Press

Chairman Cites Environmental Stewardship on Earth Day 2015

ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 22, 2015) – On the forty-fifth observation of Earth Day, National Credit Union Administration Board Chairman Debbie Matz said environmental responsibility continues to be an essential part of the agency’s culture.

“Environmental responsibility is important to the practice of good corporate citizenship, which is one of the agency’s primary goals,” Matz said. “This ongoing management responsibility is in NCUA’s annual performance plan, and our efforts are paying off. Many of the environmentally sound practices in our daily lives at NCUA were once new initiatives introduced through our greeNCUA initiative.”

Matz said NCUA will continue to find ways to become more efficient and reduce its environmental footprint. NCUA’s efforts to practice and promote good environmental stewardship over the past year included:

• Holding central office electricity use to 2013 levels;
• Receiving a renewal for NCUA’s central office of the ENERGY STAR certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, scoring 82 out of a possible 100 points;
• Regional offices taking various energy efficiency measures, including replacing lighting, heating and air conditioning units, and other equipment;
• Leasing laptop computers with an ENERGY STAR 6.0 certification for all employees; and
• Reducing trash by two tons by increasing shredding by 4,100 pounds of paper.

As they have done in the past, NCUA employees are observing Earth Day with an in-house clean-up and recycling events. Throughout the year, the agency provides employee bulletins with information about and encouragement to adopt various green habits, and employees are encouraged to submit green suggestions.

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.