Groups, Individuals Reap Environmental Awards

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

June 8, 2007 – Environmental stewardship is not a separate Defense Department mission, but rather is the fabric of the department, a top defense official said during the 2006 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards here yesterday. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Kenneth J. Krieg honored award-winning teams and individuals here for their "extraordinary contributions" in sustaining and protecting the roughly 30 million acres of land the department uses.

"Your efforts to integrate environmental sustainability into all aspects of mission planning, acquisition and the day-to-day defense operations of the department help the department exceed our goals for habitat restoration, pollution reduction and energy conservation," he said.

Krieg listed the following Defense Department accomplishments for fiscal 2006:

-- Reduced energy consumption by 5.5 percent, exceeding its goal of 3 percent;

-- Implemented energy-efficient, sustainable design principles into Defense Department construction;

-- Converted 9.5 percent of overall energy demand to land, wave and ocean geothermal energy;

-- Reduce water consumption by 29 percent through conservation, recycling and other reclamation efforts;.

-- Diverted 3.7 million tons of solid waste and 132 million tons of hazardous waste from landfills; and

-- Provided refuge to 319 of the 1,311 threatened or endangered plant and animal species, and committed $40 million to protecting them.

"I am proud of each and every one of you for your efforts," Krieg said. "I thank you for your dedication to the environment, and I thank you for your sustained dedication to the men and women who volunteer to be on the front lines of the world protecting and defending the freedom of America."

The environmental award winners honored yesterday were:

-- Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., in the Large Installation Natural Resources Conservation category;

-- Fort Drum, N.Y., in the Installation Cultural Resources Management category;

-- Gary M. O'Donnell, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, in the Individual/Team Cultural Resources Management category;

-- Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., in the Industrial Installation Environmental Quality category;

-- Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Japan, in the Overseas Installation Environmental Quality category;

-- Marine Corps Base Hawaii, in the Non-Industrial Installation Pollution Prevention category;

-- Pollution Prevention Afloat Team, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., in the Individual/Team Pollution Prevention category; and

-- Dover Air Force Base, Del., in the Installation Environmental Restoration category.

The secretary of defense has been recognizing installations, teams and individuals for outstanding achievement in environmental management each year since 1962.

Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.