Blue Angels Going Green

Don’t let the politicians bashing solar energy and the EPA fool you, the shift away from fossil fuels is still happening and for very good reasons. Even the Blue Angels, an entertaining squadron of military jetfighters, is going green by changing their usual jet fuel – which is all petroleum-based – to a mix using biofuel from plants for their Labor Day Expo. The biofuel-half of their fuel is made from processed vegetable matter. Who ever dreamed the Blue Angels would be half powered by plants? In the video below you can see the Blue Angels performing a test flight on the biofuel blend.

“The main reason we’re moving toward alternative fuels in the Navy and the Marine Corps is to make us better war fighters,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. (Source: WashingtonPost) The Pentagon is the nation’s largest energy consumer with eighty percent of the military’s energy provided by oil. Using renewable energy like biofuels, and solar can reduce their enormous energy costs, and will continue to do so as alternative energy becomes more cost competitive. From 2006 to 2009 the Pentagon increased their spending on renewable energy by 300 percent. Moving away from petroleum means the military could save tens of millions of dollars each year. Every time the cost a gallon of gasoline rises one dollar, they wind up paying an extra $30 million a year.

The military has aggressive clean energy goals. By 2015 they want to cut their fossil fuel use in non-combat vehicles by fifty percent. Mabus has spent the month of August doing at least three media events about the shift in energy sourcing for the military. Now if anyone tells you clean energy is for pansies and treehuggers, tell them to go talk to the Navy and Marines.

Image Credit: Public Domain

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susan b.

3:41PM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

Don't really think the words, military, army or war have any relation to words like green, ecological, sustainable, favorable, equitable, charitable, lovable........ the only reason the military are looking at biofuels is because the cheap oil is running out, what's left is too expensive and difficult to get too (we'll find a way though : ) are the wars in the oil rich countries related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, threats to democracy? ...what...what are these wars all about !? and why do we need to keep a military (however green) that spends more of the worlds resources than any other system or institution on the planet, going!?

send a green star

Joy D.

6:36AM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

NOW AS FOR BIOFUEL IN GOVERNMENT, LEAD THE WAY FOR THOSE WHOM HAVE YET TO CATCH THE DRAFT, I MEAN DRIFT.

6:35AM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

6:34AM PDT on Oct 4, 2011

TO SERGIO B:
THINK HARD BEFORE YOU SPEAK FOR YOU MIGHT BE SPEAKING TO YOUR FUTURE FRIENDS. THE LONGER IT TAKES YOU TO WAKE UP TO THAT FACT, THE LONGER YOU WILL BE WITHOUT FRIENDS. EMOTIONAL LOGIC RULES THIS CAMP. BE HEARD NOT A HINDERENCE.

Rita W.

2:53PM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

thanks

Annemarie W.

9:17AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

great news

Tom S.

8:59AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

Right on

Sergio Miguel T.

5:58AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

Dear rene p.

F word H. word S. word all words... Don't be so sensitive about words... People do so many things much more awful that today using the F. word is the same than using the Flor, or Forest or Fragrance words...

Now... I'm, as you wrote, "pissed".... 1st because this shouldn't even be considered information to be publish in a site like this... 2nd because the fast majority of people that posted comments on this topic are really crazy to say the least...

I now that for you Americans Living isn't a good living if you aren't killing and murdering and invading and occupying other countries, so for you the fact of your "Armed Forces" starting to use "bio"fuel is a good thing... You people can't even remember what true values are... so.. keep up with the wars and the destruction... Kiss Kiss

Elisabeth T.

5:34AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

Thank you for the article and video..

Michelle R.

2:16AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

nice to see