About the Sustainable Development in Government Operations (SDGO) Initiative
About the Federal House in Order (FHIO) Initiative and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Where to Find Information on the Site
About the Sustainable Development in Government Operations (SDGO) Initiative
What is Sustainable Development in Government Operations?
Sustainable Development in Government Operations (SDGO) is a government-wide initiative, the goal of which is to achieve coordination of the federal effort to green government operations.
To facilitate the integration of the principles of sustainable development into all federal government operational decision-making, the SDGO coordination role involves:
- direction setting;
- enablement of action; and,
- reporting of concrete results.
Concrete, reportable results on greening government operations will be achieved by working through the Sustainable Development Strategies of 28 independent departments/agencies, each of which has the right and responsibility to set its own agenda.
Is my department part of the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative?
The Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative targets 28 departments and agencies that prepare Sustainable Development Strategies.
List of departments and agencies involved by the SDGO initiative.
Who are the Co-champions of the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative?
The Co-champions of the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative are Assistant Deputy Ministers of the three following departments:
- Environment Canada
- Natural Resources Canada
- Public Works and Government Services Canada
The three departments that lead the SDGO initiative each play a key role:
- Environment Canada is responsible for facilitating access to information, practices and tools through the greeninggovernment.gc.ca web site.
- Natural Resources Canada is responsible for generating reports on greening operations.
- Public Works and Government Services Canada is responsible for building capacity in regions for coordinated greening of operations and for coordinating guidance for the next rounds of Sustainable Development Strategies.
What is the decision making body for the SDGO initiative and what is its role?
The decision making body for the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative is the SDGO Director General’s Coordinating Committee (DGCC). The members of the SDGO DGCC are directors general from departments and agencies that prepare Sustainable Development Strategies
The role of the committee is to provide direction setting, facilitate the enablement of action, support existing mechanisms, policies, etc. to move forward the greening of government operations.
The Director General’s Coordinating Committee is scheduled to meet four times a year. For more information, please consult the SDGO DGCC web page.
Who might have specific responsibilities under the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative and what would these be?
Generally, managers responsible for buildings, property, procurement, vehicles, waste, water and Environmental Management Systems in departments and agencies that prepare Sustainable Development Strategies (SDSs) have responsibilities under SDGO.
Specific responsibilities could be concrete actions to improve the environmental performance, such as implementing waste management programs, as well as reporting on the progress accomplished to green operations.
Is reporting mandatory?
Reporting on the progress of meeting the commitments in your department’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) is mandatory. Where your SDS has commitments in areas covered by the SDGO Reporting Guidelines, it is recommended these guidelines be used. They are referenced in the Treasury Board Secretariat Guidelines for Preparation of Departmental Performance Reports.
Reporting on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is mandatory for departments and agencies participating in the Federal House in Order (FHIO) initiative. The eleven departments and agencies under FHIO have agreed to GHG targets and report on these annually.
Participation by departments and agencies in the SDGO initiative, as well as its reporting component, is voluntary.
Will the progress accomplished by departments and agencies under the Sustainable Development in Government Operations be reported?
SDGO reporting will be generated with information gathered from the Sustainable Development Strategy portion of the Departmental Performance Reports or directly from the departments, as well as through the review of activities already monitored by existing mechanisms. Natural Resources Canada is responsible for generating the reports.
Responding to a need
- Both the Commissioner for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) and Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) have called for government-wide reporting on environmental performance.
- Such reporting shows decision-makers and all Canadians how the government is striving to become a model of environmental excellence.
SDGO reporting will document our progress in the following priority areas of operations: Energy Efficiency/Buildings, Land Use Management, Vehicle Fleet Management, Procurement, Waste Management as well as Water Conservation and Wastewater Management. For the first three areas above, the most recent results of already existing reporting mechanisms are reviewed. For the final three areas, data may be collected directly from departments/agencies. The seventh priority area, Human Resources Management, is included as part of the environmental management activity in the other six priority areas.
The first report produced under the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative, Greening the Federal House, was released in October 2003.
What is the difference between the Sustainable Development in Government Operations initiative and the Federal House in Order initiative?
The goal of Sustainable Development in Government Operations (SDGO) initiative is coordination of and reporting upon the Government of Canada’s effort to green its own operations in seven priority areas: Energy Efficiency, Human Resources Management, Land Use Management, Procurement, Vehicle Fleet Management, Waste Management as well as Water Conservation and Wastewater Management.
The goal of the Federal House in Order (FHIO) initiative is reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) within the Government of Canada’s own operations.
About the Federal House in Order (FHIO) Initiative and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Why was the Federal House in Order (FHIO) Initiative created?
Although the Government of Canada’s portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions represents only a small part of Canada’s overall GHG emissions, 0.4%, the federal government created the FHIO initiative to demonstrate leadership on climate change.
Under Action Plan 2000 on Climate Change, a total federal commitment of $500 million over five years was made to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors of the Canadian economy. Of this investment, $44.2 million was allocated to federal operations, including $30 million for the purchase of electricity from emerging renewable resources and $1.2 million for on-site generation demonstration projects. The remaining $13 million was allocated to energy efficiency and fuel switching program services as well as data collection and reporting.
