Under the direction of Public Printer of the United States
Robert C. Tapella, the GPO is a leader in environmental
sustainability
Written by Kevin Doyle and Produced by Kevin Ellis
Established by an Act of Congress in 1860, the Government Printing Office (GPO) began operations on March 4, 1861 – the date of Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration as the nation’s 16th President. One hundred forty-eight years and 28 Presidents later, the GPO is taking the lead in the arena of environmental sustainability.
In his presentation of May 31, 2008, entitled “GPO and the American Printing Industry Move Forward With Sustainable Environmental Stewardship”, Public Printer of the United States Robert C. Tapella stated: “The future is environmental sustainability, which is more than just going green. It is being proactive and making changes so that we are a more efficient operation.”
Tapella was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the nation’s 25th Public Printer on Oct. 4, 2007. In that capacity he serves as CEO of GPO, one of the nation’s oldest agencies with annual revenue in excess of US $1 billion. The GPO’s website notes that Tapella “is committed to making GPO thrive as one of the largest digital information factories in the world. Making sustainable environmental stewardship one of his top priorities, Tapella has set out goals for GPO to be a good steward of its resources, one of which is to move GPO’s headquarters to the first LEED Platinum printing plant in the country.”
Tapella has more than a decade of experience as a professional staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as a senior GPO executive for five years before being promoted to his current position and, during that time, was a member of the team that transformed GPO into the profitable agency it is today.
He was also a principle architect of GPO’s “A Strategic Initiative for the 21st Century.” In that document, GPO’s mission is put forth:
•To provide the agencies and organizations which make up the three branches of the Federal government with expert publishing and printing services, on a cost recovery basis, in order to avoid duplication and waste of government resources.
•To provide, in partnership with Federal Depository libraries, for nationwide community facilities for the perpetual, free and ready public access to the printed and electronic documents, and other information products, of the Federal government.
•To distribute, on a cost recovery basis, copies of printed and electronic documents and other government information products to the general public.
During his first year as Public Printer, Tapella oversaw GPO authenticate, by digital signature, the first-ever electronic budget distributed by The White House; the opening of a secure production facility in Stennis, Mississippi, for the production of blank passports; and the creation of the Official Journals of Government business unit that will better serve Congress and the Office of Federal Register.
A history of recycling
GPO is the largest industrial manufacturer within the District of Columbia, operating in an antiquated 1.5 million square foot plant. Each year, that plant prints the equivalent of three billion standard 8.5 x 11 pages as well as two daily newspapers, the Congressional Record and Federal Inquirer.
Tapella cites GPO’s long history of recycling, noting the agency has been recycling waste paper, copper, brass and scrap metal since its founding. More than five million pounds of paper, 99,000 pounds of non-ferrous metals and 108,000 pounds of ferrous metals were recycled as recently as FY2007. One and one-half million pounds of corrugated materials were recycled during that same time period.
“Environmental issues have taken hold in the public’s mind for many years. American companies in all areas of our economy have taken notice. The printing industry is no exception. We have long had to contend in one way or another with many environmental factors, from solvent emissions to paper waste to the complex industrial chemicals and metals used in our processes,” says Tapella, a 1991 graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
The agency strives to be environmentally responsible in every manner possible. Nearly all of GPO’s printing is done on recycled paper. All inks are vegetable-based, in accordance with Federal policy. In 2008, GPO was downgraded by the Environmental Protection Agency from a Large Quantity Generator of hazardous wastes to a Small Quantity Generator after changing the solvents used to clean printing presses.
Moving forward
Tapella calls environmental sustainability “good business and good government. It also means confronting a great number of issues that have been ignored in the past.”
Though GPO is an agency within the government’s legislative branch, Tapella has drawn guidance from Executive Order 13423, requiring the widespread use of environmental management systems as a means to continually improve sustainable practices.
“As Public Printer, I am committed to maximizing the environmental sustainability of production processes in our plant as well as the products and services that we procure on behalf of other Federal agencies and organizations,” Tapella explains.
Citing digital production as a key to sustainability, Tapella is hopeful GPO can utilize more digital equipment as a means of reducing paper consumption. GPO is also installing a solvent recovery system that will reduce the disposal of waste solvents by 90 percent. “I would like to dramatically increase the use of 100 percent post consumer waste recycled paper. Beyond 100 percent recycled paper,
we need to look at the fiber used in other papers. Have the fibers come from responsibly managed forests? While there are a number of certification programs, only 10 percent of all the world’s forests are certified to any system,” he notes. The US Forest Service estimates an average of 1.74 billion trees
are planted in America every year.
Re-location of the GPO from its cavernous and inefficient space is a high priority. “I would like to see GPO move into a new factory – one that has green building certification LEED Platinum, the highest standard. I believe that is an
achievable objective,” Tapella says.
GPO is increasing efficiencies at its existing plant by reducing wattage of replacement bulbs; re-examining waste conservation measures; investigating new alternatives for steam used for heating, domestic hot water and humidification; evaluating air-handling units to supply air throughout the complex; and performing a full air system investigation from generation of compressed air through to application and consumption.
Tapella notes he is bound by law to “take charge and manage” GPO. He says that under his administration, GPO business “will be conducted in an environmentally, economically and fiscally sound, integrated, continuously improving,
efficient and sustainable manner. In short, I believe in doing the right thing.”
Material in this report was excerpted from Robert Tapella’s speech “GPO and the American Printing Industry Move Forward with Sustainable Environmental Stewardship” given on
May 31, 2008.