DeCA reduces its footprint on Earth Day, every day Published April 17, 2013 By Jessica Newby DeCA public affairs specialist FORT LEE, Va. -- Earth Day may only come around once a year, but the Defense Commissary Agency focuses on being green and environmentally friendly every day. "From the design of commissaries to the products offered inside -- and everything in between, DeCA strives to be a good steward of natural resources, to find creative ways to recycle and conserve and reduce our carbon footprint," said Joseph H. Jeu, agency director and CEO. During Earth Day, April 22, and Earth Week, April 17-24, commissary customers can look for extra savings on earth-friendly items such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and an assortment of green cleaning products and high-efficiency laundry cleaning products. There are also innovative waste-reduction products such as paper towels and bathroom tissue without cardboard tubes, so there is nothing to throw away after the last towel is used. Being green even extends to DeCA's produce department, where customers can find organically grown fruits and vegetables. "Our sales say something about commissaries and our customers," Jeu said. "Not only are commissaries committed to selling environmentally-friendly products, but our customers are committed to protecting the environment, and that's something we can all get behind." DeCA's dedication to being green is part of an ongoing culture change, said Mark Leeper, an environmental engineer at the agency's Fort Lee headquarters. Consider, for example, the recent purchase of a dehydrator, installed at the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command Twenty-nine Palms Commissary, Calif. The dehydrator has reduced the store's waste by 86 to 90 percent. It converts food and paper product waste into a bio-solid, or compost, which can be repurposed. "This process allows DeCA to reduce the number of solid waste containers at our stores," Leeper said. "That reduces the amount of money we spend on refuse services." The following initiatives exemplify DeCA's focus on conserving natural resources: Recycling In fiscal year 2012 alone, DeCA recycled 63,000 tons of solid waste, which means about 70 percent of all recyclable materials brought into commissaries are recycled. Part of that effort involved cardboard recycling. Cardboard sold to recycling companies --instead of throwing it away -- netted $5.3 million in revenue that went into the agency's surcharge fund, which is used for renovating and building commissaries. The effort will expand beyond stores this month when a waste-sort audit will be conducted at DeCA Headquarters. The audit identifies and measures recyclables that are being thrown out and determines how the agency can improve its recycling program. Conserving water and energy Commissaries are energy-intensive facilities, and DeCA managed to save 2.3 percent in fiscal 2012. Thanks to various energy-saving features being added to its stores -- when compared to commercial supermarkets, commissaries are 34.2 percent more energy efficient -- the agency is moving steadily toward the federal energy goal of 3 percent annual energy reduction through 2015. Annual energy use intensity has been reduced by 20.7 percent between fiscal year 1995 and fiscal year 2010. In fiscal year 2012, water use declined 2.7 percent. Reusable bags and CFL bulbs From fiscal year 2006 to the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, commissaries have sold nearly 6 million reusable bags. Customers also bought almost 6 million CFL bulbs from calendar year 2006 through 2012. More green foods DeCA continues to increase its volume of organic products. This lineup includes organic meats, produce, dairy products, baby food and organic dog and cat foods. Greener stores DeCA recently opened its first "green" commissary, equipped with the newest energy-saving features, in Ansbach, Germany. The grand opening of the new store in Portsmouth, Va., will be the first commissary with energy-conserving glass doors on most display cases. Future initiatives include a worldwide equipment assessment to meet fiscal year 2015 energy and water goals, starting web-based refrigeration monitoring, testing low ambient layered and "day" lighting, establishing an energy reporting website and providing annual computer-based, energy efficiency training for the agency's facility energy supervisors. "Being a lean and efficient organization that uses nature's assets as wisely as possible is a goal that challenges us every day," Jeu said. "But it's a philosophy we embrace at DeCA, and thanks to the collective effort of our workforce and customers, it's something we can achieve." For more information about DeCA's environmentally friendly initiatives go to the agency's Go Green Web page at http://www.commissaries.com/green/.
