Aviation Center Wins Recognition For Reducing Environmental Footprint

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- A team sustainment effort focused on reducing energy usage and the environmental footprint of the Aviation and Missile Command's Aviation Center Logistics Command at Fort Rucker has won the organization an environmental team award from its senior command.

Genie Jones, AMCOM G-4 (Logistics) team lead environmental engineer at ACLC, accepted the award on behalf of her team. It was presented at AMCOM headquarters at Redstone Arsenal by the Army Materiel Command by Rod Amacher, an environmental engineer in AMC's G-3/4, during a ceremony at AMCOM headquarters at Redstone Arsenal on May 18. She also received a one-star note from AMCOM on behalf of the ACLC team from commander Brig. Gen. Douglas Gabram, presented by Wynn Sterling of AMCOM G-4.

"This was a team sustainment effort to find ways to integrate a reduction in energy usage and water usage, and in our environmental footprint into our processes," Jones said.

"We want to meet our mission while at the same time meet our environmental goals to be energy efficient. When we replace a piece of our sustainment equipment, we want it to be part of our process to replace it with equipment that is more energy efficient."

The ACLC mission is to provide quality aviation maintenance and logistics support to the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker. ACLC is an element of AMCOM, and employs about 4,000 Department of the Army civilians and contractors.

In late 2012, the AMCOM G-4 Environmental Division and ACLC worked with prime contractor Aviation Fleet Support to develop a unique process focused on reducing the mission's energy usage, water usage and environmental footprint for operations, equipment acquisition and disposal. In transitioning to a new aircraft maintenance contract in April 2013, the team was expanded to include Fort Rucker Logistics, Property and Garrison subject matter experts.

By reducing fossil fuel usage, a savings of over $57,000 in energy costs was realized. In addition, water consumption was reduced by 1.6 million gallons per year through process changes. Finally, a recycling effort helped divert over 166,000 pounds of equipment and materials that were no longer needed.

"The ACLC team accomplished these goals while keeping the training mission operational," said AMCOM G-4's Sterling. "They accomplished these goals while also managing quality assurance to ensure contractor employees continue to adhere to the guidelines of the logistics maintenance contract and while serving as the liaison between all the key players to Fort Rucker ensure coherence of effort. Finally, the team worked toward pollution prevention initiatives."

The achieved goals have more than tangible impacts on the environment. They also have a positive effect on ACLC, AMCOM, and the entire Army and Soldiers by ensuring improved readiness, he said.

"Your energy conservation not only helps to free us from reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels, but also results in a reduction of greenhouse gases and an improvement in regional air quality," Amacher said.

"Water conservation projects not only help ensure local water resource availability and extension of waterworks longevity through reduced usage, but have positive environmental impacts with reduced use of water treatment chemicals and reduced risk of upsetting our natural resources. Measures taken to reduce ACLC's waste footprint result in reduced utilization of landfill space.

Together, all these projects make ACLC and Fort Rucker more sustainable due to reduced expenditures on environmental program obligations and lowered risk."

ACLC's sustainability efforts went above and beyond environmental stewardship because the efforts result in "payback for planet, people and pocketbook," Amacher said. "You are helping the Army improve its triple bottom line."

Amacher also said the projects undertaken by the ACLC team demonstrated an integrated team approach necessary to create lasting and continuance results.

"Environmental professionals know that we can't be successful in a vacuum. It takes commitment by the entire workforce," Amacher said. "Environmental successes are only realized when everyone plays their part. The team demonstrated strong stakeholder interaction, reinforcing the point that everyone must understand their role and must commit to a common vision for success to be achieved."