Shooting for a green capitol

No, it’s not a new psychological disorder, but a plan for greening the capitol complex.

Over at Building Design and Construction they’ve got a piece on the acceptance of a “green the capitol initiative.”

On April 19, Nancy Pelosi accepted a preliminary proposal and …

… announced that operations of the Capitol Complex, which includes congressional office buildings and the 775,000-sf U.S. Capitol Building, would become carbon neutral no later than the end of the 110th Congress (in late 2008 or early 2009). [emphasis mine]

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The report suggests six key strategies:

1. Operate in a carbon-neutral manner.
2. Shift to 100% renewable electric power.
3. Aggressively improve energy efficiency.
4. Adopt sustainable business practices.
5. Continue leadership on sustainability issues.
6. Purchase offsets to ensure carbon neutral operations.

All good stuff, and if undertaken would make the congressional workplace a banner for climate action. Although let’s not forget what happened to Carter’s solar panels when Reagan took office.

I’m loving the idea that some of the real dead enders may be dragged into a climate neutral showpiece. Inhofe has got to be fuming and stocking up on incandescent light bulbs this very minute.

You can look at the PDF report here.