As part of a far-reaching plan to make the government more environmentally friendly, federal agencies under the Obama administration are buying hybrid vehicles, using rainwater to hydrate landscaping, and installing energy-efficient light bulbs.
President Barack Obama ordered the agencies to reduce their carbon footprint in 2009 with a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent by 2020,
The Washington Post’s Federal Eye blog reported.
At the Defense Department, the Air Force increased the number of alternative fuel vehicles it operates by 2112, bringing the number of such vehicles to just over 10,000. The Pentagon as a whole is developing new contract language that specifies it wants green products and services, the Post said.
The Environmental Protection Agency is collecting rainwater runoff and using it for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation at a number of facilities, along with extensive recycling programs. The Interior Department is focusing on reducing energy usage and Homeland Security is buying more hybrid vehicles and using more teleconferencing to reduce travel, the Post reported.
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