The Foreign Service Journal, April 2014.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION APRIL 2014 GREENING EMBASSIES CHIEf-Of-MISSION GUIDELINES HOW H.A. GILES LEARNED CHINESE FOREIGN April 2014 SERVICE Volume 91, No. 4 AFSA NEWS FOCUS GREENING EMBASSIES AFSA Releases Chief-of-Mission Guidelines / 45 Eco-Diplomacy: Building the Foundation / 20 VP Voice State: Collaborating with Our Partner Organizations / 46 U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are becoming showcases VP Voice Retiree: Retirement for American leadership in best practices and sustainable technology. Begins Before Retirement / 47 BY DONNA M. MCINTIRE VP Voice FCS: The Budget Resource Merry-Go-Round / 48 The Greening Diplomacy Initiative: Chief-of-Mission Guidelines / 49 Capturing Innovation / 24 AFSA Hosts Chiefs of Mission / 51 AFSA On the Hill: State’s homegrown Greening Diplomacy Initiative relies on seeding, Beyond Advocacy Day / 52 harvesting, sifting, implementing and sharing employees’ innovations New Association Management and ideas, large and small. System for AFSA / 53 BY CAROLINE D’ANGELO AFSA VP Meets with Florida Retirees / 54 The League of Green Embassies: 2013 Sinclaire Award Recipients / 54 AFSA Book Notes: American Leadership in Sustainability / 30 America’s First Globals / 55 A coalition of more than 100 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide AFSA Partners with United Nations shares ideas and practical experience in the field. Association / 56 BY JOHN DAVID MOLESKY FSJ Editor-in-Chief Steps Down / 56 AFSA and DACOR Salute U.S. Marine Security Guards / 57 Finns Take the LEED in Green Embassy Design / 35 The Foreign Service Family: The Finnish embassy in Washington, D.C., is a green building that The Packout and Me / 59 was ahead of its time. Here is the story of this sustainability pioneer. Life in the Foreign Service / 59 BY EMILIA HONKASAARI COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Three Reasons to Love the League FEATURE of Green Embassies BY ROBERT J. SILVERMAN How H.A. Giles Learned Chinese / 39 Letter from the Editor / 8 The life and work of Herbert Allen Giles offer insights for many Foreign Service Who Knew? members—particularly those who embark on the kind of linguistic journey BY SHAWN DORMAN Giles undertook as a young diplomat. Speaking Out / 17 BY PHEBE XU GRAY Bring Back the Powell Fellows Program BY TYLER SPARKS Reflections / 73 Hi, My Name Is Susie— and I’m a Global Nomad BY SUSIE MARTINEAU DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 11 Books / 66 Local Lens / 74 On the cover: The Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C. Photo by Jussi Tiainen. The building, its architecture based on the Finnish tradition of simple design existing harmoniously with MARKETPLACE natural surroundings, established a powerful progressive presence for Finland at its comple- Classifieds / 62 tion in 1994. In subsequent years, embassy staff made it a priority to decrease the structure’s Real Estate / 68 environmental impact. It was the first foreign embassy in the United States to receive the U.S. Index to Advertisers / 72 Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star and the first to receive LEED certification. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2014 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Editor Shawn Dorman: [email protected] Managing Editor Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected] AFSA News Editor Donna Ayerst: [email protected] CONTACTS AFSA Headquarters: LABOR MANAGEMENT Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 General Counsel Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Sharon Papp: [email protected] Art Director (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Deputy General Counsel Caryn Suko Smith USAID AFSA Office: Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Labor Management Specialist Editorial Intern FCS AFSA Office: James Yorke: [email protected] Bret Matera (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: [email protected] Advertising Intern GOVERNING BOARD Staff Attorney Yuting “Cibil” Lu President: Raeka Safai: [email protected] Robert J. Silverman; [email protected] Contributing Editor Staff Attorney Secretary: Angela Dickey: [email protected] Steven Alan Honley: [email protected] Andrew Large: [email protected] Treasurer: Hon. Charles A. Ford; [email protected] Labor Management Counselor Editorial Board State Vice President: John Long: [email protected] Matthew K. Asada; [email protected] Jim DeHart, Chairman Executive Assistant USAID Vice President: Hon. Gordon S. Brown Elizabeth Lee: [email protected] Sharon Wayne; [email protected] Stephen W. Buck USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser FCS Vice President: Ruth Hall Douglas Broome: [email protected] Steve Morrison; [email protected] Maria C. Livingston USAID Staff Assistant FAS Vice President: Richard McKee Chioma Dike: [email protected] Beth Payne David Mergen; [email