The fiscal year 2011 scorecard on sustainability and energy performance is a benchmark the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will use to identify and track the best opportunities to reduce pollution, improve efficiency and cut costs. Under Executive Order 13514, President Obama directed federal agencies to lead by example in clean energy and to meet a range of energy, water, pollution and waste reduction targets.

The FY11 scorecard shows that within the last year the Department reduced its energy consumption, potable water use, and worked to become more energy independent. The Department is committed to maintaining its mission capabilities while working to increase energy efficiency, reduce fleet petroleum consumption, conserve water, reduce waste, support sustainable communities and leverage federal purchasing power to promote environmentally preferred products and technologies.

DHS will continue to address areas that need improvement. Challenged by a growing mission (and vehicle fleet), DHS developed an innovative new strategy for managing law enforcement fleets. This fleet management plan has been recognized as a best practice by GSA.

DHS is also incorporating sustainable building characteristics into new real estate investments, and continues to look for opportunities to leverage Performance-based contracts that will provide energy security and cost savings. The Department has implemented strategic-sourcing contracts to ensure the purchase of energy efficient electronics and recycled materials.

In FY11, DHS met the following goals:

• Through various energy efficiency initiatives DHS reduced energy intensity by 14.4 percent.

• Of all the energy used by the Department, 5.7 percent of electricity used came from renewable energy sources.

• Conservation initiatives at facilities across the DHS mission space reduced the potable water intensity by 3.2 percent.

• The IT Department enabled energy savings features on 100 percent of eligible computers.

• Identified $48m in Performance-based contracting, which is currently scheduled for implementation and will further reduce energy usage and cost.

The Department has three strategic sustainability goals: leadership in sustainable law enforcement; strategic transformation towards sustainable business processes; and human capital investment to raise awareness of sustainable practices and how employees can support the Department

Based on scorecard benchmarks, DHS will update its Sustainability Plan and post it on this website.

• Read the 2011 Scorecard (PDF, 2 pages - 3.2 MB)
• Read the 2010 Scorecard (PDF, 2 pages - 2.2 MB)