2002 NPS Environmental Achievement Awards

Since 2002, the National Park Service (NPS) has awarded Environmental Achievement (EA) Awards to recognize staff and partners in the area of environmental preservation, protection and stewardship.

Winners

Death Valley Sustainability Committee

Park Location: Death Valley National Park

The remoteness of Death Valley National Park requires that waste generated at the Park be transported long distances to be disposed of properly. Therefore, the more waste that is generated, the more the Park must pay in transportation costs and the more air pollution is released into the atmosphere. Additionally, the only available nearby landfill in Pahrump, NV is slated to shut down in the next two years if the waste stream is not reduced. Given these circumstances, waste reduction was necessary to control costs and sustain the operation of Death Valley National Park. Fortunately, three individuals proactively formed a partnership to increase awareness and participation in the recycling program through better signage, advertising, education, and placement of collection sites.

The Death Valley Sustainability Committee - Ainsley Holeso (National Park Service), Craig Peterson (Xanterra – a concessionaire), and Lloyd “Tree” Crabtree (China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station – Department of Defense) - recognized that each of their organizations alone could not adequately reduce the waste stream. Holeso pursued a partnership with Xanterra and China Lake, and formed a team to address different aspects of the waste problem. Peterson made the most of Xanterra’s limited funds and authorized the company to create homemade recycling bins. Tree facilitated the exchange of vital infrastructure by helping the Park procure military surplus recycling bins, storage bins, and bailers. Together, they developed an incredibly effective recycling program.

In FY 2001, the recycling program was successful in diverting over 100 tons of material from the local landfill and saving $5000 in landfill fees. Before the program was implemented, both the NPS and Xanterra were making daily runs to the landfill with full garbage trucks. Now, they only need to make one trip per week. These award winners created a model for partnerships between Parks, their concessionaires, their community, and other government facilities. The program continues to grow, and visitors to Death Valley National Park can enjoy the fact that these recycling efforts will help future generations enjoy the Park for years to come.

Delaware North Parks Services, Inc., Concessionaire

Park Location: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Grand Canyon
National Parks

Delaware North Parks Services (DNPS) has been an outstanding leader in improving environmental performance through an environmental management system (EMS). “GreenPath,” the company’s extensive EMS, has been integrated into business practices and is based upon the following policy objectives:

• Incorporate environmental considerations into business decisions.
• Set measurable objectives to improve environmental performance.
• Reduce where practicable the generation, discharge, and emission of wastes into all environmental media – air, land, surface water, and groundwater.
• Anticipate emerging environmental issues and develop programs to respond to future requirements.
• Allocate and maintain resources for the effective implementation of environmental management and compliance programs.
• Encourage communication among employees, visitors, neighbors and surrounding communities, suppliers, customers, regulatory agencies and the general public regarding DNPS’ environmental issues.
• Strive to make a positive environmental contribution to local communities.

As a result of this program, DNPS became the first NPS concessionaire to obtain ISO 14001 certification, a third-party designation that requires extensive commitment to continually improving environmental performance. Accomplishments at the three highlighted Parks are summarized below.

Yosemite National Park

• Replaced nearly all hazardous cleaning products used in housekeeping, retail outlets, housing operations, High Sierra Camps, and other locations with non-toxic biodegradable products.
• Uses re-refined oil in its fleet of over 250 vehicles and arranges for waste oil generated from vehicle maintenance to be processed for re-refinement, allowing Yosemite to “close the loop” on this previously hazardous waste.
• Earned the “Top 10 Waste Reduction Program of the Year” Award from the California Environmental Protection Agency by recycling 33 different materials,achieving a sustained diversion rate of 43 percent, displaying interpretive and educational signage, and providing over 100 drop-off locations Parkwide.
• Specifies sustainable practices when renovating lobbies and corridors, such as using compact fluorescent lamps, recycled carpet materials and floor coverings, and donating mattresses and tabletops to nonprofit agencies.
• Distributed GreenPath buttons, mugs, wallet cards, and “Turn It Off” signs for light switches.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

• Established a recycle program with the Tulare County Conservation Corps (CCC), a non-profit organization that provides programs to benefit the youth in surrounding communities that come from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds. CCC supplies recycle bins and collects glass, plastic, aluminum and newspapers; proceeds go to the CCC youth programs.
• Purchased durable recycled plastic lumber decking and picnic tables.
• Installed water-saving timers in public showers.
• Replaced dishwashers with more energy efficient models.

Grand Canyon National Park

• Implemented an environmentally safe cleaning and sanitizing system in its three stores.
• Increased recycling at its stores to include: glass, plastic, aluminum, tin, newspaper, magazines, office paper, and cardboard.
• Sells canvas reusable bags for nominal fee ($2.99) to encourage sustainable packaging and offers a 10 percent discount to bag owners.
• Participated with community Earth Day projects and contests.
• Created a database to track all housing and store utilities, and distributed graphs on a monthly basis to staff to encourage energy conservation.
• Created nametags for all staff with GreenPath logo.

