What is a Green Team?

Green Teams are dedicated groups of employees, regardless of discipline or organizational level, whichfacilitate the pragmatic implementation of sustainable operations principles on their unit. Green teams range from the informal – a few employees working together to increase recycling opportunities for themselves and their community, to the formal – a group specifically chartered by leadershipto promote and foster sustainable operations that reduce a unit’s environmental footprint. Successful green teams are very place-based, that is the issues they choose to work on are meaningful to their specific community and geographic location. What is sustainable in one location may be very different then in another location because the natural resources, culture and economic situations are all different. While many green teams begin as an internal effort, often they grow to include members of the local community or other state, federal, or local agencies so that sustainable operations efforts can become successful on a larger more community or ecosystem connected basis.

Most place-based green teams choose to work across many environmental footprint areas (water conservation, energy conservation/renewable energy, waste prevention/recycling, green purchasing, fleet/transportation, sustainable leadership). However,some green teams have been created with membership across geographic units to specifically to foster dialog about the sustainable operations opportunities within a particular topic area such as recreation or energy management.

Current green teams that exist, or in the process of forming within the Forest Service include:

(I’m sure there are others that I don’t know about and many individual employees who are moving things forward without the structure of a green team.)

  1. Pikes Peak Ranger District – Jeff Hovermale, Lands, Special Uses
  2. BighornNational Forest – Lexie Carroll / Phil Fessler – Engineering
  3. MedicineBowRouttNational Forest - Mike Ross, Engineering / Priscilla Foster, Property
  4. San Juan Public Lands Unit (BLM/USFS) – Laurie Yeager, Engineering
  5. Pagosa Ranger District – Kevin Khung, Ranger (may not have actual green team but are doing stuff)
  6. Bessey Nursery – NebraskaNational Forest, Randy Gage Forest Engineer, Richard Gilbert, Nursery Manager (may not have actual green team but are doing stuff)
  7. Rio GrandeNF – Lynn DiFore, Forest Engr, intends to get a team going but not formed yet.
  8. Rocky Mountain Region Regional Office – Jeff Sorkin, Air
  9. Rocky Mountain Region Energy Management Team (USFS, BLM, NREL) - Todd Michael, R2 RO Engineering
  10. Sustainable Ops and Recreation- Joni Packard, R1 Recreation or Chris Sporl – R2 RO LA
  11. Mulit-Regional Green Purchasing Team - not yet well formed Anna/Lexie leading calls, Barbara Lynn Johnson – R1
  12. Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee – Sustainable Operations Subcommittee - Becky Aus – Line Officer Rep, Anna Jones-Crabtree – Co –Chairperson, Jim Evanoff NPS CO-Chair
  13. Rocky Mountain Research Station – Jen Hayes
  14. Northeastern Area / Northern Research Station – Sherri Wormstead / Rebecca Whitney
  15. Pacific Southwest Research Station / Region 5 - Larry Rabin (may not have actual green team but are doing stuff) Larry can tell you more about other R5/PSW activities and contacts
  16. Pacific Northwest Station – Donna Wiens, Station Engineer (they may not have a formal green team but are doing lots of things related to EMS)
  17. LassenNational Forest - Tim
  18. Willamette NF- Marci Rider eng / Marci has contacts for Siuslaw, Mt.Hood and the Willamette.
  19. SiuslawNF– Marci Rider …..
  20. Mt.HoodNational Forest– Malcom ? - Recreation
  21. Northern Region Regional Office – Tom Pettigrew – Engineering Director
  22. Intermountain Region Regional Office - Jeanne Evenden Lands Director (Jeanne can probably tell you if there are other efforts in R4)
  23. TongassNational Forest– Erin Uloth
  24. ChippewaNational Forest– Joe Alexander Deep River Ranger District Ranger
  25. SuperiorNational Forest - not a fomal team but Art Johnston eng, Trent Wickman air, Rosanne Eaton AO are implementing activities
  26. R2, R1, R3, R4, BLM, EPA, RMRS Sustainable Operations Board of Directors – Glenda Wilson, Board Chair
  27. R9 Sustainability Board – Paul Stockinger or Sheela Doshi (PMf)
  28. R6 Sustainability Board - KJ Silverman (deputy on the Mt Hood.)
  29. GreenMountainNational Forest – Cathy Rider – purchasing
  30. International Institute of Tropical Forestry– no team but employee education – Maribelis Santigo
  31. USFS Headquarters Office - Linda Parker
  32. Northern Great LakesVisitorCenter-Steve????
  33. USDA FS International Programs – Chris Farley
  34. White MountainNF – may not have a team but very active Forest Engineer – Bill (William) Dauer
  35. Aerial Fire Depot / Missoula Fire Cache – not sure a team was ever formalized – talk with Edmund Ward – Base manager, or Bruce Crockett, RO Architect
  36. McCall Smokejumpers Base – not sure if formalized a team – Frankie Romero – Base Manager
  37. PayetteNational Forest - not sure if formalized a team, Frankie Romero – Fire
  38. Grand Mesa, Uncompaghre, GunnisonNF – not yet formed but intends to soon, Charlie Richmond – Forest Supervisor
  39. GreyTowers – don’t think there is a formal green team but I know the Northeastern Area team has prompted conversations about how to green grey towers – Dick Patteson Director of GreyTowers could provide more info
  40. Lincoln Ranger District – Helena NF, just getting started, Emily Gilbert
  41. National Integrated Environmental Footprint Team – Glenda Wilson lead (this team isn’t formally chartered yet but Glenda could tell you the number of employees on her mailing list and who they are which might give you some more leads….many on the footprint mailing list are already involved with groups listed above.