The annual Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards ceremony highlighted the federal government’s commitment to its environmental stewardship during an event held at the Pentagon.The nine recipients that received awards were honored for their creation of key sustainability projects. These projects included decreasing the use of pesticides and finding alternative measures; identifying and mapping cultural resource sites; managing environmentally friendly construction projects and reducing water and energy usage and the disposal of hazardous waste.
Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III spoke at the ceremony. Regarding its contribution to environmental protection, Lynn said the federal government “is committed to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, using renewable energy resources and promoting sustainable environmental stewardship.”
Lynn explained the department uses 1 percent of the nation’s fuel, the largest single consumer of energy. Adding the Department of Defense “has a responsibility to demand better from ourselves and from those we do business with.”
The awards that were celebrated at the Pentagon were just one example of how the department is attempting to enhance its conservation methods. Another is the inclusion of the climate change and energy challenges Quadrennial Defense Review.
“We are putting sustainability into every aspect of the process,” Lynn said. “Today’s winners are central to that effort.”
