The Army and Air Force cleaned up at the 2011 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards Ceremony at the Pentagon June 8. Two Army installations and two Army teams received awards for outstanding achievements in conserving and sustaining natural and cultural resources. The Air Force won four awards as well, and the Defense Logistics Agency garnered one.
U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr won for environmental quality for an overseas installation. Some of Grafenwoehr’s achievements include removing 546 pounds of ozone-depleting substances, implementing a garrison-wide recycling system using pictograms and photos and saving nearly half a million dollars through the German Forest Service’s erosion control and environmental mitigation projects.
“If you have a good partnering program, you can more support military requirements,” said Manfred Rieck, chief of the environmental division at Grafenwoehr.
By partnering with the German Forest Service, Rieck said Grafenwoehr was able to create environmental mitigation projects and react immediately to the Army’s training needs. The installation has a mitigation account with a monetary value of more than $2.2 million, which can now be used to fund military construction projects.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord won the sustainability category for a non-industrial installation. JBLM’s environmental accomplishments include incorporating green design standards, creating a Sustainable Community Team and Sustainable Master Plan and expanding wildlife habitat.
Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment, presented the awards to the nine winners. Robyn said, “The Department protects the environment on our installations, not only to preserve irreplaceable resources for future generations, but to ensure that we have the land, water and air space we need for military readiness.”
Defense officials said programs at installations worldwide enhance mission capability while providing a sustainable and flexible approach to national security. Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told the crowd that the Defense Department and EPA might not seem like natural partners, but “defending our nation depends on defending our environment and natural resources.”
The panel of judges that selected the installations, teams, and individuals as the winners of this year’s awards represent federal and state agencies, academia, and the public.
***** AWARD WINNERS *****
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Sustainability - Non-Industrial Installation
The Exchange Corporate Sustainability Program, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Texas
Sustainability - Individual/Team
U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, Germany
Environmental Quality - Overseas Installation
Sustainable Painting Operations for the Total Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Environmental Excellence in Weapons Systems Acquisition - Small Program
88th Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate, Environmental Branch, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Cultural Resources Management - Installation
Cultural Resources Management Team, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Cultural Resources Management - Individual/Team
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Environmental Restoration - Installation
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Natural Resources Conservation - Large Installation
Defense Supply Center, Richmond, Va.
Environmental Quality - Industrial Installation
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