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Green the Capitol Supports Members Beyond the Beltway

Green the Capitol is taking its message on the road.

The goal of the nationwide District Office Greening Pilot Program is ambitious: to make 900 District Offices energy efficient.

"This new push is significant in that the House of Representatives occupies millions of square feet of office space all over the United States, not just here in Washington, DC," said Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard. "The fact that many Members of Congress want to also make the offices in their home states more sustainable shows a tremendous amount of leadership and says to the constituents in their Districts, 'Saving energy is not just your priority, it's ours, too.'"

As part of the program, Members agree to make a series of operational changes such as using recycled paper and switching to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. Making the changes allows Member offices to conserve resources, energy and office expenses.

During the trip, GTC staff worked to green District Offices in California, Colorado and New Mexico. Reps. Markey, Polis, DeGette, Perlmutter, Coffman, Salazar and Lujan all participated.

"We're thrilled that Members from all over the country share our commitment to shrinking the House's carbon footprint." Robert Lane, executive director of Green the Capitol, said.

The program kicked off at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with remarks from CAO Dan Beard, Rep. Robert Brady, Rep. Mike Castle, Rep. Jim Gerlach and Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

A similar initiative to make the DC-based offices of lawmakers more sustainable was launched on Earth Day. To date, 125 Members have signed up for "green consultations."