United States Department of Agriculture

Forest Service FS-1056 July 2015

Providing Benefits 

and Services for 

the Greater Good

Sustainable Operations Collective

FY 2014 Accomplishment Report
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Sustainable Operations Collective FY 2014 Accomplishment Report 1

About This Report

About Sustainable Operations: 

The SusOps Commitment

Message From Leadership: 

Guiding Through Action

This report highlights accomplishments of the nationwide Sustainable 

Operations (SusOps) Collective during fiscal year (FY) 2014. It includes 

examples of place-based successes and offers links to more comprehensive information and reporting.

As an innovative organization, the SusOps Collective leads the 

Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 

collaborative resource conservation by curbing pollution, cultivating 

environmental action, and building habits for resilient communities 

and landscapes. The SusOps Collective’s network of employees 

turns ideas into scalable actions by implementing ambitious, on-theground pilot projects and grows those projects into agencywide, 

leadership-supported solutions. This approach enables every level of 

the Forest Service community to develop adaptable innovations and 

better facilitate its mission in a changing climate. As employees, we 

empower each other and our shareholders by investing in a shared 

future with creativity, diversity, and teamwork.

FY 2014 was a year of inspiration and transition. Lessons from the 

natural world in which we work present us with an opportunity to evolve 

and function much more like a network: sharing ideas and resources, 

acknowledging common outcomes, and working on common goals 

across our traditional organizational boundaries. The newly merged 

Climate Change Advisor’s Office and the SusOps Collective will 

collaboratively facilitate the achievement of the Forest Service mission 

in the face of a changing climate. The combined office will help the 

Forest Service become more resilient. The examples in this report 

are intended to encourage others toward stronger connections and 

integrated effort.
2 Providing Benefits and Services for the Greater Good

Direction

Policy

Oversight

Partnerships

Developing SusOps 

program and budget 

direction

Facilitating the transition 

to an agencywide 

organization

Supporting the efforts to 

integrate the SusOps 

Collective and Climate 

Change Advisor’s Office

Classifying position 

descriptions for 

regions/stations/area 

SusOps coordinators

Developing a SusOps 

strategic performance 

goal for the Forest Service Strategic Plan goals, 

outcomes, objectives, & 

results, FY 2015–2019

Selecting two Corporate 

Priority Action Items: 

Power-IT-Down and 

Utility Bill Cleanup

Drafting an operating 

guide

Developing a core staff

Establishing an Executive

Steering Committee

Fostering the growth of 

the SusOps Collective 

Board

Identifying and strengthening the regions/

stations/area coordinator 

network

Collaborating with new 

and existing partnerships

Hosting the first face-toface meeting in 4 years

Planning and People Organizational Framework:

The SusOps Collective achieved many notable accomplishments, both 

direct and indirect, in the four primary areas of the FY 2014 program 

of work. In its first year as an agencywide organization, the SusOps 

Collective brought forward positive attributes and began addressing 

the organizational needs of a new program office.
Sustainable Operations Collective FY 2014 Accomplishment Report 3

On March 19, 2015, President Obama signed Executive Order (E.O.) 

13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade. The 

E.O. offers a more holistic approach for Federal agencies to lead by 

example in making the Federal Government’s operations more sustainable, efficient, and energy secure while saving taxpayer dollars. 

E.O. 13693 significantly increases targets in reducing GHG emissions 

from Federal operations over previous E.O.s, and it focuses on Federal 

facilities’ climate preparedness and resilience. The E.O. states that “we 

have the opportunity to reduce agency direct greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent over the next decade while at the same 

time fostering innovation, reducing spending, and strengthening the 

communities in which our federal facilities operate.”

The E.O. 13693 raises the bar on many actions required for the Forest 

Service and other agencies. The Forest Service’s actions to reduce 

GHG emissions, however, already fall in line with the direction in E.O. 

13693. The Forest Service’s unique mission to sustain the health, 

diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to 

meet the needs of present and future generations demands that we 

lead the way in the Federal sector toward sustainability and resilience.

FY 2014 was a transition year in which 

the grassroots network of SusOps 

Collective coordinators grew into one 

unit that now has full representation in 

the agency. Through the coordinators, 

the Forest Service provided support 

for Green Teams established at units 

throughout the Forest Service. 
4 Providing Benefits and Services for the Greater Good

Leadership in 

Sustainable Operations

SusOps Environmental 

Footprint Areas Goal 5 under the Forest Service 

Strategic Framework for Responding 

to Climate Change is “Sustainable 

Operations—Reduce the environmental footprint of Forest Service 

operations and be a leading example 

of a green organization.” The Forest 

Service monitors achievement of 

this goal through Element 10 of the 

Climate Change Scorecard, which 

tracks 66 action items in 6 environmental footprint areas: energy, water, 

fleet and transportation, waste 

prevention and recycling, green 

purchasing, and sustainability 

leadership. The scorecard’s intent 

is to help national forests and grasslands staff work on strategies to adjust and prepare for new conditions 

created by changing climates and to 

reduce the amount of greenhouse 

gas (GHG) emissions present in the 

atmosphere. 

