Now that most of the dust has settled from the November elections, it's a bit easier to see how some of the priorities of federal and state governments might start to change. One issue that is moving quickly up many priority lists - not that it needed all that much help from newly energized Democratic legislators at both levels - is environmental awareness.

Talk is swirling about new government efforts that would encourage new and expanded measures aimed at protecting protect the environment, Including alternative-energy research, environmentally preferable purchasing, and recycling

In light of such talk, it stands to reason that government entities such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be increasingly active in trying to enforce environmental protection laws, as well as in developing resources to help organizations green up their buildings and operations.

So do yourself and your organization a big favor. Take a few minutes to browse through the EPA libraries. The EPA recently announced that it is providing broader access to a larger audience by making its library materials available through its Web site. Visitors will be able to locate and retrieve materials by using the EPA's online collection and reference services. To date, more than 22,000 of 51,000 EPA documents are available through the web site, and all EPA unique documents will be online within two years.

It's not exactly light reading, but it's likely to help your organization and facilities be prepared for what lies ahead.