United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Administration and Resources Management's Newsletter on Energy Conservation
August 2002
EPA Administrator
Christie Whitman, along
with federal, state and
local leaders and over
2,000 employees and
contractors, marked the
official opening of the new
RTF campus during a
Dedication Ceremony on
May 29, 2002.
"When planning for this
facility began in the early
1990s, our goal was
clear—build state-of-the-
art laboratories and offices
that embody the Agency's
environmental mission
and save the taxpayers
money," said
Administrator Whitman.
"Through our partnerships
with four federal agencies,
three building companies,
two architectural firms,
and countless others,
we have built one of the
largest "green" buildings
in the world—a model
for others like it around
the globe."
Leading by Example: New RTF Campus
Is a Model of Sustainability
The new campus in Research Triangle
Park (RTP), North Carolina-EPA's largest
construction project to date-has
become a model of environmental steward-
ship. Dedicated to environmental and public
health research, this 1.2 million square foot
facility accommodates more than 2,000
people and 600 laboratory modules.
"We concentrated on the way people think
about green buildings," said Chris Long, project
manager of RTP's new campus. "Quite often,
you'll automatically jump into the types of tech-
nologies you can use. We've tried to take what
everyone does automatically and factor in the
environmental impact of a decision."
From the start, members of the project team
worked to strike a balance between cost, func-
Congressional Representatives Bob Etheridge and
David Price with EPA Administrator Christie Whitman.
tion, and the environ-
ment. For example,
the team re-routed a
proposed road because
it called for the destruc-
tion of a 100-year-old
oak tree. From site
design and landscaping
to construction and
waste management,
EPA's new campus chal-
lenged conventional
design and construction
procedures.
Site Design: In order
to minimize site disrup-
tion and preserve the existing ecosystem, the
building was tailored to fit within the contours
of the land. Adding an additional level to the
facility and opting for a parking structure instead
of a lot reduced the amount of land used.
In addition, keeping natural woodlands and
native plants reduced water, pesticide, and fertil-
izer needs, while simultaneously decreasing
maintenance costs.
Water Quality: A pre-existing manmade lake
and wetland area offer a natural means of con-
trolling runoff and filtering contaminants. A new
continued on page 2
The atrium provides
daylighting and improved
thermal insulation.
"OARM's mission is to help EPA meet its goals to protect human health and the environ-
ment in and around our own facilities. We do this by focusing on market opportunities
rather than mandates, forging partnerships that promote the value of green products, build-
ings, and services."
—Morris Winn, Assistant Administrator, Office of Administration
and Resources Management
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ENERGIZING EPA
page
Chelmsford Lab Opens Its Doors and Closes the Circle
Last September, EPA's New England Regional Laboratory
(NERL) moved to its new home in Chelmsford, Massa-
chusetts. Since then, the new 66,000 square foot labora-
tory has been honored several times for its achievements
in environmental performance, design, and construction.
This spring, the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
recognized NERL with a 2002 White House Closing the Circle
Award. The annual awards recognize an individual federal
employee or team of employees at government facilities for efforts
that result in significant pollution prevention and other positive
environmental impacts. Both EPA and the U.S. General Service
Administration (GSA) were recognized for their work on NERL
and received the award at a special ceremony in June.
NERL was recognized in the "Model Facility" category, which
requires "outstanding contributions to waste prevention,
recycling, affirmative procurement, and sustainable design
through leadership, investment in resources, operational prac-
tices, and change in culture." The NERL design and construction
teams achieved this by incorporating innovative designs and
technologies focused on sustainability.
From the project's start, NERL made waste prevention and
reduction a priority. During construction, materials such as metals,
plastics, gypsum drywall, glass, carpet, and construction and
demolition debris were separated into clearly labeled bins for recy-
cling. In addition, all soil and gravel within the limit of work was
stockpiled and graded for later reuse as fill or loam. These recy-
cling efforts resulted in more than 50 percent of the solid waste
generated from construction being diverted from the landfill.
"NERL's extensive onsite construction recycling efforts also
received a national GSA Demolition Derby Award," said Bob
Beane, NERL project manager.
Solar shades above the windows at NERL.
NERL procured various recycled products throughout the
project, including many recommended by EPA's comprehensive
procurement guidelines. For example, the use of high fly ash con-
tent concrete kept an estimated 126 tons of fly ash from
entering the waste stream.
