Public Buildings Service Rocky Mountain Region
AWARD WINNER
Looking beyond restoring its site, the leadership of the Denver Federal Center (DFC) has envisioned a sustainable campus, where environmental performance improvements yield measurable business results.
To establish a framework for reaching its vision and meeting its sustainability goals, the DFC has implemented an Environmental Management System (EMS). As a vehicle for changing its culture and improving its business practices, the EMS has achieved environmental “best practice” outcomes, resulting in cost savings to the Federal government.
The DFC has implemented an innovative structure in its EMS, by establishing eight Action Teams for each of its environmental program areas. Each Action Team is led by a business practice leader, such as a Property Manager, Building Manager or Project Manager. The Action Team leaders have significant responsibilities in meeting customer needs in a cost-effective manner. Their work now incorporates meeting environmental performance goals. Rather than managed by a compliance-oriented environmental staff, the Denver Federal Center EMS is driven by business line leaders. This shift in organizational structure has led to a seamless EMS implementation effort. DFC environmental program staff administers the system, while Action Team leaders focus on their business practices. Since the EMS is led by business line leaders, implementation has been embraced by employees. In contrast to other improvement programs that may be considered transient or not effective in the long term the EMS was implemented by the Action Team leaders, resulting in effective integration into business practices.
The DFC Action Teams have been established for:
- Air emissions
- Construction demolition
- Energy use
- “Greening” building maintenance
- Site remediation
- Stormwater management
- Waste
- Water use.
The DFC Action Teams have implemented a series of projects that have led to measurable improvements in environmental performance and cost savings.
With the successful implementation and resulting performance improvements of the Denver Federal Center EMS, the GSA leadership in the Rocky Mountain Region elected to implement a region-wide EMS to meet its sustainability goals. The DFC EMS structure and documentation will be readily transferred to the Region 8 Sustainability and EMS and can be utilized by other GSA regions.
The DFC EMS implementation approach can be replicated by other agencies by following lessons learned:
- Communicating management commitment to sustainability goals
- Delegating responsibility and accountability for relevant business-practice EMS elements to Action Team leaders
- Delegating the responsibility for EMS documentation and administration to a Core Team
- Utilizing a Contracting Team for reviewing operational controls and training contractors
- Promoting and marketing the benefits of the EMS to agency associates, tenants, and contractors.
Contact:
Shelly F. Clubb
Rocky Mountain Region Environmental Manager
General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service
Denver Federal Center Service Center 8PD
shelly.clubb@gsa.gov
