The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will use the January 2015 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Scorecard on Sustainability/Energy as a benchmark to identify and track the best opportunities to reduce pollution, improve efficiency and cut costs. Under Executive Order 13514, President Obama directed federal agencies to lead by example in clean energy and to meet a range of energy, water, and pollution and waste reduction targets.  Executive Order 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, released in March 2015, continues many of the same targets and will be used for planning FY 16 activities. The benchmarks were established before the Department experienced dramatic growth of its personnel supporting law enforcement missions which masks some of the Department’s achievements since 2009.  Nevertheless the benchmarks provide an effective opportunity for tracking progress from year-to-year. 

The January 2015 OMB Scorecard shows that during fiscal year 2014 (FY14) the Department reduced its energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, potable water use, and made strides towards energy independence.  The Department is committed to maintaining its mission capabilities while working to increase energy efficiency, reduce fleet petroleum consumption, conserve water, reduce waste, support sustainable communities and leverage federal purchasing power to promote environmentally preferred products and technologies.

DHS will continue to address areas that need improvement. Challenged by a growing mission, DHS developed an innovative new strategy for managing law enforcement fleets. In FY14 DHS reduced its petroleum use by almost 1.5 million gallons and reduced its fleet by 1,125 vehicles.

A joint effort in sustainability and efficiency, the DHS “Freeze the Footprint” innovation plan includes detailed cost savings and avoidances in operating expenses and energy consumption, sales proceeds from disposals, and space cost reductions from flexible workplace strategies. The largest and most significant portion of cost savings will be realized through deploying flexible workplace strategies which should translate into further greenhouse gas emission reductions. 

DHS is also incorporating sustainable building characteristics into new real estate investments, and continues to look for opportunities to leverage Performance-based contracts that will provide energy security and cost savings. The Department has implemented strategic-sourcing contracts to ensure the purchase of energy efficient electronics and recycled materials. 

In FY14, DHS met or exceeded the following goals:

• Reduced scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent and scope 3 emissions by 31 percent.
• Reduced the potable water intensity by 22 percent through conservation initiatives at facilities across the DHS mission space.
• Enabled energy savings features on 100 percent of eligible computers.
• Awarded $55.2 million in Performance-based contracting, which will further reduce energy usage and cost.
• Included green language requirements in at least 95 percent of applicable contracts to help meet the federal government’s sustainable acquisition goals.

The Department has three strategic sustainability goals: leadership in sustainable law enforcement; strategic transformation towards sustainable business processes; and human capital investment to raise awareness of sustainable practices and how employees can support the Department. 

Based on scorecard benchmarks, DHS will update its Sustainability Plan and post it on this website.

• Read the 2015 Scorecard
• Read the 2014 Scorecard
• Read the 2013 Scorecard
• Read the 2012 Scorecard