FedCenter has compiled a topical index of Federally-sponsored and non-profit mobile applications that may be of interest to the Federal environmental community. Mobile applications are those tools and information resources that have been specifically developed for your mobile devices, such as smartphone, tablet, or other Internet-connected hand-held device. The directory will be maintained daily to keep you abreast of any new and useful mobile applications the federal community releases.

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), on behalf of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) initially titled "Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT)." The AFFECT FOA will provide direct funding to U.S. Federal agencies for the development of capital projects and other initiatives to increase the energy efficiency and renewable energy investments at agency facilities. It is anticipated that the FOA will include the following two topic areas: 1. Combined Heat and Power (CHP); and 2. Renewable Energy, including solar, wind, biomass, landfill gas, ocean, geothermal, waste to energy, and new hydroelectric energy technologies.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., February 7, 2013) – Continuing the Obama Administration's commitment to lead by example and cut waste, pollution, and costs in Federal operations, Federal agencies today released their 2012 Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans. President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance in October 2009, setting aggressive targets for reducing waste and pollution in Federal operations by 2020. The Sustainability Plans build on three years of progress under the Executive Order and provide an overview of how agencies are saving taxpayer dollars, reducing carbon emissions, cutting waste, and saving energy.

GSA and its Federal agency partners in the EISA 436(h) Ad-Hoc Discussion Group are seeking public input regarding possible approaches GSA may take in fulfilling its requirement from the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 to provide a formal recommendation to the Secretary of Energy that identifies a green building certification system(s) most likely to encourage a comprehensive and environmentally-sound approach to the certification of green Federal buildings. Comments are due 60 days after 5 February 2013.

GSA's Public Building Service has developed training designed to prepare professionals to obtain the Green Buildings Certification Institute's (GBCI) LEED Green Associate (GA) and LEED Accredited Professional (AP) credentials. The training is based on LEED 2009 criteria and will become obsolete once USGBC transitions to LEED v4. The training is designed to prepare participants to successfully gain the LEED GA, and, where candidates meet GBCI requirements, the LEED AP specialty credentials. Available on-demand for federal employees only.

This study, published September 2012 by the Harvard Business School, examines the impact of environmentally friendly government procurement policies on private-sector adoption of the targeted products. Key concepts include: government purchasing preferences can accelerate the diffusion of products and services, potentially replacing the need for subsidies and government procurement policies can specify particular product standards can foster their adoption by the private sector.

This course is offered by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The purpose of this course is to enable you to reduce operating cost and provide energy savings to the building a student is responsible for. Students will learn the initial steps involved in re-tuning a building controlled via a building automation system (BAS). Interactive exercises are included to provide students "hands-on" practice of the re-tuning process within a virtual building. Students will practice identifying opportunities for energy improvement and then deciding how to re-tune for more efficiency. The intended audience for this course is onsite employees responsible for day-to-day building operations; offsite contractors (retro-commissioning agents or control vendors) hired to improve a building's energy efficiency; and college students interested in entering this field. The focus is on large (100,000 sq. ft.) commercial buildings (office buildings, malls, and schools), but the concepts and techniques presented can be applied to any type and size of facility that has a BAS.

The U.S. General Services Administration has released its review of the Green Building Certification Systems. This initial report is the first step in an extensive review process -- including a public comment period – that evaluates tools that could help federal agencies meet their goals for maintaining and constructing more sustainable and efficient buildings. When completed, the use of updated building certification systems will help GSA's customer agencies meet federal requirements for green construction, save taxpayer dollars and meet the goals of President Obama's Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (EO 13514).

This report discusses the impact of indoor environments on people and the impact of buildings on the environment.

Join leaders in your field from four key associations in the green building industry to help you navigate the landscape of sustainable construction practice.

Learn about USGBC; green building motivators, principles, best practices, regulations and incentives; and fundamentals of the LEED rating systems.

This self-paced, three-hour online course provides an extensive overview of the building certification process and documentation for LEED 2009, including the use of LEED Online, the web-based tool used to complete and submit certification applications.

