Earth Day: Naval Station Newport Celebrates with Base Clean

By Bob Krekorian, Naval Station Newport Public Affairs

NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- Active duty personnel and DoD civilian employees at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Newport conducted a base-wide clean up of debris, litter and trash, and recyclables, April 16-20, in conjunction with Earth Day 2012.

The shoreline areas adjacent to Narragansett Bay was the focus of this year's clean up, scheduled daily, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Available personnel from the various NAVSTA Newport departments and 12 tenant commands were assigned areas of responsibility. The base was divided into three areas to insure the entire installation received some attention: Coasters' Harbor Island, Coddington Point, and Coddington Cove.

The result of the clean up produced a total of 2,378 pounds of debris and litter. Recyclable material recovered included 1,120 pounds of wood; 221 pounds of bottles/cans/paper, and cardboard; and 500 pounds of scrap metal. Trash collected totaled 537 pounds.

The total amount of recyclables recovered, 1,841 pounds, helped contribute to a 77 percent diversion rate to local landfills.

"Our annual base clean up demonstrates that we can make a difference in showing our continued commitment to environmental stewardship," said Capt. Douglas Mikatarian, commanding officer, Naval Station Newport.

"By involving all possible NAVSTA departments and tenant commands, we achieved our goal of improving base appearance and keeping our shoreline free of debris and litter," Mikatarian said.

To accommodate academic scheduling at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, Newport, R.I., 200 Midshipman candidates started collecting debris, April 14.

Thirty Scouts and their adult chaperones from Boy Scout Troop 7, Middletown, R.I. and Boy Scout Troop 4, Riverside, R.I., are visiting Naval Station Newport, April 20-22, for an overnight encampment that includes a litter and debris clean up at Morale, Welfare and Recreation's Carr Point Recreation Area.

Last year, more than 2,800 pounds of debris were bagged during a similar weeklong clean up; recyclable material recovered totaled 1,700 pounds.

USS Carl Vinson Crew Going Greener For Earth Day

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Byron C. Linder, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) celebrated Earth Day April 22 by supporting this year's theme, 'Billion Acts of Green.'

In supporting that theme, which is based on the principle of small individual acts adding up to a larger impact, Sailors were challenged to make one alteration to systemically reduce their collective impact on the environment.

Led by the 'Green Machine,' a team of volunteer Sailors who strive to actively minimize the ship's environmental impact and protect the ocean's ecology, Carl Vinson Sailors set out to become more aware of the environment and how they can be good stewards of it. The team set up a forum on the ship's intranet for Sailors to share their Earth Day suggestions.

"We wanted to get ideas from the Sailors, everyone from the E-1 who just reported aboard to the strike group commander," said Green Machine's senior enlisted representative and IM-1 Division Quality Assurance supervisor Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician (AW/SW) Michael Armetta of Vinson's aircraft intermediate maintenance department. "We set up the [intranet] page to get ideas on how to reduce our trash footprint."

A single Vinson Sailor contributing an idea to the team and making an effort to help the ship go greener, supports the "Billion Acts of Green" theme for Earth Day, said Armetta.

"I plan on drinking water out of a refillable bottle, and reducing the number of sodas I drink to three or less per week," said 'Green Team' member, Aviation Administrationman 2nd Class (SW/AW) Zachary Lowry.

"I'm going to use electronic means to read and route paperwork to reduce printing in addition to using reusable containers to eat and drink out of for all meals," said Lt. Nicholas Walker, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22.

In addition to the efforts of individual Sailors, Vinson's leadership is taking an active role in creating a series of events designed to continually decrease the ship's environmental footprint, and quantify the impact of every Sailor's efforts.

"I will be working with my team of Sailors in our four waste processing plants to measure how much of a difference our crew made this Earth Day by choosing to reduce the amount of plastic and aluminum they use April 22," said Cmdr. Christopher Valdivia, Vinson's auxiliaries officer. "Personally, I'll be drinking my daily soda from the fountain machine and avoiding the plastic cereal bowls and coffee creamers. Plus, I want to be able to tell my kids that we made a difference out here."

"One simple step of changing how you act now benefits yourself, your family and future operations," said Armetta. "You may be 18 or 19 years-old now and not have a family yet. Imagine six or eight years later, still in the Navy with a family, the decisions you've made and the influence you've had spreads to more people."

Armetta encouraged Sailors to consider the immense effort taken to produce and dispose of a single bottle of water.

"We have distilleries aboard that produce water. People want to buy a plastic bottle of water, and that takes energy to produce. It costs money to produce and dispose of that one small item," Armetta said. "Reducing our disposal of 100 empty bottles of water doesn't sound like much now, but it adds up exponentially."

