Photo Credit: Courtesy of PERC
Parks and recreation facilities are facing new challenges as public budgets shrink and changing climates add unpredictable elements to operations, maintenance, and planning activities. On top of these, private donors and boards are increasingly requesting that funds be directed toward more energy-efficient—and sometimes costly—improvements.
However, there is an alternative fuel that can help parks of all sizes manage these challenges and continue to meet, or even exceed, the expectations of local residents, visitors, and budgets—propane. The fuel is widely available across the United States and Canada, can be used in a variety of applications, and is consistently less expensive than gasoline and diesel. In fact, approximately 90 percent of the propane in the U.S. is also produced within the country, which helps insulate costs from the whims of the global oil market and can be a huge help when it comes time to plan budgets.
Here are several ways that propane can support parks inside, outside, and year-round: