Chicago, Illinois

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power
ENERGY STAR

Region 5 Office

Total Facility Area: 420,178 rentable square feet (RSF) (EPA share)
Estimated Personnel: 1,489 EPA personnel
Energy Consumption: 32,796,334,202 British thermal units (Btu) per year (EPA share)
Btu per RSF per Year: 78,053
Water Consumption: 7,061,705 gallons per year
Gallons per RSF per Year: 16.81

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2008.

Description

EPA's Region 5 Headquarters is located in the Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago, Illinois, and oversees EPA operations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 35 Tribal Nations. The Agency has implemented a number of programs and procedures to minimize its environmental impact.

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

With the installation of a comprehensive green lighting system, the Metcalfe Federal Building was awarded the ENERGY STAR^® label in 1999 for its continued efforts to increase energy efficiency. In 2007, the Metcalfe Building received the ENERGY STAR label again with a performance rating of 80 out of 100, an improvement over the rating of 77 received by the facility in 1999.

Green Power

EPA offsets 100 percent of the electricity consumption at the Region 5 office with renewable energy certificates (RECs) purchased through the Agency's current blanket green power contract. Learn more about EPA's current and past blanket green power contracts.
In August 2005, EPA entered into a one-year contract with Basin Electric Power Company (procured by the Defense Energy Support Center) to purchase 9 million kWh of green power annually for its Region 5 Office in the form of RECs. This contract supported the generation of renewable energy from wind farms in South Dakota and North Dakota, and offset 100 percent of EPA's electricity consumption in the Region 5 Office.
In October 2000, a solar array was installed on the roof of the Metcalfe Federal Building. EPA helped install this 10-kilowatt photovoltaic system at the Region 5 Headquarters facility in an effort to demonstrate self-generated renewable energy systems and educate the public on emerging technologies.

Waste Reduction and Recycling

In 2002, EPA initiated a closed-loop paper recycling program for GSA's multi-tenant Metcalfe Federal Building. EPA and the U.S. General Services Administration have worked to increase the building's recycling rate by 200 percent, keeping a majority of paper products out of the waste stream. Known as "Anything-That-Rips," this system allows EPA to recycle its paper and have it manufactured into recycled tissue and towels to be used at Region 5 facilities.
For more Region 5 best practices, see the More Green Practices Waste Reduction and Recycling page.

For More Information

Hedrick E. Partee (partee.hedrick@epa.gov)
536 South Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 353-4190

Web site: www.epa.gov/region5