Chief of Naval Operations Recognizes Environmental Award Winners

    WASHINGTON, DC, July 02, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- WASHINGTON (NNS) - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John M. Richardson recognized the 29 winners of the fiscal year 2015 CNO Environmental Awards through a video teleconference (VTC) ceremony at the Pentagon June 30.

The Navy selected winners in the ten categories of Natural Resources Conservation, Environmental Quality, Sustainability, Environmental Restoration, Cultural Resources Management, Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition and Afloat. This marks the fourth year the Navy has minimized its carbon footprint and travel costs by conducting the ceremony as a VTC. Awardees participating in the ceremony represented commands domestically and abroad.

Naval leadership and Department of Defense officials joined the CNO, along with Deborah Nagle, director of water permits division at the Environmental Protection Agency. Representatives of environmental organizations Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund and Ocean Conservancy, which assisted in the judging process for the awards, also attended. A staffer from the congressional office of Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) participated, to acknowledge a command win in his district. During the ceremony, Adm. Richardson spoke about the value of teamwork evident in the winners' efforts, and the value for lessons learned across the organization.

"The accomplishments of all of the winners should serve as opportunity....to educate everybody around us on those best practices - what can be achieved - by successfully executing the mission and caring for the environment to the benefit of both."

Vice Adm. Philip H. Cullom, deputy CNO for Fleet Readiness and Logistics (N4) and Rear Adm. Doug Morton, director of the CNO Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (OPNAV N45), joined the CNO in congratulating the honorees and highlighting their accomplishments.

"I would like to extend my gratitude and sincerest congratulations to these well-deserved winners," said Cullom during the ceremony. "Your achievements embody the spirit of the Navy's responsibility to protect and defend our nation and, more broadly, Planet A - otherwise known as Earth - because there is no Planet B."

The CNO Environmental Awards Program annually recognizes Navy installations, individuals, and teams for their significant achievements and contributions to environmental stewardship. More information can be located at http://greenfleet.dodlive.mil/environment/awards/cno-environmental-awards.

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