Download or read book Making Government Operations More Sustainable written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2008 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greening Government operations is important in its own right, because of the size and range of their environmental impacts. Each year central Government offices produce approximately 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions (around 0.4 per cent of the UK total) and 309,000 tonnes of waste. Central Government spends £60 billion on goods and services each year and through sustainable procurement it could accelerate the take-up of environmentally friendly products. This report examines progress relating to: carbon emissions; renewable energy; carbon neutrality; energy consumption; Government response to the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC); the role of the Sustainable Development Commission. The record is poor on carbon emissions. Excellent progress has been made on increasing the use of green electricity, but progress on generating its own electricity from on-site or district renewables has been very disappointing. The target of making the Government Estate carbon neutral by 2012 will depend very heavily on buying offsets. It is important the Government does as much as possible to reduce its own emissions. The newly-announced Greening Government IT programme is encouraging, given that increased use of IT would appear to be the biggest single factor in the upward trend in emissions from civil departments. The Government has, encouragingly, announced significant reforms in its response to the SDC's report. The Commission is having a significant influence in galvanising Government to improve its structures.

Download or read book Making Government Operations More Sustainable written by Great Britain. Parliament House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee and published by . This book was released on 2008-11-18 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Government response to HC 529, session 2007-08 (ISBN 9780215521743)

Download or read book Sustainability Policy written by Steven Cohen and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-01-05 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A complete guide to sustainability policy at the federal, state, and local levels Sustainability Policy: Hastening the Transition to a Cleaner Economy is a fundamental guide for public sector professionals new to sustainability policy development, implementation, strategy, and practice. Featuring detailed cases highlighting innovative sustainability initiatives, this book explores the elements that constitute effective policy, and the factors that can help or hinder implementation and adoption. Readers gain insight into policies in effect at the federal, state, and local levels, in the areas of water, energy, material use, and waste management, and the reasons why local policies are often the most innovative and successful. Discussion surrounding monitoring and measurement addresses the lack of standardization, as well as the government's critical role in leading the field toward generally accepted sustainability metrics, while outlining the reasons why certain policies are more feasible than others. This book is an introductory resource, written in non-technical language, and organized in a coherent manner that establishes foundational knowledge before introducing more complex issues. Even readers with little background in sustainability will gain insight into the current state of the field and the issues at hand. Understand sustainability in public and private enterprises, including the role of government and public policy Learn the current standing federal, state, and local policies surrounding sustainability Discover what makes an effective sustainability policy, including measurement and evaluation metrics Explore the politics and future of sustainability, and the barriers to change Sustainability is a hot topic in both the public and private sector, with vocal advocates on both sides of every issue, so developing effective policy is crucial. For public sector professionals entering the sustainability field, Introduction to Sustainability Policy & Management is a valuable resource.

Download or read book Greengov Challenge written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On October 19, 2009, the White House launched the GreenGov Challenge to ask all Federal and military personnel to share ideas about how the federal community can lead by example, green the government, and meet the goals of President Obama's Executive Order on Federal Sustainability. The GreenGov Challenge generated more than 5,000 ideas and 165,000 votes from 14,000 federal employees. This report presents the results of the GreenGov Challenge. Each category includes a list of unique ideas, listed by popularity as determined by the number of votes. Each idea is attributed to individuals as they identified themselves, with some individuals submitting multiple ideas. The total vote count for the top idea in each category is included, along with a 'word cloud' that represents the frequency with which specific words and concepts appeared in submissions. Major themes that emerged from the 5,000+ ideas that were submitted are summarized and presented as well. The GreenGov Challenge demonstrated that the federal community is committed to leading by example through transforming how they work in practical ways that have real results. Many of the ideas that were submitted--like eliminating cafeteria items that can't be recycled or composted--can be implemented immediately. Others--like installing motion sensors to lighting systems and retrofitting bathrooms to conserve water--will take resources and planning over the longer term. Taken as a whole, the results of the GreenGov Challenge help to illuminate a course of action that will make the Federal government's operations more sustainable, responsible, and efficient. And for that, the Federal community owes each individual who has participated in the GreenGov Challenge a debt of gratitude.

