Ongoing Activity - Implement your Climate Action Plan

Once your park has completed Milestones 1-3, you have officially entered the Climate Friendly Parks Network and are recognized as a Climate Friendly Park.  To maintain CFP Member Park status, CFP Member Parks are required to:

  • Implement, and continually evaluate and improve, mitigation actions identified in their Action Plans;
  • Perform subsequent greenhouse gas emission inventories to evaluate emission reduction progress; and
  • Annually submit CFP Report Card Questionnaires, which provide a framework for the CFP Member Park to report actions taken and emission reductions achieved during the current year.

Module 2’s Summary Sheet provides inputs to identify individuals who will take responsibility for completing each mitigation action as well as start and end dates for these actions. After completing an Action Plan, the Action Planning Team should reference this sheet to ensure that actions are completed within the timeline and by the individuals identified.  The information contained on the Summary Sheet can be easily transferred to the park’s Environmental Management System (EMS), which the park should already have in place.  By using this approach, the CFP Program adapts to existing NPS reporting systems rather than establishing new ones.

The Action Planning Team should agree upon a schedule for updating the Action Plan.  Action Plans should be updated based on progress made by the park to reduce emissions as well as the results of new emission inventories.  It is anticipated that new action plans will be developed about every 5 years.  Between Action Plan development years, parks are asked to evaluate their progress in completing the mitigation actions they’ve identified to make sure that they are on target to complete the actions within the timelines established.  As part of this process, CFP Member Parks are expected to complete a CFP Report Card Questionnaire annually.  Submitting a CFP Questionnaire informs the CFP Program of the progress of its Member Parks.  The information contained within this questionnaire is aggregated and reported to NPS, and other interested parties, in the form of a CFP Report Card.

Building Stakeholder and Community Support
The CFP program encourages its member parks to commit to ongoing conversations between the park, its surrounding community, and other stakeholders to support the development of shared mitigation options and build climate change awareness.  Where possible, the parks should look to share resources and support sustainable business practices in its gateway communities.

SUGGESTED TIMELINE:

ACTION

DATE

1. Implement, Evaluate, Improve Mitigation Actions

Continually