US Military

Me, on the radio, talking about military ‘greening’

I was on Sea Change Radio last week to talk about the military’s efforts to use less oil — and Republicans’ efforts to stop them. It’s a long bit, nice and meaty at about a half hour, so put it on your iPod for your next bus ride. Here it is:

The promise and peril of a military shift to biofuels

The U.S. military's most audacious green initiative is trying to find biofuels to power its fleets. The effort could transform markets ... but it also poses big risks.

Critical List: Military could produce 7 GW of solar; British survey hedgehogs

Solar projects at desert military bases could produce 7,000 megawatts of solar energy — a huge amount. EVs have more than enough range to make 95 percent of the trips we take by car. Scotland aims to source 100 percent of its power from renewables by 2020, but to reach that goal, it needs the […]

Conservatives try to force military to accept dirty fuels it doesn't want

The U.S. military has said that it does not want to use high-carbon fuels, but congressional conservatives are trying to force it to.

Military spends more to air condition tents than NASA's entire budget

Steve Anderson, a retired brigadier general who was Petraeus' chief logistician in Iraq, says that the Pentagon spends $20 billion a year just to air condition tents and temporary buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's more than NASA's entire annual budget. There's an easy fix, says Anderson: Spray tents with polyurethane foam. An existing $95 […]

Close the public schools — that's the answer to our deficit problems

Every state in the US is struggling with huge budget deficits -- over $20 billion in California and Texas. Here's a solution: Close all public schools

How solar power is keeping America's hired muscle from getting killed in Afghanistan

Long thought to be the sole domain of quiche-eating pantywaists, solar energy has finally picked up some macho cachet -- by saving lives and dollars in Afghanistan.

U.S. military sees great value in distributed renewable energy

In Iraq, new distributed renewable energy systems could help the Marines reduce fuel consumption, saving lives and money.

Veterans Day, the new Earth Day?

It's a provocative argument that a clean-energy revolution depends on the military signing up. The good news is that it already has.