Subscribe
 |
What is RSS
|
Contact: Mary Pat Doorley, 440-546-5995
Cuyahoga Valley Receives "Climate Friendly Park" Status
Brecksville, Ohio – Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) has become the first national park site in Ohio to achieve the status of "Climate Friendly Park". As a participant in the Climate Friendly Parks program (CFP), CVNP belongs to a network of 106 national parks nationwide that are committed to reducing resource consumption, cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and educating staff and the public about climate change and sustainability.
Climate Friendly Parks (CFP) Program began as a partnership with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Park Service (NPS) to help parks understand the concepts of climate change and in turn communicate these concepts and success stories to park staff, visitors, and partners.
NPS staff, partners, and sustainability/climate change experts gathered in April, 2013 to hold a Climate Friendly Parks Workshop to better understand and discuss overall sustainability concepts, ways to reduce park emissions and energy consumption, and the likely impacts of climate change on the park. Analysis by the park completed for the workshop identified purchased electricity, transportation and stationary combustion (heating/cooling systems), as the key impacts of the park. Strategies and a list of proposed actions were developed by working groups.
CVNP has identified the following goals to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions produced by park operations:
- Reduce energy use consumption emissions to 30% below 2008 levels by 2020
- Reduce waste emissions to 50% below 2008 levels by 2020
- Reduce transportation emissions to 20% below 2008 levels by 2020
"In addition to reducing GHG emissions, we plan to increase climate change and sustainability education and outreach efforts," said Paul Stoehr, Acting Superintendent. "We will continue our restoration efforts in the park as well as complete a vulnerability study to protect park resources from the likely impacts of climate change."
The Climate Friendly Parks designation is the most recent effort in the park’s desire to become more sustainable. Efforts to date have included lighting conversions to LED, increasing the park’s recycling and solid waste diversion, etc.
To view the CVNP Climate Action Plan, visit http://www.nps.gov/cuva/parkmgmt/sustainability.htm.
CVNP encompasses 33,000 acres along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Managed by the National Park Service, CVNP combines cultural, historical, recreational, and natural activities in one setting. For more information visit www.nps.gov/cuva or call 330-657-2752.
View the CVNP Climate Action Plan Summary here.
View the full CVNP Climate Action Plan here.