# Presentation: 909167

## Implementing the GSA Environmental Management System

**Raheem M. Cash**
**Director, Environment Program**
**Public Buildings Service**
**202-208-1884**
- _[raheem.cash@gsa.gov](mailto:raheem.cash@gsa.gov)_

**5****th**** Annual Federal Environmental Symposium**
**2-4 May 2006**

## Agenda

- GSA Background
- GSA EMS Challenges
- EMS Development
- Current status
- Future

## GSA Organization

## Public Buildings Service

- Largest and most diversified real estate organization in the U.S.
- Design, construct, operate and maintain offices, courthouses, labs, and border stations
- Own 1,534 buildings; lease 7,386 buildings
- 1.1 million Federal tenants
- 100 Federal agency customers
- 2,100 communities including 500 cities
- $700M Net Income
- Serves as the lead environmental service for GSA

## Federal Acquisition Service

- Commercial Acquisition
- Provides access to more than 4 million services and products and direct buying relationships with many commercial partners
- Provides a vast array of commercial brand name products from information technology (IT) hardware, office supplies and copier paper to systems furniture and laboratory equipment
- Personal Property Disposal
- Vehicle Acquisition and Leasing
- Travel Services

## GSA EMS Development

## GSA EMS Challenges

- Multiple Service organizations
- One “lead” environmental service: Public Buildings Service
- Services’ activities vary considerably
- Activities vary in size, scope, and environmental intensity.
- Two Services undergoing major reorganization to create a combined service

## GSA EMS Solution

_**Decision**_
- GSA EMS to initially cover PBS operations
_**Rationale**_
- PBS is the largest GSA organization
- PBS operations have greatest direct environmental impact
- PBS operations are national in scope

## PBS EMS Challenges

- PBS “facilities” are buildings
- EMS for 1500 buildings?
- PBS has 11 regional offices
- EMS for 11 regions?

## PBS EMS Solution

_**Decision**_
- PBS implements a “corporate” EMS
- EMS based on ISO 14001
_**Rationale**_
- Consistent with PBS-wide strive for national consistency in response to customer desires
- Core building operations are similar across ecological, geographic and organizational boundaries
- Establishes foundation for Regional EMS development

## Inside the EMS

## Core Activities

- Site Acquisition
- Building Design
- Building Construction
- Building Operations
- Building Maintenance
- Property Disposal

## Slide 13

## Identifying Significant Aspects

- Utilized PBS Environmental Risk Index risk rankings to identify significant aspects
- Risk of harm to humans
- Risk of property damage
- Risk of environmental damage
- Risk of legal liability
- Financial risk
- Risk of public relations damage

## Primary EMS Objectives

- Increase knowledge of baseline environmental performance
- Enhance consistency of environmental management approaches
- Ensure effective integration of facility or regional best practices into PBS-wide practices

## Current Major Tasks

- Development of Tenant-GSA MOU
- Roles/Responsibilities Matrix
- Realty specialists
- Property managers
- Architects
- Customer account managers
- Policy Reviews

## Long-term Tasks

- Build Regional EMS
- Identify PBS-owned sites suitable for individual EMS
- Incorporate Federal Acquisition Service

## Slide 18