An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

Federal Green Challenge

2016 Federal Green Challenge Awards

Congratulations to the 2016 Federal Green Challenge Award Winners!

2016 Award IconRecognition is a key element of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program and the Federal Green Challenge. Federal Green Challenge (FGC) awards are offered in two categories – data driven and narrative. Data driven awards, given in the target areas of Waste, Electronics, Purchasing, Energy, Water and Transportation are based on a greatest percentage of change over the previous year. Narrative awards are given in the categories of Innovation, Education & Outreach and Leadership and are self-nominating.

Saved: 215m gal. water, 406K tons waste from landfill, GHG reductions = 518K cars, NG usage down over 437m cf, 300 tons electronics recycled, saving of $21 million to U.S. taxpayers.In 2015, 290 federal facilities took steps to reduce pollution, support renewable energy, and operate more efficiently as part of the Federal Green Challenge. Participants saved more than $21 million across natural gas, fuel oil, paper purchasing, water, and municipal solid waste (MSW) categories. The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is equivalent to annual emissions of more than 518,000 passenger vehicles with a carbon dioxide equivalent of more than 2.4 million metric tons (MTCO2E).

Across our six main target areas, we are pleased to recognize the following participants in the FGC for their significant efforts in improving the sustainability of their facilities and for their leadership in reducing the environmental footprint of federal government activities.

2016 National and Regional Award Winners

2016 National Award Winners

2016 Award IconImprovement by Target Area - Highest Increased Percentage Over Previous Year

  • Waste: Texas Army National Guard, Department of Defense, Austin, TX, diverted 3506 tons of MSW and Construction and Demolition from landfills, saving $157,849 in tipping fees.
  • Electronics: James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, Altoona, PA sent 8.2 tons of used electronics to third party recyclers. More »
  • Purchasing: DEA Southeast Laboratory, Drug Enforcement Administration, Miami, FL reduced purchasing by 100% from 2014.
  • Energy: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Department of Defense, San Diego, CA reduced the amount of fuel oil consumed by 100% from the previous year.
  • Water: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico reduced potable water consumption by 26,185 Gallons from 2014.
  • Transportation: Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN for increasing their electric vehicle fleet size by 50 percent.
  • Learn More »

2016 Regional Award Winners

New England (Region 1)

  • Leadership: Manchester Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Manchester, N.H.
  • Innovation: West Haven VA Medical Campus, West Haven, Conn.
  • Water: U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, R.I.
  • Learn More »

New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Region 2)

  • Education and Outreach, and Leadership: Caribbean VA Healthcare Facility System, San Juan, P.R.
  • Leadership: Department of Energy, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.
  • Leadership: General Services Administration Region 2, New York, N.Y.
  • Learn More »

Mid-Atlantic (Region 3)

  • Overall Achievement Award: James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center, Altoona, Pa.
  • Leadership: Department of Justice, McDowell Federal Correctional Institution, Welch, W.Va.
  • Innovation: Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, District of Columbia
  • Waste: Coatesville VA Medical Center, Coatesville, Pa.
  • Purchasing: Department of Justice, Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pa.
  • Learn More »

Southeast (Region 4)

  • Leadership: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Southeast Regional Office, Orlando, Fla.
  • Energy: Department of Energy, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
  • Learn More »

Great Lakes (Region 5)

  • Waste: Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, Minneapolis, Minn.
  • Energy and Education and Outreach: Minnesota National Guard, Little Falls, Minn.
  • Purchasing and Innovation: U.S. EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division, Duluth, Minn.
  • Electronics: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Detroit Field Office, Detroit, Mich.
  • Transportation, Water and Leadership: U.S. Naval Station Great Lakes, Great Lakes, Ill.
  • Learn More »

South Central (Region 6)

  • Electronics and Purchasing: Department of Interior, Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Farmers Branch, Texas
  • Energy: General Services Administration at the B. Casey Federal Courthouse, Houston, Texas
  • Water: General Services Administration at the Fort Worth Federal Service Center, Fort Worth, Texas
  • Waste: VA North Texas Health Care, Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center, Bonham, Texas
  • Education and Outreach: Drug Enforcement Administration, El Paso Intelligence Center, El Paso, Texas
  • Innovation: New Mexico VA Health Care Service, Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Learn More »

Pacific Southwest (Region 9)

  • Energy: Department of Interior, National Park Service Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, Calif.
  • Outreach and Education: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Forecast Office, Guam
  • Innovation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Region 5, Vallejo, Calif.
  • Electronics: Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency Southwest Laboratory, Vista, Calif.
  • Learn More »

Pacific Northwest & Alaska (Region 10)

  • Purchasing and Waste: Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Spokane, Wash.
  • Energy: General Services Administration Region 10, Auburn, Wash.
  • Learn More »