Federal mandates for buildings to meet green standards are challenging with the budget constraints at all levels of government. Only seven of twenty agencies graded by the Office of Management and Budget met the 2010 green mandates to have a least 5% of their buildings meet energy-efficient and sustainable standards. Dan Tangherlini, chief financial and performance officer at the Treasury Department, said tighter budgets are certain to make this an even tougher challenge going forward. To be considered green, a newly constructed building must use 30 % less energy than a typical building of the same size. Renovated buildings must use 20%t less energy. Also, they must meet specific standards for water efficiency, recycling, indoor air quality and low-emission paints and sealants, among other things. Agencies need to have 15 % of their buildings meet these green guidelines by 2015.
NASA is looking at more innovative ways to achieve sustainability goals since they missed the 5 % mark, with 4 % of its buildings meeting the guidelines