Kent Bullard, Offshore Maintenance Supervisor

Park Location: Channel Islands National Park

For several years, Kent Bullard has been a champion of many environmental causes at Channel Islands National Park. His commitment to preserving natural resources is demonstrated through his efforts in the following areas.

Solid Waste Management/Recycling
When Kent’s attempt to negotiate a contract with the city waste hauler to increase the Park’s number of dumpsters was unsuccessful, he decided to work with an independent recycling service that will sort through the materials in certain dumpsters and recover an estimated 90 percent of the recyclable materials from them. Additionally, Kent investigated, applied for, and received a “Recycling at Work” grant from the National Park Foundation to acquire recycled content picnic tables, benches, and signage on three of the Park islands.

Biodiesel
In 1998, the Park’s vehicle and boat fleets were annually using over 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel. That year, Kent read an article on biodiesel fuels and began seeking funding to substitute traditional diesel with this more environmentally-friendly alternative. Since then, the Park’s Pacific Ranger, two mainland forklifts, a diesel generator, a dock crane, and a 58 foot boat all operate on biodiesel. The Ventura Harbor boatyard also sells biodiesel for both the Park and public use. As a result, the Park has used over 10,600 gallons of biodiesel.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Program
Despite the fact that its fueling infrastructure was not equipped to handle CNG, Channel Islands requested and received four CNG vehicles from GSA in 1996, making it the only Park to acquire CNG vehicles that year. Kent secured a used CNG fuel maker from the gas company and in FY 01 the Park secured funds to upgrade the pumping facility and add fuel storage capacity. Today, 45 percent of the Park’s mainland vehicles operate on CNG.

Education and Outreach
Kent recognizes that lessons learned from his successes and failures can help others improve their environmental performance and thus increase the scope of his impact. Therefore, he makes a concerted effort to reach out to others. He helped construct, write, and maintain the NPS Renew web site for the Green Energy and Environmental Leadership Programs and continues to update and add new content. He has traveled to give presentations on biodiesel use, sustainability, energy management, and
photovoltaics. In June 2000, the Partnership for Biodiversity sent him to the Galapagos
Islands to evaluate and recommend sustainable practices. Kent designed programs for
evapo-transpiration sewage treatment, fuel storage, renewable energy, and recycling.

Solar Energy
In January 2002, Kent designed, sized, and installed a 2.4 kW photovoltaic system on East Santa Cruz Island to provide power for two new employee residences. In keeping with his commitment to share his knowledge, Kent installed the PV system in the form of a four day mini-workshop for one new Channel Islands employee and one trainee from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. This was the 74th PV installation at the Park, bringing its total PV capacity to 32.4 kW. As a result, the Park is saving 40,000 gallons of petroleum fuel annually and preventing 476 tons of carbon dioxide, 11.5 tons of nitrous oxides, and 1140 pounds of sulfur dioxides.

Water Management
Because two of the Park’s islands are too small to have fresh water resources and must
receive water by shipment, opportunities to reduce water consumption on these islands
represented a great opportunity to save not only water, but energy and money as well.
The installation of low-flush toilets on Anacapa Island reduced the island’s water needs
by 65 percent. Kent reduced the mainland facilities’ water use by 40,000 gallons per year
by installing four waterless urinals. Kent’s advocacy for this waterless technology has
inspired other NPS locations to install these urinals, saving thousands of gallons of water
each year.

Kent also pioneered the use of recycled plastic chambers for the septic effluent system.
This prevents the costly shipping of gravel to the islands. Although the technology he
researched was not approved for use in the state of California, Kent received a
conditional use permit from Santa Barbara County to install it. Because of the project’s
success, eight more systems have been installed in the Park and the technology was
allowed to enter the California market.

Other Programs
Kent has also been responsible for implementing programs for re-refined motor oils,
green lubricants, wind energy, energy conservation, green cleaning supplies, green office
products, electric vehicle utilization, and recycled plastic lumber. Kent’s sustainable
practices do not end at the work place. His personal automobile is 100 percent powered
by biodiesel, and his home’s hot water heater and its electrical components are powered
by a 2.6 photovoltaic system he installed in August 2001. Kent collects rainwater for
gardening and has incorporated deconstructed building materials in his fencing. Overall,
Kent’s efforts, coupled with his commitment to educating others, have been hugely
effective in reducing the environmental impact of Channel Islands National Park.

