I traveled to Fort Hood Army Base last week. In many ways it was other-worldly. The immensity of it (40,000 - 45,000 soldiers and employees), the security, the massive displays of cutting edge technology plus the stark contrast of military formality along side everyday folks performing everyday duties all surprised me. One thing that shouldn't have surprised me because it is starkly similar to the outside world. I still was pleasantly surprised by the Net Zero Waste pilot program announced early this year. The program is part of a larger Net Zero vision for the US Army that includes energy and water-use reductions at other locations. Net Zero Waste at Fort Hood seems to be picking up steam. The have even created a composting yard that reduces waste that has to be hauled to the landfill. It has the secondary benefit of reducing the need to purchase erosion control products for use on the base. This link has 6 short basic videos showcasing how Fort Hood is getting started. The one that might be most interesting for this forum is the last one showing the ORCA food waste digester. The other bases that have thrown their hat in for achieving the zero-landfill goal are Fort Detrick, Md., Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Fort Polk, La., Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., U.S. Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr, Germany, Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colo. Go Army!