To help achieve these goals and to 

inspire, connect, and reinvigorate 

Forest Service Green Teams, the 

SusOps Collective designed a Webbased, self-reporting system called 

Leadership in Sustainable Operations 

(LISO). LISO identifies 98 specific 

actions that provide ways to fulfill 

legal requirements, introduce cost 

savings, and offer Green Teams new 

ideas to pursue. Green Teams also 

can use LISO to develop a formal 

action plan or share success stories 

and “how to’s.” Since its introduction 

in 2012, LISO has seen a substantial 

increase in use: from 1 unit in 2012 

to 77 units in 2014 (out of 113 units).
Sustainable Operations Collective FY 2014 Accomplishment Report 5

Corporate Priority Action Items

Corporate Priority Action Items (CPAIs) are specific actions 

implemented across the Forest Service to reduce the environmental footprint of its operations. CPAIs are based on 

results of field-based projects that are determined to be 

applicable at a national level and will result in a significant 

(1) change in behavior, (2) increase in efficiency, or (3) cost 

savings. CPAIs enable the Forest Service to implement two 

sustainable operations actions on the corporate scale. In 

FY 2014, the Forest Service Executive Leadership Team selected two 

items: Power-IT-Down (PID) and Utility Bill Cleanup. Power-IT-Down 

promotes regular shutdown of computers and information technology 

peripherals, while Utility Bill Cleanup promotes comprehensive reviews 

of utility bills to more efficiently understand, manage, and monitor utility 

consumption. Both actions began as grassroots pilots led by champions in 

the field. Case studies validated the criteria of the actions becoming CPAIs. 

CPAI: Power-IT-Down—As of December 2014, 102 units were participating in PID Phase 1 and 2 (i.e., weekend-only shutdown at larger Forest 

Service offices), yielding savings of $46,072 and 502,265 kilowatt hours 

of electricity. This savings is equivalent to annual GHG emissions from 

73 passenger vehicles.
6 Providing Benefits and Services for the Greater Good

Annual Energy Greenhouse Gas Report*

The Forest Service’s three largest 

emissions categories are:

1. Fleet and Equipment

2. Employee Commuting

3. Building Energy

600,000.0

400,000.0

200,000.0

0.0

FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14

GHG, MT CO2e

Total GHG Emissions for the Forest Service

The Annual Energy and Greenhouse Gas Report includes data for energy and water 

consumption from the National Finance Center combined with data collected from 

Ameresco AXIS utility database. This data, along with regional, State, and area field 

input, provides the basis of the agency’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory.

A reduction of about 30,000 MT CO2e/year

GHG Report

Sustainability Success Stories 

in the Forest Service 

In Alaska, the Tongass National 

Forest Green Team produced a 

video that captures employees 

working in the field as they demonstrate the importance of sustainability in fulfilling the agency’s 

core conservation mission and 

managing valuable local forest 

resources.

Real efforts underway throughout the Forest 

Service are building sustainability into 

operations in the field and in the office. 

The Southern Region awarded an 

Energy Savings Performance Contract 

to retrofit lighting at facilities on the 

Kisatchie, Ozark, and El Yunque 

National Forests. In addition, a Demand Control Ventilation retrofit was 

installed at the Land Between the 

Lakes Administrative Building, projected 

to result in energy savings of 497,982 

kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The 

total Forest Service savings during the 19-year 

contract is estimated to be $1.2 million. Energy 

saved throughout the 19-year contract (and 

beyond) is a net benefit to the environment and 

a reduction in the Forest Service’s environmental 

footprint and GHG emissions.
Sustainable Operations Collective FY 2014 Accomplishment Report 7

Greening Fire—FY 2014 was another year of continuous collaboration and innovation among dedicated members of field-based teams, 

including the Greening Fire Field Team. Greening Fire prioritizes waste 

reduction, recycling, alternatives to plastic bottles, and education and 

outreach. In trying to integrate sustainable practice into fire operations, 

the team partnered with Northwest Incident Supply Cache to provide 

recycling collection accommodations and instructions for fire incidents 

and to assist in reducing waste associated with fire-related activities. 

The team continues to identify suitable plastic bottle alternatives and 

educate fire personnel on their waste prevention and recycling options.

