290,000 gallons of water per year). In addition, the Region 6 Laboratory in Houston, Texas, installed a new cooling tower and, in the process, repaired its existing air handler condensate recovery system to ensure optimal performance. The repaired system is expected to save 750,000 gallons per year. Saving water in the lavatory Throughout 2011, the EPA continued to upgrade its lavatories with WaterSense® labeled prod- ucts and other water-efficient fixtures. For example, the ORD's Ecosystems Research Division in Athens, Georgia, recently renovated its bathrooms and installed WaterSense labeled urinals and water-efficient toilets and faucets - improvements that are anticipated to save about 230,000 gallons of water per year. As another example, the ORD's Large Lakes Research Station in Grosse lie, Michigan, installed water-efficient faucet aerators in its restrooms, for an anticipated savings of 14,000 gallons of water per year. Additional lavatory upgrades (e.g., WaterSense labeled urinals, water-efficient toilets) will be implemented at this location in 2012. ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments More Efficient irrigation Two EPA locations improved their irrigation systems in 2011 to reduce water use. In June 2011, the Science and Ecosystem Support Division in Athens, Georgia, repaired its irrigation and sprin- kler system and changed to time zoning so that its landscape is now irrigated in a staggered fashion and timed for night-time watering. In addition, the Region 6 Laboratory in Houston, Texas, completed an irrigation system optimization project. Cisterns were also installed at two EPA locations. The Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina, which installed two 1,500-gallon aboveground rainwater cisterns, will use the water it collects to irrigate the vegetable garden at its onsite daycare center (see photo below). Likewise, the ORD's Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett, Rhode Island, added a 1,200-gallon cistern to capture excess stormwater runoff from its green roof. The cistern water will be used for irriga- tion purposes during dry periods. Cistern at the First Environments Early Learning Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. 25 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Responsible Waste Management - Source Reduction, Donation, Reuse and Recycling lft . THE EPA attracts employees who are passionate about environmental stewardship, eager to curtail wasteful practices and committed to preventing waste from needlessly entering the landfill. Their enthusiasm enabled the EPA to achieve an estimated solid waste diversion rate of 59 percent in FY 2011. Impressively, this rate surpasses the solid waste diversion goal (50 percent) that EO 13514 directed federal agencies to achieve by the end of FY 2015, as well as the more aggressive internal goal (55 percent) that the EPA established for itself. Leading the way, five EPA locations (see figure below) achieved solid waste diversion rates above 80 percent in FY 2011, and one of the five - the Region 9 Of- fice in San Francisco, California - achieved its goal of becoming a "zero waste" facility by the end of the calendar year. Stellar Performance Coast to Coast ORD's Atlantic Ecology Division (Narragansett, Rhode Island) Region 8 Laboratory (Golden, Colorado) Region 9 Office (San Francisco, California) ~ OAR's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (Ann Arbor, Michigan) The map pictured here identifies the five EPA locations that recently achieved solid waste diversion rates of 80 percent or higher. On the West Coast, the Region 9 Office succeed- ed in meeting a particularly exciting milestone, becoming the agency's first "zero waste" facility. Working under the umbrella of the Sustainable Region 9 initiative, the zero waste coordinator (Zac Appleton) led the office in reducing waste generation, clearing out and recycling old reports and unneeded paper records, and supporting a composting pro- gram. To engage employees, Region 9 developed and circu- lated a public service announcement - shot in the genre of silent film - that humorously addressed coffee cup disposal and illustrated everyday recycling, composting and source reduction opportunities. Reaping the rewards of its labors, Region 9 saw waste generation continue to decline (in fact, it has gone down 12 percent between 2008 and 2011), paper recycling rates go up, and composting and other recycling activities remain robust, allowing the Region 9 Office to achieve a solid waste diversion rate of 97.4 percent and to qualify as a "zero waste" facility. Region 6 Laboratory (Houston, Texas) 26 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments The agency's waste prevention strategy continued to evolve in 2011. Through its Think Beyond the Bin campaign, the EPA challenged employees to prevent waste from being generated in the first place. The agency also continued to find beneficial uses for unwanted items (e.g., old equipment, food scraps, construction and demolition debris, expired chemicals) rather than automatically sending them to landfills or waste treatment facilities. Eliminating Waste in the First place Obviously, the most effective strategy in any waste management program is to eliminate waste generation in the first place. Focusing on paper, employees at the National Enforcement Inves- tigations Center in Denver, Colorado, bring their laptops to meetings so they can view presentations electronically rather than printing them out. Waste reduction efforts are particularly important in the laboratory, as analytical activities produce hazardous waste. Thus, the