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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- ERDC Construction Engineering Research (CERL) Director Dr. Ilker Adiguzel recently received the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Sustainability Hero Award at the Strategic Leader’s Conference (SLC) in Little, Rock, Ark. He was selected for demonstrating a history of outstanding performance in leading the Army to implement sustainable practices, while reflecting a comprehensive approach to energy and environmental management through innovative strategies, practices, and outreach.
Among Adiguzel’s achievements leading to the award were creation of the Center for the Advancement of Sustainability Innovations; continued success of the CERL-hosted public website FedCenter; and significant support to the Department of the Army (DA) on regional issues such as installation water sustainability and mission impacts of major renewable energy projects.
“Renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass can be one way for installations to improve energy security, but selecting the technology must be balanced with other concerns such as potential environmental impacts and economic feasibility,” he said. “We completed a study that helps energy managers see the bigger picture when they plan energy projects.”
This effort is also serving CERL’s current work to support DA’s mandate for the Army to meet net-zero energy, water and waste goals. “Installations can’t achieve sustainability one building at a time. It requires a holistic approach and to that end, we are developing a virtual test bed to model building clusters, and eventually, the entire installation for net-zero impact,” said Adiguzel.
Some of his other significant activities include serving on the Headquarters, USACE Energy Governance Council to shape Corps initiatives to align with Army strategy and assigning a CERL team to help develop the USACE Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans. Currently, his staff is organizing and delivering sustainability webinars (30 plus in 2012) for USACE and the Army. He also leads ERDC actions to support the USACE Campaign Plan, Goal 3, to deliver innovative, resilient, sustainable solutions to the Armed Forces and the nation.
Adiguzel champions sustainability on the Champaign campus and provides staff to help infuse sustainable practices at all ERDC sites. He is in the process of launching an energy awareness campaign at CERL, which will become a model for the other campuses in reducing fossil fuel consumption.
According to Adiguzel, “Although USACE and ERDC in particular, have helped organizations across the nation become more sustainable, our own ratings leave a lot of room for improvement. We know how to be sustainable -- we just need to initiate more actions to show that we ‘practice what we preach’.”