ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - At Fort Hood, Texas, sustainability means, among other things, inventing a money-saving energy contract, resetting traffic signals to reduce carbon monoxide emissions and profitably recycling more than 9,700 tons of materials.
These initiatives highlight an innovative sustainability program recognized for its many successes and Armywide applicability. The latest honor came in January, when Fort Hood earned the Fiscal Year 2008 Secretary of the Army Sustainability Award.
The award will highlight Fort Hood's annual "Earth Fest" April 24. Randy Robinson, Installation Management Command West regional director, will make the presentation. The installation will also receive Tree City USA recognition from the Texas Forest Service, and Col. Bill Hill, garrison commander, will sign a sustainable communities memorandum of understanding with the mayors of Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Gatesville.
The Fort Hood sustainability program is divided into teams covering energy, training lands management, products and materials, air quality, water quality and infrastructure.
The Energy Team implemented an Energy Savings Performance Contract now used at many installations across the Army. This innovative contract includes a utility management and control system, a technology now also used at forts Bragg, Lee and Sill. This system saved Fort Hood $1.8 million in energy costs in one year.
The Training Lands Management Team worked with the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to use erosion control "gully plugs" to increase available training maneuver area and make training lands safer for Soldiers. "In the process of installing 4,500 maneuver access structures, or 'gully plugs,' we reduced the erosion from 33 tons per acre per year to four tons per acre per year," said Jerry Paruzinski, Training Lands Management Team leader. "It really helped us continue the mission while improving one of the most prevalent problems on the installation, erosion."
The Products and Materials Team continues to eliminate waste streams and create money for projects that help Soldiers and their Families. Fort Hood's recycle program, the largest in the Army, collected 9,721 tons of recyclable paper, plastic, metal and cardboard for a net profit of $2.6 million. The program gave back $100,000 to individual unit recreation funds and funded numerous pollution prevention projects including the purchase of a new industrial vehicle used to clean out oil water separators.
Through a traffic study, the Air Quality Team found that Fort Hood could reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 74.4 million tons, and save 3,396,000 gallons of fuel representing $10,189.80, by properly synchronizing all traffic signals on the installation. The installation corrected the problematic traffic signals and is now collecting data to determine the actual effectiveness.
The Water Team completed the first year of compliance under a new Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit that requires construction activities disturbing one or more acres of land to prepare a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. The team created and implemented a training program about storm water quality to educate local contractors, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fort Hood civilian and military personnel about the requirements of the new permit.
Together the Energy and Infrastructure teams contributed to the environmentally sound renovation and construction of a 5,000-square-foot administrative facility submitted for Leadership in Environmental Development (LEED) Silver certification. This will be Fort Hood's first LEED-certified building.
Fort Hood's sustainability teams work to implement projects that can be used Army-wide to improve environmental performance. "I support involved leaders who set environmental objectives and targets to monitor activities for continual improvement of environmental stewardship," said Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, Commanding General, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood.
Fort Hood Earth Fest 2009 will take place April 24 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Hood Stadium;. For more information on Fort Hood Earth Fest 2009 call (254) 535-1008.
This information is provided by the <a href="http://www.aec.army.mil">U.S. Army Environmental Command</a>. USAEC is the Army's point organization for supporting the implementation of environmental programs that facilitate sustainable Army training and operations while protecting the environment. We provide environmental program management and technical support products and services in support of Army training operations, acquisition and sound stewardship.
<center>"Sustaining the Environment for a Secure Future"</center>
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U.S. Army Environmental Command
STORY: Environmental, Sustainability Award Winners Announced
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