Fort Riley is one of several U.S. Army bases that will embark on projects to use less water and energy and manage their waste so efficiently that none will wind up in a landfill.
As is the Army’s habit, the campaigns have catchy names: net-zero water, net-zero energy and net-zero waste.
Water will be conserved by use of “gray water” from baths, washing machines and sinks to water lawns and gardens — an economy long practiced in water-short nations. Energy will be produced on bases with wind, solar panels and generators fueled with waste. Using combustible waste to produce energy will also reduce the amount of waste that formerly went into landfills.
The announcement of these projects didn’t include a price tag. Fort Riley, for example, is a prodigious consumer of energy. It would cost tens of millions of dollars to create a wind farm large enough to make the fort energy independent. But finding better, more economical ways to increase the conservation of water and energy and make better use of waste materials is practical research the Defense Department can undertake that will pay dividends not only for the military but throughout our country.
So, go for it.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
