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About Sustainability

NASA is an agency that leads by example and will continue to spur profound changes in our knowledge, culture, and expectations. NASA’s sustainability policy is to execute NASA’s mission without compromising our planet’s resources so that future generations can meet their needs. Sustainability involves acting now to enable a future where the environment and living conditions are protected and enhanced. In implementing sustainability practices, NASA manages risks to mission, risks to the environment, and risks to our communities, all optimized within existing resources. In executing its mission, NASA’s sustainability objectives are:

Building 4200 of Marshall’s administrative complex is prepared for demolition in the fall of 2022. Building 4200 was Marshall’s administrative headquarters from 1963 until 2020. The project will make way for a newer, more energy-efficient facilities, providing worksites for new generations of engineers, scientists, and support teams.

Net-Zero Emissions Buildings and Operations

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Seen here, with the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building in the background, is an up-close view of solar panels that are part of Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) new Discovery Solar Energy Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 74.5-megawatt solar site spans 491 acres at Kennedy and contains about 250,000 solar panels. Harnessing energy from the Sun, the panels produce enough energy to power approximately 15,000 homes. The panels do not directly power anything at Kennedy, and instead, send energy directly to FPL’s electricity grid for distribution to existing customers. Construction began in spring 2020, and the energy center became fully operational on May 30, 2021.

Energy and Water Efficiency

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Three specially designed, fully electric, environmentally friendly crew transportation vehicles for Artemis missions arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2023. One of the zero-emission vehicles is shown here at Launch Pad 39B. The fleet, which will carry astronauts to Launch Complex 39B for Artemis missions, was delivered by the manufacturer, Canoo Technologies Inc. of Torrance, California.

Zero-Emission Vehicle Fleet

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Members of the Sustainability team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida look over appliances donated for reuse or recycling in conjunction with America Recycles Day. America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. Kennedy partnered with several organizations in order to donate as many of the items as possible to those who could use them the most in the Space Coast community. Space center personnel brought in electronic waste, gently used household goods, clothing and more.

Waste and Pollution

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Members of the Sustainability team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida look over appliances donated for reuse or recycling in conjunction with America Recycles Day. America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. Kennedy partnered with several organizations in order to donate as many of the items as possible to those who could use them the most in the Space Coast community. Space center personnel brought in electronic waste, gently used household goods, clothing and more.

Acquisition and Supply Chain

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Participants in an Oct. 16-18 workshop at John C. Stennis Space Center focused on identifying current and future climate risks and developing strategies to address them. NASA Headquarters sponsored the Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Risks Workshop to understand climate change risks and adaptation strategies. The workshop was part of an effort that joins the science and operations arms of the agency in a coordinated response to climate change. NASA Headquarters is holding workshops on the subject at all NASA centers.

Climate Adaption and Resiliency

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Guest speaker Sinead Burke, in front, from Ireland, gave a presentation on “Breaking the Mould – A Lesson in Equity,” to Kennedy Space Center employees on Nov. 30, 2022, and to employees at other NASA centers via live stream on YouTube. Members of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Roundtable and the Disability Awareness Action Working Group (DAAWG), standing from left are Nicole Delvesco, Lisa Williams, Willie Gainey, Annie Williams, and Glenn Semmel. The event was sponsored by Kennedy’s DAAWG and the Spaceport Integration Directorate. Burke, who is an advocate for the inclusion of all, amplifies the voices who are often not considered.

Environmental Justice and Equity

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NASA Recovery Team members with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and the U.S. Navy prepare for Underway Recovery Test-7 (URT-7) on Oct. 30, 2018, in the well deck of the USS John P Murtha. URT-7 is one in a series of tests that the EGS Recovery Team, along with the U.S. Navy, are conducting to verify and validate procedures and hardware that will be used to recover the Orion spacecraft after it splashes down in the Pacific Ocean following deep space exploration missions. Orion will have emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

Workforce Focus – Climate and Sustainability

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ISS026-E-031592 (3 March 2011) --- NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, Expedition 26 commander, works with the flags of the international partners onboard the U.S. lab Destiny on the International Space Station.

Domestic and International Partnerships

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