In addition to reducing the ship's environmental impact, reducing the time spent disposing of shipboard trash is a benefit for Vinson Sailors.

"We're taking an hour to dispose of trash during [vertical replenishments], and that affects the mission and [operational risk management] of Sailors. We're working an extra hour to dispose of more than 30 tri-walls of trash," explained Armetta. "If we reduce that hour once a week, we could save 30 to 40 hours over a deployment and get back on target, supporting the troops on the ground."

Sailors' actions have the best odds of changing the way the Navy conducts business, said Armetta.

"A Sailor's choice to drink what the ship produces from the distillery and not buy a bottle of water can be a cultural change. It doesn't take much to change the way the Navy does business. The culture has to change, because the ocean and our landfills can only hold so much trash," Armetta said. "There wasn't much of a conservation philosophy 20 or 25 years ago, because no one was taking measurements of the trash the Navy was producing. Now there's the 'Green Machine' platform for Carl Vinson to be a greener work environment and reduce our footprint while we conduct our mission."

Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is deployed supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

2011 Army Earth Day Message

Our Army is people - more than 2.2 million Soldiers, Civilians and Family members. Together, we have a big impact on our environment-it's our responsibility to ensure it is a positive impact.

As individuals. there is much we can do to demonstrate our commitment to protecting the environment and becoming more sustainable. Simple things like turning off lights and water faucets when not in use; carpooling; collecting and reusing rain water; reducing the use of individual plastic water bottles; recycling paper, cans and plastic bottles; composting organic waste; minimizing the waste generated; and purchasing energy and water efficient appliances. All contribute to our goal of lessening our collective “bootprint" on the Earth.

As an Army, we have already done much to protect the natural environment on which we depend. Our installations are exploring ways to produce more energy while consuming less; to ensure that our water usage does not exceed its availability; and to promote recycling, repurposing and reuse.

We are also considering the waste stream in all of our purchases by choosing items with less packaging, reusing what we can and recycling the rest. These responsible steps support our dedication to sustaining our environment today to ensure we have enough to perform our mission in the future. When we compare what we consume with what we produce, we strive for a net zero end result.

This goal of net zero touches every part of our Army. Our energy programs impact not only the environment at large, but also our Soldiers in the field. For example, promotion of greater fuel efficiency and use of alternative energy technologies can result in fewer fuel convoys and potentially fewer casualties. A military that is not dependent on fossil fuels has the freedom and flexibility to fight in locations where fuel delivery is logistically difficult. Furthermore, money saved by using less fuel can be used for other priorities. Though the Army continues to aggressively expand its efforts in the area of operational energy, it is clear that we need to do more. We must continually consider the impact of everything we do not only on our financial and natural resources, but also on our ability to meet the operational challenges of the future.

As we commemorate Earth Day 2011, we encourage you to take an active role in sustaining the Earth's resources. Look for ways to minimize the Army bootprint, as well as your personal bootprint. Join us in our commitment to preserve a quality environment, ensure availability of needed resources for the future, and maximize the operational flexibility of our Soldiers.

 

Raymond F. Chandler III

Sergeant Major of the Army

Martin E. Dempsey

Chief of Staff of the Army

 

John M. McHugh

Secretary of the Army

It’s Earth Day: Go green — Army Green!

By Capt. Nathan Olson

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs– April 22, 2011

Wisconsin Army National Guard Environmental Branch Chief

Okay, admit it — when you think of earth-friendly, the Wisconsin National Guard might not be anywhere near the top of your list.  But you’d be pleasantly surprised.  Over the past 20 years the Wisconsin National Guard has taken dramatic steps to reduce its environmental impact by reducing hazardous waste and stepping up our recycling program, and joining Wisconsin’s Green Tier program.

We accomplished this by changing what we purchase, adjusting work procedures to maximize how we use materials, and finding new and better disposal methods.  And so can you!

It doesn’t matter what we do if we don’t have your help.  Why wait ’til tomorrow — today is Earth Day, founded by Wisconsin’s own Gaylord Nelson.  The Army and Air Force are key players – as a state, and as a National Guard, let’s set the standard — the green standard.

Take Action and be part of the solution.

•Keep recyclables out of the trash

•Fully use all products. When you have a choice of a partially used container and a new container, use up the partial container first.

•Return used lithium batteries to supply. Small lithium AA and 123A types used to power our flashlights and optics are very common, and have special disposal requirements.

It’s also “Guard the Environment” week — a grassroots effort to increase participation in environmentally friendly activities in our communities. Kudos to the Soldiers in the Recruit Sustainment Program, who cleaned up hiking trails and other natural areas in Rice Lake, Madison, Fond du Lac, Green Bay and Elroy this week.

