Going green

Phase one of a three-year plan to make the Great Smoky Mountains National Park more energy efficient came to a close with the park’s purchase of new equipment using a $239,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Park’s Initiative.

The purchases include five gasoline mowers converted to run on propane, three low-speed electric vehicles for campground use, and a pair of electric car-charging stations at each of the park’s two visitor centers. At each of the visitor centers, one of the two chargers is a D.C. fast charger, making the Smokies the first national park to install these faster stations.

Together, the improvements will help the park reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 40 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to the DOE, which has already approved funding for year two of the plan.