Download or read book Greening Household Behaviour Overview from the 2011 Survey written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2013-07-04 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication presents a data overview of the most recent round of the survey implemented in five areas (energy, food, transport, waste, and water) and 11 countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Download or read book EPA Office of Compliance Sector Notebook Project Profile of local government operations government series written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Greening Local Government written by Keith H. Hirokawa and published by American Bar Association. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a compilation of essays and research related to the rapidly changing dynamics of emerging government-focused sustainability efforts at the state and local levels. Specifically, the book explores the level of experimentation taking place by governments in their quest to become more "green." The book is organized into three main issue areas: greening of governmental operations; using land use planning and community development tools to create greener communities; and litigation issues surrounding the green movement. There are countless approaches and creative strategies that can achieve sustainability goals and at the same time, make government more efficient, less costly and more transparent. This book is designed to introduce government lawyers to opportunities and benefits when lawmakers and policymakers rethink "business as usual" in the name of sustainability and "greener" governments. Each chapter identifies the legal tools that can be used to accomplish these goals in a given topic area, and each chapter identifies legal issues for consideration by government lawyers to best accommodate new approaches and to incorporate the use of emerging technological innovations.

Download or read book Leading Change Toward Sustainability written by Bob Doppelt and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although an increasing number of organisations have embraced the idea of sustainability in the last decade, why do so many initiatives fail, leading to wasted resources, frustration and cynicism? Why have so few organizations successfully adopted more sustainable policies or practices? And when they do get launched, why do so many efforts plateau after a short time and fail to ascend to the next level of excellence? What process is required to create change within organizations to move them towards sustainability? Because so few resources are available to answer these questions, Bob Doppelt spent three years researching how the leaders of both private and public organizations that have initiated and sustained significant sustainability programmes designed and approached them. His findings, presented in this hugely readable book, will demystify the sustainability-change process by providing a theoretical framework and a methodology that managers can use to successfully transform their organizations to embrace sustainable development.According to Doppelt, discussions about what to do-which new technologies and policy instruments to apply-have dominated the public dialogue on sustainability. Practitioners place comparatively little emphasis on how organizations can change their internal thought processes, assumptions and ingrained behaviours to embrace new tools and techniques. Organizational and cultural change is the key missing ingredient in the operationalization of sustainable development. Without such change, sustainability efforts usually stall soon after they begin or fail outright. Changing organizational culture requires interventions in two key areas: First, the governance system of the organization must be altered. A majority of organizations today hold a mechanistic, autocratic view of governance. In contrast, organizations that have made the most progress toward sustainability view all of their internal members, as well as external stakeholders, as vital parts of an interdependent system. In the leading sustainability organizations, these beliefs engender a skilful distribution of information, power and wealth among employees and stakeholders because managers realise that all of the parts of the organizational system must feel valued and be meaningfully involved for these higher purposes to be achieved. Transforming systems of governance to acheive these results requires seven core interventions. Each intervention builds on and reinforces the others. Part II of the book describes these interventions and how the leading organizations employ them to establish an enduring systems approach to change. The second intervention is leadership. Organizations that develop effective governance systems typically have good leadership. Effective sustainability leaders have the ability to keep their organization focused on achieving its higher mission while simultaneously managing numerous, sometimes contradictory, streams of activity. Savvy leaders can inspire and mobilize employees and stakeholders to embrace change as an exciting opportunity to learn. In the exemplary organizations, this style of leadership pervades not only top management, but also most levels of the enterprise. Doppelt found that, when an organization has an effective governance system and effective, forward-looking leadership, it is much more likely to be able to marshal the tremendous forces required to transform its culture and successfully adopt sustainability-based thinking, values and behaviours. When an organization lacks an effective governance system or sufficient leadership, its culture will remain static and the adoption of a more sustainable path will be stymied, no matter what type of new technologies are adopted, quality-control tools are used, or consultants are hired. Crammed with case examples, interviews and checklists on how to move corporate and governmental cultures toward sustainability, the b

Download or read book Reducing Government Building Operational Costs Through Innovation and Efficiency written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Just Sustainabilities written by Robert Doyle Bullard and published by Earthscan. This book was released on 2012 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice.