How do you protect our environment?  Share your tips here.  Together we can make a difference.

Army Earth Day Poster Update

Posters have been sent from the printer for all of those who ordered before March 15. Everyone should receive theirs by April 14. If you are located within the continental United States and do not receive what you ordered by Monday, 4 April 2011, please email Cathy.Kropp@us.army.mil so we can verify that your order was received and filled from the printer.

For those that ordered after March 15, we will be putting your posters in the mail (sent from USAEC in Texas) after we receive our stock from the printer.

If you have not yet ordered your copies, we are still taking orders (from Army installations and organizations) and will fill as many as we can until we run out of stock. Please use the form here http://aec.army.mil/usaec/newsroom/earthday02.html.  Follow the directions at the bottom of the order form if you have any problems placing your order.

If you'd like to print your own copies, you will find the files on our web site.

JPG: http://aec.army.mil/usaec/newsroom/images/armyearthday/aed2011poster.jpg

PDF: http://aec.army.mil/usaec/newsroom/images/armyearthday/aed2011poster.pdf

Earth Day Resources: http://aec.army.mil/usaec/newsroom/earthday03.html

Earth Day Links: http://aec.army.mil/usaec/newsroom/earthday01.html

If you haven't yet sent us information on your planned Earth Day event, please do so we can capture lessons learned and best practices to update our Planning Guide and assist others with their future events.  Send a short description including date, times and locations (if you have them) to cathy.kropp@us.army.mil.

If you need bookmarks or any other Earth Day support from USAEC, please let us know as soon as you can.

Thank you for all that you do every day in supporting our environment!

Defense Officials Work to Keep Environment Healthy

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

April 19, 2007 – Keeping the natural environment healthy is essential to the Defense Department's success, and the department's officials are committed to being good stewards of the environment. "The better the quality of the air, the water (and) the less disturbed the land is, the better we are going to do our testing and training," Alex A. Beehler, assistant deputy undersecretary of defense for environment, safety and occupational health, said in an interview yesterday., "That's just a fundamental fact in order for us to carry out our national security mission."

Speaking several days before the April 22 Earth Day observance, traditionally a time when people around the globe express appreciation for nature, Beehler said the Defense Department "wants to make sure (it's) a good neighbor" to the environment.

To this end, he said, the department launched a procurement policy in 2004 urging employees and military to "buy green" - purchasing products like recycled office supplies and organically produced goods, and "green" services that benefit the environment.

"The procurement folks (who) have access to electronic catalogues ... look in the catalogue and see if there's a 'green' item under the procurement that they can purchase for roughly the same price," Beehler said. "Very quickly, over 90 percent of the opportunities have been followed up and I think it's even higher now."

The Defense Department is the largest consumer of many items, Beehler said, so adopting more responsible consumer behavior is a success that resonates with the public.

"It's not only the actual purchase made by the military, but (it's) the recognition throughout our society and other federal agencies that 'the military is number one in this, they're leading the way, we should certainly be able to follow in their steps,'" he said.

Other Defense Department environment, safety and occupational health initiatives include cleanup at active and closing bases, maintaining compliance with environmental laws, and conserving natural and cultural resources. The department is also engaged in implementing environmental technology, fire protection, pest management and disease control for its activities worldwide.

Beehler's priorities include implementing the department's environmental readiness initiative, the Defense Environmental Restoration Program, unexploded ordnance management, explosive safety, and pollution prevention, he said. Being engaged in the natural environment creates "a legal requirement as well as a moral responsibility" to preserve nature, which begins with the individual servicemember, Beehler said.

"As individuals have a greater personal awareness of their own immediate environment, that redounds better to their health (and) their family's health," he said. "That becomes a 24-hour responsibility for the individual soldier, sailor (airman and Marine), and his or her respective family."

On a day-to-day basis, servicemembers can take responsibility for their environmental obligation. "All the major military bases (and Navy ships) have environmental management system plans that are being implemented, and in connection with that, there are also safety and occupational components," Beehler said.

In Hawaii, where 40 percent of the U.S.'s endangered and threatened species are based, the military has a "huge concentration of activity and plan to expand," he said. As a result of DoD's "buffer zone" program, an initiative to operate, manage and own conservationally desirable lands, the Defense Department "has specifically preserved some of these areas around military bases in Hawaii," he added.

Beehler said conservation partners are making a "concerted effort" to maintain buffer zones around Fort Carson, Colo., and Camp Lejeune, N.C., which has allowed the red caucated woodpecker and other endangered species to thrive.

Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.