Summer is almost over and you might be wondering about your next outdoor adventure. With peak foliage season just around the corner, New York has a system of 250+ state parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, and boat launches that are a perfect opportunity to enjoy our unique landscape for leaf peeping. As the leaves begin to change, you may have also noticed a few other changes happening within your local state park systems–clean energy solutions. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is celebrating their centennial by committing to transitioning to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Already we can see the park systems undergo changes to reach this goal and help New York build climate resilience and navigate community risks, like extreme heat.
OPRHP ON CLEAN ENERGY
John Craig, Digital Specialist at OPRHP, provides reflections on these transitions to combat climate change:
The Centennial celebration at New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) is just as much about looking back at how things began as it is looking forward to what the next 100 years might bring. If this next century has as many changes and advances as the last one, our millions of visitors are in for quite a ride!
When it comes to clean energy, OPRHP is leading by example with a wide range of efforts–from heat pumps, solar arrays, and electric vehicles (EVs), to recycling infrastructure and reduced mowing programs.Our system is leading efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and fleet vehicles. With more frequent heat waves and extreme weather events, green spaces and public lands are critical to making New York communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.The main goal of our Centennial Campaign includes facing the realities of climate change by making park facilities more resilient to climate change and sea level rise through the next century.
Energy Audits and Upgrades
Across the state, OPRHP has 6,000 buildings at our parks and historic sites. For a decade now, OPRHP has been actively assessing energy performance of these locations, with 55 ASHRAE Level II energy audits completed to date and another 20 planned through 2025. These audits help identify energy efficiency measures, including building envelope improvements, lighting, occupancy sensors, and low water use fixtures. Audits are also key to cost-effectively phasing out the use of fossil fuels in building systems. Since 2015, energy efficiency upgrades have saved over 700 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, or the equivalent of taking 167 gas-powered vehicles off the road. Moving forward, OPRHP is prioritizing electrification of all new or modified building systems to continue decarbonizing its facilities and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Electric Landscaping & Solar
Implemented in 2019, our reduced mowing program has saved nearly 30,000 hours of staff time, reduced carbon dioxide emissions by over 1,400 tons, and saved over $260,000 in fuel costs. Additionally, reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is also realized through OPRHP’s current commitment to replacing gas-powered handheld equipment (i.e., chainsaws and leaf blowers) with all-electric handheld equipment when they have reached their end of life. Moreover, our goal to transition to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 has driven solar arrays strategically sited on building rooftops, parking lots, and previously disturbed land. Statewide, Parks’ operations consume around 45 million kilowatt hours of electricity (the same annual usage as about 4,000 homes). Right now, OPRHP has over 50 solar installations totaling more than six megawatts of renewable energy, and 14% of current annual electricity use.
OUR PERSPECTIVE
OPRHP has clearly demonstrated a “lead from the front” mentality that we appreciate and align with. Recently, Clean Energy Program Director, Jill Henck, with the Adirondack North Country Association (a partner organization) defended the Climate Act in a recent article. She calls to action community leaders, governments, and other stakeholders to also lead from the front when it comes to climate resiliency strategies, like the clean energy upgrades made by the OPRHP. More specifically, Henck is a member of the Climate Justice Working Group that established the Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) criteria, and she urges “rural stakeholders to have a voice in this conversation” (read full article here).
Not only do we value this mentality, but we also value the vast partnerships around the North Country who have supported these changes, and helped us understand the challenges and barriers our communities face. We acknowledge the uneven terrain of moving towards climate resiliency strategies and aim to make accessible solutions for the diverse landscapes of the North Country. For example, through partnerships, we are able to co-host a “North Country Drive Electric Expo” at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake on September 28th. Many organizations are aligning with what OPRHP has already started integrating and aim to have 100 percent EV fleets by 2035. This type of event allows community engagement and discussion about the realities of owning/operating EVs in the North Country. It also fosters opportunities to understand infrastructure needs and potential solutions to our current economic and energy challenges.
Our team at the North Country Clean Energy Hub will be at many community engagement events, like this one, during the Fall season to offer solutions for energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy adoption. With these changes, we hope to enjoy many more leaf peeping seasons in the generations to come.
If you are interested in visiting one of the many NYS Park locations that have made clean energy upgrades, you can find a list here.
