Chicago, Illinois - Archive

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

Region 5 Office

This page houses older environmental information about EPA's Region 5 Office in Chicago, Illinois. View the current facility page for the Region 5 Office.

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 renewable energy certificates (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.

In 2002, EPA initiated a closed-loop paper recycling program for the U.S. General Services Administration's multi-tenant Metcalfe Federal Building. EPA and GSA 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 the Region 5 facilities.