Improving the sustainability of our operations is one important way the Forest Service is striving to address climate change. In 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14057, Catalyzing Clean Energy Industry and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, and challenged the federal government to lead by example and move to net zero operations by 2050. We are rising to that challenge through a broad coalition of energy managers, fleet and facilities staff, climate change coordinators, sustainable operations champions and many others who are helping us green our operations and accelerate our work toward becoming a climate-positive agency. 

This year, I was proud to give a Chief’s Award to the volunteer-powered, interagency Greening Fire Team. This group has been leading out, taking risks and trying new tactics to minimize the environmental impact of our wildland fire operations. They have helped make our fire camps greener through approaches like composting food, using solar-powered light towers and deploying mobile water treatment systems. Yet their efforts alone are not enough—creating a sustainable agency requires everyone’s support. 

I also want to acknowledge the work of green teams and sustainability-minded individuals across our agency. Your efforts to reduce energy, water consumption and waste in our offices, campgrounds and visitor centers are making a difference.  

I want to encourage all employees to engage in everyday sustainable and climate-positive actions in the office—turning off the lights behind you, reporting the leaky faucet, riding your bike to work, switching to rechargeable batteries and many more. And I ask that you also look at more significant efforts to “green up” your facilities as opportunities and funding allow—replace aging HVAC systems, install new energy-efficient windows, remove turf and replace with pollinator or rain gardens or xeriscape, plan for electric vehicle charging stations, and think about use of on-site renewables to offset your energy consumption.  

A vigorous sustainable operations program contributes to a sound, long-term fiscal strategy. The long-term savings of “going green” significantly outweigh the upfront investments. Energy costs and consumption have been trending upwards in our organization. Investments in facility energy and water conservation measures, electrifying our fleet and greening up our acquisition chain are not only critical to meeting our climate and sustainability goals, but also to reducing our costs. The Office of Sustainability and Climate along with Engineering and Technology and Geospatial Services staff are convening, coordinating and learning from work already occurring throughout the agency. There are mechanisms in place to help offset these initial investments like energy savings performance contracts and grants. Staff from these program areas can assist you and your unit in learning more about these options. 

Every day, we come to work to serve the American public, both current and future generations. Our work is expansive and interdependent. This is evident in the progress we are making toward reducing wildfire risk and in our efforts to address climate change. Our core values of conservation, service and interdependence go beyond our work on landscapes: They also apply to our facilities, our fleet and our daily operations. Together, our combined actions can make a difference and help the Forest Service get to our net zero goal by 2050.

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