|
 A champion of energy efficiency, Dan Beard is the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the person charged to lead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Green the Capitol initiative. Appointed by Pelosi and approved by Congress in January of 2007, Dan has the daunting challenge of ‘greening’ the nation's most historic buildings, with their millions of square feet of infrastructure. Well suited to lead Speaker Pelosi’s Green the Capitol initiative, Dr. Beard brings to this position an extensive background in managing environmental issues. As Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation in the Interior Department, Beard guided the agency on a more environmentally responsible path by promoting water conservation among agricultural and urban water users. He also served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Public Policy at the National Audubon Society. He holds a Master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Washington.
Efficiency News: Can you discuss the challenges and successes associated with the Green the Capitol Initiative? What feedback have you received on the changes you instigated?
Dan Beard: We have made significant progress in a variety of areas. We are on the way to being one of the first carbon neutral legislative bodies in the world. We are buying electricity generated from solar and wind for our electricity use, burning natural gas for our portion of the Capitol Power Plants, and have bought carbon offsets on the Chicago Climate Exchange to ensure we will be carbon neutral in our operations.
We are going to relight the Capitol Dome with energy efficient lighting so soon it will be not only a symbol of democracy, but of environmental responsibility. We sell only 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper in our supply store. We put in energy efficient vending machines and changed run times on HVAC fans. We banned plastic and Styrofoam in our food service, replacing it with fully compostable paper plates, cups and utensils. As a result, we’ve diverted well over 100 tons of waste from landfills.
The biggest challenge has been getting people to accept changes in the way we do business. There is a natural resistance to change, and the House of Representatives is no exception. But when we go around the country and tell people about what we are doing with Green the Capitol, people are excited and consistently tell us that we are doing the right thing.
Efficiency News: As you mentioned, one element of the Green the Capitol involves the purchase of credits in domestic markets to offset the remaining emissions of carbon. There has been a lot of debate about carbon trading schemes, and the logic behind trading, rather than eliminating, carbon production. How would you best explain the function of carbon trading in grand-scale operations such as Green the Capitol?
Dan Beard: Our goal is to go carbon neutral in our operations by December 2008. We are doing everything possible to reduce our energy use and eliminate the release of carbon. Despite our best efforts, we haven’t been able to close the gap and we needed to purchase offset credits to achieve our objective. By retiring those credits, we insure 24,000 tons of greenhouse gases won’t be released into the atmosphere.
Efficiency News: There are significant federal energy management provisions in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, including a requirement that federal agencies reduce their building energy consumption by 30 percent by the year 2015. Can you give us an insider’s take on how these new requirements will impact existing and future government buildings?
Dan Beard: Reducing energy consumption is not that difficult. Our view is the goal of 30 percent is too low. We are going to reduce our data center energy consumption by over 40 percent in three years, and I think we can get more. I just toured Adobe’s headquarters, along with other Silicon Valley companies, and they proved there are many ways to significantly reduce energy consumption now by using existing technologies. And along with reducing energy consumption, you can make employees’ work environment more comfortable by harvesting sunlight and reducing the amount of heat coming through windows.
Our goal is to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent in the next 10 years. We have one of the oldest buildings in the federal government, the Capitol, and if we can go green we believe the rest of the federal government can do it. Energy prices are going to continue to climb, making it irresponsible not to save taxpayer dollars through environmentally-friendly improvements.
Efficiency News: What is one energy-efficiency habit you maintain in your personal life?
Dan Beard: I drive a Toyota Prius hybrid car, and I’ve been getting 48 miles to the gallon.
|