Through the FHIO initiative, the eleven designated departments and agencies estimated to be responsible for 95% of federal emissions share in the reduction target of 31% below 1990 levels by 2010. These departments and agencies will achieve emissions reductions through improvements in transportation, building energy use and procurement of electricity from emerging renewable energy sources such as wind power, biomass energy, and solar energy.
Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Public Works and Government Services Canada are jointly responsible for managing the overall FHIO initiative.
Who are the 11 designated departments and agencies involved in the Federal House in Order initiative?
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Correctional Services Canada
- Environment Canada (lead department)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- National Defence
- National Research Council of Canada
- Natural Resources Canada (lead department)
- Parks Canada Agency
- Public Works and Government Services Canada (lead department)
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Transport Canada
What can non-designated federal entities, i.e. those not sharing the federal emissions reduction target of 31% under the Federal House in Order initiative, do to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?
All non-designated federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations are invited to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by participating in the Federal House in Order’s Leadership Challenge. The Leadership Challenge is the component of FHIO designed to encourage all federal entities to undertake a greenhouse gas emission reduction program of their own design and voluntarily report on results. “Federal entities” refers to all federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations of which there are approximately 170 in the Government of Canada.
While participation in the Leadership Challenge remains voluntary, Canada’s climate change commitments as well as federal and departmental Sustainable Development Strategy commitments encourage all federal entities to work towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
What is Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction target and how does it compare to those of other countries?
Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by the 2008-2012 timeframe. This goal is comparable to that of other countries, such as the European Union and Japan, whose targets are 8 and 6% respectively. To meet its 6% target, Canada will have to cut emissions by about 25% below “business as usual” projections.
What is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions from federal government operations? How does this relate to Canada’s overall greenhouse gas emissions?
The Government of Canada is responsible for 2,987 kilotonnes of CO2 equivalent or approximately 0.4% of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions (which was estimated at 720 megatonnes in 2001). Although the Government of Canada is not a large emitter, it is committed to demonstrating leadership on the issue of climate change and clean air.
By how much has the Government of Canada reduced its greenhouse gas emissions so far and how was this progress accomplished?
The Government of Canada has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 24% from 1990 to 2002. This reduction was achieved primarily through space reductions, increased energy efficiency in buildings and fleet as well as fuel switching.
These initiatives have not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions, they have also led to large cost savings in federal departments and agencies. For example, the Government of Canada is currently saving $26 M/year in facility-related energy costs as a result of over $190 M in private sector investment through the Federal Buildings Initiative.
Where can I find the nearest gas station to fill up on ethanol blended fuel to do my part to fight climate change?
The Canada’s Directory of Ethanol Retailers web site will direct you to an ethanol gas station nearest you.
Where to find information on the site
How do I find the information that I need on this web site?
In order to visualize how this web site is organized, please look at the site map.
Where can I find information on green procurement?
The Procurement section of the Greening Government web site provides information on environmentally responsible purchasing within government operations and addresses eco-labeling, contracting and reduction of consumption.
Information on purchasing choices that reduce energy consumption such as the Energy Star and EnerGuide programs is available on the Green Procurement section of the Federal House in Order web site.
Where can I find information on carbon neutral conferencing?
You will find information on the Government of Canada’s carbon neutral conferencing efforts in the Commuting and Business Travel section of the Federal House in Order web site.
The Green meetings section of the Greening Government web site also highlights the benefits of making our meetings and conferences more environmentally responsible, and points to tools and links.
Where can I find information on buildings/real property?
The Federal House in Order web site provides information on energy use in federal buildings and greenhouse gas emissions from federal buildings. It also provides links to programs such as the Federal Buildings Initiative.
The Greening Government web site provides information on responsible environmental management of buildings such as information on ozone depleting substances and polychlorinated biphenyls, among others.
Where can I find information on renewable energy?
Specific information on renewable energy and programs such as the Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative is available on the Federal House in Order web site.
Where can I find information on what the Government of Canada is doing to green its own fleet?
The Federal House in Order web site offers information on federal fleet initiatives and programs such as the Federal Vehicles Initiative and the Idle Free Zone.
You will also find information in the Fleet section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find information on ozone-depleting substances?
Most of the information related to ozone-depleting substances is located in the Energy efficiency/Buildings section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find information on polychlorinated biphenyls?
Most of the information related to polychlorinated biphenyls is located in the Energy efficiency/Buildings section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find information on storage tanks?
Most of the information related to aboveground and underground storage tanks is located in the Land use section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find information on spills and releases?
Most of the information related to spills and releases is located in the Land use section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find information on reducing water consumption?
Most of the information concerning water use is located in the Water Conservation and Wastewater Management section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find information on waste management?
Most of the information concerning waste management is located in the Waste Management section of the Greening Government web site.
Where can I find more information on how to develop and implement an employee awareness program?
For information, tools and success stories on employee awareness programs other organizations have created and implemented, you can look under the Training and Awareness section of the Federal House in Order web site.
The Human Resources section of the Greening Government web site highlights the importance of employee awareness in reaching sustainability in our operations. This section also highlights training available to Government of Canada employees.
Administration of the Site
Whom do I contact to report broken links and to receive permission to use material from the site?
Contact the Webmaster by using the Contact us function. In order to allow us to reply to your question more quickly, please include the URL of the link about which you are seeking information.
