PROGRESS REPORT
The Sustainability Branch at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) continues to prioritize and implement cost-effective utility efficiency measures. Water conservation remains important to TPWD, as water resources have a direct impact on regular agency operations. The Sustainability Branch aids the Infrastructure Division in construction projects for new and existing facilities, always advocating to prioritize funds on rainwater catchment, investment in water-conserving fixtures and drought resiliency. Water usage tracking is still a work in progress as we continue to train staff on the correct processes for utility bill payment and migrate agency water bills into our utility management system to better track usage.
We are currently working on providing fuel analysis and purchasing recommendations to each division in the agency to reduce overall fuel use and incorporate more efficient vehicles into the agency fleet. This past year, the Fleet Branch at Austin headquarters added two hybrid vehicles into their motor pool. South Llano River State Park installed an EV charging station; the agency now has two state parks with EV charging stations.
This year had a mild yet wet early summer and then a typically warm end to the summer. This contributed to a more humid summer than normal for many parts of the state. There were also major flooding events in July that damaged multiple facilities. The agency has also started to bring utility services online for several new parks that will be opening soon and completed major renovations at existing site facilities.
Overall, our agency's energy and water usage all increased when compared to the 2024 baseline. However, after removing some outliers in natural gas and water usage, all energy and water categories showed usage increases of less than 5 percent compared to the 2024 baseline. Transportation fuel decreased by 1.37 percent compared to last year’s usage. The agency fleet consists of 2,954 vehicles and 1,600 boats.
GOALS
TPWD now has data to compare against our baseline. Energy and water usage increased, so the Sustainability Branch will identify the highest users in each category, considering extreme weather or other one-time events, and provide recommendations to reduce their usage. We will also continue to improve data tracking for all utilities across the agency.
| Utility | Target Year | Benchmark Year | Percentage Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 2030 | 2024 | 10 |
| Electricity | 2030 | 2020 | 5 |
| Transportation Fuels | 2030 | 2024 | 5 |
| Natural Gas | 2030 | 2024 | 25 |
STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING GOALS
We will continue improving transportation fuel data accuracy with the incorporation of data tracking software and re-training asset operators in the field on proper entry into our Fleet Management System. Accurate data collection will provide for a more complete analysis and accurate measure of progress on conservation goals related to transportation fuel.
TPWD Sustainability Branch is involved in the planning process of new parks that will be coming online in the next several years, providing recommendations for efficient building design and smaller overall site footprints. The involvement of the Sustainability Branch in these efforts aims to maintain efficiency while the agency continues to grow.
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
The Sustainability Branch will focus on the next set of activities and projects outlined in the 2025-30 Sustainability Plan, as well as addressing some outstanding strategies that were not completed in the original timeline, to be implemented over the next fiscal year:
- Complete transportation fuel analysis and purchasing recommendations for each agency division
- Work with Infrastructure Division to update Sustainability Design Checklist and Guidance Document
- Assist with dark sky certification efforts at multiple state parks
AGENCY FINANCE STRATEGY
TPWD will contribute to its energy use reduction goals through construction of more efficient facilities. The Minor Repair Program — renovations that improve the efficiency of existing buildings — supports energy and use reduction so that sites maximize the use of their operating budgets. These efforts include supporting lighting retrofits and replacing inefficient outdoor lighting with LED, dark-sky friendly alternatives and leak repairs. Although funds for minor repairs are limited and needs are vast, the program targets projects that produce utility savings to maximize benefits to sites.
This is also the beginning of the new biennium so legislative appropriations for specific projects of new construction or major renovations will be able to begin this year, with the focus on increasing efficiency of the site’s resources. Local utilities may also provide financial support for efficiency upgrades in energy and water.
EMPLOYEE AWARENESS PLAN
TPWD staff are engaged and interested in learning about efforts to improve sustainability across the agency. Employees may learn about opportunities, accomplishments and ongoing efforts through a variety of programs and communication tactics.
TPWD Sustainability Branch deploys a Sustainability Survey every two years, the most recent of which was deployed in October 2024, to all TPWD sites and facilities. This survey aims to gain a baseline of employee awareness of sustainability projects at their specific sites, identify areas of concern to better focus resources and training, and to improve data collection for energy and water management projects.
The agency intranet includes several pages with the resources guides and information that the Sustainability Branch supports, including energy efficiency, water conservation, waste mitigation, clean air and habitat restoration.
Twice a year, the Sustainability Branch publishes a newsletter for all agency personnel with information about sustainability projects implemented at sites around the agency, updated resource guides, upcoming events, and sign-ups for training opportunities. The Sustainability Branch also has a social media account on Instagram with over 1,900 followers. The account highlights sustainability initiatives across the agency sites and facilities.
The Green Teams continue for Austin Headquarters and in each of the six state park regions. Green Teams are a way to share knowledge, identify areas of concern and promote information across the agency for better energy and water management. Notes on each participating Green Team are collected and shared, and a summary of sustainable actions that sites are taking is shared through our agency intranet, newsletter and Instagram account.
At our headquarters in Austin, TPWD participates in the Austin Energy Load COOP Program. Through this program, we are incentivized to reduce our energy demand on targeted days when the electrical grid experiences its highest demand.
The headquarters complex, as well as McKinney Falls State Park, have electric vehicle charging stations that are part of the City of Austin's Plug-In Everywhere network. Participation in this program provides a bill credit on the electric bills at both sites.
To reduce air pollution through behavioral efforts, staff are notified when regional Ozone Action Days are declared by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and provided strategies to reduce pollution on those days.
