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Subaru And NPCA's Initiative Successfully Eliminates 22 Million Pounds Of Waste From National Parks
Subaru of America, Inc. and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) have announced the significant impact of their nearly decade-long partnership. This collaboration, known as the Don’t Feed the Landfills Initiative, has successfully reduced waste in national parks since its inception in 2015.
The initiative began with three pilot parks: Denali National Park & Preserve, Grand Teton National Park, and Yosemite National Park. Subaru, leveraging its zero-landfill expertise, partnered with NPCA to launch this project. Together with the National Park Service (NPS) and the National Park Foundation (NPF), they engaged community partners to develop innovative waste reduction solutions.
Since its launch, the initiative has helped eliminate 22 million pounds of waste from national parks through reduction, recycling, composting, and educational efforts. Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Subaru of America, Inc., stated: "The Don’t Feed the Landfills Initiative has been an important undertaking at Subaru for nearly a decade and has led to the elimination of 22 million pounds of trash through recycling, composting, and educational initiatives."
The collaborative approach extended beyond just waste management. The initiative also focused on sustainable food packaging, reusable containers, visitor stewardship, and educational programming. These efforts resulted in enhanced recycling and composting infrastructure and standardized bin labeling to increase recycling participation.
The success of this initiative is largely due to its community-based approach. Nearly 60 park partners supported these efforts, extending their impact to nearby communities. The work that began at Denali, Grand Teton, and Yosemite has influenced how millions of visitors experience national parks while keeping waste out of these natural treasures.
Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of NPCA, remarked: "We were so proud to join forces with industry leader Subaru of America, the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service to address the significant waste challenges facing our national parks." She highlighted that their partnership has kept millions of pounds of waste out of parks and landfills while making recycling easier for visitors.
Infrastructure Improvements
Subaru also provided grant funding to support various improvements within the parks. This included over 1,000 new bear-proof containers and nearly 30 water-filling stations. These enhancements have contributed significantly to reducing waste and promoting sustainability within the parks.
The lessons learned from these pilot parks have been instrumental in developing best management practices around waste diversion and reduction. These practices align with NPS's strategic plans to phase out single-use plastics. As a result, single-use plastics kept out of landfills more than doubled at these pilot sites.
Future Sustainability Efforts
This initiative is part of Subaru Loves the Earth®, a philanthropic pillar under Subaru’s Love Promise. As a premier partner in NPF’s Resilience and Sustainability initiative, Subaru will continue funding environmental stewardship efforts across national parks in 2024 and beyond.
The Don’t Feed the Landfills Initiative provides a roadmap for other national parks like Big Bend and Zion to implement successful sustainable practices while reducing operating costs. This scalable model ensures that more parks can benefit from these proven strategies.
Subaru's commitment extends beyond this initiative. Over the past 20 years, Subaru has donated more than $320 million to various causes through SOA Foundation. Their employees have also logged over 100,000 volunteer hours.
About Subaru
Subaru of America is headquartered in Camden, N.J., marketing vehicles through about 640 retailers across the U.S. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants. The company is guided by the Subaru Love Promise vision to support communities nationwide.
About NPCA
Founded in 1919, NPCA is dedicated to protecting America's national parks for future generations. With over 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA works tirelessly to safeguard these iconic places.
This partnership between Subaru and NPCA exemplifies how collaborative efforts can lead to substantial environmental benefits while fostering community engagement around sustainability goals.
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