News Releases from Region 05

EPA Recognizes Argonne National Lab for Saving Resources and Taxpayer Money

For Immediate Release    No. 18-OPA27

CHICAGO (June 22, 2018) –Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill., for improving efficiency, saving resources and reducing costs as part of the Federal Green Challenge (FGC).

“Federal agencies nationwide challenge themselves to improve efficiency and minimize environmental impact, and their achievements are saving American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

 “The Argonne National Laboratory demonstrates commendable environmental stewardship and fiscal responsibility,” said Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp.  “EPA’s Federal Green Challenge exemplifies the agency’s ongoing commitment to reducing the federal government’s environmental impact on local communities through waste prevention and innovative management.”

“We are proud to be recognized by the EPA again this year and continue to innovate in ways to reduce our local impact,” said Paul Kearns, director of the Argonne National Laboratory. “Argonne employees, myself included, are energized by our annual Earth Day celebration. It’s a great opportunity for all of us to learn about Argonne research related to sustainability and the ways that we all can support environmental stewardship.”

The Argonne National Laboratory is receiving three regional Federal Green Challenge awards: an Innovation Award; a Regional Energy Award; and a Regional Transportation Award.

The Innovation Award was given for the laboratory’s Earth Day 2017 celebration that transformed the cafeteria into an interactive learning space with photo booth. Participating employees have had their photos featured in Argonne Today, the lab’s employee news blog, encouraging individuals to share their sustainable actions and tips with colleagues.  

The Regional Energy Award was given to Argonne for increasing the amount of renewable energy generated on-site by using solar panels and increasing the amount of renewable energy credits purchased by a combined 50 percent.

The Argonne National Laboratory earned a Regional Transportation Award by reducing by over 66 percent the number of vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines.  This is the fourth time since 2014 the laboratory has been recognized by the FGC for its efforts. 

Now in its sixth year, the FGC is a yearlong commitment under EPA's Sustainable Materials Management program that challenges EPA and other federal agencies throughout the country to lead by example in reducing the federal government's environmental impact. Participants focus on efficiently managing their resources to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of building operations, maintenance and purchases. Specifically, participants set goals and work to achieve results in at least two of six categories each year.

For more information on the Federal Green Challenge and this year’s winners, please visit https://www.epa.gov/fgc. 

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