October 24, 2003
For Immediate Release
DENALI NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE’S INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS EARN TWO GREEN STAR AWARDS
Guided by an Environmental Innovation and Leadership policy and program, Denali National Park and Preserve has developed and instituted a wide range of initiatives that have earned both a Green Star and Air Quality Award from Green Star. These programs include: an extensive reuse and recycling program; new energy conservation measures; and creative methods for improving air quality.
After construction of a new recycling building, the Park’s recycling and reuse program, which was expanded to include a wide range of materials, has boosted the total volume recycled in fiscal year 2003 to 27 tons. This is 3.5 times greater than collected the previous year. Collection of recyclables throughout housing compounds, and inclusion
of recycling collection in new concessions contracts will continue to encourage this trend.
One challenge, unique to Denali National Park, is managing the waste from a 30-plus sled dog kennel. The sled dogs, a tourist attraction during the summer months, and transportation for park rangers during the winter, generate 9,000 pounds of waste annually. This waste is composted and made available for landscaping purposes. Even the dogs’ shedded fur is put to use by local crafts people for making yarn and wearable items.
To conserve energy, Denali Park is installing motion sensors to replace switches in public areas, replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents lamps, and posting signs to remind employees to turn off lights.
For the Air Quality Award, the Park has instituted a number of programs. To reduce pollution from vehicles and increase energy efficiency, Denali National Park and Preserve is adding timers to outlets for engine block heaters, and has gone even further with the installation of thermocords in park vehicles to reduce energy consumption associated with engine block heaters. These cords monitor the temperature of the coolant in the vehicle and only heat the engine when necessary.
The Park’s alternative energy program has led to the installation of a hybrid generator with photovoltaic solar panels with a battery backup at Eielson Visitor Center, a propane hybrid generator at Wonder Lake Ranger Station, and conversion from electric to propane heat at Toklat Road Camp.
These are just a few of the efforts which have earned Denali National Park and Preserve the Green Star and Air Quality Awards, as well as the 2003 Environmental Achievement Award from the Department of the Interior, and the Champions for Environmental Leadership and “Green” Government Innovation from U.S. EPA Region 10.
To expand on this momentum, the Park will host a “Greening of Denali Workshop” in the summer of 2004 designed to assist the entire park-area community in becoming sustainable. For further information regarding these innovative programs, or details on the 2004 workshop, please call Mike Cobbold at (907) 683-6390.
For further information about Green Star, please visit our web site at www.greenstarinc.org or contact Sean Skaling by phone at 278-7827, or via email at sean@greenstarinc.org.
###
