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How to Build a Green Playground
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| Matt Haugh directs sales and marketing, for BigToys, Inc.
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Playgrounds are a significant and highly visible public investment, often serving as popular community gathering places. When thoughtfully designed and properly installed, they can become cherished resources for children and adults. Myriad playground companies offer a vast array of approaches to design, play activities, material selection, and color options. Many criteria drive the purchasing process, and environmental impact plays an increasingly important role. Determining the best way to assess the “greenness” of a playground can be confusing, but there are few key things to look for that can demystify the process.
Materials
Commercial play structures are typically made from steel combined with some form of plastic. When assessing steel playground equipment, ask your vendors to provide the specific recycled content percentage for all of the components that go into their equipment. Depending on where they buy their steel, this number can vary greatly, but the most environmentally friendly companies will use steel containing at least 50% reclaimed material, and plastic can vary from zero to up to 100% recycled content.
PVC and phthalates have been in the news a lot recently. While there are different types of PVC, and the jury remains out on the possible harmful effects of exposure to each, the old adage “when in doubt, leave it out” has been adopted by the most environmentally progressive playground vendors. Ask your vendors for a written statement of their policy with respect to PVC.
Another aspect of material selection is durability. Generally, the larger the diameter, the longer vertical columns will last and the more wear they’ll withstand. Look closely at how decks, stairs, climbers, slides, and other members are attached, and compare simple clamps and screws to more durable fasteners, such as those that provide a direct connection to the columns. These differences become more important over the life of the equipment.
Even the very best equipment won’t last forever, especially if your playground is as popular and well used as everyone naturally hopes their playgrounds will be. Ask your playground vendors to specify which (if any) of their equipment is recyclable. Some companies have gone as far as to offer “cradle-to-cradle” policies, meaning they’ll actually take back and recycle the playground when it wears out and
needs to be replaced.
You have basically an unlimited color palette to choose from, but many people attempting to build environmentally friendly playgrounds opt for more natural colors that blend into the surrounding environment. Look over your options carefully, and ask your vendors if they offer custom colors. Many do, and some for little or no additional charge.
An often overlooked aspect of playground design is total play value, which is much more than just the raw number of “play events” present on the site. A natural, balanced play space affords children the opportunity to engage in both active physical play and also quiet social play. Look for equipment that provides quiet social spaces alongside the more active play events, so children can move seamlessly between the two types of play. Some of the more progressive manufactures offer equipment that combines physical with social play activities in events that promote collaboration and cooperation. Ask your vendors if they have such offerings, and how they might be incorporated into your overall scheme.
Although not explicitly a “green” issue, if you’re going to the effort of creating a green playground, consider working with your vendor to make your site ADA compliant and universally accessible to children of all abilities.
Beyond the playground, look closely at the manufacturing practices of the vendors you’re working with. How much waste do they generate and how much do they recycle? Do they participate in green energy programs? Where do their materials come from? What industry safety certifications do they hold? For example, are they a member of the International Playground Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (IPEMA)? If so, their equipment may be certified to the highest North American safety standards.
While building a green playground may seem daunting at first, with just a little knowledge and the answers to some specific questions from your vendors, you’ll quickly be able to discern just who is, in fact, offering you the greenest possible solutions for your playground, which will allow you to buy and build with confidence.
Greenwashing: Intentionally misleading or false statements about a company’s environmental practices.
Author information:
Matt Haugh directs sales and marketing, for BigToys, Inc., a commercial playground equipment manufacturer based in Olympia, Washington. |
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