Green Acres

You are never too old to learn, and that counts double for taking care of the environment.

The Associated Press reported this week that National Park employees are stepping up their game in keeping America green. While I guess we all assumed they were on the forefront of environmental issues by the very nature of their jobs, such has not always been the case in part because of budget issues. Federal stimulus money is helping to change that.

The National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency recently launched the Climate Friendly Parks program to assist in making our parks, well, even greener. A list of 60 parks are currently developing new, eco-friendlier plans, while the Florida Everglades and 16 others already have plans in place. With government support, parks are taking actions like replacing government vehicles with more fuel-efficient ones, sealing windows, turning down the A/C, loaning bikes and installing more recycling bins. On a larger scale, the national parks are looking at solar installation, electric vehicles and even wind turbines. Driving in and around the park accounts for much of the carbon emission, so there's also an effort to provide more publication transportation.

The stimulus money — $750 million for National Parks — can help with transportation, energy efficiencies and everything else that's been put on the backburner for years. It also means, when you take your family to a park on vacation, our national natural treasures and their employees will serve as role models for making America a greener place.