Tobyhanna Powering the Future with Energy Conservation and Innovation Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) recognizes Army Energy Month every October, supporting the Army in its commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability, and mission readiness. This year’s theme is “Powering the Mission.” For decades, Tobyhanna has embraced innovative technologies to reduce energy consumption. The focus on energy efficiency has helped the depot operate more sustainably and contributed to significant cost savings – addressing one of the Army’s largest expenses: energy. In its earlier years, the depot’s primary energy source was coal. In 1999, the organization transitioned to natural gas for its heating systems, drastically reducing its carbon footprint and winning the prestigious White House Closing the Circle Environmental Award. One of TYAD’s standout efforts is its installation of a vegetative (green) roof in 2006 to regulate indoor temperature and save energy. The 14,141-square-foot roof space was covered with sedum perennials, as soil and dense vegetation cover have exceptional insulation value. This project continues to benefit the installation today. More recently, the depot has tapped into renewable energy sources like solar energy, installing solar panels and solar walls on several buildings. “The Environmental Team needs to be creative with solutions when looking for renewable energy projects as the area and mission constrain the use of solar and wind power,” said Environmental Branch Chief Paula Mesaris. “We are also looking to integrate more smart metering capability to better understand where and how energy is used in order to better target improvements, such as building envelope improvements, rapid rollup doors, and sensor technology.” All light bulbs across the installation are in the process of being converted to LED bulbs, which use a fraction of the energy required to power traditional fluorescent bulbs and last much longer. The depot’s fleet of vehicles is gradually transitioning to electric vehicles. These government zero emissions vehicles can be charged on-post at one of several recently added charging stations. A strong, resilient energy infrastructure is key to ensuring the depot’s long-term viability. These sustainability initiatives enhance TYAD’s ability to adapt to evolving environmental challenges while remaining a dependable resource for the Army. “Reduction of electricity use and switching to carbon-free electricity producers also reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, improving climate resiliency,” added Environmental Engineer Devin Zurawski. According to Energy Manager David Ecklund, TYAD has seen a significant reduction in energy usage as a result of these combined efforts. “We have been trending downward since 2019,” said Ecklund. “The goal for 2024 was 125 million British thermal units (BTU) per thousand square feet, based on a 1.5% reduction from a 2019 baseline of 133 million BTU per thousand square feet. Tobyhanna’s actual energy use intensity for 2023 is 98 million BTU per thousand square feet, or 22% better than our goal.” Despite the depot’s success, now is not the time to rest on its laurels. It is imperative to continue pushing forward to achieve even greater results. Continuing to demonstrate environmental stewardship is directly aligned with TYAD’s strategic plan, specifically the Shape the Future line of effort. Future plans include the installation of a microgrid on the installation by 2035, as part of the Army Climate Strategy. This particular project is critical to mission readiness. “Microgrid installation will provide resiliency and reduce risk to the mission in the event of a power outage or energy shortage,” said Mesaris. Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners. Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters. About 3,300 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to deliver integrated C5ISR weapon systems, business systems, and medical sustainment to enable full spectrum combat operations at the point of need.
U.K. Architect Addresses Tangible Spirituality/Sustainable Architecture at Marywood Dr. Iliona Outram Khalili, a U.K licensed architect, spoke on “Tangible Spirituality: The Mason’s Methods, Analogy, and Sustainable Architecture” on Tuesday, September 10, at 7 p.m., in the Center for Architectural Studies at Marywood University. The event, which was an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Center for the Living City and Marywood University’s School of Architecture, School of Humanities, and Centers of Excellence (Center for Urban Studies, Mother Theresa Maxis IHM Center for Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, and Center for Law, Justice, and Policy), was free and open to the public. In her presentation, Dr. Khalili proposes a sustainable 21st century architecture that inherits methods and figures developed by masons thousands of years ago. Using these ancient practical analogies, a theological meditation emerges that is not limited by cultural or religious symbolism, but brings perennial archetypes together in conscious combinations during design and construction. Dr. Iliona Outram Khalili is a U.K licensed architect and graduate of the Architectural Association School in London. She has been a recent lecturer and course lead at Manchester Metropolitan University and currently teaches “Advanced Earth Architecture Design” with New Earth UK. Her childhood was filled with the architecture of her renowned father, John Outram, and with the diaspora Greek culture of her mother Rima’s family. Later, she learned “earth and ceramic architecture” from humanitarian architect Nader Khalili, who designated her a “Master Builder in Earth Architecture.” She trained by designing and building hands-on to develop Khalili’s innovations on traditional earth architecture, which were inspired by the Sufi mystical poetry of Rumi in his native Persian language. As a widow, she continued her spiritual education with Sufi healers Murshid Shaykh Taner Ansari and Shaykha Muzeyyen Ansari, designing and building for their sustainable living project in New York State, and, most recently, the memorial vault of Shaykh Taner.For details on Marywood’s School of Architecture, visit: marywood.edu/architecture. To learn more about Marywood University’s School of Humanities, go to: marywood.edu/humanities. For information about the Center for the Living City, visit: centerforthelivingcity.org
