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A new barracks is under construction and 30 geothermal wells are being drilled to a depth where the air temperature is constant. Water is run through the piping to that depth where the air at that level warms or cools the water to that temperature and then it's pumped back into the barracks to help warm the building in winter and cools it in the summer.

“The wells will end up being under the parking lot so you won't see them when the project is done. You can see the well rigs at work and a bunch of completed wells and all the tubing that's being hooked up to make them work. All of our new barracks projects include this geothermal heating and cooling application. We've got eight to ten of them completed on post now and it's the new standard,” said Jim Corriveau, Fort Drum Director of Public Works.

The blue wall is another major green construction feature. It's a solar wall.

“When the sun is shining on that dark wall, the air you're bringing in for ventilation is being preheated. It's being warmed up by the sun. The energy that you draw out of the sun is energy you don't have to produce burning natural gas so you're saving on the heating bill for the building. The payback is about nine years,” said Corriveau.

Most all of our major facilities, like the motor pool buildings and hangers have them. They have big walls. Not wooden World War Two buildings. Not the smaller buildings like offices. Not the barracks, they have too many windows. You have to have a big wall with no windows. So hangers and maintenance shops and motor pools, those are the perfect applications.

In addition, commanders have stepped up a campaign for everyone on the post to help conserve energy use by turning off lights and turning down thermostats.