President Obama has signed a memorandum directing the federal government to consume 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, more than double the current level. In response to this announcement, Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), released the following statement:
 
We in the green building community applaud President Obama for taking bold action today to accelerate innovative energy efficiency initiatives across the federal government’s facilities and operations. These are significant measures that will advance renewable energy and energy efficiency through programs such as demand response, energy disclosure and other leadership energy protocols.
 
By insisting on integrating smarter energy management best practices across the federal government, President Obama is showing strong leadership that will ensure the country is saving energy, reducing our carbon footprint, improving air quality, driving investment in clean technology and creating jobs.
 
At the U.S. Green Building Council, we are doing our part to foster a more sustainable economy by helping advance greener, healthier buildings. Today, more than 10.4 billion square feet of commercial real estate is using LEED. These LEED green buildings are saving energy, money and critical resources, and they are healthier for the people inside. The use of LEED has demonstrated success across federal projects and in the private sector. The newest version of LEED, released last month, pushes the envelope of energy and performance even further.
 
No one wants to see our taxpayer dollars used on wasted energy. Managing the energy use in our buildings is how energy efficiency potential is turned into real dollar and energy savings. Better management of our public buildings means better buildings and not to mention savings of millions of dollars for the American public. We are committed to continuing to work with the White House and other federal departments and agencies so that together, we can make smarter decisions that save energy and resources.
 
But all of our collective work in green building and clean energy is made easier today by President Obama’s huge step forward to make the federal government a leader and innovator in energy management.