SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Why are federal employees expected to wear suits and ties during summer? The summer dress code for all federal workers should be changed to business casual [including golf shirts] and the ambient indoor temperature of federal office buildings should be increased 5 degrees. Employees will be more comfortable at work and commuting on mass transit, no more complaints about overly air conditioned offices, and the government... more »

Simple idea but this would save millions wasted a year considering we have 2 million federal employees. Paper towels have to be purchased, shipped, stored and disposed of. This would make government wide more eco friendly by saving trees and eliminating the amount of waste we produce. The air dryers (without heat) are a very cost effective and would pay for themselves quickly.

Last week, I received a UPS package from an office which is co-located in the building where I work. Although the package was Confidential in Nature, I was willing to pick it up in person.

In addition to saving the shipping cost of $47, delivery in-person saves processing time, and improves sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint for transportation and packaging.

A technique to promote sustainability and cost... more »

A cash benefit in lieu of free parking or other valuable transportation benefits should be offered. The Federal government owns a lot of property, and a lot of that property is devoted to car parking. The most efficient way to utilize that space is to have individuals recognize the cost of their actions on that space. By offering Federal employees and others who park at Federal facilities cash in lieu of "free" parking,... more »

Within an agency, each building will decide on one day per month to shut down operations. This effort will save energy and reduce the agency's carbon footprint, directly reducing energy and real estate costs.

 

Employees will be encouraged to telework, which contributes to happier employees with better work/life balances.

The government wastes billions of dollars per year with under utilized vehicles depreciating in our government motor pools. Many vehicles aren't even used at all. The first place to tackle this problem is to identify the oldest and least used vehicles in the fleet. Any 1991 motor vehicle or older should be sold. The government would save millions of dollars in direct/indirect maintenance cost, reduce the government's... more »

Background:
Coast Guard guidelines for vessel transit planning are intended to maximize operational effectiveness. Each vessel in the fleet is expected to transit at a speed that uses fuel efficiently; enabling the unit to spend more time in the operating area, reducing wear on engines and saving money. Regrettably there is not an effective monitoring and enforcement mechanism to ensure personnel adhere to these standards.... more »

Mandate via Presidential Directive: all federal offices, employees and contract staff once off-duty shall turn off monitors (not simply sleep mode), fans, cubicle lighting, overhead lighting, ceiling lighting and all other non-essential electrical devices.

Too many lights, fans & monitors remain on after hours. The savings will be tens of millions of dollars (or more). This will also create added synergy in regard... more »

i am new to the federal government, coming in I heard about how green we are and how we've been working hard to reduce the number of printers and the amount of paper we use. This is an outright pack of greenwash!

Since joining I have noticed that for every 6 cubes there is a printer! The office I left had one multi-function machine for 45 people, yet my new colleagues continue to go on and on about how much paper they... more »

This is a simple idea, but I think it can make a big impact if implemented across the Federal government. I am a graduate intern and am quite busy right now (work, thesis, etc.) so I have not been able to further research this idea, unfortunately. I think the analysis is worth doing, though, and would happy to assist with such research in the future. So here is my idea:

Water drinking fountains are wasteful; unless... more »

I have an electric car. I would like to plug my car into EXISTING outlets on DoD installations, in order to extend the range on my electric car.
I realize that plugging in at work is "theft of service" from the DoD electricity bills. I would like to pay my installation to reimburse them for the electricity I use.

A friend of mine is an instructor at the US Naval Academy, and has worked out the details on this idea.... more »