A picture of a soldier holding a scale balancing a Bradley Fighting Vehicle on one side with the Earth on the other portrays the installation's goal to balance mission and environmental requirements.
The word 'scale' and the explanation beside each letter reminds those who live, work and play on the installation of their responsibilities. Stop pollution. Continue improvements. Assure compliance. Leadership is committed. Everyone is involved.
This logo and slogan isn't just a marketing tool, it's a way of life on Fort Hood where everyone has a role in the success of the installation's environmental programs. That success was recognized in January when they won both the installation and team Environmental Quality categories in the Secretary of the Army's 2011 Environmental Awards Program.
"The environmental division has many programs that focus on enhancing mission readiness and environmental excellence on the installation," Steve Burrow, Chief, Environmental Programs said. "We take advantage of opportunities to educate and engage Soldiers and their Families to take responsibility for improving their community and serving as environmental stewards."
A well-implemented and integrated environmental management system (EMS) helps Soldiers, civilians and contractors systematically identify environmental vulnerabilities, document current procedures and identify potential process-improvements of benefit to the environment.
When the installation was selected as a Net Zero Waste installation in 2011, they re-wrote their EMS objectives to include that initiative. Cross-functional teams were established, and again the EMS helped manage the changes needed to accomplish the revised goals and objectives.
On an installation that supports almost 400,000 people, it takes everyone's involvement to remain green and sustainable. Environmental successes are visible throughout the installation.
An area of the installation known as the "Environmental Corner" showcases successfulpollution prevention projects like the Tanker Purge Facility which cleans fuel and recycles water, re-using it many times before flushing, filtering and storing it in a holding tank where the oil and water is separated and re-used again.
Another success in the "Environmental Corner" is the facility that enables easier cleaning of tactical kitchens and prevents more than 1.7 million gallons of polluted water from entering the sanitary sewer. The final success highlighted in the corner is the JP-8/Antifreeze Recycle Center, which provides an easily accessible collection point that helps prevent petroleum, oil and lubricant products from entering into the environment. It also allows reclamation of potable water through a water pretreatment center where three carbon filters remove pollutants from the water in a closed loop tactical vehicle wash facility. Over the last two fiscal years that recycle center has generated more than $302,000 for the recycling program.
Fort Hood boasts the largest recycle program in the Army, selling more than 17,500 tons of material in the last two fiscal years.
Fort Hood's Team Recycle won the team category for environmental quality in the Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards Program, granting them two opportunities to win at the Secretary of Defense level. Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards Program winner were announced in May and awards are presented in a pentagon ceremony in June.
"This honor was a team effort," Burrow said. "The community works together to ensure environmental stewardship is important at all levels. Soldiers, civilians, contractors, and their Families recognize that each of their actions have an impact on the environment."
Technology is leveraged to the fullest on the installation from a utility management control system that reduces energy consumption and increases energy efficiency to solar thermal water heating systems which reduce the use of fossil fuels. Some tried and true practices are used as well, such as using non-potable water for golf course irrigation.
All these preferred environmental practices are tied back to the words on their logo. Stop pollution. Continue improvements. Assure compliance. Leadership is committed. Everyone is involved. Winning these awards is evidence that Fort Hood is advancing their goal of balancing the mission and the environment.
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