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Crissy Field Warming Hut Team

Park Location: Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Crissy Field was a former Army dumping ground with an obsolete airfield on the shore of San Francisco Bay. Through a $34.8 million public campaign, it was transformed into a new 100-acre shoreline park. Part of the rehabilitation included revitalizing a dilapidated structure built in 1909 and originally used as an engineering warehouse. This challenge provided a great opportunity to serve out the National Park Service (NPS) mission of strengthening integration of environmental conservation and historic preservation. In under a year, the 2,400 square foot building was renovated using sustainable practices throughout the process.

Collaborators on this project included professionals from the NPS, the Golden Gate National Parks Association (GGNPA), the non-profit cooperating organization to the Golden Gate National Parks, Berkeley Builders Inc., general contractors, and other consultants. The group established a working definition of sustainability that included the following objectives: chose self-perpetuating materials and resources, select materials derived from renewable resources, and support positive social and economic goals.

The difficulty of balancing preservation needs with sustainability goals became apparent when a product did not perform as desired. According to Carrie Strahan, NPS Warming Hut team lead, defending material choices during the budget process or facing resistance to an unusual specification was sometimes necessary. “We learned you’ve got to stick to your guns because once it’s in place, you can’t go back.” The team’s efforts paid off. The Warming Hut’s achievements in sustainability include:

• Building materials were selected based on recycled content, low toxicity levels and reuse potential;
• Retail products and fixtures were chosen based on their educational value and ability to meet sustainability objectives;
• Story panels and photographs used to interpret contextual themes were framed in recycled barn wood; and,
• The café uses local organic produce where possible and supports sustainable farming practices.

This collaborative effort has received positive reviews from visitors and the media, and demonstrates the Park’s dedication to sustainability preserving our nation’s natural and cultural resources.

Honorable Mention

Cynthia Cox, Assistant Superintendent, Rock Creek National Park and

Michael McMahon, Landscape Architect, National Capital Region

When Rock Creek National Park and the Friends of Montrose Park joined together to replace Montrose Park’s playground, they were not only trying to improve the environment, but protect the children who enjoyed the Park. The old playground was installed in the 1960’s, was covered in lead paint, and did not meet the Consumer Product Safety Council standards for playground safety. Because the playground was such a popular place for the community, Cynthia Cox and Michael McMahon recognized that this project should not be completed without input from its citizens. They formed a strong partnership with the Friends of Montrose Park to plan and design a new playground that would be enjoyable for the community and have a minimal environmental impact.

Every component of the new Montrose Park playground incorporates recycled materials. The custom-designed arms of the benches were made from recycled engine blocks, and all of the wooden parts were fabricated from certified plantation grown and harvested wood. The six new pieces of play equipment were made from recycled metal, and the surrounding 270 linear feet of wrought iron fence was fabricated from 100 percent domestic recycled material. In addition, the paint used on this fence was a low solvent-by-volume paint. The rubber surface covering the ground of the play area is constructed of 31,000 pounds of recycled truck tires and allows water to penetrate through, rather than cause surface water run-off.

This example of the federal government partnering with community-based organizations can serve as a model for other projects in which resources can be shared to work towards a common goal. As a result of Cynthia’s and Michael’s hard work and partnership with friends of Montrose Park, the children of the District of Columbia have a safe, attractive, environmentally friendly playground to enjoy for years to come.

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Don Durbin, Facility Manager

Park Location: Dinosaur National Monument

While maintaining a complex infrastructure and supervising the maintenance program at Dinosaur National Monument, Facility Manager Don Durbin has promoted a multitude of environmental initiatives. Fulfilling one of his collateral duties of serving as the Park’s Hazardous Materials Coordinator, Don helped implement the Intermountain Region’s Hazardous Communication (HazCom) training program, which included traveling to other Parks to help them set up their own HazCom programs, and training staff from other local and Federal government agencies.

Promoting and increasing renewable energy has been another one of Don’s priorities. Solar power now runs the Headquarters parking lot, several buildings, and two towers within the Park. The public can view some of these solar panels, and an interpretive program to explain the systems is currently being developed.

Don also played a major role in developing and implementing the Park’s Green Procurement program. Improved accountability through annual inventories and an annual hazardous materials collection has allowed Dinosaur National Monument to reduce its hazardous materials inventory to just a small percentage of what it once was. Other notable green procurement achievements include:

• Purchasing recycled plastic lumber picnic tables which can now be found in most picnic areas throughout the Park.
• Implementing the use of reusable oil filters for the Park’s vehicle fleet.
• Procuring re-chargeable spray cans; this has allowed the Park to phase out some cleaning products containing aerosol propellants.
• Substituting solvent-based cleaners used in the auto shop with a state of the art hot water parts cleaner. Don makes this cleaner available to other Parks in order to help them decide if they want to adopt this technology.

Clearly, Don demonstrates strong environmental stewardship and serves as an example of how one individual can help the National Park Service achieve its mission of preserving and protecting our natural resources.

