Multi-year IDF program has seen significant reductions in use of resources, including 30% drop in water consumption
Date: 28/06/2012, 3:37 PM
Author: Hilleli Yitzhak and Elad Lavi, Technology and Logistics Branch
Environmentally friendly measures undertaken by the IDF have paid unprecedented dividends in conservation in the past year. The IDF's notable accomplishments in this year include a 30-percent drop in water usage and an 18-percent drop in gasoline consumption.
This year has seen the start of the multi-year IDF Protects the Environment program, which aims to minimize pollution at IDF bases and locations throughout Israel.
"The commands [of IDF Protects the Environment] change the worldview of the military," explained Lt. Col. Eli Paz, chief of the Environmental Protection Administration of the Technology and Logistics Branch. "We are forming another culture here, and our oversight ensures its permanence."
Additionally, the IDF has invested significantly in enforcement of environmental laws. A series of such laws went into effect in 2011, giving the IDF's Environmental Protection Administration the authority to enforce environmental policies and laws within the military – an important step for environmental protection within the IDF.
Among other environmentally friendly accomplishments, significant changes have been made with regard to energy consumption. The IDF has obtained advanced systems for conserving energy and reducing the use of pollutant fuels, including solar-powered water heaters, energy controls in classrooms, and energy-efficient air conditioners.