Parks' efforts | Contest winners | Online resources
DCR's state parks staff works hard to protect the environment and tell people why it’s so important.
The Conservation Contest
Everyone’s buzzing about being
green and adopting a more conservation-minded
approach to their daily lives. Within Virginia State Parks, we strive to do
our part to reduce our impact on the environment. Many practices we’ve
adopted are the same things you can do at home. Wherever possible, we 
recycle
aluminum and other metals, glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and other items.
We replace incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs.
We provide one set of linens and towels in our cabins for your cabin stay
(unless you specifically request additional linens) and urge visitors to air-dry
towels and wash cloths. Many state parks are listed on the VirginiaGreen
website,
and the rest are in the process of being listed. Park facilities are designated
as green conference centers, green restaurants, green lodging or a combination
thereof.
We use sustainable building techniques and renewable construction materials
whenever possible. We strive to build Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) certified buildings; LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark
for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings
endorsed by the United
States Green Building Council.
We purchase energy efficient appliances and equipment, many of which have achieved
the EPA Energy Star rating.
With these efforts and others, we try to protect the environment and serve as a model of conservation. But we know we can do more, which is why we sponsored a contest. Winners have been selected - click here (PDF) to read their suggestions.
We received many great suggestions and faced some tough decisions on awarding the prizes. In cases where we received multiple entries on the same topic or idea, we considered the scope of the submission and the date it was offered. All decisions are final. Many thanks to those who took the time to send us ideas.
For information about conservation, recycling, sustainable development and other environmental protection issues, please check out the following website links:
