Back in March 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenged the U.S. House of Representatives’ Chief Administrative Officer to determine ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the U.S. Capitol Complex. Administrator Dan Beard did just that, working with ASLA and other experts to identify tangible steps to make the Capitol Complex more energy efficient and sustainable.

The June 2007 Green the Capitol report created a far-reaching plan that included energy and water conservation, maximizing renewable energy sources, and adopting sustainable practices for the site and landscape. Six months later, many changes have already been made and more are underway.

Accomplishments include: 

• Purchase of renewable wind power;
• A redesign of the lighting of the Capitol Dome with energy efficient lighting;
• Replaced all plates, cups, utensils, takeout containers with 100 percent compostable items;
• Established agreement with Department of Agriculture to compost food service waste, ultimately reducing waste stream by over 50 percent;
• Ensured House food offerings are organic and locally grown within a 150 mile radius whenever possible; and
• Established incentives for employee use of transit.

Read the full six-month progress report.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a new feature to their website: "Ask EPA" is a weekly online forum where visitors can ask EPA staff questions on topics like recycling and various EPA campaigns. The forum began this month. This Thursday, Susan Bodine, Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response at EPA, will discuss recycling and America Recycles Day from 2 pm to 3 pm ET. More information is available here.

In a previous job The Dirt was privy to some online chats at a major newspaper and would be interested to know just how unscripted these live chats are. Check the site to see transcripts of earlier chats, and let us know if they take your question!

Last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched an online clearing house for information about drought conditions in the US. The site (officially named the National Integrated Drought Information System or NIDIS) provides a wealth of information about current drought conditions around the country, analyzes their impacts, and forecasts about future drought conditions. Their maps are particularly interesting, especially the drought forecast through January 2008. The site also has sections on planning, education, and drought research.

News this month (via the AP) that more park trails are becoming wheelchair-accessible and that the National Park Service will soon be launching an online database cataloging all the accessible trails, activities, and sites in the NPS system. The AP piece focuses on Vermont, where three trails are now accessible, including a 1,000-foot section of the famed Appalachian Trail as it passes by Thundering Brook falls.

Along with the NPS database, here are two other resources for finding accessible parks around the country: United Spinal Association and GORP. It's interesting to see the wide variety of sites, from small urban parks to historic homes to vast nature areas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened the application process for its 2007 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. The competition is open to "public-sector entities that have used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially, and economically."

This year, applications will be accepted in five categories:

• Overall Excellence in Smart Growth
• Built Projects
• Policies and Regulations
• Equitable Development
• Waterfront and Coastal Communities

Applications are due soon (April 3), so get cracking on those official forms!

The Nature Conservancy has a new report on the threats to biodiversity posed by invasive, non-native insects and pathogens. The 20-page report looks the current laws and regulations protecting U.S. forests and finds them lacking, particularly the "outdated" guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

From the report:

About 2.5 billion live plants are imported into the country each year, and many arrive with unintended hitchhikers. Plants, cuttings and seeds, imported by nurseries for sale to the public, have repeatedly served as a pathway for devastating pests to reach U.S. forests.

Of the 25 most damaging forest pests introduced since the mid-1800s, 18 are believed to have arrived on nursery stock — including sudden oak death, the citrus longhorned beetle, chestnut blight and the cycad blue butterfly.

The entire report, titled "An Ounce of Prevention," is available today online [pdf link].