Malmstrom recognizes Energy Action Month

By Staff Sgt. Delia Martinez, 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs / Published October 26, 2017

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A team of Airmen pose for a selfie at one of the nine clues during an Energy Action Month scavenger hunt Oct. 25, 2017, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. The scavenger hunt was designed to increase energy-saving action awareness while giving Airmen the opportunity to get outside and explore new areas of the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam)

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Airman 1st Class Kimberly Edinger, 341st Civil Engineer Squadron engineering assistant and 341st Missile Wing base energy champion, provides instructions before an Energy Action Month scavenger hunt Oct. 25, 2017, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. Airmen worked in teams to figure out the clues while learning about what small actions they can take to save energy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam)

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. – --

Every October the Air Force and federal government observe energy action month.

Energy Action Month is an Air Force initiative to highlight the critical impact energy has on the ability to perform the mission.

“The Air Force uses Energy Action Month to call on members of the Air Force community to commit to making energy-conscious decisions at work and at home, in order to enhance resilience and mission readiness,” said Airman 1st Class Kimberly Edinger, 341st Civil Engineer Squadron engineering assistant and 341st Missile Wing base energy champion.

Malmstrom recognized the month throughout October with weekly emails, a briefing to wing leadership and ended with a scavenger hunt.

“As the base energy champion I had to create an event for the base to participate in,” said Edinger. “I came up with the idea for a scavenger hunt so people could get out of the office and have fun while learning more about energy-saving actions.”

Participants braved the windy day to support the energy action event and learned new ways to increase energy efficiency.

“It was a lot of walking all over base and a good opportunity to learn some new stuff about the environment,” said Airman 1st Class Wesley Buchanan, 341st CES electrical systems apprentice.

The scavenger hunt were nine stops with educational clues so that participants would learn as they went.

“The biggest thing I learned was about idling your car because it was on two or three of the clues,” said Buchanan. “If you are going to be somewhere for more than 10 seconds you should turn your car off because it wastes a lot of fuel and puts out emissions.”

Buchanan and his teammate Senior Airman Joel Leville, 341st CES electrical systems journeyman, located eight out of the nine stops on the scavenger hunt in the time allotted.

“It was a fun time, definitely a windy day to do it. We were fighting against the wind while walking across the base,” said Buchanan.

In addition to recognizing Energy Action Month, Malmstrom has taken the steps to reduce energy consumption for the base including installing an energy management control system (ECMS), and replacing lights with energy efficient light fixtures.

“ECMS is a software driven system that will reduce heating and cooling in buildings during the unoccupied hours, such as weekends and evenings,” said Edinger. “The energy saved by this control system is estimated to be $600,000 per year.”

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