“ This scorecard serves as an important tool to help us develop targets to reduce waste and increase efficiency in our operations,” said Jo-Ellen Darcy , Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), USACE’s Sustainability Officer. “We are now armed with data to know where we are so that we can address areas needing improvement, and to expand on successes.”
USACE is on its way to meeting goals to decrease energy, potable water and fleet petroleum use; incorporate sustainable building practices; and increase renewable energy use at USACE-owned facilities. USACE’s progress thus far in meeting energy and sustainability goals includes: development of the USACE comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventories for FY08 (baseline) and FY10; incorporating federal sustainability and energy metrics into the USACE Strategic Management System to provide commanders throughout USACE a dashboard tool to track their sustainability performance; apportioning of USACE Scope 1&2 GHG reduction targets so Major Subordinate Commanders have a clear understanding of the GHG reductions they are required to achieve; completion of biodiesel testing in several vessels in the USACE floating plant fleet; and completion of facility energy and water evaluations at five of the USACE’s most energy intensive facilities.
Areas within USACE showing a need for improvement include facility energy and water intensity, non-tactical vehicle petroleum, sustainable acquisition, and increasing the use of renewable energy.
To address areas that need improvement, USACE plans to implement all Federal, DoD, and Army policy and regulations related to sustainable acquisition and green procurement, and to educate staff about environmentally preferable products and services. USACE plans also to work with its engineering districts throughout the US to decrease fossil fuels usage and increase use of renewable energy.
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Source: usace, April 20, 2011;