The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a growing world-class sustainability leader committed to fostering sustainability as a way of life throughout the organization. The 2017 sustainability awards recognize and reward exceptional performance by USACE individuals and teams demonstrating extraordinary achievement in the pursuit of Executive Order 13693: Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade and its charge to lead by example towards a clean energy economy.
The award recipients demonstrate the significant achievement in implementing energy efficiency and sustainable solutions, to reduce our impacts to the environment and surrounding communities, and preserve the quality of the Nation's natural resources. The 2017 award recipients are:
Sustainability Hero Award - Jennifer Ramirez, Sustainable Engineering Program Manager, USACE Japan District. The award recognizes Ms. Ramirez as a sustainability champion and agent of change within the organization, instrumental in improving design quality and reducing project costs to provide products that meet USACE customer's requirements. She oversees sustainability for all USACE construction projects in Japan and the results of her actions made a significant impact and improvement on design and construction work within the Japan District. Through Ms. Ramirez efforts, the Japan District is now at 100 percent compliance with sustainability reporting requirements and has quantifiable data on the district's sustainability execution.
Lean, Clean, and Green Award - Beltzville Lake and Dam Solar Array Project near Leighton, Pennsylvania. During 2016, the Philadelphia District project delivery team completed the installation of a 40 kilowatt solar array to offset the energy used to heat and dehumidify the dam intake tower. The project demonstrated a combination of measurable energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Conditioning the tower space to allow for safe, effective operation of the hydraulic pumps and to maintain humidity levels that are protective of the concrete structure requires a substantial amount of energy. The solar array was sized to offset 25 percent of the energy used by the dam intake tower so as not to burden the utility grid with excess power. Team members included Monica Chasten, Project Manager; George Sauls Northern Area Engineer; Joshua Dinko, Head Dam Operator; Patrick Cannon, Dam Operator; Alison Simone, Administrative Assistant; and William Wilcox, District Counsel.
Building the Future Award - Davis Barracks Project Delivery Team. The team met the challenge to design and construct the Davis Barracks at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, to the highest level of quality and sustainability. Members of the project delivery team include: Matthew Ludwig, Chief of Construction, Catherine Scott, Team Leader, Jefferey Friese, Technical Manager, Timothy Pillsworth, Project Engineer, Anthony Jara, Project Engineer, all from the New York District and Patricia Donohue, Regional Sustainability Program Manager, North Atlantic Division. The Davis Barracks will provide first-class housing to 650 cadets when completed. It includes high efficiency systems to meet the West Point Net Zero goals, radiant heating and cooling, dedicated outdoor air systems, heat recovery systems, solar thermal and aggressive building infiltration measures. Additional sustainable features developed include rain and grey water harvesting to lessen the impact on the waste water treatment plant and additional solar thermal provisions.
The dedication and commitment of these individuals is a great example of fulfilling the USACE commitment to meeting and exceeding federal goals and targets for energy and sustainability and integrating its environmental operating principles into all projects.
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