Every Day is Earth Day – Dare to go Green

President Obama set specific greenhouse-gas emissions targets for the federal government Friday, saying it would aim to reduce its emissions by 28 percent by 2020.

The executive order, which covers 35 government agencies that must submit plans to the Office of Management and Budget by June for meeting the target, takes aim at the nation’s single-largest energy consumer, although it represents a small fraction of total U.S. energy spending.

The federal government spent more than $24.5 billion on electricity and fuel in 2008, Obama said, which is roughly 1.5 percent of the country’s total energy spending. According to Nancy Sutley, who chairs the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the government operates about 500,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles.

“President Obama recognizes that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to lead by example in sustainability and on our efforts to build a clean-energy economy,” Sutley told reporters in a telephone news conference, adding that the plan aims to save $8 billion to $11 billion in energy costs through 2020. The 28 percent reduction will be compared with 2008 levels of emissions.

Sutley estimated that completion of the plan would amount to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 88 million metric tons by 2020 — equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road for one year. The Office of Management and Budget will score each agency on annual performance toward meeting the goal and will release the score card to the public.

Outdone by an tower extending over 800 meters in Dubai, the world’s former tallest building, Taipei 101, wants to become the highest green structure by completing a checklist of clean energy standards, a spokesman said on Monday.

Taipei 101 will spend T$60 million ($1.9 million) over the next year to meet 100 criteria for an environmental certificate that it would hold over Dubai, spokesman Michael Liu said.

The office-commercial tower that reigned for five years as the world’s highest building at 509 meters (1,670 feet) expects the U.S-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design to give it the certificate in 2011.

“We’re focused now on becoming a Taiwan landmark, that won’t change, and on going green. We’d be the tallest building to get a green certificate,” Liu said by telephone.

Taipei 101, he said, would work with its 85 office tenants to cut electricity and water use, while encouraging them to recycle more refuse. Annual utility savings should total T$20 million.

Restaurants would be asked to bring in supplies from as close as possible to reduce transportation.

“We can reduce power, trash and water by more than 10 percent,” he said. “We’re already pretty green. In principle there’s no major problem.”

The Taiwan skyscraper, complete with an observation deck popular with tourists, has already met 60 of the checklist items, including double-paned windows to retain cool air.