WASHINGTON, DC (September 9, 2010) – Continuing a commitment to lead by example, the White House today announced the release of Federal Agency Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans, which work to achieve the environmental, economic and energy goals called for in the Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance (Executive Order 13514) signed by President Obama on October 5, 2009. This announcement marks the first time agencies have developed and submitted Sustainability Plans, now available at www.whitehouse.gov/ceq. The full announcement is available here.

This document, dated 5 April 2010, provides recommendations meant to improve Federal agency sustainability performance by promoting more effectively balanced decisions on new facility locations and more effective space utilization in existing locations. This document fulfills the direction of Section 10 in EO 13514 to provide the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair with recommendations regarding sustainable location strategies for consideration in agency Sustainability Plans. The document was jointly developed by the following: DOT, HUD, EPA, GSA, DHS, and DOD. Information on submitting comments is included in the document.

On October 19, 2009, the White House launched the GreenGov Challenge to ask all Federal and military personnel to share ideas about how the federal community can lead by example, green the govern­ment, and meet the goals of President Obama's Executive Order on Federal Sustainability. The GreenGov Challenge generated more than 5,000 ideas and 165,000 votes from 14,000 federal employees. The top ideas are summarized in the GreenGov Final Report.

The GreenGov Collaborative, an online discussion group hosted by FedCenter.gov, is your opportunity to work with colleagues across the government to put these ideas into action. This private community offers various discussion forums for you to share your best ideas and strategies, ask questions, and recruit allies in your efforts to create a more sustainable Federal Government.

Participation in the forums is offered to all Federal employees.

Click here to view the President's GreenGov Collaborative message.

Go to Join GreenGov to learn more and sign up!

WASHINGTON (February 3, 2010)– President Barack Obama today announced a series of steps his Administration is taking as part of its comprehensive strategy to enhance American energy independence while building a foundation for a new clean energy economy, and its promise of new industries and millions of jobs. At a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors from around the country, the President laid out three measures that will work in concert to boost biofuels production and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil.

WASHINGTON, DC (January 29, 2010) – President Barack Obama today announced that the Federal Government will reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by 28 percent by 2020. Reducing and reporting GHG pollution, as called for in Executive Order 13514 on Federal Sustainability, will ensure that the Federal Government leads by example in building the clean energy economy. Actions taken under this Executive Order will spur clean energy investments that create new private-sector jobs, drive long-term savings, build local market capacity, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in clean energy industries.

Question: What is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking?
Answer: Radon. Exposure to radon in indoor air can lead to lung cancer. Radon is a radioactive gas produced by the decay of radium which occurs naturally in rock and soil.

In 2009, the World Health Organization estimated that up to 14% of lung cancers world-wide may be due to radon. In 2003, the U.S. EPA estimated there were more than 20,000 radon-related lung cancer deaths each year in America. Because of this risk, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a national health advisory on radon.

All Americans are urged to test, and if necessary, fix their homes to reduce their risk. Radon testing is simple and inexpensive, and fixing is affordable. The Environmental Protection Agency, state radon programs, and their partners, urge you to fix your home if your test result is four picocuries of radon per liter of air (4 pCi/L), or higher. You should consider fixing your home for a radon level between 2-4 pCi/L, because there is no known safe level of radon exposure. Live green from the ground up - check your home for radon. The life you save may be your own.

To learn more about radon, visit http://www.epa.gov/radon.
To contact your state radon office for help, visit < http://www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html.

FedCenter has added a new topic to its program area lineup - Greenhouse Gases. This area includes the latest guidance and information resources to aid Federal facilities in managing greenhouse gas emissions. This encompasses current guidance, policies, and trends related to climate change/global warming, calculation of carbon footprints, GHG inventories, and the application of offsets to reduce carbon footprints.

President Obama has issued the new Executive Order 13514 on "Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance", which sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.

This year, 15 winners and 13 honorable mentions were selected from nearly 200 nominations in the areas of environmental management systems, pollution prevention, recycling, green product purchasing, alternative fuels, electronics stewardship and sustainable buildings. Recipients include representatives, teams, and programs from across the DoD and non-DoD agencies. The awards ceremony will be held on June 17, 2009, in the Natcher Auditorium of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Bethesda, MD, to formally recognize the winners and their programs. See the attached press announcement for all the winners and honorable mentions.

On April 15, 2009, the Department of Defense announced the winners of the 2009 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards.