Nature is more than Birds and Bunnies
The Role of Parks & Rec in Global
Climate Change
By: Paul Gilbert, Executive Director
Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
Parks have always had a role in nature education. They are where the public goes to experience
and learn about the natural world. Many
agencies have nature centers, guided hike or paddling trips, nature-focused
summer camps, and more. But most of
those programs and facilities are focused on local flora and fauna (birds and
bunnies). There has always been and will
always be some demand for this. However,
if parks and recreation is to remain relevant and important in our communities,
we need to address the important issues of today. And, in the environmental field, nothing is
bigger than global climate change. From
extreme weather events to rising sea levels to reduced crop yields, the effects
of climate change are front page news.
These planet altering impacts are caused by greenhouse gases
like carbon pollution heating our atmosphere. It may all seem too global to address on a
local level, but it is not, and park agencies can be local leaders in promoting
sustainability and educating people about what they can do.
Reducing your footprint:
In 2005, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
adopted energy conservation plans for each park. At the same time, it started tracking its
carbon footprint. Using the accounting
system, instead of just recording utility costs, it also recorded units of
consumption for all fuels, so it could calculate its carbon footprint. Every year, the facility that had the greatest
reduction in energy consumption is recognized and awarded at an all staff
meeting.
Results: While
carbon emissions in 2012 were virtually the same as in 2005, our park system
has grown dramatically from 19 to 25 parks and from $10 to 16 million in
enterprise revenues. With enterprise
revenues as a good measure of activity, the Northern Virginia Regional Park
Authority has been able to go from 350 tons of carbon per $1 million of
enterprise revenue to just 235 tons. That
indicates a great increase in efficiency!
How it was achieved:
While many methods were used, the real answer to how it was achieves is the
same answer to how anything is achieved…Focus. In all aspects of life you will go where you
place your focus. In this case, focus
has meant tracking results, creating plans and making many small decisions that
collectively move you in the direction you want. These small steps include:
·
Having a policy that the “life cycle costs” of
any energy consuming system is considered.
This means that you may not buy the cheapest equipment if that equipment
uses more energy in the long run.
·
Addressing “low hanging fruit” like lighting and
insulation to improve the energy consumption of existing buildings.
·
Building new structures with green building
elements that improve efficiency.
·
Using a wide range of technologies like
geothermal heat pumps, electric and hybrid vehicles, solar panels and programmable
thermostats.
Educate the Public:
Reducing your carbon footprint is just a small part of the answer for park and
recreation organizations. At least as
important is our role in educating the public, so they can learn how to be more
sustainable in their lives too.
In 2009, Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington
Virginia revamped its aging nature center. The new center has an energy theme throughout
the exhibits, from the solar power that creates plant life, throughout the whole
chain of life up to humans and how we use energy. This center connects how we live to all the
life on our planet. It is a different
approach from the dusty, taxidermied beavers of traditional nature centers. And it is an approach that connects nature to
people in more relevant ways.
In 2013 the two all LED holiday light shows that the
Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority operates will have renewable energy
credits purchased to offset their power consumption. This initiative has come
from a sponsorship deal with Dominion Power for the light show. This is yet
another opportunity to educate the public about carbon footprint and
sustainability.
Park agencies have always had a key role in connecting
people to the natural world. In a world
where our natural environment is changing rapidly as a result of climate
change, we need to change just as fast in how we connect with the public on
these issues and offer leadership in how to be part of the solution.
