"A zero environmental footprint is this generation's Moon Shot, and so it must be ours" at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), agency Administrator Martha Johnson told attendees of this year's Federal Summit conference May 18. Toward the goal of eliminating its impact on the environment, GSA is spending $1 billion on new green buildings, she reported, noting that the agency now operates on 22 percent less energy than comparable private-sector buildings. She acknowledged that GSA will have to "work harder than it has ever worked before" to achieve a zero environmental footprint, noting, "We will have to find innovative ideas like never before and take risks that are absolutely not within our current comfort range." More comments from Johnson and other speakers at the conference are included in this edition of Green Building Insider.

Also in this issue, congressional lawmakers have unveiled Federal Buildings Personnel Training legislation, GBI profiles green building bills in five more states, and the Building Owners and Managers Association has attached an addendum to its 7-Point Challenge Market Transformation Plan for sustainability. In addition, Pike Research has released its "Green Building Certification Programs" document, there are several new building certifications to report, the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools has introduced its Operations Report Card, and a Michigan county will produce 30 new green rental units.