U.S. Embassy Stockholm Welcomes the British Embassy Stockholm to the League

Today, U.S. Embassy Stockholm accepted the Green League Statement of Principles signed by Ambassador Andrew Mitchell, making the British Embassy Stockholm the first, non-U.S. diplomatic mission to become a member of the League of Green Embassies. The two groups will use a working lunch in the newly opened American Diner to explore ways to collaborate including introduction to the ESCO concept. This may also include a challenge to other embassies in Stockholm to an energy-saving contest come the start of the new diplomatic season here.

Planting the Future in Greece

US Embassy Athens participated in two successful reforestation programs over the past six months. Volunteers joined students, NGO's and businesses in planting more than 2,000 trees and bushes at Pendeli and Marathon, areas which suffered from Summer wildfires.

Top Down Greening in Athens

US Embassy Athens has begun greening the roof of the Embassy with extensive vegetation. This will reduce wasteful runoff and lower heating and cooling costs for the building.

Next step to offset carbon and environmental impact is a greenhouse at the Ambassador's residence to grow carbon consuming plants for landscaping the embassy and other US Government residences.

Mission Germany Lights The Way

US Consulate Hamburg is converting security lighting fixtures with halogen bulbs and voltage regulators (at 82 watts each) to OBO-approved fixtures with compact fluorescent bulbs (at 42 watts each). The change yields an annualized savings of 3,600 kWh or a 1.3% reduction in electricity consumption compared to calendar year 2009. This step builds on a total 11.9% reduction in electricity consumption achieved at the Consulate Office Building (COB) during 2009.

This change is carbon neutral because the consulate converted to a green energy utility provider on January 1, 2009 – which, coincidentally was:

• a budget neutral change, going from 9.85 € Ct./kWh to € 9.84 Ct./kWh,
• a 146-ton reduction of carbon emissions for the switch to a green source provider, and
• a 10-ton reduction of carbon emissions for the lower electrical consumption during 2009.

Via Mission Germany’s collaborative Energy Savings Initiative, post Munich is already exploring whether it can apply this approach to a similar problem of high energy consumption security lighting.

Vienna Uses Danube To Cool Homes

US Embassy Vienna is not satisfied with new Mag-Lev chillers or adding Smart cars to the motorpool fleet. They've now leased apartements that are cooled by heat exchange with Danube River water!

Greening IT

In this fiscal year, the Department of State's Bureau of Information Resource Management will replace an additional 2,212 PCs with thin clients, bringing the total number deployed to 8,187. The Department is expected to save 630,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 422.7 tons annually as a result. Plans are under way to begin adding thin client workstations to the unclassified network in fiscal 2011.

By using a PC’s power management capabilities such as sleep, hibernate and shutdown modes, the Department could increase energy savings by more than 35 percent annually, according to conservative estimates. In fact, a number of overseas posts have already implemented power management and gained impressive results. IRM’s ultimate goal is to enable computers that have been shut down to automatically “wake up” so that scheduled maintenance can occur without disrupting work activities. In the future, while you’re sleeping at home, your PC at work will also be sleeping— and saving energy.

Stockholm Goes To District Heating

Embassy Stockholm and energy company Fortum signed a deal where all electricity used in the chancery building comes from renewable sources, and by joining the district heating grid more than the environment is spared. By switching to district heating saving 366,000 cubic meters of gas annually, which results in a 650,000 kg cut in carbon dioxide emissions.

Sunny Forecast

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations is focusing on the design and installation of photovoltaic systems, better known as solar panels. Photovoltaic systems have become OBO’s most universally deployed renewable technology, cutting operating costs, reducing fossilfuel-based sources of energy and expanding reliance on clean renewable energy. Overall, the use of photovoltaic systems reduces the Department’s carbon footprint and shows that the United States government is committed to environmentalism.
Photovoltaic technology is also a clean way to provide supplemental power to U.S. diplomatic facilities. Photovoltaic electricity is produced when sunlight excites the electrons in the silicon-based panels.

EMBASSY LISBON FIRST GREEN EMBASSY CONFERENCE!

The U.S. Embassy in Lisbon is proudly hosting their first annual Green Embassy Conference, in cooperation with their Eco-Friendly Action Forum (LEAF) Interagency Committee and other local organizations, they are planning to gather on April 16 to evaluate their progress and find other means to reduce their carbon footprints. Motto for this event is: “Buy Green! Think Green! Practice Green!”