As the U.S. Navy continues to lead the way in reducing the Department of Defense's dependency on fossil fuels, ships across the fleet are utilizing alternative biofuel resources and major efforts are underway to reduce energy consumption ashore, as well.

Local students celebrated Earth Day at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, April 21.

The event highlighted some of the Navy's green improvements and the Navy environmental professionals who helped implement them.

The Earth Day event was open to all base personnel, but the 24 enthusiastic third and fourth-graders from Indian Head Elementary School took center stage.

Naval Support Activity South Potomac, which manages both NSF Indian Head and its sister base, NSF Dahlgren, took a giant leap toward a greener future in September 2015 when the Goddard Power Plant -- the Navy's last coal-fired power plant -- went offline for the last time. The plant, in continuous operation since 1958, provided NSF Indian Head with energy for almost 60 years. Its smokestacks were demolished April 18 and cleanup operations are ongoing.

"My job in the Navy is to help us use energy wisely," said Kathryn Simpson, installation energy manager. "To do our job here at [NSF] Indian Head, we have to create lots of steam. The way we did that for a long time was with coal."

Teachers passed around a few lumps of coal for the children to examine; as they washed their hands of the black dust, they quickly formed impressions about coal.

"It's dirty!" they noted.

When Simpson asked the students what some of the other problems with coal might be, fourth-grader Dominick did not hesitate.

"It's not renewable," he said.

Simpson then presented a small, clean propane tank and asked the students if they would rather work with gas or coal. Again, the students' choice was obvious.

Later, Dominick expounded on some of the knowledge he demonstrated to Simpson.

"Because we get the coal from the mines, it is a non-renewable resource," he said. "You can't put it back where we found it after we used it because it turns into a gas."

Dominick's interest in environmental and energy issues was evident.

"Making energy for people is really interesting," said Dominick.

The students' Earth Day celebration also included wildlife displays, a water filtration experiment, a comparison of the heat produced by incandescent light bulbs and LED lighting, and a "Coal Troll" bag toss game built by environmental protection specialist Billy Fabey.

Employees from the nearby Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant were also on hand to offer the students their take on energy conservation and the role women play in fields such as environmental science.

Danielle, a fourth-grader, commented on how energy efficiency could affect one's pocketbook.

"We always think about how we save water," said Danielle, "especially because my mom is really concerned about it because we pay a lot for our water bill."

She also expressed interest in the wildlife display and water filter experiment.

"I thought the one with the animals and deer was interesting," she said, "and the water filter one kind of surprised me a little bit, how the water went through and was cleaned, because before the water was really nasty."

For members of the base environmental team, sharing insight with the students was a fulfilling opportunity.

"To really help the younger generation and educate them on renewable energy is indispensable," said Daniel Carawan, multimedia program manager. "We really didn't have that when I was growing up, [discussions about] what is energy efficient and what's not. Now it is obviously a very important issue, so it's been really fun to be here and help during this Earth Day event."

The teachers also said they appreciated the opportunity for their students to participate in the event, which aligned with the school's math, engineering, science and achievement program.

"They are excited and it gives them more information to share and just helps spark that interest," said Christina Reighard, science teacher at Indian Head Elementary. "That's my goal. These types of events are awesome for these kids. And for me, too!"

Capt. Mary Feinberg, commanding officer of NSASP, bid farewell to students at the end of the event, but not before she quizzed them on what they learned.

"Are you guys in a hurry to get back to school?" asked Feinberg.

"No!" replied the students.

As Feinberg presented each table of students with a question, it was clear their teachers had prepared the students well and they retained the information shared with them by the NSF Indian Head environmental team.

"We're all part of one ecosystem," concluded Feinberg. "We all have to do our part."

For more information from Naval Support Activity South Potomac, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/NSASP/