Green is the name of the game here at the GSA Expo in Orlando. The training session schedule is rife with the words “green” and “sustainable” and it’s all that any of the GSA folks here can talk about. It seems clear that new administrator Martha Johnson is taking President Obama’s green-government agenda to heart, and that Johnson’s commitment is trickling down to all levels. We’ll see whether government agencies and vendors are willing to get on board.
The exhibition floor had its share of environmentally friendly stuff — many booths had green products prominently displayed — according to Federal Acquisition Services chief Steve Kempf, 32 percent of exhibitors were peddling green goods. (That’s still a far cry from the 95 percent of federal contracts that are supposed to be sustainable as per Obama’s October executive order, but it’s a start, I suppose.) The green stuff ranged from furniture to storage devices to hand sanitizer. The expo has a dizzying array of products — walking around one sees booths hawking pocket knives, athletic playing field surfaces, mattresses, forklifts, Christmas lights … the list goes on. It’s a big government we have indeed, folks.
After the jump, a few photos from the floor:
Knives! (from the Ontario Knife Co. in Franklinville, N.Y.
From the "only at the expo" category: The Nutcracker (at a booth selling Christmas lights) and some sort of tricked-out rugged all-terrain vehicle from Polaris, side by side
I didn't go inside, but I was told this is some sort of school bus with special surveillance equipment for drivers to keep kids in line.
And, a big truck.
1 Comment
There was a lot of talk about sustainability, but it was mostly big toys on display.