Not Only You Can Prevent Park Waste

Visitation to U.S. National Parks topped 275 million in 2007. With that much foot traffic, can you imagine the resulting carbon footprint?

Well, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), with support from the National Park Service (NPS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has created a new program to help reduce this impact called the Do Your Part campaign, and so far 15 National Parks have reached “Climate Friendly” status. One of the key areas addressed in determining these parks was waste management.

So before you head out to a National Park this summer, here’s a few ways some of your favorites are addressing waste and how you, as a Park visitor, can help.

Defining “Eco-Friendly”

First, a little background on the Do Your Part program. The program started with a single workshop on climate change in 2003, and NPS joined forces with the EPA for additional resources.

NPS Environmental Leadership Coordinator Shawn Norton says the program was looking for Parks willing to host workshops and training events for their staff.

“We had three key areas of focus: transportation, energy and waste management,” says Norton. “We wanted to promote knowledge of climate change and improve the education and outreach to Park visitors.”

After the workshops took place, Parks interested in being Climate Friendly were required to implement a number of steps, such as developing milestones and targeting specific carbon emissions reductions.

Once enough parks had achieved Climate Friendly status, the Do Your Part Parks site launched on June 16 as a way to highlight what specific Parks are doing and provide resources for visitors.

The 15 current Climate-Friendly Parks are:

• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin
• Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
• Everglades National Park, Florida
• Gateway National Recreation Area, New York
• Glacier National Park, Montana
• Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California
• Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Virginia
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
• Yosemite National Park, California
• Zion National Park, Utah

Takin’ Out the Trash

Norton estimates that waste can contribute up to 10 percent of the carbon footprint of a National Park. While recycling ventures differ by Park, the Do Your Part program encourages both the availability of recycling bins and the purchase of recycled content products such as recycled paper.

Take for instance Wolf Trap, a National Park specializing in live musical performances. Wolf Trap provides green containers throughout the Park for recycling plastic bottles, which are then collected every day.

As with any recycling program, there are varying levels of contamination. Norton says that part of the education to Park visitors is to help ensure that the proper materials are being placed in each recycling bin.

So what about organic waste (e.g. fallen leaves and limbs) that compiles in parks? Some parks have outside relationships to provide this waste for composting. Others utilize wood chippers.

But these measures only apply to heavily trafficked areas. Norton adds that where possible, these materials are left where they lay to provide nutrients to the remaining ecosystem.

Expansion Potential

Perhaps you don’t currently live near one of the 15 Climate Friendly National Parks. Fear not, as the list could be growing soon. Already, 40 different National Parks have completed at least one stage of the program.

In the meantime, keep a lookout for recycling bins in your National Parks. If you can’t find one, pack out your bottles and cans and find a location to recycle them when you get home using Earth 911.