LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
At a recent commander's call, a light bulb came on in 37th Mission Support Squadron commander Lt. Col. Joel Jones' head. Or more appropriately, went off.
As the 37th Mission Support Group commander, Col. Bob LaBrutta, discussed ways to conserve energy, an idea began to take shape in Colonel Jones' mind.
"He reiterated that energy conservation is a main focus of the command and of the wing, and that as part of our strategic goals for the group that we had targeted to save 1 percent of our energy bill per quarter, for a total savings of 4 percent annually," said Colonel Jones. "He then asked us all to go back to our units and to do what we can to conserve energy."
Colonel Jones added that Colonel LaBrutta had mentioned his own efforts toward conserving energy.
"He had already mentioned that if you walk into his building in the entryway, he's had his folks turn off the light because we had all the natural light we need," he said. "We have a number of offices that are on the perimeter of the building and have lots of windows, so I requested all the offices on the perimeter on Wednesday to open the blinds and shut off the lights and to operate by natural light whenever possible."
Colonel LaBrutta praised Colonel Jones' efforts, maintaining the need for energy conservation around the installation.
"I think it's fantastic," he said. "And I believe that's the kind of ingenuity and creativity that everyone on Lackland needs to [have] in taking a look at coming up with effective and efficient ways to use our limited resources."
Colonel Jones, however, didn't stop at simply opening some blinds and turning off overhead lights. He extended his idea into most of the building.
"I also instructed that common areas that have access to natural light like bathrooms and hallways that didn't need lighting to have those turned off all the time or as much as possible," he said.
With a couple of Wednesdays already under their belt, Colonel Jones said his staff is really taking to the idea of natural light.
"I will tell you now even on days that are not lights out days there are offices that have kept it going and are keeping the lights off and the windows open and are embracing it completely," he said.
Though it might seem that keeping the blinds open would heat up the building, Colonel Jones said that is not the case.
"Cutting back on the electricity usage makes it cooler in the building," he said. "Even with the blinds open, it's not warmer but actually cooler."
In all of his conservation efforts, Colonel Jones said he and his staff foresaw only one problem with the idea.
"We were concerned that it was going to be a perception problem with customers," said Colonel Jones. "I mentioned to everyone that I think if we're able to explain to them that we are doing this to save money, that will come back to the wing. Not only would they understand but that they would likely applaud our efforts." Colonel LaBrutta expressed how important it is, for many reasons, to have initiatives such as Colonel Jones' around the base.
"Saving energy is good for the environment. We're stewards for both the installation and the way we take care of all of our resources, whether it's personal or related to the Department of Defense," he said. "On top of that, any dollars we can save through efficiency and effectiveness in our energy coffers can be rolled back into operations and management."
Colonel Jones sees his efforts as simply being a smaller piece of a bigger puzzle.
"Every little bit helps," he said. "And if everyone chips in a little bit, a little bit can equal a lot."