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Sustainability

Welcome to our Green Portal. Here you'll find our activities in support of sustaining the planet.

As the largest employer in the United States, the Federal government has a unique opportunity to influence our country's ecological and financial future. OPM strives to lower our agency's impact on the environment by ensuring that we operate in an efficient manner and minimize agency greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water use, and waste.

Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan

OPM's Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan outlines our goals, strategies, and progress toward meeting Federal environmental goals and reduction targets. We have a number of sustainability efforts underway, including:

Increasing the efficiency of our buildings: Managing our buildings in an efficient manner is a key focus for lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and reducing energy, water, and waste. While OPM employees are working in locations throughout the United States, our strategies to improve building efficiency at the three facilities where OPM has responsibility for building operations. The Agency manages two facilities owned by the General Services Administration (GSA): the Theodore Roosevelt Building (TRB), OPM's headquarters office in Washington, DC and the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) campus located in Charlottesville, Virginia, which provides training for federal employees. OPM also manages building operations at a commercially-owned leased office building in Macon, Georgia that house a data center and information technology services.
Using renewable energy: 19% of our electricity comes from renewable sources, including wind, biogas, and solar power generated by photovoltaic panels on our headquarters building.
Reducing petroleum: 60% of our fleet is low-GHG vehicles, 24% is hybrid, and 284 "flex fuel" automobiles run on E85 alternate fuel.

Sustainability/Energy Scorecard

The Sustainability and Energy Scorecard, issued annually by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), rates agency performance in achieving Federal environmental goals. In FY 2015, OPM made progress in each goal area, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, building energy intensity, water intensity, and fleet petroleum:

Greenhouse gas emissions: OPM has reduced Scope 1&2 emissions by 29.7 % compared to the 2008 baseline by improving the efficiency of our facilities, reducing fuel consumption, and using renewable energy. In FY 2015 we also made significant progress reducing employee commuting and business travel, achieving a 31.9% reduction in Scope 3 emissions compared to the 2008 baseline.
Building energy use: OPM has reduced energy per square foot by 11% since 2003. Further progress in achieving our energy intensity goals is expected due to the recent completion of the modernization project and Energy Savings Performance Contract Project at the Theodore Roosevelt Building and energy upgrades at the Federal Executive Institute.
Potable water: We have reduced water consumption by more than 41% since 2007 due to the modernization project at TRB and by installing water efficient fixtures in our facilities and using landscaping to minimize watering.
Petroleum: In FY 2015 OPM reduced petroleum consumption by 8%; however, meeting Federal reduction goals is a significant challenge. The majority of OPM's fleet of approximately 1,542 vehicles is used by the Federal Investigative Service, and travel is essential to conducting background checks for government security clearances. To minimize fuel use, our strategy focuses on improving fleet efficiency by converting to more fuel-efficient, alternative fuel vehicles, electric and low GHGs.

Climate Change Adaptation Plan

OPM's 2022 Climate Adaptation Plan Progress Report discusses ways that climate change may impact our ability to achieve our mission-essential functions, operate our facilities, and meet our policy and program objectives, as well as our plans to address climate related challenges in the near and long term.

Previous Plans

Past Scorecards and Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans

Executive Fleet

In accordance with Section 1 (b) of the Presidential Memorandum on Federal Fleet Performance and pursuant to the Federal Management Regulation 102-34-50 (41 CFR 102-34.50), executive fleets are required to achieve maximum fuel efficiency; be limited to motor vehicle body size, engine size, and optional equipment to what is essential for agency mission; and be mid-size or smaller sedans, except where larger sedans are essential to the agency mission. OPM's executive vehicles are listed below.

Make	Model	Year	Fuel Type	Office Ownership
Ford	Expedition	2011	Flex-Fuel	Executive Secretariat & Ombudsman
Chrysler	300	2011	Flex-Fuel	Executive Secretariat & Ombudsman

Any questions regarding the executive fleet can be directed via email to the AgencyFleetManager@opm.gov.

1. The Theodore Roosevelt Building, OPM’s headquarters office in Washington, DC, is undergoing a major renovation & modernization and implementation of an Energy Savings Performance Contract project that will reduce energy and water use at our largest facility.