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Airman’s Roll Call: Energy at the forefront

  • Published
WASHINGTON --  Soaring fuel prices and the push by more and more Americans to "go green" are constant reminders of the energy crisis we face here in America and around the world. The Air Force is the federal government's largest consumer of energy. While individual Airmen can't necessarily control the amount of fuel we require for our aircraft, we can all do our part to ensure we conserve energy in other ways.

As you know, October is Energy Awareness Month and our theme this year is "Secure Today's Energy, Fuel Tomorrow's Mission." This theme fits with the Air Force's overall energy strategy to reduce our demand for energy, increase our energy supply and change our culture to make energy a consideration in all we do.

Several leaders, organizations and Airmen around the Air Force are doing just that. Here are some initiatives that have been undertaken by the Air Force to make the Air Force a little more "green," and save a few bucks along the way:

To reduce demand, the Air Force continues to pursue energy efficiency and alternative sources at our facilities and in our ground vehicle fleet. We employ more than 5,800 flex-fuel vehicles and have reduced the energy intensity at our facilities by nearly 18 percent since 2003

To increase our energy supply, the Air Force is the middle of testing and certifying our airframes on an alternative fuel blend. This fuel will be better for the environment and will help reduce the Air Force's demand on foreign oil. We are also exploring and developing alternative source of energy at our bases, such as the photovoltaic array at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., an array that provides $1 million in annual savings to the base

To change our culture, we are instilling energy awareness through focused leadership efforts, energy-specific training, adjusting the curriculum at the U.S. Air Force Academy and other schools to ensure energy awareness is addressed, and effective communication

While those mentioned above are large-scale energy initiatives, individual Airmen are also in a position to make a huge impact in the Air Force's overall efforts to conserve energy. Enlisted Airmen make up 80 percent of the Air Force, and by taking simple actions you can save the Air Force valuable resources and dollars.