DHS Supports the GreenGov Challenge

Last spring, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), launched a bold Efficiency Review initiative to make DHS a leaner, smarter agency better equipped to protect the nation.

As part of the Efficiency Review, we are already taking steps big and small to build a green culture across the Department.

A few examples include:

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is configuring it computers to automatically shut down/standby when they are not being used to avoid energy costs.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection will reduce energy usage by 25% by incorporating solar power in its new Border Patrol Sector Station in El Paso, Texas.
• The new U.S. Coast Guard headquarters facility currently under construction will receive LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, incorporating state-of-the-art efficiency technologies like green roofs, landscaped courtyards to capture and reuse surface water runoff, and innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

That’s why I’m excited by the GreenGov Challenge that runs through the end of the month. It gives federal employees and our men and women in uniform a chance to submit their ideas to make us more environmentally responsible while cutting costs and streamlining operations.

You can submit your ideas at www.WhiteHouse.gov/GreenGov through the end of the month. Together, we can make a difference in creating a more efficient and sustainable federal government.

Janet Napolitano is Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security