protected] John G. Rendeiro Jr. Retiree Vice President: MEMBER SERVICES Duncan Walker Lawrence Cohen; lawrencecohenassociates@ Member Services Director Tracy Whittington hotmail.com Janet Hedrick: [email protected] Clayton Bond (AFSA Governing Board liaison) State Representatives: Deputy Director, Member Services and Events Clayton Bond Kristy Pomes: [email protected] Everett “Alex” Copher Coordinator, Retiree Counseling THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Todd Crawford Todd Thurwachter: [email protected] PROFESSIONALS Chuck Fee Associate Coordinator, Retiree Counseling The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Ken Kero-Mentz and Legislation Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published Elise Mellinger Matthew Sumrak: [email protected] monthly, with a combined July-August issue, by the Nancy Rios-Brooks Administrative Assistant and Office Manager American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), a private, Sue Saarnio Ana Lopez: [email protected] nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein repre- sents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily Michael D. Thomas COMMUNICATIONS represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or Lillian Wahl-Tuco AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, prefer- David Zwach Director of Communications ably by e-mail. The Journal is not responsible for unso- USAID Representatives: Kristen Fernekes: [email protected] licited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising Andrew Levin Director of New Media inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] herein does not imply endorsement of the services or Jason Singer Publications Manager goods offered. Journal subscription: AFSA member–$20, FCS Representative: included in annual dues; student–$30; institution–$40; Barbara Farrar Shawn Dorman: [email protected] others–$50; Single issue–$4.50. For foreign surface mail, FAS Representative: Mark Petry Online Communications Specialist add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodi- IBB Representative: Andre de Nesnera Jeff Lau: [email protected] cal postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional Special Awards and Outreach Coordinator mailing offices. Indexed by the Public Affairs Information APHIS Representative: VACANT Perri Green: [email protected] Services (PAIS). Retiree Representatives: Marshall Adair Speakers Bureau Director E-mail: [email protected] Hon. David Greenlee Thomas Switzer: [email protected] Phone: (202) 338-4045 F. Allen “Tex” Harris ADVOCACY Fax: (202) 338-8244 Hon. Edward Marks Advocacy Director Web: www.afsa.org/fsj STAFF Javier Cuebas: [email protected] © American Foreign Service Association, 2014 Executive Director Senior Legislative Assistant Ian Houston: [email protected] David Murimi: [email protected] PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Executive Assistant to the President SCHOLARSHIPS Patrick Bradley: [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to Scholarship Director AFSA BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Lori Dec: [email protected] Attn: Address Change Director of Finance Scholarship Assistant 2101 E Street NW Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Jonathan Crawford: [email protected] Washington DC 20037-2990 Controller Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Assistant Controller Cory Nishi: [email protected] www.afsa.org 6 APRIL 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Three Reasons to Love the League of Green Embassies BY ROBERT J. SILVERMAN limate change is a serious, The League of Green Embassies is help- But after U.S. embassies in the Caucasus man-made problem. I am ing to change European views about the and Turkey strongly advocated for the glad that it is one of our diplo- U.S. commitment to climate policy goals. project, State eventually put its full weight C matic priorities, and that one Let me be specific. While serving as behind it, coordinating the diplomacy and component—green buildings—is the focus Embassy Stockholm’s management coun- financial interagency in a sustained effort of this month’s Journal. selor, Mary Teirlynck proposed the idea for that took nearly 10 years. And thus a major At the same time, I wonder if our overall a League of Green Embassies at a fall 2007 foreign policy achievement of the Clinton approach to other countries on the issue of offsite dedicated to the embassy’s alterna- administration was secured. climate change is muddied by the fact that tive energy partnership with Sweden. I was Such was also the case with the League, the United States has historically benefited a participant. The idea was that American which was up and running in 2007, press- from the unrestricted use of carbon-based embassies across the region should col- ing for more greening initiatives. Similar resources. laborate, combine and showcase their thinking at headquarters complemented