As part of its commitment to an open, transparent government, the U.S. Department of Education is releasing, its scorecard on sustainability and energy performance. Under an executive order, President Obama has directed federal agencies to lead by example in clean energy and to meet a range of energy, water, pollution and waste reduction targets. Using this FY 2015 scorecard, the Department continues to identify and track the best opportunities to reduce pollution, improve efficiency and cut costs.
Because the Education Department does not own any of the buildings it occupies, it does not report on energy intensity, renewable energy, potable water intensity or sustainable green buildings. Therefore, those portions of the scorecard have been marked N/A.
However, the Department continues to improve its sustainability efforts by working closely with the General Services Administration (GSA) on the Department’s Space Modernization Initiative. The Department is working with GSA to reduce its footprint, save funding, and continue the Department’s efforts to reduce Scope 1&2 GHG emissions. In addition, the Department has promoted efforts to increase telework; supporting reductions in Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions. The Department has also met all Electronic Stewardship goals and continues to work with the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget on challenges related to petroleum usage.