MANSFIELD, Ohio - The Ohio Air National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing has been awarded the Gen. Thomas D. White Environmental Quality Award in the reserve component category.
This distinctive award, presented in honor of former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Thomas D. White, is designed to recognize the efforts of installations for environmental quality, restoration, pollution prevention, recycling and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
The 179th Airlift Wing was selected from among all 88 Air National Guard wings and installations, and all Air Force Reserve units across the country. The award covers the two-year period from October 2006 through September 2008 and is the highest honor that can be awarded to an Air Force Reserve component unit for their commitment to environmental excellence.
There were a number of noteworthy environmental advances by the 179th Airlift Wing during this two-year period that lead to their selection, including: annual hazardous waste generation reduced by over 2,700 pounds; an aggressive installation-wide recycling program collected over 70,000 pounds of paper products; diesel fuel consumption reduced by 3,000 gallons per year by converting to biodiesel products; and finally the wing has reduced deicing fluid usage by over 70 percent.
These new programs resulted in $150,000 in savings for the National Guard Bureau.
"Winning this award is validation of the tremendous professionalism of the men and women of the 179th and their commitment to our environmental programs," said Col. Mark L. Stephens, 179th Airlift Wing base commander. "They continue to not only achieve these goals, but also set the standard for others to follow."
The 179th Airlift Wing continues to strive toward environmental excellence with its current "Green Project." The unit is the first to require the mandatory use of recycled content material for the renovation of a building.
Preparing for a project of this magnitude required much preparation, Ohio Guard officials said.
In February 2008, the unit held a Green Procurement Day of Training then participated in the Michigan DoD Green Procurement Day of Training in October 2008.
The preparation has paid off, because the use of recyclables has accounted for 38 percent of the construction materials. Over 500 tons of construction and demolition debris has also been used for this project that is scheduled for completion in May 2009.