The Foreign Service Journal, April 2014

20 APRIL 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are becoming showcases for American leadership in best practices and sustainable technology. BY DONNA MC I NT I RE ECO- DIPLOMACY T he term eco-diplomacy, coined by the Department of State, means: “the practice of conducting international relations by facilitating and advancing a shared commitment to conserving natural resources through sustainable operations and responsible environ- mental stewardship.” It stands on three foundational cornerstones: environ- mental policy that defines a shared commitment; green buildings that act as tangible demonstrations and platforms fromwhich to communicate; and operational results that record advances in performance. In November 2009, President Barack Obama announced a U.S. commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent Building the Foundation FOCUS GREENING EMBASSIES Donna McIntire is chief of the energy and sustainable design unit for the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations. She is an architect and has been a leader in the green building industry since her early work with SmithGroup, where she designed the very first Platinum-certified build- ing using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating system. She also served as buildings and climate change officer for the United Nations Environment Program. below 2005 levels by 2020. The president knew this policy would require practical demonstration by government. He also knew that in its fourth assessment report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had pointed to the building sector as having the greatest potential, more than any other, to make quick, deep cuts to emissions at little or no cost. So he called on the federal building sector to lead by example. To be sure, high-performance building technologies and strategies existed, and the seeds of a green initiative had taken root within the Design and Engineering office of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations nearly a decade earlier. But it took this type of national policy—and setting a target—to create momentum for significant building and operational changes. The new policy required an annual inventory of greenhouse gas building emissions from each federal agency. With this target now on everyone’s radar, professionals working on federal build- ing stock focused on long-term operational energy efficiency in design and construction. But even the greenest structures still require proper operation to realize efficiencies—much as the driv- er’s habits and operations and the occupants’ behavior ultimately determine a car’s fuel efficiency. In fact, the very lowest-hanging fruit, the lowest-cost improvements that produce the optimum results, reside with the user.