Klondike Gold Rush National Park

The EMS team at Klondike is a nine person team making up approximately twenty percent of the park’s employees.  With the help of an outside consultant in October 2012, the team performed a systematic review to identify the park’s impact, goals, and potential legacy projects.  One of these goals was a green purchasing initiative which included the acquisition of biobased oils and lubricants.  In the frontcountry, lubricants and oils are most commonly used for forklifts, man-lifts, vehicles, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and generators; whereas, in the backcountry, chainsaws and other two-cycle engines are more commonly serviced.

The Challenge of Remote Locations

Klondike’s location prevents the possibility of field testing different products as they generally purchase in bulk.  EMS Chairman, Cory Thole, conducted independent research to initiate the park’s biobased purchases before cross-referencing his findings with USDA’s BioPreferred Catalog.   Thus, the EMS team initially chose the Renewable Lubricant brand due to the comprehensive data and testimony available on the manufacturer’s website.  Trail Supervisor Aric Baldwin verified that while there was no opportunity for field testing, the biobased products have been used extensively on the trails and there have yet to be any problems. The first acquisition was made in 2010 and by 2014 the park had completed its transition to 100% biobased oils and lubricants.  Other biobased products including all-purpose cleaner, siding cleaner, grill and surface cleaner, and green car wash are currently in use, but a switch to 100% biobased cleaners has not yet been accomplished.

There were substantial additional costs associated with the use of biobased oils and lubricants.  Members of the EMS team confirmed that biobased procurement was actually “many times more expensive” than procurement of traditional petroleum-based products. In 2010, the team acquired a 55 gallon barrel of biobased motor oil for approximately three times the cost of standard oil, which they can acquire locally.  Today, the additional cost is slightly less, but still about twice as expensive per Thole’s calculations:

If we were to buy the Renewable Lubricants [5w20] barrel today the cost would be $1586.32 delivered to Alaska Marine Lines in Seattle and then the additional $137.85 to ship it to Skagway for a total of $7.84/quart. The cheapest we could get a barrel of fossil fuel based 5w20 to Skagway would be $862.95 or $3.93/quart or 50% the cost of the renewable lubricants product. Ultimately, the increased cost of biobased products appears to be market driven and there is always the additional shipping cost to get it to Skagway.

Still, on behalf of the EMS team, Thole concluded, “The benefit of using a non-fossil fuel based lubricant or oil also outweighs any cost increase in our opinion and ultimately we are mandated to reduce our fossil fuel products.” Bulk purchasing does assuage some of the cost increases, even if the park’s immediate needs are grossly exceeded.   The drum purchased in 2010, for instance, is still half full five years later due to the fleet’s low mileage and the addition of six electric vehicles in recent years. Fortunately, the cost of cleaning products and Green Earth Technology products are actually comparable to “standard” products and shipping costs are eliminated when the team uses Amazon Prime or Grainger.

The more burdensome challenge the park faced and continues to face is behavioral as employees struggle to habitually choose the biobased products.  EMS team members found that without a formal mandate, employees do not always incorporate biobased choices into standard operating procedure.  This is exacerbated by their bulk purchasing, which extends to non-biobased products.  Transitioning to 100% biobased cleaning products, for instance, requires the park to first use the cases of Windex already in stock.  As Thole bluntly stated, “The challenge is getting folks to remember to use [the biobased products].” To combat these circumstances, the EMS team must constantly inform and remind both the employees responsible for purchasing as well as the employees who should be using the biobased products.

Building Public Support

One of Klondike’s ongoing missions is engagement as the EMS team attempts to inform and involve tourists and the local community.  The Skagway visitors’ guide, distributed to the 600,000 cruise ship visitors every year, includes information on the biobased activities at the park and the team envisions setting up a display in the trail center to showcase the biobased products used at the park.  

EMS team member Scott Logan has reached out to the local community directly, bringing the railroad and local utility samples of the biobased products used at Klondike. Unfortunately, the absence of local suppliers has, for now, stymied the effort to bring biobased to the community.  However, one of Klondike’s critical long term goals is to launch a green purchasing agreement with the municipality, school, and local private industries to reduce the costs of products and the associated shipping.  A collaborative purchasing plan is an innovative solution to the likely enduring issues associated with the park’s location. Should this green purchasing agreement come to fruition, the team would be able to effectively reduce costs while promoting environmental stewardship in their remote corner of the country.

In the nearer term, the EMS team has established a new 2016 target for biobased cleaning and janitorial supplies.  Multipurpose cleaners, degreasers, solvents for parts cleaner, toilet and bathroom sanitation supplies, glass cleaners, floor care products and other related products must all be listed in the USDA BioPreferred Catalog.  In addition to catalog inclusion, the new products must also meet the park’s previously established 2012 goal of being third party certified as a sustainable or green product. The team hopes this will result in a reduced impact on the environment and municipal waste water system, reduced hazardous chemical use, and a safer work and visitor environment.

The efforts put forth at Klondike are both admirable and replicable. Motivated primarily by a commitment to environmental stewardship, EMS teams members Johnnie Powell, Scott Logan, Gregory Clem, and Aric Baldwin all agree that the switch was simply the “responsible thing to do.” The team takes pride in their work, their workplace, and their surrounding environment. They hope to change the mentality of their fellow employees and community members from “we have to do this” to “we want to do this.” EMS Chairman Thole had one final piece of advice for his peers struggling to meet biobased goals, "Make decisions and complete objectives not because they are easy, the normal SOP, or because you will be recognized for them, but, because they will be appreciated by all future inhabitants of the planet."

Aric Baldwin, maintenance worker – supervisor (trails), putting biobased oil to use in the backcountry. Photo courtesy of Klondike Gold Rush National Park.

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