Seeing Green on Capitol Hill

Current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is urging Congress to go green.  However, with a “green the Capitol” roadmap not due out until this summer, don’t expect a green Capitol building anytime soon. 

Want to see green on Capitol hill?  The FCNL – Friends Committee on National Legislation - opened the first green building on the hill in September 2005.  The FCNL renovated a 10,000 square foot Civil War era office building incorporating green design and build elements that they anticipate will receive a Silver LEED rating . 

Design highlights include geothermal heating and cooling , a living green roof, bamboo flooring and low-flow toilet and water fixtures.  Want to know more? The FCNL has an excellent walkthrough of the building here . 

The FCNL building is the inspiration behind independent Vermont Senator Jeffords’ High-Performance Green Building Act of 2006 which aims to develop and implement green building standards for use in the nation’s 500,000 plus federally owned buildings.  A companion bill in the House, known as the High-Performance Green Building Act of 2007 , has been referred to committee. 

Make sure the hill turns green.  The FCNL provides a great service through their website to urge your members of Congress to sponsor new federal green building legislation . 

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