agency's laboratories are continually striving to refine their proce- dures and adopt best practices that reduce the amount of sample, solvent and reagent used to support analytical activities. As an example, the Region 5 Laboratory in Chi- cago, Illinois, upgraded its grain-size analysis procedure in 2011, replacing its existing sieves with a particle-size analyzer (see adjacent photo) that generates almost no waste. Additionally, the Region 7 Laboratory in Kansas City, Kansas, recently restructured its Hazardous Waste Management Team to include at least one representa- tive (a chemist or biologist) from each of the labora- tory's main functional areas (i.e., inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biology) to raise awareness about waste management. Organizing the team in this fashion has kept waste management issues at the fore- front and prompted laboratory employees to identify opportunities to reduce waste and manage it in a more streamlined manner. The Region 5 Laboratory performs grain-size analyses on soil and sedi- ment samples, as such analyses provide useful information about con- taminant fate and transport. Prior to this year, the laboratory used a set of four cascading sieves (each with different mesh sizes) to perform all its analyses. Analysts would place a sample in the top sieve, use a shaker to drive the sample through all four sieves and weigh the amount of mate- rial trapped in each one. The process was time-consuming and required analysts to use between 150 and 200 grams per sample, which had to be disposed of when the analysis was done. To streamline the process, the Region 5 Laboratory acquired an automatic particle-size analyzer (pic- tured above) that uses laser technology to display a complete distribution of particle sizes. Only 0.5 to 1.0 gram of sample is needed to perform the analysis, which can be performed in a matter of minutes. Donations - Good for THE AGENCY, GOOD FOR THE RECIPIENT The EPA refrains from automatically thinking of unwanted materials as trash. Time and time again, the agency has found that schools, charities, municipalities and nonprofit organiza- tions, all of which are increasingly facing budget cuts, gladly accept donated materials. The Region 3 Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, certainly found this to be true when multiple schools and nonprofit organizations stepped forward to accept more than 2 tons of three-ring binders that it found during a building cleanout effort. The Region 6 Office in Dallas, Texas, also donated miscellaneous office supplies and three-ring binders to schools and nongovernmental 27 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments Composting Programs Take On Different Forms There is no one-size-fits-all approach to composting. While some locations, like the Region 1 Laboratory in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, have space available to process compostable materials on site, other loca- tions - such as those located in urban areas - must arrange to have their compostable materials hauled to an offsite location for composting. The OAR's National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory in Montgomery, Alabama, which initiated its compost- ing program in September 2011, sends coffee grounds and filters home with employees who are willing to deposit them in their personal composting piles. organizations in 2011, and the ORD's Gulf Ecology Division in Gulf Breeze, Florida, donated 3,000 pounds of old furniture to a local Waterfront Rescue Mission. Also, upon replacing its existing parking lot lights with solar lights, the OAR's National Air and Radiation Environmental Labo- ratory in Montgomery, Alabama, donated its old light fixtures and aluminum poles to a local school rather than sending them to the landfill. (The agency employs appropriate property disposal procedures when making donations.) Nearly 60 percent of the agency's laboratories have implemented chemical adoption programs, which provide a mechanism for donating unwanted chemicals before they expire and become hazardous waste. One EPA laboratory, the ORD's Environmental Sciences Division in Las Vegas, Nevada, donated 12 kilograms of chemicals to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and local high schools in FY 2011. Another EPA location, the Science and Ecosystem Support Division in Athens, Georgia, has donated 27 kilograms and 18 liters of unwanted chemicals to state and local government facilities and numerous educational institutions since it initiated a chemical adoption program in January 2009. This location recently expanded its donations to include glassware, plasticware and other laboratory equipment, upon realizing that much of it had become obsolete when the laboratory shifted from macroscaleto mi- croscale analytical methods. In 2011 alone, the Science and Ecosystem Support Division donated 1,920 unneeded items (e.g., glass beakers, Erlenmeyer flasks, volumetric flasks, graduated cylinders, pipettes, gas chromatography columns) to local educational institutions, saving the schools an estimated $10,500 in supply purchases and preventing the materials from entering local landfills. Similarly, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention's Environmental Chemistry Laboratory in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, donated about 350 pounds of excess labo- ratory glassware to a local middle school and a high school in 2011. Composting Continues to take hold EO 13514 directs federal agencies to reduce the amount of composta- ble and organic waste sent to landfills. Taking this challenge to heart, the agency