Community Partnerships

   Efforts to prevent waste within Federal agencies are extremely important; however, sometimes the success of the agency depends on outside factors such as the local community. The Naval Support Activity (NSA) in Bahrain has learned this lesson exceedingly well through its recycling and reuse programs. On account of the increased military presence in Bahrain, there was a potentially huge increase in hazardous waste generation. Reuse and recycling are key to minimizing the impact of increased hazardous generation. To assure program success, the NSA Bahrain provides training not only to its own base members, but also to local government officials and firefighters. The NSA Bahrain personnel are equipped with the knowledge to manage hazardous waste, ship dangerous goods, respond to spills, and properly conduct Pollution Prevention (P2) assessments. On a local level, the officials and firefighters are informed on numerous environmental topics, such as recycling, affirmative procurement, waste reduction, and material substitution.
   In addition to educational opportunities, the NSA Bahrain arranged an Environmental Working Group (EWG) on the base, consisting of base and tenant personnel. The EWG meets regularly to discuss current and local environmental topics. All of this environmental momentum encourages NSA to meet with numerous local organizations such as, the Bahraini Environmental Affairs, Municipality of Dubai, and State of Sharjah Environmental Protection Department. Together these organizations formulate plans in order to properly respond to oil and hazardous substance spills in the Arabian Gulf.
   For more information, contact James Graybeal, (973) 1-785-4027, graybealj@cuscn.navy.mil.