Download or read book Zero Carbon Industry written by Jeffrey Rissman and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2024-02-27 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The power sector and transportation tend to dominate conversations about climate change, but there’s an under-the-radar source of climate pollution that must be addressed: industry. Globally, industrial activity is responsible for one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Though industry is a major emitter, it is essential for producing the tools we need to fight climate change—like wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles—and for meeting our everyday needs. How can industry eliminate its climate pollution while supplying transformational technologies? This book delivers a first-of-its-kind roadmap for the zero-carbon industrial transition, spotlighting the breakthrough innovations transforming the manufacturing sector and the policies that can accelerate this global shift. Jeffrey Rissman illustrates the scope of the challenge, diving into the workings of heavy polluters like steel, chemicals, plastics, cement, and concrete. He examines ways to affordably decarbonize manufacturing, such as electrifying industrial processes, using hydrogen, deploying carbon capture and storage, and growing material efficiency with lightweighting and 3D printing. But technologies are only part of the picture. Enacting the right policies—including financial incentives, research and development support, well-designed carbon pricing, efficiency and emissions standards, and green public procurement—can spur investment and hasten emissions reductions. Rissman provides a framework to ensure that the transition to clean industry enhances equity, health, and prosperity for communities worldwide. Engaging and comprehensive, Zero-Carbon Industry is the definitive guide to decarbonizing the vast—yet often overlooked—global industrial sector.

Download or read book Sustainability and the U S EPA written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-10-08 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainability is based on a simple and long-recognized factual premise: Everything that humans require for their survival and well-being depends, directly or indirectly, on the natural environment. The environment provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Recognizing the importance of sustainability to its work, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working to create programs and applications in a variety of areas to better incorporate sustainability into decision-making at the agency. To further strengthen the scientific basis for sustainability as it applies to human health and environmental protection, the EPA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to provide a framework for incorporating sustainability into the EPA's principles and decision-making. This framework, Sustainability and the U.S. EPA, provides recommendations for a sustainability approach that both incorporates and goes beyond an approach based on assessing and managing the risks posed by pollutants that has largely shaped environmental policy since the 1980s. Although risk-based methods have led to many successes and remain important tools, the report concludes that they are not adequate to address many of the complex problems that put current and future generations at risk, such as depletion of natural resources, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Moreover, sophisticated tools are increasingly available to address cross-cutting, complex, and challenging issues that go beyond risk management. The report recommends that EPA formally adopt as its sustainability paradigm the widely used "three pillars" approach, which means considering the environmental, social, and economic impacts of an action or decision. Health should be expressly included in the "social" pillar. EPA should also articulate its vision for sustainability and develop a set of sustainability principles that would underlie all agency policies and programs.

Download or read book Sustainability in America s Cities written by Matt Slavin and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2013-02-22 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Sustainability" is more than the latest "green" buzzword. It represents a new way of viewing the interactions of human society and the natural world. Sustainability in America's Cities highlights how America's largest cities are acting to develop sustainable solutions to conflicts between development and environment. As sustainability rises to the top of public policy agendas in American cities, it is also emerging as a new discipline in colleges and universities. Specifically designed for these educational programs, this is the first book to provide empirically based, multi-disciplinary case studies of sustainability policy, planning, and practice in action. It is also valuable for everyone who designs and implements sustainability initiatives, including policy makers, public sector and non-profit practitioners, and consultants. Sustainability in America's Cities brings together academic and practicing professionals to offer firsthand insight into innovative strategies that cities have adopted in renewable energy and energy efficiency, climate change, green building, clean-tech and green jobs, transportation and infrastructure, urban forestry and sustainable food production. Case studies examine sustainability initiatives in a wide range of American cities, including San Francisco, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Milwaukee, New York City, Portland, Oregon and Washington D.C. The concluding chapter ties together the empirical evidence and recounts lessons learned for sustainability planning and policy.

