Executive Order 82 Implementation Information
As outlined in Governor Kaine's 2009 Executive Order 82, "every executive branch agency and institution shall either have (i) notified the Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Pollution Prevention of its intent to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) or (ii) adopted and posted on its website a suite of policies regarding energy use, water use, waste reduction and travel that will reduce the environmental impacts and costs of those activities. Agencies and institutions electing to develop an EMS shall achieve E2 or higher certification under the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program by July 1, 2011. Policies adopted in lieu of an EMS shall contain the following:
1. Energy use. At a minimum, the energy use policy shall address powering down computers when not in use, turning off interior and exterior lights when not needed, and reducing the energy consumption of heating and cooling systems outside of office hours.
2. Water use. At a minimum, the water use policy shall address eliminating plumbing leaks and (if applicable) minimizing use of water for irrigation through reduced frequency of water, timing of watering, and the selection of low water-use landscaping such as drought resistant grass, plans, shrubs and trees.
3. Waste reduction. At a minimum, the waste reduction policy shall address ways of reducing consumption of paper and other office supplies, ways of reducing the use of disposable supplies, and recycling of white paper, mixed paper, plastic, batteries, printer cartridges and aluminum. For any agency that performs maintenance on vehicles, the policy shall address recycling of oil and antifreeze. Agencies are encouraged to include provisions regarding composting.
4. Travel. At a minimum, the travel policy shall address: carpooling to meetings, use of video conferencing and conference calls in lieu of in-person meetings, and purchasing of alternative fuels where available. Agencies are encouraged to include restrictions on whether the agency will pay for single-passenger use of personal vehicles for business travel."
To assist agencies and institutions meet the requirements of the Executive Order, DEQ has prepared the following information:
1. Environmental Management Systems: Agencies and institutions planning to develop an EMS and apply to the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program should email Sharon Baxter before July 1, 2010. Information on program requirements and application forms are available online. According to the Executive Order, agencies and institutions must achieve the level of E2 or higher by July 1, 2011; therefore, DEQ recommends that all state agency and institution VEEP applications be submitted by December 31, 2010 to assure ample time for DEQ review and application revisions (if necessary). All E2 applications must address the areas of energy use, water use, waste reduction and travel and include the mimimums identified above.
2. Environmental Policies: As an alternative to developing an EMS, agencies and institutions can adopt and post to their websites policies regarding energy use, water use, waste reduction and travel by July 1, 2010, to meet the requirements of the EO. DEQ has collected some example comprehensive environmental policies that may be helpful to Virginia agencies and institutions. In addition, DEQ has prepared a list of pollution prevention actions related to the EO. All agencies and institutions opting to use this option must address the areas of energy use, water use, waste reduction and travel and include the minimums identified above.
- Pollution Prevention Actions for energy use, water use, waste reduction and travel