Tough times, tough choices Published Aug. 3, 2011 By David Morin 47th Civil Engineering Squadron LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Times are tough. You can't turn on the news these days without hearing something about the federal debt and that our country is overextended. Unknown to many, Laughlin is operating in a similar overextension with our water and energy consumption. Laughlin leadership has made the hard decision to curtail certain areas and do our part as good stewards in meeting our energy and water bill. Some of these initiatives will be apparent to a keen observer. For instance, if you are on base at night, you may notice more stars after 10 p.m. as select exterior lights will be reduced or turned off at that time. Water is another area where we have overspent. Laughlin is currently the largest consumer of water per square foot of building area in Air Education and Training Command. This is largely due to our semi-arid location and that we have large fields to irrigate. We've made the decision to pull back on our irrigation as well. Certain areas of the base will continue to receive man-made irrigation, while others will be left to Mother Nature for natural irrigation. The drier areas will be targeted for future xeriscape projects and native grass planting to maintain an attractive appearance without using large volumes of water. You may ask yourself if there is anything you can do to conserve. The most important thing you can do is set the example by turning off water and electric devices when not in use. There are also other workcenter-specific ways to save. Each quarter we recognize individuals and workcenters that have taken the extra step to act and conserve. This is a great opportunity to be a leader in a key area and be recognized by wing leadership. For further information or to see how you can help, please contact David Morin at (830)298-5029.