"Next year all of our consumption for our four headquarters buildings -- that is to say 800 million kilowatts per hour, will come from windpower," said Robert Van Pulley, Director of the World Bank's General Services Department.

The development bank which last year celebrated 60 years of existence says it's fervent about applying to itself the environmental advice it has been touting to developing countries.

To prove that commitment, the World Bank has just published a first complete green audit of its activities including granting of credits, development projects, technical assistance to countries, and administration of its 108 branches outside the United States, as well as its offices in the US capital here.

According to the report, last year's active portfolio of environmental and natural resource programs amounted to 11.2 billion dollars -- or 12.2 percent of the World Bank's total active portfolio for that year.

Pollution management and environmental health issues accounted for approximately one third of the active environment portfolio, the Bank said.

"The World Bank is the world's largest single international funding source for biodiversity projects, with a total bank-managed biodiversity portfolio amounting to more than 2.6 billion dollars since 1998," the institution claims.

"Since 1990, the bank has also been the largest lender for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in developing countries -- investing more than six billion dollars in bank-managed resources and mobilizing another 10 billion dollars from public and private sources."

A recent commitment to increase renewable energy programs by an average of 20 percent per year during the next five years is another endeavour.

It recently announced a decision for 2006 to buy renewable energy for 100 percent of its electricity usage at its headquarters here, making it the fourth-largest purchaser of renewable energy in the United States. In 2004, that commitment was for 12 percent.

Such a move "will reduce our environmental footprint, increase demand for this practice locally, and set an example for other institutions in the Washington area and globally," said Van Pulley.

Usage of electricity, despite campaigns to sensitize staff at its Washington buildings, was cut by only two percent in two of the buildings, and water usage from 15 to nine percent in the other buildings.

On the other hand, 47 percent of all the waste produced was recycled, according to a report from the bank, including donations of cellphones, office material and running shoes for charity events.

To get a handle on air pollution, the bank has also opted to acquire in the future only hybrid vehicles for transport of its board members. Employees, meanwhile, are encouraged to take the metro, the bus, or their bikes. An increase in bike use of 125 percent has been noted.

A green roof operation has also seen the planting of 68 trees and more than 200 bushes on top of one of its buildings here, to save electricity and heating costs, and reduce pollution.

Finally three quarters of the 85 kilograms of coffee consumed daily at the bank's headquarters will soon be certified eco-friendly.

The effort has already been made in the vast amounts of coffee consumed in conferences and daily meetings -- with the coffee used 100 percent biological and bought according to fair market rules.

"Studies by the World Bank show that coffee is one of the world's most important cash crops and is vital to the livelihoods of more than 25 million small coffee farmers around the world," the bank notes.

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