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Taking the LEED on the Playground12-29-08 | News

Taking the LEED on the Playground

According to Little Tikes Commercial, its products meet two prerequisites and can contribute up to 11 additional points toward LEED certification in the sustainable sites, materials and resources and the innovation and design process categories. Source: Little Tikes Commercial

Recycled & Recyclable Content in Little Tikes Commercial Products Source: Little Tikes Commercial Click the picture to view larger image

New playground equipment is making it easier to meet green and safety goals. Image: Little Tikes Commercial

Safety is the essential component of playground design. Safe and fun! But whether designing a new playground or a public space, the mantra of ?EUR??,,????'?????<

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), of course, is about smart, sustainable design. But how do you translate LEED to the playground?

If you want to pursue LEED accreditation for your next playground design, how do you go about it? If you?EUR??,,????'?????<

PlayPower LT Farmington, Inc., which produces the commercial playground equipment brand, Little Tikes Commercial, says it is now making it easy for playground projects to meet green and safety goals. The company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the sanctioning body for LEED certification, plus has certifications in ISO 14001 (international specification for environmental management standard) and the OHSAS 18001 (occupational health and safety standard).

Earning LEED Points

PlayPower says its Little Tikes Commercial products can help the playground designer earn up to 11 LEED points.

The company reports it also has a host of new certifications that can help the landscape architect comply with sustainability and safety requirements.

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The company also offers its customers written certification documents that they can use when obtaining their own certifications.

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The school celebrated the playground grand opening Nov. 25, 2008. The green and yellow playground includes slides, bridges, climbers and interactive panels. These play structures are made of thermoset polyethylene (PE), a tough, durable and environmentally friendly PVC alternative.

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Other sustainable initiatives for the county?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The coordination and installment of the new play space was made through Playground Specialists Inc., a full service recreation company based in Emmitsburg, Md., and a Playworld Systems partner

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Mr. Barber and Mike Slifer from Playground Specialists have worked with St. Mary?EUR??,,????'?????<

The more attention focusing on environmental concerns, Playworld has become a certified ISO 14001 company by demonstrating its commitment to eliminating waste and redefining its operation. In 2007, 90 percent of all waste produced by the company was recycled, including 2.3 million pounds of steel, 500,000 pounds of HDPE plastic, 54,000 pounds of wood and 79,000 pounds of paper. More recently, Playworld abandoned the use of polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) in its products and replaced all products with thermoset polyethylene. Playworld employees also get involved by recycling batteries, aluminum cans, office paper, glass/plastic bottles and participate in car pooling. Throughout all corporate facilities, lighting systems have been updated to T-5 florescent lights.

Playground repairs are not covered under the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA), unless the playground was originally built with CPA funds.

Funds for Recreation Facilities Don?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA) was signed by Governor Cellucci in September 2000. It is an economic tool that offers matching state funds for those communities that impose property-tax surcharges to support local affordable housing, recreation, open space, and historical preservation efforts. Approximately 140 communities in the state have signed on for the program.

The law, which was misinterpreted by some, does not provide monies to upgrade or repair recreational facilities that were built without community preservation (CP) funding. Two years ago when Newton, Mass. used three quarters of a million dollars in CP funds for recreation improvement projects at two parks, a lawsuit was brought by 10 local taxpayers challenging the city?EUR??,,????'?????<

The court found in favor of the taxpayer group. The case then went to the state Supreme Court. On Oct. 24, 2008, the court upheld the lower court ruling.

So while some communities are preparing to build new recreation facilities, other communities need funding to repair theirs. A group called the Community Preservation Coalition seeks to broader the interpretation of the law. State Senator Cynthia Creem, a Newton Democrat, introduced a bill to amend the CPA to allow improvements to existing recreational spaces. The bill, which is in the House Ways and Means Committee, is not expected to advance this legislative session and would have to be refiled next year.

On another front, the amount of ?EUR??,,????'?????<