President-elect Barack Obama intends to make the federal government an energy efficient organization, and by that he means the buildings, not the people in them. The latter would be an impressive goal, even for someone as idealistic as Obama.

Specifically, Obama is looking to:

• Achieve a 40 percent increase in energy efficiency in all new federal buildings within five years, which is higher than the 30 percent standard agencies began following in fiscal 2008.
• Increase the efficiency of existing federal buildings by 25 percent within five years -- a more aggressive target than what agencies are following under a 2007 law, which seeks a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption of all federal buildings by 2015.
• Shave five years off of the goal to ensure all new federal buildings emit zero carbon emissions by 2030. 

So if you've been wanting to get that recycling, ride-sharing, or electric vehicle program off the ground, now is the time to start the planning process. Come Jan 20th, expect a slew of Executive Orders (EO) improving upon President Clinton's Greening the Government EOs to make their way to your desks.

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