NERL also incorporated energy- and water-efficient products
and techniques. For example, daylighting and occupancy sensors
are used throughout the building, and windows are tinted, insulat-
ed, and shaded with photovoltaic (solar energy producing)
awnings, which supply approximately 2,000 watts of energy daily.
To reduce water needs, low-flow sinks and electronic sensors have
been installed in restrooms, a rooftop rain recovery system was put
in place, and native plants and mulch were used in landscaping.
These and other innovative techniques, such as obtaining con-
struction materials locally to reduce transportation costs and air
pollution, make NERL a true model of sustainability. In addition to
the honors mentioned above, NERL also won the GSA National
Environmental Award and an Energy Showcase Award from the
U.S. Department of Energy. For more information, please visit
.
New RTF Campus
continued from page 1
water quality pond and 10 biofiltration sites were added to
provide additional stormwater retention, sediment collection,
and filtration.
Lighting Systems: Integrating high-efficiency lamps and bal-
lasts, task lighting, occupancy sensors, and daylighting all helped
yield savings in energy spending.
Building Mechanical Systems: The new facility was designed to
use about 40 percent less energy than a typical, code-compliant
laboratory and office facility. In addition to harvesting natural light
and insulating against excess heat gain, the facility uses 25,000
control points in a building automation system to operate high
efficiency, variable speed heating and cooling systems.
Construction: Every construction worker was required to view a
video about the environmental initiatives being used for the new
campus. Construction plans called for reusing the land-clearing
debris, implementing a voluntary concrete recycling program, and
introducing plant rescues that safely relocated more than 3,500
plants to new plots of land both on and off site.
Waste Management: Collecting and handling recyclables and
construction waste were only part of the new campus' systematic
approach to reduce, reuse, recycle, and responsibly dispose of
waste materials.
Alternative Technologies: The use of photovoltaics, or solar
energy cells, helped create one of the largest solar road lighting
projects in the United States.
"We really tapped into EPA's in-house resources to address
specific questions throughout the project," says Long. For more
information visit .
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ENERGIZING EPA
page
EPA Drives Toward "Fleet Excellence'
To reduce harmful vehicle emissions and fuel consump-
tion and increase fuel efficiency, EPA has incorporated
numerous technologies into its nationwide fleet of more
than 1,100 automotive vehicles. In fiscal year 2001, EPA's
fleet included 303 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) that use
ethanol/gasoline mixtures, compressed natural gas, or
electricity.
Two important mandates—the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and
Executive Order (E.O.) 13149—help drive EPA's fleet manage-
ment efforts. The Energy Policy Act requires that 75 percent of new
vehicles acquired by federal agencies must be AFVs. E.O. 13149
requires that, by 2005, agencies reduce fuel usage by 20 percent,
increase the fuel efficiency of light duty fleet vehicles by 3 miles per
gallon, and use alternative fuels in AFVs at least 51 percent of the
time. In 2000 and 2001, EPA exceeded the Energy Policy Act's 75
percent requirement by 1 0 percent or more. The Agency is on
track to exceed this requirement again in 2002, said Melvin Joppy,
team leader of the Transportation Management Staff.
Many of EPA's AFVs are flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that run
on ethanol, an alcohol typically made from corn or corn byprod-
ucts. Vehicles that use ethanol (such as E-85, a blend of 85
percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) have lower carbon
monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions than traditional vehicles.
FFVs run on any combination of ethanol and gasoline by sensing
the percentage of alcohol in the fuel tank and adjusting the
engine's parameters accordingly. EPA's FFVs use E-85, but FFVs
can also use unleaded gasoline or any other mixture of ethanol
and unleaded gasoline.
"The Regions' response to FFVs has been positive because
of the flexibility offered by these vehicles," said Paul Grigsby,
a facilities support services specialist.
Other vehicles in EPA's fleet run on natural gas, a clean-burn-
ing fuel that generates significantly less carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide, particulate matter, and nitrous oxide compared to similar
fossil fuel vehicles. EPA's fleet uses compressed natural gas and
consists of two types of vehicles: dedicated vehicles and dual-fuel
vehicles. Dedicated vehicles use only natural gas, while dual-fuel
vehicles have two tanks—one for natural gas and the other for
unleaded gasoline. "Our goal is to have 85 percent of our dual-
fuel vehicles using solely alternative fuels," Grigsby said.
