White Space
The massive viewing platform at Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone is constructed of recycled-content plastic, demonstrating to thousands of tourists daily the practicality of this tough and sensible wood alternative. Unilever Home and Personal Care–USA, in conjunction with a cost-share agreement with the park, obtained the plastic lumber, valued at over $300,000, which was produced from the equivalent of more than 4 million plastic milk jugs.
shawn_norton@nps.gov
Environmental Leadership Program Coordinator, Office of the Director; Washington, D.C.
dan_kimball@nps.gov
Chief, Water Resources Division; Natural Resource Program Center; Fort Collins, Colorado
Back to Chapter 1: New Horizons
Natural Resource Challenge addresses natural resource protection needs
by Abigail Miller and Douglas K. Morris
Thrusts of the Natural Resource Challenge
Resources Careers implemented
by Kathy M. Davis
Natural resources law and policy course revived for superintendents
by Carol McCoy, Bob Karotko, and Sharon Kliwinski
SUWA case has ramifications for NPS management policies
by Chick Fagan
From local to regional: A new focus for air resources protection
by Bruce Polkowsky
Award-Winner Profile--Kathy Davis
by Shawn Norton and Dan Kimball
For national park visitors, the promise of the parks is to reconnect their lives to the natural and cultural resources around them. Expectations also include the protection of the environment through sound management practices. Thus the activities of the National Park Service and its concessionaires must be sensitive to the park environment, in addition to the larger environment we all influence. To ensure this, the National Park Service must perform its operations in a sustainable manner. Sustainability has been defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This definition complements the language used by the founders of the National Park Service, with which they outlined a mission that conserves wildlife, scenery, and natural and historical objects, leaving them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
During 1999 the National Park Service was busy developing a comprehensive plan to realize this vision of sustainability through a new program called Environmental Leadership (for more information see www.nps.gov/renew/). Through this effort, the Park Service will educate its visitors by showcasing sustainability in building design and construction, energy and water usage, transportation, natural and cultural resource management, waste management, procurement, contracting, and concessions management. Tools are being developed to assist parks in meeting new sustainability goals, including reissuing the landmark NPS publication Guiding Principles of Sustainable Design (1995, second edition, D-902). Environmental compliance for the National Park Service and concession facilities and activities will also be stressed. To achieve this objective, the Park Service is implementing an environmental auditing program that will measure and track environmental performance at every park. This effort will result in enhanced natural resource protection and, as such, complement the Natural Resource Challenge.
The National Park Service has many existing park programs and projects that demonstrate environmental leadership. For example, the "Greening of Yellowstone" is an ongoing project designed to investigate all business practices taking place in the park for opportunities to practice sustainability. A cleaning-products substitution program has eliminated an inventory of 130 cleaning products, many of which are highly toxic, to just 20 environmentally preferable ones. A boardwalk restoration project at Old Faithful uses recycled-content plastic lumber that withstands environmental extremes better than wood. These efforts have also led to profound changes outside the park. For example, a creative recycling program has brought together nine counties and two states to more cost effectively reuse crushed glass. In another project, five counties have joined the Park Service to build a municipal waste-composting facility on U.S. Forest Service land that is managed by a private firm.
"Sustainability has been defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."
Implementing the Environmental Leadership Program in the National Park Service will require a careful evaluation of every program and an effort by every NPS staff. From the cleaning of restrooms to the management of vehicle fleets, from conserving energy to ensuring environmental compliance, opportunities to practice sustainability and environmental leadership are everywhere. The leaders of the future will need to recognize these opportunities and the deeper connection between NPS actions and park resources. As a result, the NPS mission will become more recognizable to the public and make the National Park Service better stewards of the land.
(See the related news brief on alternative transportation systems around the national park system.)
This material is from Natural Resource Year in Review--1999; published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, August 2000 (publication D-1406)
/YearInReview/yir/yir99/pages/01horizons/05norton_environmental.htm
Last Updated: 09/26/00
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