Gradual greening of recreation design
There are a handful of skate parks built from recycled materials these days, but generally, these massive concrete installations have been as environmentally friendly as golf courses. The Ed Benedict Skate Park in Portland, Oregon is trying to revise that image by managing storm water run-off more responsibly, absorbing it through integrated ‘biofiltration islands’ that have been incorporated as design elements.
Meanwhile, golf courses are trying to turn a corner, too. The newly renovated Mirimichi course near Memphis–owned by Justin Timberlake–has been rated the first Audubon International Classic Sanctuary in the US by implementing “sustainable resource management principles that incorporate wildlife conservation, habitat rehabilitation and enhancement, water conservation, and water quality protection.” The course uses reflective coatings on parking lots to reduce heat footprint; captures and reuses storm water to irrigate its landscape, has reduced its manicured acreage from 195 acres to 100 and introduced lakes and re-circulating creeks to support habitat.
(via Green Inc and Jetson Green)
