Resilience & Sustainability

Keeping Parks Green for Future Generations

National parks belong to all of us, and the National Park Foundation (NPF), together with our partners, is making these national treasures more resilient and sustainable for the benefit of both parks and the people who love them. Through this work, NPF is applying innovation and expertise to make park infrastructure more environmentally friendly and sustainable, while enhancing environmental stewardship.

From modernizing campgrounds and reducing waste to conserving water resources and powering parks with renewable energy, these programs support work across the National Park System to integrate sustainability practices into all aspects of operations.

The preservation of our parks is central to the National Park Service’s (NPS) mission, and NPS’ Green Parks Plan acts as a road map to build resilient, green infrastructure and educate park visitors on climate change and sustainability. NPF’s Resilience & Sustainability programs reduce environmental impact and protect our parks’ resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

Program Highlights

Recycling receptacles at the base of Yosemite

Don't Feed the Landfills

A multi-year waste reduction initiative funded by NPF and its partners, including Subaru of America, Inc., at three national parks – Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Denali – led to new recycling and composting infrastructure, dedicated staff for educational outreach, and marketing and labeling efforts to decrease contamination in recycling bins. Since its 2015 launch, there has been a 32% reduction in waste sent to landfills, keeping 16 million pounds of waste out of landfills while increasing recycling best practices among visitors.

The Washington Monument on the National Mall in the distance under blue skies

Recycling in America's Front Yard

Since 2009, NPF and our partner Coca-Cola have supported recycling efforts at the National Mall and Memorial Parks. From the placement of recycling bins throughout the Mall and education programs on the importance of recycling, to a waste stream analysis that kicked off in 2019, NPF has worked with NPS and partners to improve recycling across the Mall.

A hand reaches out to refill a waterbottle at a bottle refill station in a park

Water Bottle Refilling Stations

NPS manages nearly 70 million pounds of waste across the country annually. As part of our waste reduction strategy, NPF has focused on increased access to water bottle refilling stations. In 2021, NPF is funding the installation of water bottle refill stations in parks across the country to support the joint NPF and NPS goal of waste reduction, specifically around plastics.

Resilience & Sustainability Partners

Our Resilience & Sustainability partners believe in the power of the national parks and keeping them green for future generations.

PREMIER

Tupperware

Loved and trusted for generations, Tupperware®, a leader in innovative and functional design, is proud to support waste reduction and diversion efforts in national parks. Since 1946, the company has been committed to nurturing a better future for people, communities and the environment. Tupperware knows that waste is a compounding issue at parks across the country and continues to increase as more visitors explore the inspiration that these iconic places offer. As a premier partner of the National Park Foundation’s Resilience & Sustainability initiative, the company has pledged to support efforts to keep parks green and enhance environmental stewardship with a focus on reusable products. Learn more about Tupperware.

Additional program support provided by Hydro Flask.

How You Can Help

By donating to the National Park Foundation, you support programs like these that help decrease our environmental impact and protect our parks’ resources for current and future generations.

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