Turns out, the Department of Defense does see more use for green than just for camouflage. Government employees gathered in Denver last week to discuss ways to power the military and their operations in sustainable ways—which may mean putting solar panels on the trailers housing soldiers in Iraq or replacing gas-powered vehicles used around military bases with electric-powered ones.

From June 14-17 at the Environment, Energy Security, and Sustainability Symposium and Exhibition (www.ndiae2s2.com), employees from agencies including NASA, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Marine Corps Logistics Base and laboratories like National Renewable Energy Laboratory met with industry professionals in a symposium and exhibition designed to allow them to compare notes and share new plans.

Over 1,200 attendees gathered at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver to discuss current challenges and issues for the Department of Defense, which includes some of the largest energy consumers in the nation (and you thought your 20-year-old refrigerator was bad).

“E2S2, like all National Defense Industrial Association events, is meant to bring government and industry together to exchange ideas and information,” said Kari King, associate director of the National Defense Industrial Association, in an email interview.

On Tuesday, Michelle Moore, the Federal Environmental Executive, and Dorothy Robyn, Ph.D., Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment were among the speakers who provided the executive or leadership overview on current issues. Attendees were then able to ask questions of those on stage.

“In addition to the General Session where the policy issues are addressed, we have Concurrent Technical Sessions that run Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, where people out in the field are able to report to their colleagues on project accomplishments, findings, and strategies,” King said. “Over 300 people present during these sessions, ranging from topics like the cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination, to green buildings and design, or financial analysis.”

The symposium was developed five years ago by combining two previous symposia, a pollution prevention and hazardous waste management and the National Defense Industrial Association Annual Environment Symposium. Last year it was rebranded as “E2S2,” which added “energy security” to the symposium’s title.

“American military, economic, and political leadership have long recognized that our national security depends on readily available sources and secure supplies of energy. Affordable and reliable supplies of energy fuel our nation’s growth and strength and, in turn, enables American global pre-eminence,” said Paul Reinke, Vice President, Abt Associates and National Defense Industrial Association Energy Security Committee Chairman, in a statement provided by King.

According to Reinke, the Department of Defense has worked for over 10 years to identify and use alternative sources of energy and sustainable design.

Attendance was up this year by 10 percent this year.

After three years in Denver, the symposium is scheduled to move to New Orleans for 2011-2013.

“A lot of things impacted our decision to move to New Orleans, but in our three years there, we plan to go into the community and perform service projects such as cleanup efforts for either Hurricane Katrina or the Oil Disaster,” King said. “We’re working on setting that up now, and think our attendees will jump at the opportunity to get their hands dirty. We’re hearing a lot of buzz about the move to New Orleans – people seem to be very excited about the change, and we think it will be a great thing for this symposium in a time when these presentation topics are so relevant.”
Additional information on the symposium is available at their website, www.ndiae2s2.com.