Green Sustainability Programs: Naval Base Ventura County

Case Studies/Community Programs Naval Base Ventura County

Energy Action in the Community: The U.S. Navy Goes Green
Recent efforts within the United States Federal government to make its buildings and communities more sustainable gained new impetus with the signing of Executive Order (EO) 13514 in 2009. EO 13514 requires all federal agencies to adopt new high-performance sustainable building design, construction, operation and management, maintenance, and deconstruction protocols for all of its new construction and major renovation building projects. The Order also advances regional and local integrated planning, GHG and energy reduction, water-use efficiency, pollution prevention, and waste reduction initiatives. Though many of the Order’s mandates will take effect over the course of several years, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Engineering Service Center (ESC) based at Naval Base Ventura County, adjacent to the City, outlined its goals at an energy forum held in 2009.

NAVFAC bases its strategy on three core areas: conservation, by reducing its current usage; efficiency, by implementing new technologies and improving energy efficiency across all uses; and alternatives, by increasing its reliance on renewable resources and alternative fuels. As part of this strategy, NAVFAC commits to using 25 percent renewable energy by 2025. All vehicles purchased will be 100 percent alternative fuel vehicles, and the agency will reduce its total water consumption 30 percent by 2015 and 2 percent annually thereafter