diverted 238 tons of organic material from the landfill over the past year. Eight EPA locations initiated compostable waste collec- tion programs in 2011, bringing the total number of EPA locations that operate such programs to 23. Hoping to inspire others to follow suit, the EPA held a webinar in 2011 to highlight successful composting programs at the Region 8 Office in Denver, Colorado, and the Region 9 Laboratory in Richmond, California. The latter, which processed about 786 pounds of coffee grounds, food waste and paper towels in FY 2011, recently implemented a new sustainable best practice to support the worms in its vermicomposting bins. Rather than allowing water to go down the drain during routine eyewash and emergency shower testing, it is now being col- lected in a 55-gallon receptacle, wheeled to the warehouse and pumped into the compost bin. 28 ------- Protecting Our employees and the environment 2011 Accomplishments Construction and demolition Debris Eighteen EPA locations generated construction and demolition debris over the past year, and at least 16 of them recycled or salvaged a portion of the debris (see adjacent sidebar for two examples). Collectively, the 18 locations generated at least 1,500 tons of construction and demolition debris and recycled 88 percent of it. The EPA is pleased with these re- sults, as E013514 has instructed federal agencies to ensure that they are diverting at least 50 percent of their construction and demolition debris from the landfill by the end of FY 2015. Recycling Programs Continue To Expand Construction and Demolition Debris Is Put to Go The ORD's Mid-Continent Ecology Division in Du- luth, Minnesota, generated 22,410 pounds of con- struction and demolition debris when it remodeled its bathrooms and replaced its front sidewalk. The debris, all of which was recycled, consisted of floor materials, wall and ceiling tiles, bathroom stalls and fixtures, and concrete. In summer 2011, the Region 6 Office in Dallas, Texas, launched a Kick the Can campaign, asking employees to give up their trash cans to reduce the use of trash liners and remove the temptation to thoughtlessly toss recyclable items into the trash. Some EPA locations also continued to develop new outreach materials to promote recycling, and others ex- panded the type of materials covered in their recycling programs. For example, upon identify- ing a company that melts agricultural plastics, Styrofoam and hard plastics into crude oil, the ORD's Western Ecology Division in Corvallis, Oregon, began encouraging employees to recycle plastics that are not typically allowed in municipal waste recycling streams. The ORD's Ground Water and Ecosystems Restora- tion Division in Ada, Oklahoma, recently replaced a vehicle and material storage area, generating about 10,000 pounds of construction debris in the process. The construction contractor recycled 9,000 pounds of metal structures and siding and roofing material. In 2011, the Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina salvaged (at no cost) native red cedar logs that had been cleared from an adjacent highway and used them to construct several permanent, nontoxic structures, including a vine arbor (shown here) and a sand playground enclosure for its onsite daycare center. 29 \V*V» ------- Protecting Our employees and the Environment EPA EMPLOYEES travel thousands of miles a year for work. They use cars, trucks, planes and other modes of transportation to travel to public meetings, field sites, emergency response sites, training events and conferences. In addition, every morning and evening, EPA employees join the rest of the nation's workforce in commuting to and from work. All this travel is costly, both from an envi- ronmental perspective (e.g., generation of GHGs) and an economic perspective (e.g., gas money, airline tickets). Eager to curb the negative impacts associated with transportation, the EPA continued to take action in 2011 to travel less, travel greener and travel smarter. The agency's efforts thus far have allowed it to exceed two key performance targets - reduction in fleet petroleum use and Scope 3 GHG emissions - a full nine years in advance. Exceeding Expectations GHG emissions: Scope 3 GHG emissions capture indirect emissions associated with a variety of sources, including but not limited to: Air and ground business travel Employee commuting Contracted municipal solid waste disposal Contracted wastewater treatment Transmission and distribution losses associated with purchased electricity EO 13514 directs federal agencies to establish agency-specific Scope 3 GHG emission reduction targets. In response, the EPA has committed to achieve an 8 percent reduction by the end of FY 2020 compared to an FY 2008 baseline. Thanks primarily to reductions in employee business travel, the agency's Scope 3 GHG emissions were already 10 percent lower than the baseline by the end of FY 2011. Fleet petroleum use reduction: EO 13423 and EO 13514 require federal agencies to reduce their petroleum consumption by 2 per- cent each year, using FY 2005 as a baseline. EO 13514 states that reductions must be achieved through FY 2020, which translates to a 30 percent reduction over a 15-year period. Although the EPA was only required to be at the 12 percent reduction mark by the end of FY 2011, its petroleum fuel use was 32.7 percent lower than its 2005 baseline. The agency's efforts to reduce travel through videoconferencing and ridesharing and to right-size and green its vehicle fleet have allowed it to achieve such success. Alternative fuel vehicles: The Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires federal agencies to ensure that at least 75 percent of nonexempt vehicle acquisitions are alternative fuel vehicles. After factor- ing in credits, the EPA reported a 121 percent compliance rate for this metric in FY 2011. 