1. Bring your refillable water bottle and reusable shopping bag. Rather than buy single-use plastics, purchase a refillable water bottle and take advantage of the refillable water bottle stations found in many national parks. The same goes for shopping bags.

2. Support the Park Service and concessioners’ work to protect the places you love. As the Park Service and its vendors work to achieve plastic-free parks, choose their new Earth-friendly products and encourage businesses outside parks to model this ingenuity.

3. Recycle the plastics you do use. Always dispose of waste properly. Parks often have recycling bins in place alongside trash bins.

4. Skip the straw. Using a straw is often a reflexive act, something we are simply accustomed to doing without thinking about it. Dare to sip your drink without one, even if a server or check-out attendant offers it.

5. Join clean-up efforts. Parks often host clean-up days that need volunteer help. It’s a great way to get outdoors and meet other park enthusiasts while removing trash and plastic waste from park landscapes and waterways that otherwise may harm wildlife and spoil the visitor experience.

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Air & Climate Report

Polluted Parks

National parks are home to some of America’s most iconic landscapes and best-preserved cultural and historic sites, and these places need clean air and a healthy climate to flourish. Yet…

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Talladega Forest

A waterfall in the Talladega National Forest, part of Alabama’s Black Belt region.

© Jason P. Ross/Dreamstime

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