Sustainability in Practice at the Nation?s Capitol

Sustainability in Practice at the Nation’s Capitol

For the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) sustainability - ensuring we are improving the future by the actions we take today - is something incorporated into our everyday thinking.

At the AOC, sustainable practices include, among others,improved energy and water efficiency, use of earth-friendly materials, promoting and practicing renewably, reuse, and recycling. From its very beginning in 1793, choices made in the design, construction, and maintenance of the U.S. Capitol and the surrounding facilities fit within many of the modern standards defining sustainable practices.

This work extends well beyond the Capitol. For example, the United States Botanic Garden (a jurisdiction of the AOC) is part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden, to develop the first national guidelines and performance benchmarks for landscapes and gardens.

The AOC is working in many different areas - from the small, such as installing thousands of compact florescent lighting across the Capitol campus - to the big, such as the implementation of energy savings performance contracts – public/private partnerships – where a selected vendor invests money in energy savings projects and is repaid based on the verified energy savings. +Read More

Sustainability News

Sustainability By the Numbers

LED Lighting Demonstration – On April 21, 2010, Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Representative Peter Welch, and Representative Emanuel Cleaver to demonstrate new dimmable LED lighting technology in the Rayburn Cafeteria. +Read More

Shedding Light on Energy Reduction – Learn how the AOC is quietly reducing energy consumption in the Senate Office Buildings through the efforts of a few skilled technicians. +Read More

Energy and Water Conservation – The AOC is taking many steps to reduce energy and water use across the Capitol complex; installing thousands of compact fluorescent bulbs, low-flow water fixtures, and daylight-harvesting systems that take advantage of sunlight levels, reducing the need for electric lights. +Read More

More than 20 years - the House of Representatives and the Senate created voluntary recycling programs in 1989.

255,000 trees - Congress has recycled approximately 15,056 tons of paper, saving the equivalent of approximately 17 trees per ton.

13,578 tons – From 2004-2008, the AOC recycled more than 13,578 tons of paper, bottles, cans and construction materials.

50% - The amount of construction waste recycled during construction of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).

6 - The number of skylights in the CVC that allow natural light to fill many public areas, decreasing the need for electric lighting during daytime hours.

Sustainable by Design and Greenscaping

The way in which we design, construct, manage, and maintain our facilities can have a major impact on environmental issues such as energy consumption, resource management, pollution, and environmental impact. Sustainable design and construction is a holistic approach to facility management that considers impacts on human health and well-being as well as the natural environment at every stage of the building life cycle.

The AOC has embraced the principles of sustainable design in the ongoing planning, building, operations, and maintenance of the facilities and grounds entrusted to our care. These practices include improving energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

In the maintenance of the Capitol grounds and U.S. Botanic Garden, the AOC follows the practices of "greenscaping" that help reduce environmental risks while still preserving the beauty and health of outdoor spaces. This includes activities such as “grasscycling” (leaving grass clippings in place when mowing), using the least toxic method for weed and pest control (such as hand pulling), organic fertilizer, and carefully selected plantings that promote sustainable best practices.
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Green Label Products		Education
The AOC buys and uses green label products whenever possible such as high recycle content hand towels and other paper products, and bio-based cleaning materials. Made from soybeans, corn, wheat, forestry and other natural materials, these products offer numerous environmentally friendly ways to clean, construct, and provide energy. A part of lifecycle replacements, the AOC has also been upgrading its fleet of vehicles with the purchase or lease of alternative fuel vehicles. The AOC also installed an E-85 fueling station for use by Legislative branch agencies. +Read More		A significant element in achieving sustainable goals is the participation of everyone who uses the buildings and grounds, such as staff, visitors, and Members of Congress. The AOC launched its “Power to Save” campaign to heighten awareness of staff across the Capitol campus to the importance of simple actions such as turning off computers and lights when not in use.

Architect of the Capitol | Washington, DC 20515
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