A New Way To Look At Summer Fun

Summer is the time for picnics in the park, hot days at the beach and exploring our natural recreational areas. It's also a great time to teach kids about the environment and our impact on it. Over the last century and a half the amount of damage we have caused our environment has steadily increased. We can lessen the impression of the carbon foot print we are leaving behind if we begin to teach our children the importance of protecting and preserving our environment.

Having a picnic in the park can take on a new light when kids realize that recycling their soda bottles is the first step in manufacturing composites that make up recycled plastic lumber. Ash urns, picnic tables, park benches and trash receptacles are all made from this eco-friendly material. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency has mandated that Parks and Recreation Departments must purchase products made of these materials when using funds provided by the government. Park benches and picnic tables can be made to blend naturally into the surrounding environment, or they can add bright color and texture to a children's playground.

Using recycled plastic lumber reduces the need for fresh wood and slows down the deforestation process. Teaching kids to recycle their plastics adds resources for this growing business and reduces the amount of waste sent to our landfills. Park benches, picnic tables and trash receptacles made of recycled plastic lumber last much longer than their wooden counterparts and require less maintenance. Their colors don't fade and they don't weaken with age.

Showing kids how to be green and eco-friendly by purchasing products manufactured with post consumer materials will influence what materials companies use in the future. Patio furniture, picnic tables and swing sets for use at home are being manufactured with recycled plastic lumber, as well. Fewer trees are being cut down to manufacture these products. Recycled plastic lumber comes in a variety of colors and children will usually outgrow them before they wear out.

Teaching children to recycle and reduce waste begins at home. Sorting steel cans from aluminum or separating different types of plastic, these lessons can be fun and educational. In a school setting, recycling paper is quickly becoming a common practice. The three R's, reduce, reuse and recycle are well known. Pointing out the recycling logo and helping children to understand what it means will teach buying habits that encourage environmental awareness. One of the ways children can watch this process in action is to take a tour of a recycling facility. They can watch a bottle they have recycled be sorted, cleaned, processed and transformed into a material that is used in the creation of the picnic tables and park benches they see at their local park or school playground.

Making a child feel that they are part of the solution is the first step in teaching them lifelong lessons about the sustainability of our resources and the importance of reducing the carbon foot print we leave behind.