Forest Service Team Wins EPA Federal Green Challenge Innovation Award

• By Lara Buluç, Region 5 Sustainable Operations/Co-Climate Change Coordinator and Greening Fire Team Co-Chair

An example of a "Main" Incident Recycle Station, including a "cardboard corral" located at the Museum Fire, Southwest Coordination Center. (Photo courtesy of Triple Flare Recycling)

In June 2020, the USDA’s Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) and the National Greening Fire Team (GFT) was honored with an Innovation Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 Federal Green Challenge (FGC). This was the seventh FGC award provided to Region 5 and the first for the GFT.

The award recognizes the GFT’s 2019 accomplishments, which were largely possible due to Incident Management Team (IMT) buy-in and participation.

“We recognize the Forest Service’s initiative and teamwork approach to reducing waste during wildfire response incidents. This effort constitutes a replicable model of sustainable disaster response operations,” said John Busterud, EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator. Highlights of the GFT’s work in 2019 include:

1. Execution of an On-site Incident Recycling Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) spanning Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington;
2. Establishment of an Ambassador Program to green incident operations;
3. Commitment from senior leadership announced in a “Sustainable Operations in Incident Management – Preparing for the 2019 Fire Season” memo; and
4. Outreach and education via the GFT website, quarterly bulletin, and webinar series.

The three-year BPA was activated on nine fire responses in 2019 and waste diversion results are updated weekly on the Incident Waste Diversion Dashboard. In 2019, BPA vendors diverted an average of 43 and 46 percent of waste in the northern California and Southwest Geographic Area Coordination Centers, respectively. BPA vendors provide scalable incident recycling at main and spike camps, reducing the labor burden on camp crews, logistics, facility personnel, and increasing waste diversion rates.

Contracted incident recycling offers several benefits such as:

• Cost Containment: Assuming a fire camp with 1,000 personnel, the daily cost to provide on-site recycling management (excluding waste hauling costs and recycle revenue) is estimated to be:
  • “Force Account” Resources: ˜ $2,400 – $3,900
  • Contracted Services: ˜ $1,450 – $3,050

Additionally, effective recycling services have proven to reduce the need for dumpsters and servicing by 50 percent, further reducing costs to the incident.

• Standardization: Providing similar recycling equipment, signs, processes, expectations, and reports at each incident means that rotating fire camp personnel have a comparable recycling experience at each camp, which increases program efficacy and engagement.
• Frees Logistics, Facilities, & Camp Crews’ Time: Highly qualified vendors can provide IMTs with assurance that waste diversion services at fire camps will improve waste management practices with reduced strain on agency and partner personnel.
• Make Progress Towards Sustainability Goals: Incident recycling helps the agency comply with Executive Orders and Directives (e.g., Executive Order 13834 “Efficient Federal Operations” and USDA Directive 5600-005 requires diversion of 55 percent of our agency’s waste from the landfill).

More information about the Innovation Award is available in the EPA News Release.

Greening Fire Team Description: The National Greening Fire Team, established in 2010, is chartered under the Forest Service’s Washington Office Fire & Aviation Management. Its mission is to integrate sustainability best management practices into incident operations with a long-term vision of achieving net zero environmental impact on all large incidents and within the fire community by 2030. While the Core Team is comprised of USFS personnel, the Team’s Ambassador Program includes representatives from numerous federal and state partner agencies.

Sustainable Operations Program Description: The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. As stewards of the environment, the Forest Service is committed to reducing consumption of resources in our daily operations. This work was accelerated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007, plus Executive Order 13834 (“Efficient Federal Operations”). To learn more about the Forest Service’s Sustainable Operations and Climate Change Programs, please refer to the Office of Sustainability and Climate website.

Federal Green Challenge Description: The FGC, a national effort under the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, challenges EPA and other federal agencies to lead by example in reducing the federal government's environmental impact. It furthers the goals of the President’s Executive Order Regarding Efficient Federal Operations.