How USAG Ansbach’s Cross Functional Team works

By Andria Smith, USAG Ansbach DPW Environmental Management Division

ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2016) — Do you know how U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach promotes sustainability?

The garrison operates using the Sustainable Environmental Management System, or SEMS, which is a framework in which the garrison manages its responsibilities to become more sustainability-efficient. The SEMS also includes measurable sustainable goals, objectives and targets that are reviewed and updated annually. The goals set by the SEMS can be seen in the list at the end of this article. A new goal added this year is to increase the garrison’s recycling rate greater than 50 percent.

Another measure to ensure sustainable efforts are put forth are through the garrison’s Cross Functional Team, or CFT. The CFT actively implements the SEMS to achieve goals and targets. The CFT consists of representatives from across the USAG Ansbach functional areas and directorates. For example, there are members representing areas from DPW, DoDDS, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, the Defense Commissary Agency and others. They support the SEMS management representative and SEMS coordinator.

The CFT is further broken down into working groups that focus on the following themes: water conservation, energy consumption, recycling, green procurement, environmental awareness and housing.

The members of the CFT are expected to communicate SEMS information to/from their respective functional areas and directorates. The team meets every couple of months to report progress on how goals and objectives are being met. Members also use the time to report any concerns their respective functional areas need brought to attention. The team is able to address these issues and create the best strategy for the sustainability of the garrison.

If you have any ideas or concerns regarding the topics listed earlier pertaining to your functional area, please contact your CFT representative. Also, if you have any ideas that may be an improvement for the garrison, contact the SEMS coordinator, Gerda Koss.

Our SEMS goals for 2016:
1: Reduce energy consumption by 2.5 percent.
2: Reduce water consumption by 2 percent.
3: Implement a green procurement program.
4: Increase recycling rate to be greater than 50 percent.