EPA also uses electricity as an alternative to fossil fuels. Electric
vehicles use various types of batteries and other mechanisms
to store the electricity used to power the vehicle. In addition,
the Agency acquires gas-electric hybrid vehicles to help achieve
reductions in fuel emissions and increase fuel efficiency among
its fleet.
EPA officials continue to look to the future. "To keep pace with
technology, we attend a variety of workshops and conferences on
alternative fuel technology and advancements," Joppy said. In
addition, EPA plans to unfurl a new voluntary "Fleet Excellence"
partnership that will encourage private-sector organizations to
increase their fleet's miles per gallon by 3 percent annually.
Currently under development by the Office of Air and Radiation's
Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) and the Office
of Administration and Resource Management's Facilities
Management and Services Division (FMSD), the program aims
to attract private-sector partners as "Fleet Excellence" leaders, with
an overall goal of reducing harmful vehicle emissions. The pro-
gram will promote the use of AFVs, fuel-efficient vehicles, and
other technological advancements that improve fuel efficiency and
reduce harmful air pollutants. The Administrator's office recently
gave the concept a "thumbs up," directing OTAQ and FMSD to
work with GSA to further improve EPA's own fleet, and to invite
other federal and private fleets to join.
New Technology Fair Highlights 2002 Labs21 Conference
The Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) 2002
Annual Conference will be held from October 7-9,
2002, in Durham, North Carolina. From thought-pro-
voking sessions with leading national experts to showcases of
the latest technologies, this unique conference will provide
attendees with the tools and resources
needed to design and manage the next
generation of laboratories.
Focusing on the comprehensive or "whole
buildings" approach advocated by Labs21,
conference participants will devise new solutions to reduce costs
and increase laboratory design and operational efficiency.
Various conference sessions will explore the broad range of issues
facing today's laboratory-intensive industries—from biotechnology
to environmental sciences to microelectronics.
LABS FORTHE 2IST CENTURY
As a newly added feature, this year's conference will offer a
small exhibit hall, displaying state-of-the-art technologies applica-
ble to sustainable laboratory design. Vendors from across the
country will display new products, such as automated lab control
systems and advanced laboratory fume hood technologies.
Conference attendees will also have the
opportunity to participate in a series of dynamic,
hands-on sessions at EPA's new state-of-the-art
Research Triangle Park (RTP) campus. Each ses-
sion will feature a tour of the RTP facility, as well
as a series of presentations on topics such as campus planning
and integration, central utility plants, lab modules, and high-bay
research facilities.
For more information on the conference, including details on reg-
istration and accommodations, visit .
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ENERGIZING EPA
page 4
Recommissioning Nets Results at Fort Meade
EPA is constantly striving to improve energy efficiency
at its facilities by upgrading heating, ventilation, and
air conditioning systems and incorporating new tech-
nologies. Sometimes, however, new energy-efficient mechani-
cal systems do not always operate properly and fail to
maximize energy savings
benefits. Recommissioning
allows building managers
the opportunity to check and
adjust a facility's control sys-
tem, building programming,
and hardware to ensure that
energy savings goals are met
while worker health and
safety are protected.
In 2001, EPA Region 3 and The Environmental Science Center in Fort Meade, Maryland.
EPA Headquarters staff began
recommissioning the EPA Region 3 Laboratory at Fort Meade,
Maryland, which came online in 1 999. Although the laboratory
had installed variable air volume fume hoods, the facility's control
system was not programmed properly to take advantage of the
energy savings this equipment could provide. Specifically, the
amount of air exhausted from the fume hood and conditioned air
supplied to the labs did not decrease or increase appropriately
when fume hood sashes were closed or opened. In addition, the
nighttime setback function was not operating. The recommission-
ing process also revealed that by better matching fume hood and
fume hood manifold exhaust,
the lab could reduce fume
hood manifold exhaust fan
operations, thus saving energy.
Facility Manager, Rick
Dreisch, is pleased with the
recommissioning effort.
"We saw results through a
groupwide effort. Although it
was a long process, by
approaching it in a step-wise
fashion, we avoided disrupting
laboratory operations." According to EPA's Sustainable Facilities
Practices Branch, which tracks EPA laboratory energy use, Fort
Meade's energy use per gross square foot per year should
decrease by 12 percent because of the recommissioning effort.
For more information, contact Rick Dreisch at 410 305-2646.
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