The Nature Conservancy-PA released a new video this week profiling the steps taken by Pennsylvania’s Natural Guard to increase energy efficiency and implement clean energy technologies at its Fort Indiantown Gap training facility in Lebanon County.
The results? Over the last 10 years, the Pennsylvania National Guard doubled the amount of training they do and cut energy consumption by 37 percent enabling them to reinvest those savings to do more and better training of our military women and men.
Here’s their story as told by the people at the “Gap” who implemented these changes--
Here at Fort Indiantown Gap in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we use approximately 6 megawatts of electricity on a daily basis.
Our primary mission here is to train soldiers and airmen to defend the nation.
If we don't have energy, we can't train. And energy is a major cost to the department.
You've got to be smart as to how you do this.
We need to keep the quality of training high.
We're the busiest National Guard training installation in the nation.
We trained 154,000 people here last year.
We have the second busiest heliport in the nation. The only one busier is Fort Rucker, Alabama, which is the home of Army Aviation.
We do the best war fighting exercises in the country. We can immerse soldiers and airmen into a completely virtual environment.
Our simulation center in Pennsylvania is robust.
We have over 90 ranges and training areas. Obviously that takes a lot of power to run all those.
Everything we build now is energy conscious.
You look at our new buildings, solar panels on the roofs.
The parking lots have geothermal wells underneath.
Last year, we opened up our first solar farm with almost 13,000 panels. We're cutting our electrical demand with a three megawatt solar farm.
Over the last 10 years, we've over doubled the amount of training we do here.
While we were doing that, we cut our energy consumption by 37 percent.
And all of those savings are reinvested back into the training center.
Which make our training better. That's why so many people want to come train here.
It's a great thing for Pennsylvania.
It's a great thing for our economy.
We can save money. We can do better training. And we can take care of the environment.
We couldn't say that 10 years ago.
Conservation, efficiency, renewable energy.
With those items, we can help the citizens of this great country and secure our mission.
The video is part of The Nature Conservancy-PA’s Advancing Clean Energy In Pennsylvania initiative, an online community working to change the conversation surrounding clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean transportation.
The Conservancy works to highlight the role these opportunities can play in transforming local Pennsylvania economies and communities.
Here are several other story videos that also tell compelling stories--
-- Flintrock Farms: Advancing Clean Energy on a Pennsylvania chicken farm, Lancaster County: A third-generation family farmer, operating in fertile Lancaster County, uses renewable energy to manage costs and reduce impacts on the environment. It’s all part of running an environmentally and fiscally sustainable business that can be handed to the next generation of family farmer. Click Here to watch their video.
-- Lockwood Lawn Care: Clean energy brings an innovative business opportunity: Entrepreneurship is an American right-of-passage. For many, that means summers spent mowing lawns. But for this young Pennsylvania entrepreneur in York County, settling for the status-quo is no way to make his mark. He’s reinventing lawn-care by ditching the gasoline and relying on all electric equipment powered by pure solar energy. Click Here to watch their video.
-- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania’s Solar Leader: Learn why Lancaster County is Pennsylvania’s solar leader, boasting more installed solar capacity than anywhere else in the state. Click Here to watch their video profile.
Join the conversation.
For more information, visit the The Nature Conservancy-PA’s Advancing Clean Energy In Pennsylvania, Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other special events, visit the PA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy website. Click Here to sign up for updates from TNC, Like them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter and Join them on Instagram. Click Here to become a member.
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