ARLINGTON, Va. - With Army National Guard members, Department of
the Army leadership and the president of Arizona State University present
here Friday, a historic sustainability education initiative was signed into
effect signifying the beginning of a partnership between the Army National
Guard and ASU.
"The Army National Guard believes in empowering our workforce with the
necessary tools to become a more sustainable organization to enhance mission
effectiveness and efficiency," said Army Brig. Gen. Daniel Nelan, the
operational support assistant to the Army Guard director.
"To this end, a partnership [has been] formed between the Army National Guard
and [the] Arizona State University online education program to help provide
... understanding and education in sustainability," he said.
The sustainability education partnership between the Army Guard and ASU is
the first of its kind, said Army Lt. Col. Joseph Knott, the Army Guard's
sustainability officer.
"It is a collaborative, mutually beneficial, partnership that leverages ASU's
leadership in sustainability education to provide specialized graduate
certification for the military," he said.
The 100 percent online program will provide active duty Army, ARNG and Army
Reserve Soldiers and civilians knowledge, skills and techniques to
incorporate sustainable planning and practices across the entire enterprise,
Knott said
These types of programs are what Katherine Hammack - assistant secretary of
the Army for installation, energy and environment - feels is needed to meet
the goals established by President Barack Obama and the Department of the
Army.
"This unique online graduate certificate in sustainability leadership is
designed to assist eligible Soldiers and Army civilians in fulfilling the
goals of the 2010 Army Sustainability Campaign Plan, an essential factor in
meeting the military's readiness challenges for the 21st century," she said.
According to the 2010 Army Sustainability Campaign Plan, sustainability is
"an organizing principle and framework for decision-making and an ongoing
institutional process that reflects total commitment to excellence, with
continuous improvement to achieve policy goals and national priorities."
To fit that definition, Knott says the program - which kicked off its
inaugural class Monday - consists of five courses developed by ARNG and ASU
personnel together to meet the requirements for a graduate certificate.
The courses are as follows:
- Foundations of sustainability.
- Tools and techniques for sustainability.
- Operationalizing sustainability.
- Energy and the built environment.
- Sustainable acquisition and logistics.
"These courses were developed by a team of ASU faculty and ARNG trainers,
energy managers, logisticians and environmentalists specifically for the
Guard and the Army," Knott said.
Upon completion of these courses, Army Soldiers and civilians will be
presented with the graduate academic certificate which can also be applied
toward a master's degree in sustainability - which is eligible for G.I. Bill
education and benefits and tuition assistance programs, he said.
Hammack added that students who successfully complete the graduate program
will be better equipped to help future generations of Army leaders make a
difference in:
- Protecting the lives of our troops and making our military better and
more capable.
- Achieving net zero energy, net zero water and net zero waste goals to
better manage costs and maintain resource.
- Minimizing the Army's carbon foot print.
It's these differences that Richard G. Kidd IV, deputy assistant secretary of
the Army for energy and sustainability, feels will take a culture change that
can begin with knowledge.
"When we look to change our culture and raise awareness of the value of
energy, water, natural resources and land, part of that is an educational
component - we have to teach our leaders and our Soldiers ... about the value
of these resources," he said.
"The Army has a sustainability campaign plan, the National Guard has a
sustainability policy - which we commend as in many ways leading the Army -
but these efforts will not be effective if we do not provide the tools to our
leaders and Soldiers."
The groundwork has been laid by the Department of the Army, but partnerships
and bringing together best practices are what will make the difference in
sustainability for the Army, he said.
"It is for this reason that I commend the National Guard and Arizona State
[University] sustainability leadership certification," Kidd said. "This is a
great example of what the Army can do when working with private institutions
[and] public institutions and it's what we have to do in order to develop
this culture of sustainability throughout the Army.
partnering up with the Army National Guard, Arizona State University is
building on its already strong reputation of supporting the Defense
Department, said Dr. Michael Crow, university president.
"Arizona State University is an institution committed to our national defense
in every way that we possibly can," he said. "We are an institution deeply
committed to the success of our nation in every possible way through
everything we do."
ASU is ready to accept the challenge of future readiness through the
education of Army service members and civilians with this exclusive
partnership, he said.
"Our objective here is to work together, to tie our programs together in ways
we can be of service to you ... to create an educational product that is
state of the art - that is tied into the greatest thinkers that the world has
in the area of sustainability - and plug that into the men and women that
make up the National Guard, so that the National Guard can weather all of its
challenges that lie ahead," Crow said.
"Sustainability is a core value that should be expressed through our
intellectual output at the university, our own behavior as a university and
in everything that we do."
Army Soldiers - active duty, Guard and Reserve - and civilians interested in
learning more about the sustainability leadership certificate can gain more
information at theASU School of Sustainability Online.