30 ------- protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments Reducing the Impact of Work-Related travel With travel budgets declining and concerns about climate change mount- ing, the EPA is making a concerted effort to reduce the amount of physical travel that employees conduct. Video-teleconferencing and Internet-based communication tools (e.g., webinars, online meetings) play a key role in the agency's travel reduction strategy, as they allow EPA personnel to participate in meetings, conferences and training sessions virtually rather than in person. Ninety-five percent of the agency's major locations had video-teleconferencing equipment by the end of the year, and some of these locations were tracking the impact that this technology has on the agency's travel miles. One location, the Region 10 Manchester Labora- tory in Port Orchard, Washington, estimated that the agency saved 9,320 air travel miles when two chemists opted to attend an annual Laboratory Technology Information Group conference via video-teleconference. Another EPA location - the Region 4 Office in Atlanta, Georgia - launched a Carbon Footprint Tracking Form late in 2011 to track miles saved through video-teleconferencing. Given the nature of the agency's business, however, travel cannot always be avoided. To reduce the harmful impacts of vehicle travel, the EPA con- tinued to green its vehicle fleet, an effort that involves right-sizing the fleet, decommissioning old vehicles, and replacing them with alternative fuel vehicles or low GHG-emitting vehicles. The agency is also taking action to reduce the number of single-occupancy trips that employees make in EPA fleet vehicles. Toward that end, both Region 2 (see adjacent sidebar) and Region 4 took steps to promote ridesharing among employees traveling to the same location within the same general timeframe. For example, when employees in Region 4 try to make an online vehicle reservation, a pop-up window now appears asking them if they have checked the region's online RideShare calendar to determine if anyone else with a similar itinerary has already reserved a vehicle. The benefits of ridesharing are numerous, as coordinating trips reduces travel costs, avoids unnecessary GHG emissions, frees up fleet vehicles and allows employees to get to know one another better. Region 2 Launches SMART Ride In 2011, the Region 2 Office in New York, New York, revamped its business travel data collection system, converting it from a paper-based system maintained across multiple divisions to a central- ized electronic system called SMART Ride. With the new system in place, the region has already gained a better understanding of where employees are taking vehicles and the purpose of their travel, which has allowed Region 2 to assess trends and identify best practices that could be explored to reduce travel costs and benefit the environment. Trip consolida- tion is one area that has garnered much interest, especially once it became evident that 20 percent of the trips that employees make are to the same destination: the regional laboratory in Edison, New Jersey. A host of other questions are also being explored, including whether video-teleconferencing can be used to reduce vehicle trips and whether the fleet's fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles are being used optimally. Employee commutes Although the EPA has been promoting alternative commuting options for many years, the agency is just now starting to gain a better understanding of its employees' actual commuting pat- terns. In November 2011, the agency conducted an employee commuting survey, which the U.S. General Services Administration developed in collaboration with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of Transportation's Volpe Center and the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program. More than half of the EPA's employees responded to this voluntary survey, offering information about the modes of transportation they use to get to and from work. The collected data greatly improved the quantity and quality of the agency's employee commuting data and enabled the EPA to refine its Scope 3 GHG emission baseline. 31 ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments Responsible Commuting Creates Measurable Environmental Benefits Region 7 has started calculating the environmental impacts of green commuting options, reporting the benefits in GHG emissions avoidance. The region estimated that telework, carpools, vanpools and bus ridership prevented 745,000 miles of driving in FY 2011, saving 340 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere. This rep- resents an improvement over the region's FY 2010 performance, when alternative commuting options prevented 245 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere. Many EPA locations encourage the use of public transportation via transit subsidy programs, which provide discounted rates or free passes to those who use mass transit options. Support is also growing throughout the agency for telework programs, which allow employees to work from home or other locations on certain days of the week if they meet specific eligibility and productivity criteria. In fact, some early estimates (based on partial-year data) suggest that EPA employees increased their average monthly telework hours by nearly 11 percent in FY 2011. Additionally, EPA locations actively support carpooling and