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Terry Saunders, Facility Manager

Park Location: Big Cypress National Preserve

Terry Saunders has continually demonstrated commitment to natural resources while fulfilling his duties as Facility Manager at Big Cypress National Preserve. One of his biggest projects is the installation of a car wash station that will reuse water during the cleaning process. Water that has gone through the system will be collected and cycled through a series of tanks and a particulate filter, then reused for the next wash cycle. While Terry initially planned to use fresh water for the rinse cycle, he also researched the pros and cons of a completely “closed loop” system to see if it was possible to have a carwash that did not require fresh water to be added for every wash. Through his research, Terry learned that the most common complaints of a closed loop carwash are high maintenance filter replacements and filmy rinse water. Terry has decided to experiment with ways to avoid these problems and plans to build the carwash almost closed-loop. Settling tanks will be used to eliminate most of the need for filtration, which should reduce the maintenance associated with replacing filters. Also, some fresh water will be added to the rinse cycle to eliminate any soap film remaining in some closed loop systems. Terry is confident that this will result in a cost effective carwash that requires minimal fresh water.

In addition to this significant undertaking, Terry incorporates environmentally friendly practices into his routine activities. Whenever a building is being constructed or undergoes renovation, sustainable alternatives such as energy efficient lighting and recycled materials are purchased if they are cost-effective. Terry is working closely with design staff to ensure that the new visitor contact station, currently under construction, will be a “green” facility.

In regards to Big Cypress’ vehicle fleet, Terry has set a goal of phasing out all diesel fuel use and has taken the lead on replacing traditional fuel with biodiesel. In addition, he is researching quieter and more efficient motorized equipment such as airboats, swamp buggies, and electric vehicles.

In order to share his experiences with others and help other Parks improve their environmental performance, Terry serves as an NPS environmental auditor and was instrumental in planning the first Environmental Innovation “National Park Service Greening” workshop held at Big Cypress. Thanks to these efforts and others, Terry is helping the National Park Service achieve its mission of protecting and preserving natural resources for future generations.

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Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Concessioner

Park Locations: Yellowstone National Park Lodges and Grand Canyon National Park Lodges

Xanterra operates concessions at ten National Parks across the country and has made an outstanding effort to integrate environmental factors into business operations. Xanterra’s accomplishments include, but are not limited to, the following:

Company-wide:

• Developed a Baseline Resource Tracking System (BRTS) in all National Park operations to track electricity, natural gas, solid waste, solid waste recycled, water, gasoline, diesel, propane, hazardous waste, recycled hazardous waste, wastewater, and fuel oil.
• Hired environmental managers at National Park concession operations and expanded the Xanterra Environmental Network, an internal communications framework of engineers and environmental managers to share best management practices.
• Developed compliance policies for all National Park properties including a Paint Management Plan, Energy Conservation Guidelines, Green Office Initiative, Universal Waste Guidelines, and Fluorescent Lamp Management.
• Implemented a company-wide ban on polystyrene products to reduce waste and protect the ozone layer.

Yellowstone National Park Lodging (YNPL)

• Recycled over 601,000 pounds of materials, reduced electricity consumption by 12 percent, and reduced solid waste generation by four percent.
• Replaced all 45 rental snowmobiles with four-stroke engine snowmobiles, which are 65 percent more fuel-efficient than the previously owned two-stroke engines. All 28 rental boats also have four-stroke engines.
• Eliminated all dry cleaning operations, thus eliminating the need for perchloroethylene.
• Established a Chemical Review Committee to rigorously test and approve or ban the use of certain chemicals at YNPL facilities.
• Circulated a monthly employee newsletter, “Healthy Habitat and You,” with environmental, health, and safety information.

Grand Canyon National Park Lodges (GCNPL)

• Developed a formal environmental management system (EMS) based on both the ISO 14001 standards and NPS goals, executive orders, and guidelines that go well beyond compliance. The EMS covers: solid waste, energy and water conservation, wastewater treatment, hazardous materials and waste management, green procurement, environmental education, documentation, communication, monitoring and measurement, compliance, and reporting and record-keeping. It identifies 150 targeted actions in 17 different areas to be achieved in three years.
• Regularly cleaned “Adopt a River” and “Adopt a Highway” stretches.
• Recycled 560,000 pounds of materials and reduced paper usage by 25 percent.
• Maintained hydrous alcohol injectors and throttle controls in vehicle fleet, thus reducing visible emissions by 66 percent and increasing fuel economy by 19.7 percent.
• Recycled all antifreeze, chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, spent solvents, mercury-containing lamps and thermostats, used car batteries, and oil filters used by the vehicle maintenance division.
• Reduced water usage by 7 percent in 2001 through towel and linen reuse program and low flow showers and faucets.