Federal Energy Management Program Awards Recipients
Exceptional Service Award to Individuals
Harry Carpenter
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Joshua Tree National Park 
Twentynine Palms, California
harry_carpenter@nps.gov
Harry Carpenter is recognized for his dedication to sustainable practices at Joshua Tree National Park over the past ten years. His hard work and determination transformed the Park into a benchmark for green policies throughout the National Park Service. Mr. Carpenter creatively implemented numerous sustainable projects through a variety of programs, including private sector rebates, repair and rehabilitation funding, general operational upgrades, and technical assistance grants from the Federal Energy Management Program. During his tenure at Joshua Tree National Park, eight diesel-powered generators have been replaced with nine solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Two additional grid-tied PV systems now provide 60 percent of the electricity requirements of the Park Headquarters. Construction of a new sustainable operation office complex is underway, complete with a covered parking area roofed with photovoltaic panels. This PV array, along with the 64 kilowatt system already in place, is projected to meet more than 90 percent of the Park's electrical demand. Two brand new facilities utilize sustainable building materials such as recycled glass, tire, lumber, and concrete, while also incorporating energy-saving technologies such as double paned windows, high efficiency appliances and lighting, and motion sensors. To further reduce pollutants, the Park now operates eight compressed natural gas (CNG) re-fueling stations serving eight CNG vehicles. Ten electric vehicles are used in the management of nine campgrounds, all of which power up via PV power generation. Finally, the Joshua Tree National Park volunteer recycling program has recycled over 100 tons of recyclables since it was established in 1996. Taken together, all of the practices put in place by Mr. Carpenter are saving approximately $44,000 annually in energy costs.
2004 Federal Energy Saver Showcase
Parker River Visitor Center & Administrative Headquarters
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts
Environmentally benign construction practices make the Parker River Visitor Center and Administrative Headquarters an exemplary model of sustainable design. Special care was taken at the site to restore disturbed land to natural habitats of wetland, field, woods, and coastal areas by planting native species of trees, shrubs, forbs, and grasses and utilizing soil excavated from storm runoff cleansing basins as loam throughout the site. Green building construction incorporated the use of recycled building materials and low-VOC building materials, including engineered wood, plastic lumber, linoleum flooring, fiberboard, sheetrock, exterior decking, tile, deck piers, and carpet with high recycled content. Water conservation technologies, including directing roof runoff to groundwater recharge, recirculating geothermal well water, installing low-flush toilets, and implementing other best water management practices, save more than 500,000 gallons of water per year. Passive solar techniques such as southeast building orientation and daylighting, along with super insulation of the building envelope; high-efficiency lighting with self-adjusting dimmers; and a geothermal heat exchange system for heating and cooling, reduce energy use by 41 percent over a traditional office building. The geothermal heat exchange system for heating and cooling is calculated to save $9,000 in energy costs annually.