vanpooling, with some offering parking offsets to carpoolers and others posting online rideshare informa- tion. Biking is also encouraged, particularly at EPA locations situated in communities with bike-friendly infrastructure. For example, the Region 9 Office in San Francisco, California, which offers $20 a month to employees who bike to work at least 10 days a month through the EPA's bicycle subsidy program, has established an online Bike Wiki to provide a forum for employees to share information and organize volunteers for bike maintenance reviews. The Wiki also provides a list of "Bike Buddies" who are willing to accompany less experienced riders wishing to try bicycle commuting for the first time. About 10 percent of the Region 9 Office's employees bike to work on a consis- tent basis. Victoria, a second-grader from Connecticut, submitted this artwork to EPA's Pick 5 for the Environment program. 32 ------- Protecting Our Employees and the environment THE EPA has gained valuable insight over the years through efforts to implement sustainable principles at its own facilities. The journey has been challenging, but the agency has learned much along the way and is eager to share its knowledge and smooth the pathway for others to follow. Recognizing its obligation to serve the greater community, the EPA continued to reach out to neighbors, community leaders, business executives and other organizations to help them adopt sustainable initiatives and become stronger environmental stewards. Providing Insight to Other Agencies In 2011, EPA representatives from the Region 3 Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, provided direct consultation and training on EMS implementation to the U.S. Department of Defense and to federal facil- ity managers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed area. In addition, EPA representatives from the Region 6 Office in Dallas, Texas, helped a local Social Security Administration office initiate EMS development. Likewise, representatives from the Region 7 Office in Kansas City, Kansas, helped the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Federal Benefit Center's Green Team develop a more formal EMS, and they met with a group of Veterans Affairs facility engineers and EMS coordinators to help incorporate sustainable principles into their EMSs. Helping Water and Wastewater Utilities In 2011, the Region 9 Office in San Francisco, California, launched a one-year pilot program to help water and wastewater utilities reduce their energy use and operating budgets. Eight utilities participated, agreeing to attend monthly webinars and complete homework assignments. At the end of the year, par- ticipants identified and began or completed 10 projects that are projected to reduce 3,244,000 kilowatt- hours of energy each year and save $597,883 annually over the life of the projects. Region 7 also worked closely with water and wastewater utilities, encouraging them to adopt management systems or other management approaches, including cost-effective technologies that aim to achieve optimized environ- mental, public health, social and economic outcomes. ------- Protecting Our Employees and the Environment 2011 Accomplishments Offering technical assistance to Local MANUFACTURERS E 3 Projects in Mid- 0, ECONOMY ENERGY ENVIRONMENT The following are examples of recent E3 projects that have been initiated in the Mid-Atlantic: Virginia. In November 2011, an E3 project was initiated between local and state officials to as- sist rural manufacturers in southwest Virginia. As a first step, the Manufacturing Technology Center, an E3 partner, performed five manufac- turing assessments and hosted a conference for manufacturers in Galax, Virginia. During the latter, EPA representatives offered a webinar that addressed energy efficiency for industry and presented training on stormwater management. West Virginia. In June 2011, an E3 charter was signed to support West Virginia's communities and manufacturers in becoming more economi- cally viable and sustainable. To date, the West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, an E3 partner, has completed several indus- trial assessments and has started conducting energy assessments at seven county government buildings. The EPA is working to align federal resources and voluntary programs to support this E3 project. Pennsylvania. An E3 project has been initiated to support sustainable urban manufacturing in Philadelphia. In May 2012, an urban sustain- ability forum will be held to explore the status of manufacturing in Philadelphia and its potential for growth. In September 2010, the EPA joined four other federal agencies in creating the Economy, Energy and Environment Initiative (or E3), a collaborative project created to assist small to medium- sized manufacturers in becoming more efficient, competitive and sustainable. E3 aims to establish a network of community-based public- private partnerships to help manufacturers - widely recognized as a key sector in America's economic recovery - reduce unnecessary waste; lower their disposal, energy, and water costs; improve their bottom line; create jobs; and grow the economy. To date, E3 projects have been developed in more than 20 states (see the adjacent sidebar for examples), and some business owners have already experienced significant cost savings. As noted in an article titled "Environmental Audits" that appeared in the December 2011 edition of Columbus C.E.O., one bottling company in Ohio credits E3 with helping it identify improvements that will result in annual savings of at least $87,000 and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 