Navy Goes Green

The Navy will be flying some of its F-18's on a biofuel blend for Earth Day. It isn't just a stunt either, the Department of Defense is very interested in alternative fuel sources that reduce it's reliance on foreign oil and increase the military's efficiency.

The changes eventually could spread to civilian life. The size of the military's investment will create economies of scale that help bring down the costs of renewable energy, and military innovations in energy technologies could spread to civilian uses, just as the Internet did. In addition, military innovations could help reduce the nation's overall emissions of heat-trapping gases from fossil fuel use.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said the Defense Department looks at energy changes as "one of America's big strategic imperatives — to reduce our reliance on foreign sources of fossil energy, to make us better war fighters and to get us more down the road to energy independence. We also feel the military can lead in this regard."

He said there also were added benefits — "making us better stewards of the environment and helping our country move toward a different economy, which we cannot afford to fall behind in."

Make sure to read the whole article which details some of the other service's plans. The military is big enough and burns enough fossil fuel that its reductions alone are noteworthy, but what's really exciting is the potential for trailblazing for the public. If alternative fuel sources and increased efficiency are good for the military aren't they good for the rest of us as well?

(via BD)