thedrifter
04-13-09, 09:11 AM
MCAS wins environmental award
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April 12, 2009 - 5:33 PM
BY LANCE CPL. AUSTIN HAZARD, SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The Marine Corps Air Station recently won a 2008 Secretary of the Navy environmental award for pollution prevention on a nonindustrial installation.
Yuma will also be considered for the 2008 Secretary of Defense environmental award for the same category, competing against other armed services.
The station won the award for projects to lessen its environmental impact, including water conservation, energy efficiency efforts, range sustainment and hazardous material consolidation.
The water and energy projects focus on minimizing the station's draw from local resources while saving money. High-maintenance vegetation is replaced with local plant life, which requires much less water, and solar panels are installed throughout the station.
Local well water is used to irrigate most areas on station, allowing for treated water to be used for drinking. Since the treated water is used substantially less for irrigation, the station releases fewer chemicals into the environment.
By using solar energy, the station uses an environmentally friendly source, reducing its draw from less environmentally safe sources.
The range sustainment program involves cleaning up the station's ranges. The environmental department has removed much of the hazardous debris on the Barry M. Goldwater and Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Ranges.
"We've removed and demilitarized approximately 2 million tons of range debris, which includes the remnants of munitions, targets and anything else out there," said Robyn Vida, environmental range sustainment program manager.
Through the hazardous material consolidation program, the environmental department tracks any chemicals on station, said Dave Rodriguez, station environmental director. It is a data management program that monitors the movement of hazardous materials logged in through a barcode-tracking system.
"Once a chemical comes onto the air station, we know where that chemical is at any given moment," he said.
By tracking chemicals and ensuring there is no excess of materials, the installation has seen a 32 percent reduction of received hazardous material items in the past four years.
"I think this shows that we are operating in an environmentally sound manner," said Christian Kost, environmental protection specialist. "It shows that we live by our policy."
Col. Mark Werth, station commanding officer, Rodriguez and a selected station environmental employee will travel to Washington to receive the award from the secretary of the Navy during a ceremony May 28 at the Pentagon.
"MCAS Yuma is known throughout the Marine Corps for setting the standard," said Vida. "It says a lot when a small installation sets the example for the larger ones."
"This demonstrates to the community that Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is a good steward to the land that has been entrusted to it," said Rodriguez.
"This prestigious award would not have been possible without the support of the commanding officer, my complete environmental staff and all the Marines, sailors and civilian Marines who support our efforts."
--
Reprinted from The Desert Warrior, the newspaper of the Marine Corps Air Station.
Ellie
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April 12, 2009 - 5:33 PM
BY LANCE CPL. AUSTIN HAZARD, SPECIAL TO THE SUN
The Marine Corps Air Station recently won a 2008 Secretary of the Navy environmental award for pollution prevention on a nonindustrial installation.
Yuma will also be considered for the 2008 Secretary of Defense environmental award for the same category, competing against other armed services.
The station won the award for projects to lessen its environmental impact, including water conservation, energy efficiency efforts, range sustainment and hazardous material consolidation.
The water and energy projects focus on minimizing the station's draw from local resources while saving money. High-maintenance vegetation is replaced with local plant life, which requires much less water, and solar panels are installed throughout the station.
Local well water is used to irrigate most areas on station, allowing for treated water to be used for drinking. Since the treated water is used substantially less for irrigation, the station releases fewer chemicals into the environment.
By using solar energy, the station uses an environmentally friendly source, reducing its draw from less environmentally safe sources.
The range sustainment program involves cleaning up the station's ranges. The environmental department has removed much of the hazardous debris on the Barry M. Goldwater and Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Ranges.
"We've removed and demilitarized approximately 2 million tons of range debris, which includes the remnants of munitions, targets and anything else out there," said Robyn Vida, environmental range sustainment program manager.
Through the hazardous material consolidation program, the environmental department tracks any chemicals on station, said Dave Rodriguez, station environmental director. It is a data management program that monitors the movement of hazardous materials logged in through a barcode-tracking system.
"Once a chemical comes onto the air station, we know where that chemical is at any given moment," he said.
By tracking chemicals and ensuring there is no excess of materials, the installation has seen a 32 percent reduction of received hazardous material items in the past four years.
"I think this shows that we are operating in an environmentally sound manner," said Christian Kost, environmental protection specialist. "It shows that we live by our policy."
Col. Mark Werth, station commanding officer, Rodriguez and a selected station environmental employee will travel to Washington to receive the award from the secretary of the Navy during a ceremony May 28 at the Pentagon.
"MCAS Yuma is known throughout the Marine Corps for setting the standard," said Vida. "It says a lot when a small installation sets the example for the larger ones."
"This demonstrates to the community that Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is a good steward to the land that has been entrusted to it," said Rodriguez.
"This prestigious award would not have been possible without the support of the commanding officer, my complete environmental staff and all the Marines, sailors and civilian Marines who support our efforts."
--
Reprinted from The Desert Warrior, the newspaper of the Marine Corps Air Station.
Ellie