Track to Zero—Nine Net Zero Fellows and Greenhouse Gas Inventory 

Pilots were awarded in States stretching from Alaska to New Hampshire. The Net Zero Guides for energy, water, waste, and fleet were 

further refined. Net Zero Guides were piloted through new fellowships 

on the Tuskegee and White River National Forests (Net Zero Fleet 

Guide); through the McKenzie Ranger District of the Willamette National 

Forest (Net Zero Energy); and through returning fellows from the Durham, 

NH, Field Office and Laboratory and the Sierraville Ranger District of 

the Tahoe National Forest in California (Net Zero Energy). Each returning unit now has well-documented and significant energy use and 

GHG emission reductions compared with previous years.

Case Study: Energy Footprint—Returning Net Zero Energy Fellows 

from the Durham, NH, Field Office and Laboratory and the Sierraville 

Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest in California used monitoring and continuous improvement to identify additional opportunities to 

move toward net zero energy. Durham replaced a large, antiquated, 

walk-in refrigerator/freezer and installed insulation and adopted new 

technologies while Sierraville installed ENERGY STAR refrigerators and 

a solar furnace (a small-scale renewable energy technology). By implementing 5 of 17 possible energy conservation measures, Durham 

realized a 12-percent reduction in electric consumption and a 5-percent 

reduction in natural gas use, resulting in a savings of $4,800 per year. 

After becoming Net Zero Energy Fellows in January 2013, members 

of the Sierraville Ranger District decreased its electricity consumption 

by 67,000 kilowatt hours per year and its propane consumption by 

4,670 gallons per year. These resource savings amount to more than 

$21,000 per year in reduced utility costs compared with pre-2013 

consumption.
8 Providing Benefits and Services for the Greater Good

Financials and

The SusOps Collective attributes much of its success to its extensive network of 

dedicated employees who share a common value and interest in sustainability. 

By working completely in a virtual setting, the SusOps Collective is able to engage 

employees from all geographic areas and organizational boundaries by having its 

employees serve as conveyors of ideas and implementers of actions. This inclusive, 

yet untraditional, approach has enabled our network to grow and become one of 

our strongest assets.

People Power

FY 2014 Financials & People Power

144 SusOps Collective participants

26 States and the Washington Office

9 Regions, 4 Research Stations, 1 Area

1–5

6–10

11–15

16–20

Number of people

Financials Financials 

27% 27%

73% 73%

Over a quarter of our financial contributions come from 

in-kind contributions, totaling $564,394

The rest of the budget comes from the regions, stations, and 

area and the Washington Office, totaling $1,672,000

Collectively, we worked a total of 3,822 days 

towards agency resilience.
Sustainable Operations Collective FY 2014 Accomplishment Report 9

Our jobs are across resources areas Our jobs are across resources areas 

SusOps, 

Climate 

Change

Engineers Deputy 

Regional 

Foresters

Natural 

Resource 

Staff

Fleet Budget Public 

Affairs

Recreation Forestry Human

Resources

Chief Information OfficeFire

SusOps offers nontraditional employee 

development opportunities that build 

local leadership capacity while 

achieving nationwide efficiencies.

• Our accomplishments 

serve as an example 

to other agencies. We 

are routinely asked 

to share the work 

of the Collective.

• SusOps has supported 

employees to reconnect their 

work with an inspiring vision.

• Several units test the 

idea for a period of time 

and convey the results 

back to the SusOps 

Collective.

• Idea is conveyed 

to leadership as having 

substantial environmental 

footprint and cost reductions.

Ideas and actions 

are implemented 

as nationwide 

corporate priority 

action items.

• Ideas like PowerIT-Down and Net 

Zero Fellows start 

as conversations 

at the local level.

Power-IT-Down 

and Utility Bill 

Cleanup can 

save the Agency 

$6.5 million.

 Success & 

 Learnings 

Replicated 

Grass Roots 

 Ideas Start 

 With Local 

 Conversations

Idea Conveyed 

to Leadership

Idea 

Scaled-Up 

at National

 Level

Pilot Idea at 

Local Level

Susops Collective 

Employees Find 

Job Satisfaction

Leadership 

Supported

• Agencywide 

• Partner Agencies
Take Action

Everyone has an important role to play and a responsibility in helping 

to generate behavioral change. This accomplishment report is a product of that very change: the research, the implementation tactics, 

and the people who are working together to foster an agency that is 

sustainable in its operations. By bringing people and ideas together, 

we can continue to make progress on SusOps initiatives throughout 

our agency and in our local communities. We encourage you to join 

us in this effort and get involved: partner with the Forest Service on 

your sustainability project or explore online resources at the Sustainable Operations Web site. Collectively, we will continue working 

toward meeting the challenges of a changing climate and advancing 

the solutions for environmental sustainability.