THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2024 13 State Department recipients of the Presidential Federal Sustainability Award for Advancing Carbon-Free Electricity with Federal Chief Sustainability Officer Andrew Mayock. From left: Andrew Mayock, State Acting Chief Sustainability Officer Caroline D’Angelo, Keith Heffern, Jacob Rocca, Mark Pituch, and Toshiya Ikeda. Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Administration Alaina Teplitz accepts the Presidential Federal Sustainability Award on behalf of the State Department from White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. PHOTOS: WHITE HOUSE Now in its sixth year, the Resilience Innovation Fund, sponsored by the Greening Diplomacy Initiative (GDI), and funded and managed by the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), provides up to $1 million in technical support each year for innovative projects that advance the resilience and sustainability of State Department operations and facilities. This year, 16 posts received funding for a wide array of projects, including the installation of insulation, electric vehicle charging station infrastructure, irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting systems, A gift from Morocco’s sultan in 1821, it was our nation’s first foreign property and served as a U.S. diplomatic mission longer than any other—140 years. Hours after the announcement, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma, joined by National Trust for Historic Preservation President and CEO Carol Quillen, Kingdom of Morocco Ambassador to the United States Youssef Amrani, and Fund to Conserve U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad Director Andrea Cochrane Tracey, came together at the National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington, D.C., to welcome the legation’s inclusion. Ambassador Verma described the Tangier Legation as a “powerful symbol of American diplomacy and of our nation’s longstanding ties with the Islamic world.” “But,” he continued, “the legation needs help, and this listing will bring needed attention and resources, ensuring it continues to thrive as an active center celebrating the friendship between our countries.” Director of Overseas Buildings Operations Will Moser, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Puneet Talwar, sent a recorded greeting to the gathering from Tangier, where they were visiting the legation. They saw firsthand the structural and systems challenges facing the sprawling, Moorish-style structure, which recently suffered damage when an adjacent building collapsed. The legation no longer hosts U.S. personnel and has been leased since 1976 to the private, nonprofit Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM), which was established in 1976 by former U.S. diplomats. The site is home to a museum, library, and regional NATO at 75 In July, leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the countries of the European Union met in Washington, D.C., the birthplace of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to commemorate NATO’s 75th anniversary. During a three-day summit, they discussed common security challenges and areas of cooperation, focusing on three main topics: strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense, bolstering longterm support for Ukraine, and deepening NATO partnerships. low power consumption light upgrades, bicycle storage, and flood fortifications. The 2024 recipients are: Embassies Astana, Beijing, Bern, Bridgetown, Budapest, Dar es Salaam, Islamabad, Kigali, La Paz, Lilongwe, Rome, Santo Domingo, Sofia, and Windhoek; Consulate General Monterrey; and the American Institute of Taiwan. This year’s winners showcased innovative initiatives in support of White House, congressional, and State Department mandates, including Executive Orders 14008 and 14057 and the Federal Sustainability Plan. studies center, but lacks an adequate maintenance budget. To handle the legation’s mounting needs, the nonprofit Fund to Conserve U.S. Diplomatic Treasures Abroad is seeking to establish a $10 million endowment. The fund announced an initial $250,000 gift but stresses the importance of broad participation in the campaign from all who understand the importance of preserving our nation’s diplomatic heritage. (For more on protecting America’s diplomatic treasures, see the Speaking Out by Glyn Davies in the March 2024 FSJ.) GDI-OBO Resilience Innovation Fund Awards
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