Student Powers Up Wright Center’s Energy-saving Efforts Rachel Huxhold arrived at The Wright Center for Community Health Wilkes-Barre Practice in early 2024 for a checkup of sorts, but her interest wasn’t in seeing a doctor. Instead, she wanted to peer into the building’s maintenance closets and closed-door spaces where water heaters, heating/cooling units, and other devices work to keep the clinic functioning and comfortable – and consume energy. Her aim: Uncover waste and promote conservation. Huxhold, 30, is a student at the Harvard Extension School, pursuing a master’s degree in sustainability. She chose The Wright Center as the focus of her capstone project, offering to serve for free as a student consultant and develop a sustainability action plan that she intends to give to the nonprofit’s leadership team in April. The plan, which she describes as “a road map or reference guide,” will recommend energy-saving strategies that can be implemented immediately, Huxhold said. The plan also will identify future opportunities for The Wright Center’s team to consider as it “thinks through how to operate more sustainably” and possibly looks to renewable energy alternatives. “Energy usage is the main area we’re tackling,” explained Huxhold. “But I’m also looking at waste and water activity, how folks are using the building – really, a myriad of ways to be more environmentally conscious.” The Wright Center demonstrated its growing commitment to sustainability in early 2023 when it hired Covington Township resident John Slater as its first environmental, social, and governance (ESG) specialist. “The sustainability plan that Rachel prepares for us will have a tailored set of recommendations,” said Slater, who noted the project’s timing is ideal. Not only is it expected to be completed just as The Wright Center compiles its top ESG priorities (and metrics by which to measure them), but it also is unfolding as the government offers incentives to nonprofits through the Inflation Reduction Act and other legislation to make the transition to clean energy. “The plan will be actionable for us because there are so many energy-conserving things out there to do,” Slater said. The Wright Center’s leaders will be able to review the report’s suggestions this spring, then potentially make changes and start saving money that can be reinvested in patient care and services. But beyond lowering utility bills, there are likely to be other benefits. Chief among them is the ability of the health center to withstand severe weather events so that it can fulfill its role as an essential community provider and serve low-income patients of all ages even in challenging circumstances. “It’s about resiliency,” said Huxhold. “As climate change progresses and we have stronger heat waves, more severe storms, things like that, there are definitely benefits to making sure the facilities are able to perform the functions that they need to in all kinds of more extreme conditions.” For The Wright Center, there also can be a reputational benefit to being a sustainability leader among community health centers. As word spreads, its emphasis on conservation and climate awareness could serve as a drawing card for job seekers who prefer “green” organizations over those that seemingly remain ambivalent about the planet’s problems. ‘The perfect marriage’ To perform an energy audit of The Wright Center’s facilities, Huxhold first looked at the paper records, including utility bills and written descriptions of its building management systems. Then, she followed up with fieldwork. Huxhold, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, visited Northeast Pennsylvania in mid-January, touring the Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn and the Wilkes-Barre Practice. The two buildings are owned, not leased, by the organization, potentially allowing for recommended energy-conserving steps to be followed more easily and quickly. Dennis Hand, director of facilities management, Michael Sobolewski, maintenance worker, and Slater accompanied the student consultant as she eyeballed the buildings’ heating/cooling systems, water heaters, and other equipment. She peered over IT gadgets and looked at light fixtures. She checked for drafty doors and windows. She noted facility conditions (later commending The Wright Center for its upkeep) and asked plenty of questions of employees who use the buildings. “We got a lot of positive feedback just walking around and telling folks what we were looking for,” said Huxhold, who is credentialed as a certified energy manager and a LEED green associate. “It felt as if everyone really saw the value and was excited about this type of work.” At the outset of her capstone project, Huxhold had contacted the National Association of Community Health Centers in Bethesda, Maryland, asking for its guidance on narrowing the choices of potential project partners. “The Wright Center was the first group they mentioned,” she said. “They explained that ESG work was an emergent priority for The Wright Center, and it wants to be a leader in the health care space for climate action. It seemed like the perfect marriage.” Feeling the heat Federal officials urge health care organizations to connect the dots between the environment and health. In 2021, the Biden administration established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity to examine how the environment impacts Americans’ health and to ramp up protection for people, “especially those experiencing a higher share of exposures and impacts,” according to the newly established office. As part of the initiative, health centers, hospitals, and related groups nationwide are signing on to the Health Sector Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The Wright Center will likely have a major opportunity to weave energy efficiency into its operations as it works to complete Phase III of the repurposing of its Wilkes-Barre site. Slater believes the health center will increasingly be able to highlight its actions, serving as an example and sharing lessons with patients and the broader community about conservation and the connection between climate and public health. “A lot of people don’t think Pennsylvania is being impacted because they’re not seeing the large-scale weather disasters locally, all the damage,” Slater said. But he frequently reminds people to think about the state’s recent string of relatively mild winters, last year’s wildfire-induced smoky air, and an increasing number of high heat index days (above 90 degrees) each summer. “Even though we’re not in an area that is feeling the impact excessively, like a New Orleans or a Miami,” said Slater, “it’s still something that is slowly showing its stripes.”
