ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 22, 2014) -- The National Credit Union Administration continues to work to reduce its environmental footprint, and in the past year has emphasized recycling and greater efficiency in using resources.
“Being a responsible corporate citizen and a good steward of the public trust is a priority for the agency,” NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz said. “During the last year, we’ve taken additional steps to reduce resource use, lower the level of waste we produce, and make the agency more environmentally efficient. Meanwhile, we encourage credit unions to make a similar commitment to increasing efficiency, reducing environmental costs and promoting greater environmental awareness in their operations.”
Some of the green efforts at NCUA in the last year included:
- Receiving an ENERGY STAR certification for its central office from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, scoring 86 out of a possible 100 points.
- Beginning a load-shed program that reduces electrical consumption at the central office by using a generator to produce energy during high-demand days.
- Reducing water usage at the central office by 423,000 gallons from 2012, including switching to low-flow faucets and toilets.
- Initiating a new recycling program for batteries, cell phones and small electrical devices.
- Reducing the number of print communications and replacing them with online versions.
NCUA employees are again observing Earth Day with an in-house recycling event. The agency also provides a series of useful employee bulletins with information about and encouragement to adopt various green habits.
Launched in the United States in 1970, Earth Day seeks to increase environmental awareness and promote responsible stewardship. Earth Day is annually observed April 22 in countries around the world.
NCUA is the independent federal agency created by the U.S. Congress to regulate, charter and supervise federal credit unions. With the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, NCUA operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, insuring the deposits of more than 96 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the overwhelming majority of state-chartered credit unions. At MyCreditUnion.gov and Pocket Cents, NCUA also educates the public on consumer protection and financial literacy issues.