Download or read book Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-03-24 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Policymakers and program managers are continually seeking ways to improve accountability in achieving an entity's mission. A key factor in improving accountability in achieving an entity's mission is to implement an effective internal control system. An effective internal control system helps an entity adapt to shifting environments, evolving demands, changing risks, and new priorities. As programs change and entities strive to improve operational processes and implement new technology, management continually evaluates its internal control system so that it is effective and updated when necessary. Section 3512 (c) and (d) of Title 31 of the United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Managers? Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA)) requires the Comptroller General to issue standards for internal control in the federal government.

Download or read book Sustainability for the Nation written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-07-11 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A "sustainable society," according to one definition, "is one that can persist over generations; one that is far-seeing enough, flexible enough, and wise enough not to undermine either its physical or its social system of support." As the government sector works hard to ensure sufficient fresh water, food, energy, housing, health, and education for the nation without limiting resources for the future generations, it's clear that there is no sufficient organization to deal with sustainability issues. Each federal agency appears to have a single mandate or a single area of expertise making it difficult to tackle issues such as managing the ecosystem. Key resource domains, which include water, land, energy, and nonrenewable resources, for example, are nearly-completely connected yet different agencies exist to address only one aspect of these domains. The legendary ecologist John Muir wrote in 1911 that "when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." Thus, in order for the nation to be successful in sustaining its resources, "linkages" will need to be built among federal, state, and local governments; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and the private sector. The National Research Council (NRC) was asked by several federal agencies, foundations, and the private sector to provide guidance to the federal government on issues related to sustainability linkages. The NRC assigned the task to as committee with a wide range of expertise in government, academia, and business. The committee held public fact-finding meetings to hear from agencies and stakeholder groups; examined sustainability management examples; conducted extensive literature reviews; and more to address the issue. Sustainability for the Nation: Resource Connection and Governance Linkages is the committee's report on the issue. The report includes insight into high-priority areas for governance linkages, the challenges of managing connected systems, impediments to successful government linkages, and more. The report also features examples of government linkages which include Adaptive Management on the Platte River, Philadelphia's Green Stormwater Infrastructure, and Managing Land Use in the Mojave.

Download or read book The Federal Commitment to Green Building Experiences and Expectations written by The Office The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive and published by . This book was released on 2014-11-15 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book assesses, for the first time, what the Federal government is doing, in policy and practice, to make its buildings more environmentally sustainable, and provides recommendations for how the Federal sector can make even greater progress.Why is this important? Green or sustainable building is the practice of designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and removing buildings in ways that conserve natural resources and reduce pollution. Green building is expanding around the world, and the Federal government is leading by example. This approach is important for the Federal government (and has become one of our office's priorities) for three reasons.First, buildings affect land use, energy use, communities, and the indoor and outdoor environment. Given the size and scope of Federal buildings - the government owns nearly 500,000 buildings covering 3.1 billion square feet, accounting for 0.4 percent of the nation's energy usage, and emitting about 2 percent of all U.S. building-related greenhouse gases - we have the opportunity and responsibility to reduce these impacts. Using sustainable principles in buildings can reduce these impacts and also improve worker conditions and productivity, increase energy, water, and material efficiency, and reduce costs and risks.Second, sustainable buildings can be showcases to educate people about environmental issues, possible solutions, partnerships, creativity, and opportunities for reducing environmental impacts in our everyday lives. Hundreds of millions of people visit and work in Federal facilities each year. And third, green buildings represent the application in one place of many of the sustainable concepts the Federal government is working on - such as environmental management systems, waste prevention and recycling, and green product purchases.We prepared this book because there is no other single source of information about what all the Federal government is doing to "green" its building stock, and, by doing so, we hope to spark discussion and create opportunities for greater Federal stewardship.

Download or read book Hearings Reports and Prints of the Senate Committee on Government Operations written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Government Operations and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 1136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: