Climate Friendly Parks Program at Cape Cod National Seashore

Climate Friendly Parks

The Climate Friendly Parks Program (CFP) is a collaboration of the National Park Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that helps parks with comprehensive support and with tools and resources to address climate change both within park boundaries and in surrounding communities.

Cape Cod National Seashore has taken the steps to becoming a Climate Friendly Park, including developing a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions inventory, completing and committing to implement a Climate Action Plan, and committing to ongoing monitoring of GHG reduction progress and reporting the results.

See some of our completed and projected climate-friendly actions and get ideas of your own:

Energy

Completed and Ongoing Actions

• Worked with Cape Light Compact to switch to LED lighting in public park buildings.

• Installed solar photovoltaic arrays to reduce fossil fuel use at the Herring Cove and Nauset Light Beach bathhouse facilities and the Highlands Center. Case Study: Cape Cod's Solar Arrays (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

• Inventoried all appliances and replaced ones 10 years or older with ENERGY STAR or better.

Planned Actions

• Analyze Blue Carbon contributions to GHG emissions reductions for entire national seashore.

• Request funds to install solar roofing on park buildings with battery storage.

• Implement programmable thermostats, LED lighting, and insulation projects throughout the park.

• Upgrade HVAC systems with electric-based or geothermal units to reduce fossil fuel use.

Transportation

Completed and Ongoing Actions

• Accepted DOE Clean Cities program funds for several electric vehicles in 2017 along with Level 2 EV chargers for park fleet use.

• Coordinated free EV charging station opportunity from NPF-BMW for Town of Wellfleet town hall.

• Switched from diesel to B-20 biodiesel for park vehicles and purchased more hybrid vehicles.

• Used non-asphalt surface for new bike trail connector to pilot alternative surfacing options.

Planned Actions

• Request vehicle replacement funds to green park fleet vehicles with alternate fuel models.

• Explore funding opportunities for alternative fuel trams and recreation activities in the park to improve transit, safe bicycling, and walking opportunities.

• Implement beach shuttles in cooperation with local communities when possible and erosion reduces access.

• Replace gasoline powered equipment with electric alternatives (i.e., lawn mowers and chainsaws)

Waste

Completed and Ongoing Actions

• Installed recycle signs and bins at each beach to encourage a greater degree of visitor recycling.

• Use almost all green and non-toxic janitorial products and bio-based lubricants in the auto shop.

• Discontinued landscape watering and fertilizing at the park.

• Installed water bottle filling stations at all six beach and visitor center facility locations.

• Implemented a construction waste management plan and job site recycling policy.

Planned Actions

• Engage staff to further reduce, recycle, and manage waste at work and buy green materials.

• Maximize web-based communications to reduce use of paper and printing, including digital record-keeping system.

• Provide added water bottle filling stations at park facilities.

Education

Completed and Ongoing Actions

• Created demonstration projects, exhibits, and outreach materials to convey park sustainability message to visitors.

• Incorporated sessions on climate change and climate friendly actions into all-employee staff trainings.

• Installed a coastal resiliency and adaptation wayside at Nauset Light Beach and a preserving the night sky wayside at Head of the Meadow Beach.

Planned Actions

• Continue to create and distribute new and previously produced information on climate change and its effects on national parks and on Cape Cod National Seashore.

• Encourage internal and external stakeholders to reduce their carbon footprints in cooperation with Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative's Net Zero efforts.

Climate Change Information
What is climate change? How does it affect our national parks, and specifically Cape Cod National Seashore?

Learn more at these links:
Climate Change at Cape Cod National Seashore
National Park Service Climate Change Response