Military takes lead role in shrinking US carbon ‘boot print’
According to an article by the Associated Foreign Press, in an effort to enhance our national security and become energy independent, the US military is leading the way to reduce the US carbon “boot print” says a report by the Pew Research think tank. The Department of Defense accounts for 80 percent of the government’s total energy consumption, most of it stemming from fossil fuels.
However, plans are in motion for all branches of the military to wean themselves off these fuels. For example. the Army and Air Force have several bases powered by solar energy; within a decade, one will have the ability to stop taking energy from the public electricity grid. The Navy set a goal to get 50 percent of fuel used ashore and afloat from nonfossil sources by 2020, and the Marines applied energy-efficiency foams to temporary structures in Iraq that reduce energy consumption by up to 75 percent.
“Other countries are making vast strides in these alternative energy fields and as the economy of the world moves toward that, America has to be in the forefront. The Department of Defense and individual services can help lead this change that America has to go through,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.
Read the AFP article here
