The environmental flight at any one Air Force base is like any other across the Air Force. They are always looking for new ways to protect the environment while improving the Air Force’s quality of life.

That is why education and awareness programs are their bread and butter.

“I love to educate,” said Jeff Schone, chief of environmental quality. “I truly believe that big changes are in store in the future. It could be a scary future if we fail to improve education and awareness.”

The base’s new environmental education and awareness programs weren’t as successful initially as officials hoped. In fact, the base’s recycling effort began to drop off. For the 56th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight staff, thinking outside the box wasn’t quite good enough. That is when they decided to start trying some of the “crazy ideas” they are known for.

While good programs were in place, many Airmen didn’t seem to really care about the programs. So the crazy idea of marketing the environment was born with the Thunderbolt Recycling program.

They got to work, collecting more volunteers and re-evaluating programs, looking for innovative technologies in the local community that could support the base.

“It is a shame,” said Teri Wesley, the 56th CES environmental flight environmental protection assistant. “There are just so many people out there who just don’t step up to the plate. I spent 14 years in Germany and their recycling was something that was a requirement and I was just lost when I moved here.”

Thunderbolt Recycling began creating partnerships with active environmental programs and increasing their publicity. They didn’t have to wait long before seeing results from their marketing campaign.

“There are so many people and businesses out there that support the military and want to support in the local area,” Mr. Schone said. “And I love building those relationships.”

Through multiple partnerships, Thunderbolt Recycling is able to recycle things such as alkaline batteries, paper, wooden pallets, cell phones and inkjet printer cartridges.

In many cases, these community partnerships not only improve the base’s recycling program, they save money and improve the current state of business at the base.

One example is printer cartridges. After collecting inkjet and laserjet printer cartridges, the Thunderbolt Recycling Center recycles them through a local partnership. The vendor takes apart and rebuilds the cartridges. This process is so good that the recycled cartridges are actually above the industry standards for new printer cartridges, and they are only half the price.

As each partnership bloomed in the arid desert environment, so did the base’s internal innovations.

The environmental flight staff created an education and training program for base “recycling captains” and the Luke Environmental Excellence Program, with links on the base’s homepage. They also established a base-specific environmental training program online, educating 6,400 people in two months.

Another innovation was the good stewardship recyclables bag. These bags were handed out door-to-door in base housing. They are designed to hang from doorknobs or wall hooks to help making recycling easier. The bags have mesh sides and a handle on the bottom to help dispose of recyclables. There is also a list of recyclable items printed on the bags to help educate users.

These bags worked so well that Thunderbolt Recycling began to distribute them to local communities. Every school in the area received bags during the week leading up to Earth Day on April 22. Program reps visited the Phoenix Zoo on Earth Day to further their community outreach education program.

“We want the community to know that we are a good thing to have around Phoenix,” Mr. Schone said. “We are doing things in the community, with the community and for the community, and they in turn do so much for us. It is a great active partnership and we want to ensure that for the future.”

To date, Luke’s environmental program has earned more than $300,000 annually, directly supported Boy and Girl Scouts of America and provided live Web cam interviews with elementary schools across the state. They have also dramatically reduced multiple waste production areas, such as paint thinner waste by more than 90 percent.

For future growth, the staff has purchased a baler for aluminum cans and is scheduled to attend community forums to educate people about environmental issues. Glass recycling is scheduled to begin next spring and plans are under way to recycle food oils from dining halls, clubs and base housing.