PROFILE

MARIA VARGAS , SENIOR Program Advisor for the US Department of Energy has spent 32 years working on the preservation of the world ’ s environment . She began at the Environmental Protection Agency in 1985 , battling global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer , before becoming a Brand Manager for ENERGY STAR , the governmentbacked symbol identifying the most energy-efficient products and companies . In 2011 , Vargas moved on to the US Department of Energy , and now runs the remarkable Better Buildings Initiative .

In the US , about $ 200 billion a year is spent on running commercial buildings , with another $ 200 billion on manufacturing facilities , and on average , between 20 and 30 percent of the energy used in those buildings can be saved cost-effectively . The Better Buildings Challenge has been issued to spur businesses into saving that energy , and so the role of Vargas and her team is to inspire and enable them to join in . “ Energy efficiency is a huge opportunity for us , and I think while we ’ ve made progress , there are a series of persistent and pernicious barriers ,” Vargas explains . “ Those are far-ranging , and are why we set up the Better Buildings Initiative . It might be a lack of senior management buy-in or incentives , not knowing how to finance change , or not knowing what technologies should be used . Sometimes when an organization does one thing , such as installing energy-efficient lighting , they think their job is done .

8 April 2017