Category Archive for 'Green'

First Lt. Timothy McCormick, assistant operations officer, Brigade Headquarters Group, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, drinks freshly-purified water with locals. The water was cleaned with the solar-powered water purification system assembled here, Feb. 16. The system cleans out bacteria and diseases in the water, making it safe for locals to drink.

The system requires little to set up and is very efficient. The water purification system can filter water at a maximum rate of 60 gallons every minute.

Its ability to run with very little effort from the user makes the system simple. Because it is low maintenance and runs on solar energy, the only thing the user needs to do is change filters as they get dirty.

“The simplicity of the system makes this a great opportunity for these people to have clean water,” said McCormick. “The clean water will be rid of most of the bacteria and diseases it [typically] contains.”

More than 22 miles of roadway here and in surrounding communities are now fully lighted with 1,200 solar powered street lights, thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District.

The third and final phase of the project was completed recently by project engineers at Al-Anbar Resident Office, based in Ramadi.

Cpl. Jonathan Irwin (left center) and Staff Sgt. Dwaine Hood, both with Able Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, relax with local Mullahs, or religious leaders, and villagers at the Baraki Barak District Center while they wait for the last of the Mullahs to arrive, Sept. 16. The Soldiers of Task Force Spartan delivered Mosque refurbishment supplies and humanitarian aid packages to the Mullahs to distribute to local families. (Photo by Spc. Jaime’ De Leon, Task Force Spartan Public Affairs)

Mullahs, or Muslim religious leaders throughout Baraki Barak in Logar Province, Afghanistan, gathered at the local District Center to receive Mosque improvement packages, distributed by Soldiers from Task Force Iron Titan, September 16-17.

The Mosque kits included several large rugs, a smaller prayer rug for the Mullah, paint, a new speaker system, and light bulbs. Possibly, the most important part of the kits was solar panels to provide electricity for the Mosque.

A medical provider at Ghazaliyah's recently-opened solar-powered clinic treats a child, Sept. 16, during the opening of the clinic. Photo by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth

“Even if it’s cloudy for the next three days, the system that we have emplaced here will still allow this clinic to have power 24 hours a day,” Martin said. “It allows the doctors to focus on their patients instead of focusing on what is supporting them in the system.”

Because the solar-powered clinics were well-received by the people, the Dagger Brigade placed solar-powered street lights in northwest Baghdad and Abu Ghraib to keep markets opened longer and are working on a solar-powered courthouse in Abu Ghraib.

Spc. Rachael Potts and an Iraqi engineer prepare to run dirty water through a solar-powered water filtration system at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Sept. 5. Photo by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann, 82nd Airborne Division.

In an effort to provide a better quality of life for the citizens of Iraq’s Ma’dain region, U.S. paratroopers here put their time and energy into learning how to set up and operate a solar-powered water filtration system, Sept. 5.

Paratroopers assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division- Baghdad implemented a self-powered, energy efficient water filtration system to provide the area’s residents fresh, clean drinking water. However, for this system to be effective, regional leaders need to be shown how it works.

Staff Sgt. Travers Brake, a cavalry scout platoon sergeant from Elkins, W. Va., assigned to 2nd Platoon, Troop C, 1st Battalion, 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, points out the back of solar panels used to power a water-filtering pump as Sheikh Mohammed Shalal Syiar watches, Aug. 28. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell

A series of intertwined, water-filled canals create a patchwork of green fields, abundant in crops near the section of al-Zooba, here, in Baghdad.

The intricate irrigation system provides essential water to the local farms but not to its inhabitants.

Ensuring energy use is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective helps to build Iraq’s security capabilities, a key infrastructure planner said here.

Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas N. Williams, an infrastructure planner for Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq, said he’s found the best way to be environmentally friendly while saving costs is to ensure the highest possible degree of energy efficiency.

Mahdi Jonny, an electrical engineer with the Joint Projects Management Office, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, checks the wiring on a series of solar panels on the roof of the New Iraq Health Clinic in Gazaliyah, Aug. 12. Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

The roof of the New Iraq Health Clinic here in the Gazaliyah district looks a little different from the buildings surrounding it. Two rows of solar panels, collecting the bountiful Mesopotamian sunlight, now provide the building’s power through solar powered battery systems.

Soldiers serving with the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team patrol the streets of a well-lit Kadamiyah, June 12. The lights installed are powered by the sun and don't rely on the national power grid.

“As we expanded the emplacement of the lights they became a safety measure along main roadways and markets, allowing businesses to stay open later,” said 1st Lt. Thomas Wilson, 2nd HBCT. “They have invigorated the local economy and allowed people safer areas to socialize and be active during the cool nights.”