NPS

Using compact fluorescent bulbs are only one way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Beyond Light Bulbs
January 16, 2009

By now, if you haven't heard about the benefits of switching to compact flourescent lightbulbs (CFL) in your home you're probably living in a cave. These nifty little devices use a fraction of the electricity of a classic light bulb, and there getting better and brighter every year. Sure, they cost a few dollars more than an incandescent bulb, but they last years longer and cost less to burn. All told, using them is one of the easiest things all of us can do to reduce our carbon footprint and fight climate change.

But living more sustainably should go way beyond changing out a few light bulbs.

For instance, here at Glacier National Park (in addition to getting rid of our old light bulbs and replacing them with CFLs) our Green Team is working hard to help increase the efficiency and "green-ness" of the park's daily operations. From simple things like reducing the number of trash cans in our offices (decreasing the number of trash bags we use) to running the popular "Red Bike Program" which makes bicycles available for park staff and volunteers to use when traveling between buildings in the park, reducing the amount of fuel we use in government vehicles, this all-volunteer group of park staff and partners is dedicated to helping dramatically reduce the park's carbon footprint. We're even jumping on the "Dark Sky" bandwagon, looking at ways to reduce not only the carbon pollution but also the light pollution emitted by park facilities. The park's beautifully dark, star-filled night sky is one of our least appreciated (and most fragile) resources. To help protect and celebrate it we hope to become, within the next year or so, one of the next International Dark Sky Parks.

You might be thinking that this all sounds fine and dandy for a government agency that manages millions of acres and hundreds of employees. But how is it relevant to you?

Well, these initiatives are part of a much larger movement in organizations, businesses and government agencies throughout the country. You can't go anywhere these days without finding little reminders about saving energy and living, working and playing more sustainably. I'm willing to bet that all national parks will be closely examining their "green-ness" in the next few years and hopefully making changes (both large and small) to reduce their carbon footprints. So, if you are planning on visiting one of your 391 national park units in the future these initiatives will most definitely affect you.

But it's more than that. People and governments around the world look to the National Park Service as an example of how to protect our national treasures the right way. Sure, we don't always get it quite right, and there is always room for improvement, but if our national parks cannot operate in a more earth-friendly manner, how can we possibly expect anyone else to?

While you may not need to draft an environmental management policy for your home, I do encourage you to follow in Glacier National Park's footsteps and examine ways that you can reduce your own carbon footprint.

Can you drive less?

Making a grocery list before you go to the store could prevent the need to make a second trip for something you forgot. Also, if you live less than a mile or two from work, consider walking or bicycling a few times a week instead of driving. You might be surprised at how much you can see when you're not stuck behind the wheel all the time. You may even discover that you don't need to visit a national park to experience nature up close!

Can you turn down the thermostat?

I know it's cold this time of year, particularly in some parts of the country (aren't you glad you're not in Minnesota?), but turning down the thermostat even a few degrees will reduce the amount of energy you use. If you have electric heat, for example, it may reduce the amount of coal that needs to be burned in our country (over 50% of electricity in the U.S. is generated by burning coal).

Even if all you ever do is change out a few light bulbs in your home, it's a step in the right direction. Each step takes our nation (and our world) a little closer to energy independence and sustainability.

And the next time you visit Glacier National Park, ask one of our staff (look for someone wearing green and gray, and maybe a silly hat) what we're doing to help the park become a little greener.