Government's Sustainability Moment - CGI Initiative for Collaborative ...

By Molly O’NeillIn his January 2011 State of the Union address, PresidentObama declared that the United States faces a “Sputnikmoment,” a crossroad that calls for the nation to reassertits global technology leadership with strategic investmentsin education, scientific research and innovative technologies.Today, the federal government faces a “sustainabilitymoment,” a crossroad in how aggressively to move forwardwith green government initiatives. These efforts, which arebeginning to yield real success, are now poised to domore than just reduce government’s energy usageand conserve resources. Programs driven by a stronggreen impulse—such as green buildings, teleworking,data center consolidation, meteorological researchand many others—have the potential to spark a transformationthat goes beyond green government. Inparticular, they can help modernize government operationsand services, stimulate economic activity,reduce the cost of government, and attract a newcadre of skilled employees to the public workforce.The opportunity for using green government as a platformfor broader transformation is now within grasp—if government leaders recognize and seize thoseopportunities.Citizens Go GreenPeople today understand the profound impact thatenvironmental conditions have upon the economy,our communities and quality of our lives. We recycle.We avoid products that are environmentally harmful.We strive to reduce pollution, conserve energy andprotect natural habitats. From the cars we drive to theway we build and furnish our homes, we are embracinggreen lifestyles and are focused on sustainability.And we are craving access to increasing amountsof environmental information. We want to know whatbusinesses have been doing in our backyards, whetherproducts contain chemicals harmful to our health,and whether the beach water where we vacation issafe. Disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, recentearthquakes in Haiti and New Zealand, and the tsunamiin Japan have reminded us just how closely ourlives have become intertwined with the environment.Much of our interest is driven by concerns about energy,particularly fossil fuels. Citizens are well awarethat the nation’s heavy reliance on foreign oil makesus vulnerable to shortages, price shocks and volatileS P R I N G 2 0 11 | COLL ABOR ATIVEGOV.ORG/LE AD | Leadership 5