Golden Gate National Recreation Area celebrates acceptance of EPA Federal Green Challenge Award

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in San Francisco, California, recently won a Federal Green Challenge award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its significant carbon footprint reduction in 2015.
 
“The Golden Gate National Recreation Area has made impressive progress towards its goal of becoming a carbon neutral park,” EPA Acting Deputy Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest Deborah Jordan said. “Through a combination of solar installations and strategic energy purchasing, nearly 100 percent of its annual energy use comes from renewable sources.”
 
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is an 80,000-acre national park in the San Francisco Bay Area that encompasses more than 1,200 historic buildings. The park purchases 100 percent renewable energy for its buildings through the “Deep Green” MCE Clean Energy Community Choice Aggregation program and the “SuperGreen” San Francisco Public Utility Commission program. Additionally, the park has installed solar panels that provide energy for its Fort Mason headquarters and Alcatraz Island.
 
“We hope to use our efforts as an example not only for other national parks but also for our visitors and the surrounding community,” Golden Gate National Recreation Area Acting Superintendent Aaron Roth said. “In this way, we hope to amplify our impact and do our part to turn the tide against climate change.”