Our Initiatives

Rethink

To green the Capitol, we need to rethink the way we do business. House-wide outreach and training helps ensure that staff adopt and maintain more sustainable practices.

• Sustainable Sites Initiative

  In partnership with the US Botanical Gardens we are working with the National Park Service to achieve Sustainable Sites certification. Projects include participation in planning the National Mall renovation and identifying potential sustainable sites on the House campus.

• Green Roofs

  We plan to demonstrate a green roof system on the Cannon House Office Building. The project will reduce water runoff and improve fluctuations in building temperatures. Evaluations are underway for a similar demonstration on the Longworth House Office Building.

• Employee Commuting

  The House funds enrollment in car-sharing programs and increased public transportation benefits. Biking is encouraged through increased availability of bike racks and showers on Capitol campus. Nearly 2,500 House staff participate in a transit benefits program.

• Stormwater Management

  We are reducing stormwater runoff through various projects, including the installation of a rain garden to capture and direct runoff into soil instead of nearby rivers.

• Metering

  We installed more than 100 building level meters to monitor energy use and optimize energy savings throughout the House. Meter data helps target specific opportunities for increased efficiency.

• Green Purchasing

  The House is adopting policies to acquire goods and services that minimize greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and water use. The House Office Supply Store and House Gift Shop now sell green products ranging from 100 percent post-consumer recycled content binders and folders, to eco-friendly picture frames and sustainable holiday ornaments.

• Green Office Behavioral Change

  In 2009, we launched a comprehensive program to green House offices, with particular emphasis on transforming perspective and behavior of House employees. Participating offices use a custom web based tracking tool called "My Green Office." This website recommends sustainable actions and provides feedback on how much money and electricity they are saving, as well as how much carbon and waste they are cutting. Actions range from installing energy efficient power strips to optimizing constituent mailing lists and purchasing green office supplies. To date, the program has reached nearly three thousand House staff on Capitol Hill and hundreds more at Congressional district offices throughout the country.

• Demonstration Projects

  The House is evaluating several cutting edge greening technologies to be demonstrated on the House campus. These demonstration projects may include a solar parking lot (such as those seen here, outside of the Senate Office Buildings) and a green roof on the Cannon House office building.