Corps of Engineers teams earn GreenGov awards

By Candy Walters, Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of EngineersSeptember 14, 2016

Building the Future GreenGov Award
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Receiving the Building the Future GreenGov Award on Sept. 7 were employees from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District and the Directorate of Public Works at Fort Carson, Colorado, along with senior leadership from the Department of Defense,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Green Innovation GreenGov Award
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Receiving the Green Innovation GreenGov Award on Sept. 7 were employees from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineer Research Laboratory and Headquarters Corps of ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joint teams recently received 2016 GreenGov Presidential Awards for their contributions in making the federal government more sustainable.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality presented 12 GreenGov awards during a Sept. 7 ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to federal agency teams and individuals who fulfill President Obama's mandate to "lead by example" in implementing Executive Order 13693: Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade.

The two 2016 awards, the Green Innovation and Building the Future, marked the fifth and sixth GreenGov awards Army Corps of Engineers teams and individuals have received in the past four years.

"It was an honor to participate in this important event to recognize the outstanding efforts of DOD personnel that both preserve environmental resources for future generations, and ensure that DOD has the land, water and airspace need to sustain military resources," said Maureen Sullivan, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for environment, safety and occupational health.

"I am proud of this year's winners -- they represent excellence and a tremendous dedication to the Nation and its resources," she said.

For Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy, the ceremony marked the fourth year she has joined Corps of Engineers winners on the GreenGov Awards stage. "This is a chance to show the innovative work that the Corps of Engineers does on the ground and delivers every day," she said.

"We have exceeded our Energy Savings Performance Contract goals (executing $15.9 million, $3.4 million more than the goal of $12.6 million), and our districts continue to look for more innovative opportunities," Darcy added.

The Green Innovation Award was presented to a joint Corps of Engineers team from Fort Worth District, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and Headquarters Corps of Engineers. The team combined the Net Zero Planner and Comprehensive Asset Master Planning Solution (CAMPS) Dashboard tools into oa Combined Tool that has revolutionized the way planners and installation managers look at sustainability planning by allowing them to identify sustainability and energy implications and automates identification of energy efficiency measures. The final result of using the tool is the generation of a targeted list of energy projects that meet an installation's energy goals, leading to reducing costs and time for energy planning. The team successfully demonstrated the Combined Tool at Fort Hood, Texas, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam's Ford Island, Hawaii, under a Department of Defense grant.

Receiving the award were Rumanda Young and Susan Wolters of Fort Worth District, Michael Case and Richard Liesen of the Construction EngineeringResearch Laboratory, and Jerry Zekert of Headquarters.

The Building the Future Award went to a team from Omaha District and Fort Carson, Colorado, for the 13th Combat Aviation Brigade Aviation Support Battalion Hangar at Fort Carson, which earned the Army's first Net Zero, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification for a hangar, producing less waste, generating less pollution, using less water, and putting energy back into the grid.

Fort Carson has a legacy of more than 56 LEED certified projects, including more than 82 certified building, half of them at the LEED Gold level, and including the hangar, three at the Platinum level.

Receiving the award were James Harding, Vince Turner, John Offen and Robert Collupy of Omaha District and Hal Alguire of Fort Carson.

In introducing the Building the Future Award, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack noted that the team working on the hangar not only achieved reduced the environmental footprint, used renewable energy, enhanced energy security, achieved Net Zero and LEED Platinum, but "came in under budget. It was a win-win for all," she said.

"I'm always impressed with what the Army Corps of Engineers does when it comes to finding innovative and better ways of doing this," she said.

Maj. Gen. Mark Yenter, Corps of Engineers deputy commanding general for military and international operations, said he was impressed with the level of tenacity both teams displayed, having to overcome obstacles on many levels, including policy, technology, and financial limitations among others. "I'm absolutely impressed that they were able to stay on task," he said. "It's phenomenal. I'm proud to be an engineer."

Previous Corps of Engineers GreenGov Award winners include:

• Jeanette Fiess of Northwestern Division -- Sustainability Hero 2013

• Kathleen White and Mark Huber, of the Institute of Water Resources and Army Geospatial Center, respectively, who were part of an interagency team that won the Climate Champion award in 2013 for a Sandy Sea Level Rise Tool used in New York and New Jersey as part of the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Sandy

• William Goran, formerly of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and director of the Center of Advancement of Sustainability Innovations -- Climate Champion 2014

• Detroit District for its Flex Fuel Program encouraging its workforce to use E-85 fuel in its fleet vehicles -- the Lean, Clean and Green Award 2015