The Department of Defense (DoD) has announced the winners of the 2015 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards.

In FY 2014, DoD invested approximately $4.1 billion in its environmental programs: $2 billion for environmental restoration activities; $1.9 billion for environmental quality activities; and $203.1 million for environmental technology. These investments protected the environment while strengthening operational capacity, reducing operational costs, and enhancing the well-being of military members, civilians, and their families and communities.

The Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards recognize individuals, teams, and installations that distinguish themselves in supporting mission readiness through environmental acumen. "Their efforts strengthen the department's position as an environmental leader by integrating cost-effective environmental management with our national defense mission, thereby saving critical resources and helping to keep our country safe through sustained mission readiness," stated Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

The nine winners chosen from a total of 35 nominations are:

Natural Resources Conservation, Large Installation: Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Florida Army National Guard, achieved key natural resources conservation milestones through cost-effective programming and collaborative research. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Environmental Quality, Industrial Installation: Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, implemented an award-winning recycling program, a community partnered transportation incentive program, and a robust water quality program that manages 549 million gallons of wastewater per year. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Environmental Quality, Overseas Installation: Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Japan, supported mission readiness and enhanced environmental quality with effective environmental management and maintained stakeholder involvement. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Sustainability, Non-Industrial Installation: Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, exceeded DoD goals in energy reduction and water conservation and aggressively applied renewable energy solutions with an innovative and collaborative sustainability program. For more information, please visit:www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Sustainability, Individual/Team: Minnesota Army National Guard Sustainability Team showed environmental leadership by completing sustainability action plans, launching a state-wide program to reduce energy use, and investing in solar and geothermal energy to reduce fossil fuel usage. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Environmental Restoration, Installation: Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, made tremendous progress towards investigating and cleaning up 49 sites during the award period by maintaining collaborative relationships with regulatory agencies and the local community. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Cultural Resources Management, Small Installation: U.S. Army Garrison Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, streamlined compliance with development of their Historic Property Component Plan 2013-18, updated their Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan 2014-19, established historic district markers around the installation, and documented an installation-wide cultural landscape analysis. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Cultural Resources Management, Individual/Team: Dr. Paul R. Green, U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, superbly facilitated protection of sensitive historic properties and tribal areas. His accomplishments include curating nearly 30,000 historically significant Air Force engineering plans and drawings and developing cultural property planning data in support of contingency operations for multiple host nations. For more information, please visit:www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Small Program: Halon Extinguisher Replacement Program for Aviation Weapon Systems IPT, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, designed, optimized, and qualified an innovative and environmentally friendly replacement for mission critical safety equipment using a collaborative and interdisciplinary team. For more information, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards/FY14SECDEF.cfm.

Since 1962, DoD has honored individuals, teams, and installations for outstanding environmental achievements and innovative environmental practices and partnerships. Military services and defense agencies submit nominations for each of the nine award categories. A diverse panel of judges representing federal and state agencies, academia, and the private sector select the winners.

For more information on the DoD Environmental Awards Program, please visit: www.denix.osd.mil/awards.