Regardless of whether you believe climate change is being driven by human causes, efforts to see a reduction in greenhouse gases and other pollutants can only benefit society. To help you reduce your own "carbon footprint," the National Parks Conservation Association is launching a public awareness campaign.

Armed with a $200,000 grant from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the NPCA is embarking on a "Do Your Part!" campaign to educate park visitors on how they can reduce their carbon footprint.

The grant will fund outreach and education at dozens of national parks and their local communities and at hundreds of schools. The "Do Your Part! for Climate Friendly Parks" program educates people about the size of their carbon footprint, and asks them to shrink it to help reduce the effects of climate change on national parks.

"The impacts of climate change are the greatest challenge facing America's national parks. From melting glaciers to disappearing wildlife, national parks are on the front lines of this unnatural disaster," says Mark Wenzler, director of Clean Air and Climate Programs for NPCA. "This grant will enable us to educate more of the parks' almost 300 million visitors about what they can do to lessen those impacts."

The NPCA was one of four nonprofits to receive a grant under GMCR's Changing Climate Change initiative. In addition to the grants, the coffee company's climate change campaign includes operational initiatives, employee incentives to reduce carbon emissions, and the purchase of carbon offsets.

"Climate change poses a threat to our business, and to our entire ecosystem," says Michael Dupee, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for the coffee company. "The National Parks Conservation Association's project will leverage information, tools and a sense of community, as well as the high traffic patronage of our national parks system, to support long-term emissions-reducing behavior change."

The $200,000 grant is payable over five years. Details on the project, and the three other winning proposals, can be seen [url=http://www.gmcr.com/csrhere[/url].

The "Do Your Part!" program supports the work of dozens of "climate friendly" national parks throughout the country that have pledged to become leaders in educating the public about climate change and what we can all do to lessen our impact on the environment.

"Do Your Part!" was developed for the U.S. EPA and National Park Service by ICF International. To learn more about climate friendly parks, visit this site. To learn more about Do Your Part! visit this site.

"The Climate Friendly Parks Program recognizes that the greatest impact that our national parks can have on addressing climate change is through public education," said Shawn Norton, the Park Service's chief of climate change and sustainability branch. "The Do Your Part! Program represents an opportunity to engage national parks visitors on a continual basis and empower them to take actions that will reduce the impact of climate change on the public lands that they love. Together, if we all do our part, we can protect our national parks for future generations."