Naval Station Everett hosted an Energy Awareness Fair, Oct. 22, to show personnel how to conserve, save and recycle energy. 

“As the nation’s largest energy consumer, the federal government has a tremendous opportunity and clear responsibility to lead by example,” said Capt. Thomas Mascolo, NAVSTA Everett commanding officer. “We’re always looking for ways to become even more efficient through conservation and awareness.”

The base has a history of being energy conscious. In 2008, NAVSTA Everett received a Secretary of the Navy (Gold Level) achievement award for its energy conservation efforts, such as installing lighting controls, efficient hot water heaters and adjusting building heating systems to save energy.

The fair included booths from 20 vendors ranging from public power districts to local public transportation.

The Navy Exchange had a booth setup to show what energy-saving products they offer.

“There are people out there who want to be green, but maybe don’t know how to go about it,” said Judy Flannery, Navy Exchange sales specialist. “The booths get the word out.”

Another way to save energy is to recycle. For example, a recycled six-pack of aluminum cans could save enough energy to drive a car five miles.

“Fifty percent of what is leaving the base goes off as recycled material,” said Denise Lesniak of NAVSTA Everett Recycling. “We recycle metals, all plastics, glass, paper products, cardboard, electronics and food waste.”

Lesniak also said that recycling not only saves energy, it decreases spending as well.

“Recycling is such a cost savings to the base overall,” she said. “It saves the base money to send something off as recycled material rather than trash, and it has such a positive impact for our environment.”