Great Green Idea: Green Parenting: Natural Playgrounds are the Green Choice

Natural Playgrounds are the Green Choice

By Jillian Felllows
Great Green Idea

School is out for the summer and that means that kids are going to have a lot of free time on their hands. Instead of sitting in front of the TV or playing video games all day, kids should get out in the sunshine and play.

Like, it seems, every other aspect of society these days, even the environmentally minded have green playground options for their tikes. More importantly, green options that can replace hazardous old equipment.

Large wooden play structures built before 2004 were treated with a chemical called chromate copper arsenate, which is a form of arsenic and is used to help repel water so the structure lasts longer. According to a 2005 study done by the Environmental Protection Agency, over time this chemical bleeds out of the wood, where kids can come into contact with it, and leaches into the soil. For parents concerned about this chemical, there are more green options available.

Wooden play structures can be replaced by structures built with untreated lumber and sealed with a water-based sealant. Another option is purchasing a plastic structure made from recycled materials.

But perhaps the greenest way for kids to enjoy the sunny weather in a safe, sustainable way is through natural playgrounds.

Natural Playgrounds

Natural Playgrounds Company is a small design firm, which constructs play areas for kids that incorporates elements of nature into the play structures.

"We've surveyed a lot of children and they all say their favorite things to do are things like playing in streams, digging up dirt, and climbing trees," said Natural Playgrounds president Ron King. "We try to replicate a natural environment, we put in mountains and streams and we plant trees, which the kids absolutely love."

Manufacturing and shipping of building materials can put a strain on the environment but Natural Playgrounds has found a green solution. "We always use native, indigenous resources and we try to buy locally," said King. "So our carbon footprint is not high."

Natural Playgrounds creates safe, sustainable, and economically efficient play areas around the country and for every type of environment.

"We do playgrounds in all sizes, our largest one was 25 acres and our smallest, I believe, was 700 square feet," said King. "We did one at Boston University in an alley. We've built playgrounds on rooftops and on pavement. It's a natural landscape that we create."