868 tons. Although the improvements cost the facility about $100,000 to implement, cost sav- ings will surpass costs expended in less than two years. Focusing on the Nation's youth The EPA respects and promotes the important role that children - our nation's future leaders - will play in achieving a more sustainable future for America. Thus, throughout the year, EPA employees across the country talked to elementary, middle and high school students at Earth Day events and other forums, teaching them about natural processes and environmental stewardship principles. For example, scientists from the ORD's Environmental Sciences Division in Las Vegas, Nevada, visited local schools to talk about chemistry and environmental stewardship, and staff members from the Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina worked alongside students to improve their communities (see photos on next page). As another example, the Wheeling Office in West Virginia continued to help coordinate the annual Ohio River Watershed Celebration, an event that illustrates the value of watershed restoration and conserva- tion efforts by highlighting the economic, environmental and cultural impact of the watershed's resources. The event attracted about 1,000 participants, about half of whom were home-schooled students. EPA representatives have participated in the planning committee since 2000 - the year the event was first held. Over the years, the EPA has set up information booths at the event to foster interactive environmental 34 ------- PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments activities for children. For the past several years, freshwater biology staff members have attended, bringing along fish, macroinvertebrates, mussels and microscopes to engage children. Representatives from the Wheeling Office also performed environmental outreach at the 2011 Northern Panhandle Hands-On Ag Day, which was attended by fifth graders from Marshall County's public and private schools. The event, sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, gave stu- dents an opportunity to better understand their connection to agriculture, natural resources and the environment. During the multiday event, EPA representatives spoke to 500 students about the EPA's mission, the importance of clean water and the impact that farming has on water quality. The Research Triangle Park campus in North Carolina entered into a partnership with the Northeast Central Durham Liability Initiative in 2011. Working alongside students and staff from Durham's North Carolina Central University, EPA representatives volun- teered more than 300 hours, participating in elementary school science classes, cleaning up Goose Creek and planting 1,000 square feet of schoolyard gardens at Eastway Elementary School. Team Building in Boston In late 2009, EPA Region 1 employees in Boston, Massachusetts, moved into the John W. McCormack Building, a 23-story structure that the EPA shares with multiple tenants. In 2011, the EPA provided bins and training to co-tenant agencies to encourage recycling. In addition, the EPA took the initiative to form and chair the building's Green Team, an effort that is being undertaken to foster sustain- able initiatives throughout the entire building rather than only in EPA-occupied areas. Green coaches have been assigned to each of the building's floors to advocate green principles and build a network of environmental stew- ardship activists throughout the building. 35 ------- Closing Remarks PROTECTING OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2011 Accomplishments THE EPA is pleased with the progress it made in 2011 to protect its employees and reduce its environmental footprint. The agency's commitment to employee safety, health and well-being allowed it to maintain one of the lowest lost-time injury and illness rates (0.27 cases per 100 employees) across the federal government and to inspire numerous employees to adopt a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Also, its commitment to sustainable building, energy and water conservation, electronics stewardship, responsible waste management and progressive transportation solutions kept the agency on track - and in some cases, ahead of schedule - to achieve environmental performance tar- gets that the White House and Congress have set for federal agencies. In the years to come, the EPA will continue pursuing continual improvement and achieving excellence in safety, health and environmental performance. The resources that the agency is trying to protect - its employees and the environment - are simply too valuable to settle for anything less. The EPA acknowledges the following staff members for contributing to this publication and for their commitment to improving the agency's safety, health and environmental performance: ~ Assistant and regional administrators ~ Deputy assistant administrators and deputy regional administrators ~ Regional science and technology division directors ~ Program directors ~ Architecture, engineering, asset management and sustainable facilities personnel ~ Energy, water, fleet and laboratory managers ~ Safety, health and environmental management program managers and facility managers ~ EMS and SHMS coordinators ~ Pollution prevention and recycling coordinators ~ Contract, property management, information technology and purchasing officials 36 ------- ------- United States Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (3207A) Washington, DC 20460 www.epa.gov Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 EPA-200-R-12-001 Recycled/Recyclable • Printed on 100% Postconsumer, ------- |