An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

AMC awards $225K to bases for thinking 'green'

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Kathleen Ferrero
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- --  Green thinking led to cold cash when Air Mobility Command gave $100,000 to Charleston Air Force Base; $75,000 to Scott AFB and $50,000 to Travis AFB on Nov. 18 for the bases' efforts to conserve energy and promote culture change.

Eligibility for the Energy Incentive Award this year opened up to include groups outside of civil engineer units -- another example of how AMC sets the bar with encouraging a culture change.

The three winning groups will receive half of their base's cash award, and their wings will get the other half - to spend however they choose, said Mr. Stephen Kalmer, AMC resource efficiency manager.

This could literally mean more money for basketballs at the base gym and other programs that directly improve the quality of life for our Airmen; and with Year of the Family, this is a win-win for everyone.

Winning applicants received the money for inspiring a culture of conservation at their bases.

"The most impressive thing that I saw was Charleston's energy reduction numbers after they installed a decentralized heat plant," Mr. Kalmer said, who also served on the award selection committee. "Charleston's always been good; but that was what really stood out."

In addition to facility energy savings, the winners excelled in vehicle fuel initiatives; renewable energy technology pursuits; water conservation and overall cultural change.

The plentiful California sunshine at Travis Air Force Base makes it an ideal location for solar technology development. Leaders at Travis have taken advantage of this and are working with scientists to research a massive solar farm on base.

As one of their moves to promote cultural change, Travis AFB personnel organized "Fridge Away," a program that involved Airmen and pushed more than 120 electricity-leeching miniature refrigerators off the base grid.

Scott Air Force Base also impressed with its efforts. The base saved $50,000 in annual operating costs through its consolidated recycling center, and has increased its use of bio-diesel fuel in vehicles (diesel with 20 percent biodegradable fuels) by 128 percent.

In addition to conserving energy, AMC leads the way in identifying best practices with fuel efficiency, such as flight simulation. For example, it can be up to 10 times cheaper to train in a simulator than to fly the aircraft.

By enabling creative ideas to eliminate energy waste, AMC will continue to save the Air Force money in the future.

"That's our goal at AMC: to do the things that make sense - save the Air Force money over a long period of time and reduce the use of materials," Mr. Kalmer said.