The list below describes some measures to become more efficient and reduce emissions. For more information on these mitigation options select the links below. To find out more, please visit the NPS Climate Change Response Program website.

Energy

Purchase electricity from providers that use renewable energy sources
Replace conventional energy sources with wind
Install energy-efficient lighting
Replace heating and cooling technologies with more energy-efficient options
Energy SmartPARKS

Transportation

Reduce visitor vehicle miles traveled
Reduce staff and concessionaire vehicle miles traveled
Replace conventional vehicles with alternative fueled vehicles

Solid Waste

Divert park waste through composting
Increase or implement recycling programs for park operations

Links

EPA's Promoting Green Purchasing: Tools and Resources to Quantify the Benefits of Environmentally Preferable Purchasing.

WASO's Environmental Purchasing in the NPS Handbook.

Guiding Principles for Sustainable Design: This guide is intended to direct park management philosophy. Its goal is to provide a basis for achieving sustainability in facility planning and design, emphasize the importance of biodiversity, and encourage responsible decisions.

EPA's Whole Building Design Guide: Incorporate green building design into new and existing projects.

21 Reports on best practices for purchasing and disposal of products.

Mitgation of Climate Change: Just released by the International Panel on Climate Change, a group of over 2000 scientists from around the world, is the premiere document on global climate change mitigation.

The What You Can Do section of EPA's Climate Change Web site is a great source of information on mitigation from the individual to the international level.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy the provides information on energy-efficient products and practices.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency R&D.

The United Nations Environment Programme Web site is a clearinghouse for information regarding climate change. Resources include maps and graphics representing current data for emissions and impacts and a Beginner's Guide to the U.N. Framework Convention and its Kyoto Protocol (PDF).

National Park Service George Melendez Wright Climate Change Fellowship Program: The goals of this student fellowship program are to support new and innovative research on climate change impacts to protected areas and to increase the use of scientific knowledge to further resource management in parks.