Like the Monitor, some of these sanctuaries and monuments provide insight into our nation’s history. Others protect areas rich in biological diversity and significant for scientific research and discovery. Many are economically valuable for fishing, tourism, and recreation. Together, the network of sanctuaries helps preserve a natural resource that all Americans depend on, no matter where they live: a healthy and thriving ocean.

And now, the Obama administration is making that treasured network even stronger. NOAA announced today that it is expanding two existing sanctuaries off California’s North-central coast. The expansion will more than double the current size of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries, ensuring that we are protecting all that the region has to offer — from its biologically rich habitats primed for fishing and scientific research to the seascapes and shipwrecks that attract tourists and explorers.

The expansion, which is based on more than a decade of public comment and research by NOAA and its scientific partners in the region, extends west and north from the original sanctuaries up to Point Arena, home to another treasured space the President permanently protected last year. Following the lead of former Representative Lynn Woolsey, members of the California delegation have worked for years to afford greater protection for these vital waters.

The expanded sanctuary area includes one of the most productive upwelling zones in North America — a process in which deeper, colder waters rise and replace surface water as it’s pushed away by the wind. These colder waters are rich in nutrients and support an incredible abundance and diversity of marine life in a complex food web that is essential for commercially valuable fisheries, including red urchin, Dungeness crab, and salmon. These fisheries are an important part of local economies along the length of the North-central California coast. In addition to the numerous species of fish, endangered whales, seabirds, and extensive living reefs of corals and sponges all call the sanctuaries home.

NOAA’s action today reflects President Obama’s strong commitment to protecting our oceans and coasts. The ocean provides food, jobs, and opportunities for tourism and recreation for Americans all over the country. But the ocean is in trouble, facing serious threats from carbon pollution to overfishing. That’s why the President has taken action throughout his Administration to promote marine conservation and give Americans a voice in protecting areas of the sea that matter most to them.

Last June, the Administration re-opened the public nomination process for establishing new sanctuaries. That means that, for the first time since 1995, Americans can nominate nationally significant marine and Great Lakes areas for consideration. And in September, the President expanded the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, creating the largest marine protected area in the world completely off-limits to development.

The President will continue to look for opportunities to protect the places important to Americans, whether they are in water or on land. And he’ll keep working to address the threats to our ocean, like carbon pollution and illegal fishing, head on – because a healthy ocean matters for every American.

Five years ago this month, President Obama signed his Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, setting new energy, climate, and environmental targets for federal agencies. The targets are aggressive, but under the President’s leadership, agencies have made significant progress in cutting carbon pollution, improving energy efficiency, and preparing for the impacts of climate change.

Through this initiative, federal agencies have already reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent – that’s the equivalent of taking 1.8 million cars off the road. And today, more than 9 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources, on our way to meeting a goal of 20 percent by 2020. We’ve also cut our potable water use by 19 percent, enough water to fill nearly 49,000 Olympic swimming pools.

This progress means we’re on track to meet the President’s goals. But with more than 360,000 buildings, 650,000 fleet vehicles, and $460 billion in annual purchasing power, the federal government is the largest energy consumer in the U.S. economy, so we can’t rest here.

That’s why, today, to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Executive Order, federal agencies released new plans for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate change impacts such as flooding, sea level rise, severe weather, and temperature extremes.

Agency sustainability plans outline steps they will take to continue their progress in saving taxpayer dollars, cutting carbon emissions and waste, and saving energy. And their climate change adaptation plans identify vulnerabilities to climate change impacts – like how increased flooding and rising sea levels could disrupt the Postal Service’s ability to provide mail service – and outline steps to address the vulnerabilities and incorporate climate change considerations into their decision-making going forward.

These plans will help the federal government keep up the kind of progress that will ensure we leave behind a planet that is not polluted and damaged and protect our ability to provide the vital services American communities depend on.

But that’s not all. Agencies have laid out their plans, and now we’re extending the challenge to the entire federal family.

In 2009, after President Obama signed his Executive Order, the White House launched the first GreenGov Challenge to seek suggestions for new climate and sustainability initiatives directly from federal employees. We heard from folks all over the country – over 14,000 employees joined in to share 5,000 ideas and cast 165,000 votes for the best ideas.

The suggestions helped guide the development of numerous new initiatives. For example, Tom in Washington, D.C. suggested that federal buildings become more bike-friendly. In response, a group of agencies collaborated to develop a guide for implementing a successful bicycle commuting program in the D.C. metro area. Adam in Boston suggested planting more drought-tolerant and native plant species. CEQ followed up by issuing guidance for federal landscapes that included a focus on these types of plants. And an employee at the Office of Personnel Management wanted to see solar panels installed on agency buildings. This year, we announced new solar panels on the White House and launched the Capital Solar Challenge, which will lead to solar panels being installed on federal buildings all over the District. 

And now, we’re looking for more ideas to build on our success. Today, we’re launching the 2014 GreenGov Challenge.

Federal employees, we want to hear from you. Think about yourself and your co-workers, your workplace, the community where you live, and other federal agency facilities nearby. How can we do more to cut emissions and become more efficient both in our facilities and in our daily routine? How can we be more prepared for the impacts of climate change? How can the federal government be a better neighbor in communities across the country? 

Specifically, we’re looking for suggestions in the following categories:

• Carbon Emissions Reduction
• Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience
• Sustainable Buildings
• Sustainable Purchasing
• Energy Conservation
• Water Conservation
• Waste Reduction
• Fleet Efficiency

We’re ready to step up our game, but we need your input to do it. Be bold and creative. Think about where we can make the biggest impact. Talk with your teams and your colleagues. And make sure your ideas are heard.

We’ll be accepting idea submissions until December 5, so start thinking and sharing now.

Mike Boots leads the White House Council on Environmental Quality.