The Department of the Navy is switching to renewable energy on land at a rate that’s five years ahead of schedule. That’s good for the environment and for sailors and Marines, who should be safer with fewer oil convoys to defend. Before the Navy set a goal of relying on renewables for half its fuel, “we were losing a Marine killed or wounded for every 50 convoys of fuel we moved into Afghanistan,” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said in May in California. Its so-called “Great Green Fleet” has featured a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and flotilla of accompanying ships steaming on a mixture of diesel and biofuel.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com