The Army & Air Force Exchange Service Makes It Earth Day Year-Round with Sustainability Initiatives

DALLAS – The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is committed to setting the standard for sustainability beyond just Earth Day. With multiple sustainability initiatives, the Exchange directly improves the quality of life in the military communities it serves.

“The Exchange is committed to providing a sustainable working and living environment for Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families.” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Osby, the Exchange’s senior enlisted advisor. “The Exchange’s sustainability goals directly improve the quality of life in our military communities, ensuring a clean and safe future wherever Warfighters serve.”

The Exchange’s in-store and real estate sustainability initiatives include:

• Recycling more than 7,000 tons of plastic, aluminum and cardboard annually.
• Collaborating with Department of Defense to implement and maintain electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on CONUS installations, assisting with the conversion of federal fleet vehicles to EVs before 2030.
• Replacing 455,000 fluorescent lamps in more than 160,000 fixtures with efficient tubular LEDs or TLEDs at 610 CONUS facilities. This effort yielded a 56% reduction in consumption daily, more than 50 million kilowatt-hours annually and more than $2.4 million in cost savings annually.
• Installing efficient low-flow faucets in food courts during renovations and new construction, resulting in 30% in water savings annually.
• Designing and building stores to globally accepted standards such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards.
• Offering shoppers a 5-cent-per-bag credit for using reusable shopping bags, each of which can replace up to 250 single-use plastic bags throughout its lifespan.
• Reusing apparel hangers to minimize waste.

The Exchange partners with suppliers to offer more environmentally friendly products at PXs, BXs and ShopMyExchange.com, including:

• Sustainable apparel that includes recycled materials or uses less water in production from brands including Levi’s, Columbia, The North Face, Damsel Swim, O’Neill and Quiksilver.
• Eco-friendly, cruelty-free cosmetics and skincare products, including vegan and biodegradable options, from brands such as Almay, bareMinerals, Bravo Sierra, EcoTools and Farmacy.
• High-efficiency Energy Star products, which include 50% of all major appliances, 100% of televisions and 93% of computers.
• Energy-efficient LED lamps, bulbs and smart lighting.
• Laundry detergents for use with high-efficiency washing machines.
• Eco-friendly and biodegradable cleaning supplies from brands such as 9 Elements, Lysol, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, Seventh Generation and Symtek.

The Exchange’s global logistics operation, which includes nine distribution centers worldwide and the 13th-largest private retail fleet in the U.S, is also committed to reducing its environmental impact. Logistics sustainability efforts include:

• Recycling 280 gallons of oil, 1,100 tires and 300 batteries annually.
• Using self-inflating tire systems on trucks to increase miles per gallon.
• Installing trailer skirts and aluminum wheels to improve aerodynamics and reduce weight.
• Replacing aging trucks with new model units fitted with fuel-saving features such as automatic transmissions, adaptive cruise control and optimized idle.

These efforts not only reduce the Exchange’s environmental impact, but also save money and resources which are reinvested into military communities. In the last 10 years, more than $3.5 billion in earnings have been provided for critical military quality of life programs, aided directly by the Exchange’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

Social media-friendly version: The Exchange makes every day Earth Day with sustainability initiatives, setting the standard for exceptional environmental stewardship wherever service members go. Read more: https://wp.me/p9Q7PG-2nS

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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 54^th-largest retailer in the United States. 100% of Exchange earnings support military communities. In the last 10 years, your Exchange benefit has provided $3.4 billion in earnings for critical military Quality-of-Life programs. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans and their families in conjunction with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.

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