Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Rialto Beach, site of a wind-powered restroom
Most national parks are green in color to begin with, but now the National Park Service (NPS) in the state of Washington is instituting new programs that will reduce the heavy carbon footprint that is being left behind by visitors and staff members in the Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic national parks. The three parks attract 5 million visits a year.
This carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases that are being emitted by the overuse of vehicles and appliances and the messy disposal of trash, which has in turn negatively affected the overall climate of the region, primarily resulting in more rain and more intense storms. The Western region office of the NPS has set a goal of making park operations carbon neutral by 2016, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.
The parks have already made adjustments to some of their utilities. In one park restroom, the lights and hand dryers are powered by wind generators and solar panels. For the transportation of tools, workers have suggested using trailers or more fuel-efficient trucks instead of the enormous heavy-duty pickup trucks currently in use.
-Jackie Gallegos, David Wallechinsky
Going Green at Our Parks (by Jefftrey P. Mayor, Tacoma News Tribune)
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