Going green Published Oct. 5, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Kathryn Stilwell 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- October kicks off Energy Action Month to promote energy savings and cost effectiveness, but the 436th Logistic Readiness Squadron has been doing its part to help the environment long before the month of October. "As far as going green, we have two different biofuels we just started using E85 ethanol with. Ethanol is a blend of 85 percent ethanol with 15 percent unleaded fuel," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Jaindl, NCO in charge of the fuel service center with 436th LRS. "It burns cleaner and reduces our dependency on foreign oils because we can grow the ingredients in the United States." Ethanol can be made from any plant that contains a large amount of sugar or components that can be converted into sugar, such as starch or cellulose. Crops such as corn, sugar beets, sugar cane, wheat and barley contain starch that can be easily converted to sugar. The use of E85 is a new initiative recently implemented in April 2012, and has been issued throughout the base. The fuel is utilized in vehicles such as: government vehicles, forklifts, all loading equipment for aircraft, generators and the fuel trucks that move the fuel. The 436th LRS is also planning ahead with a large conservation project in mind for fiscal year 2016. The round trip distance is two miles if taxiways and runways are used or more than six miles if the perimeter road is used. The standard of one hour for aircraft refueling cannot be attained under these circumstances. Currently it takes approximately 2.2 hours to refuel an aircraft on the hazardous cargo apron using R-11 mobile refuelers. If approved, the project would eliminate the need for over 400 refueler trips per year, save the base substantial dollars in man-hours, as well as mechanical wear and tear on the refueling fleet, and speed up refueling time by 50 percent. The velocity of refueling airplanes on the ground could be cut in half, thus increasing capability of mission impact, said Jaindl. The 436th LRS is doing their part to participate in Energy Action Month, and contribute a greener, leaner fighting force.