Strategic Perspective
In seeking to minimize negative environmental effects, state and federal governments have been on the forefront in creating suburban parks that are managed by Parks and Recreation Departments. The parks, which are otherwise considered as green spaces, are environments that play a critical role in create a balance with regard to the fundamental concepts associated with the urban ecosystems. For the people living within the urban areas, parks help in the facilitation of physical activity and relaxation. However, one of the key concerns that has been raised with regard to suburban parks is that they are fast losing their health attractiveness attributed to issues such as littering and pollution. That has become a key issue of concern not only for the governments but also for the populations using the parks for their recreation activities. That has created the need for having to develop appropriate strategies and measures to make parts more health friendly.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Very few studies have been undertaken in seeking to understand the issue of littering and pollution in suburban parks and how this is impacting on their health attractiveness. However, some of the few studies available indicate that parks are fast losing their healthy nature attributed to a wide array of human factors. Badland, Keam, Witten, & Kearns (2010) indicate that approximately 95% of the litter polluting suburban parks is made up of cigarette butts and other food related items, which is produced by people using the park for recreation activities. Majority of the people visiting parks fail to dispose of their meals and cigarette butts in a manner that is safe and effective to help in environmental conservation.
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In a study seeking to understand the greatest threat to the health attractiveness of recreation parks, Guignet (2012) indicated that approximately 19% of the total waste polluting parks is made up of discarded plastic. Study indicated that the discarded plastic is not only expected to serve as a concern for the local communities using the parks but should also serve as a national threat, as these contaminants are likely to find their way into water sources. Based on this evidence, it is clear that indeed parks are facing a key issue in dealing with the issue of littering and pollution. That creates the need for having to establish a clear front through which to ensure that parks are reconditioned with the sole focus being towards enhancing their abilities to remain environmentally friendly. The evidence also points to the fact that lack of adoption of effective solutions is likely to have severe implications on the ability for the parks to remain health friendly in the future.
Innovative and Entrepreneurial Thinking
In seeking to deal with the issue at hand, one of the possible solutions would involve increasing environmental awareness through community education. Environmental awareness goes hand-in-hand with the health of one’s immediate environment, as one is able to understand the importance of always maintain environmentally healthy approaches (Badland, Keam, Witten, & Kearns, 2010). In this case, the main focus would be on seeking to ensure that the local community is able to appreciate the natural beauty in the recreation parks. That can be achieved by embarking on a process of labelling the plants and trees using placards that would help in ensuring that the people visiting the parts appreciate the beauty of nature.
Another possible solution to dealing with the issue would involve having to include a recycling station within the park that will include dedicated bins for organic, plastic, and glass waste. The dedicated bins should be labelled clearly to allow persons intending to dispose of their waste to understand which of the bins that they are expected to use. It would also be important to have someone who would help in guiding those disposing of their waste on how they ought to do it in a manner that reflects on the sustainability of the recreation areas. The idea of having to include a recycling station within the parks is defined by the need to ensure that every individual visiting the parks would remain aware of their role in recycling. Additionally, this will also encourage most of the people using the parks to actually use them in a clean and sustainable manner.
Alternatively, it may be advisable to sponsor park-wide cleanups at least once every month that would involve every member of the community. By involving them in the process of cleaning the parks, majority of the people remain well aware of the fact that it is within their expectations to conserve these green spaces. By undertaking this activity on a monthly basis, it becomes much easier to include a lot more people; thus, meaning that the cleanups will have great value for the communities involved. During the course of the cleanups, it may be advisable to engage in community education on their role in protecting the environment around them. Community education would be seen as an approach that seeks to justify the importance of having to maintain cleanliness of the parks to ensure that they remain more health friendly for those using them.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Recommendation
Based on the nature of the issue at hand, one of the key recommendations to ensuring that parks become more health friendly is enactment of a policy that seeks to ensure that the parks are well protected by seeking to fine those involved in littering or pollution. The policy will institute stringent fines for those that are caught littering within the parks with the sole focus being towards encouraging people to desist from pollution. Another key aspect to note is that the adoption of the policy would see the creation of a smoking zone within the park where any individual intending to smoke would be expected to go. The zone will have all the necessary waste bins with every smoker expected to dispose of his or her cigarette butt within the bin; thus, minimizing the amount of cigarette butts that litter the park.
Conclusion
Park and recreation areas, which are otherwise considered as green spaces, are facing a key challenge associated with littering and pollution, which is fast affecting their overall health attractiveness. Research suggests that most of the parks face a key issue due to littering with a significant amount of the litter being cigarette butts, foods, and plastic. It is from this perspective that it has become important to increase environmental awareness through community education and include a recycling station within the park that will include dedicated bins for organic, plastic, and glass waste. From a policy perspective, it is important to enact a policy that seeks to fine those that litter while seeking to create smoking zones for smokers with waste bins for them to dispose of their cigarette butts.
References
Badland, H. M., Keam, R., Witten, K., & Kearns, R. (2010). Examining public open spaces by neighborhood-level walkability and deprivation. Journal of Physical Activity and Health , 7 (6), 818-824.
Guignet, D. (2012). The impacts of pollution and exposure pathways on home values: A stated preference analysis. Ecological Economics , 82 , 53-63.
