The Foreign Service Journal, April 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2014 5 April 2014 Volume 91, No. 4 FOREIGN SERVICE AFSA NEWS A FSA Releases Chief-of-Mission Guidelines / 45 VP Voice State: Collaborating with Our Partner Organizations / 46 VP Voice Retiree: Retirement Begins Before Retirement / 47 VP Voice FCS: The Budget Resource Merry-Go-Round / 48 Chief-of-Mission Guidelines / 49 AFSA Hosts Chiefs of Mission / 51 AFSA On the Hill: Beyond Advocacy Day / 52 New Association Management System for AFSA / 53 AFSA VP Meets with Florida Retirees / 54 2013 Sinclaire Award Recipients / 54 AFSA Book Notes: America’s First Globals / 55 AFSA Partners with United Nations Association / 56 FSJ Editor-in-Chief Steps Down / 56 AFSA and DACOR Salute U.S. Marine Security Guards / 57 The Foreign Service Family: The Packout and Me / 59 Life in the Foreign Service / 59 COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Three Reasons to Love the League of Green Embassies BY ROBERT J . S I LVERMAN Letter from the Editor / 8 Who Knew? BY SHAWN DORMAN Speaking Out / 17 Bring Back the Powell Fellows Program BY TY L ER SPARKS Reflections / 73 Hi, My Name Is Susie— and I’m a Global Nomad BY SUS I E MART I NEAU DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 11 Books / 66 Local Lens / 74 MARKETPLACE Classifieds / 62 Real Estate / 68 Index to Advertisers / 72 On the cover: The Embassy of Finland inWashington, D.C. Photo by Jussi Tiainen. The building, its architecture based on the Finnish tradition of simple design existing harmoniously with natural surroundings, established a powerful progressive presence for Finland at its comple- tion in 1994. In subsequent years, embassy staff made it a priority to decrease the structure’s environmental impact. It was the first foreign embassy in the United States to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star and the first to receive LEED certification. FOCUS GREENING EMBASSIES Eco-Diplomacy: Building the Foundation / 20 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are becoming showcases for American leadership in best practices and sustainable technology. BY DONNA M . MC I NT I RE The Greening Diplomacy Initiative: Capturing Innovation / 24 State’s homegrown Greening Diplomacy Initiative relies on seeding, harvesting, sifting, implementing and sharing employees’ innovations and ideas, large and small. BY CAROL I NE D ’ANGE LO The League of Green Embassies: American Leadership in Sustainability / 30 A coalition of more than 100 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide shares ideas and practical experience in the field. BY JOHN DAV I D MOL ESKY Finns Take the LEED in Green Embassy Design / 35 The Finnish embassy in Washington, D.C., is a green building that was ahead of its time. Here is the story of this sustainability pioneer. BY EM I L I A HONKASAAR I FEATURE How H.A. Giles Learned Chinese / 39 The life and work of Herbert Allen Giles offer insights for many Foreign Service members—particularly those who embark on the kind of linguistic journey Giles undertook as a young diplomat. BY PHEBE XU GRAY