ment will help identify these opportunities to act with
a more complete and long-term view (see section on
life cycle assessment in this chapter).
Developing ‘green building’ practices is connect-
ed to material reuse and recycling, as the military is
using recycled plastic ‘wood’ for new bridge and in-
stallation construction projects (Bland 2009; Lombardi
2009). This meets the intent of the various construc-
tion policies and contributes to encouraging a market
for recycled materials on a large scale. It also high-
lights sustainability initiatives are interconnected.
Renewable Energy Use
The size and nature of DOD activities result in
very high energy demands. In fact, DOD is the larg-
est single consumer of total U.S. energy consumption
(French 2005). In fiscal year 2009, DOD spent $3.6 bil-
lion on facility energy (covering 1.93 billion square
feet of facility space) and $9.6 billion on fuel for ve-
hicles and other equipment (DOD 2010a). The LEED
certification places significant emphasis on energy
conservation, offering one driver for implementing ef-
ficiency measures.
Perhaps more pressing, is the fact energy availabil-
ity poses a significant risk to military readiness and
raises economic and security risks worldwide. As a
2010 report from the Pew Charitable Trusts stated,
...“the Department of Defense and the military ser-
vices are stepping forward not only to understand
these challenges, but also to demonstrate leadership
in responding to them” (4). Throughout the DOD are
numerous and diverse policies and projects to encour-
age energy conservation and to identify alternatives
to current energy sources. The popular press is rife