The month of April is dedicated to Earth Month, a time to raise awareness about environmental issues and sustainable practices. Taking the time to be conscious about your actions and how they impact the Earth go a long way in building a healthier planet.
As communities become more environmentally conscious, there’s a growing demand for play spaces that embrace the green movement. Some of the features that these play spaces include sustainable materials (e.g., recycled plastic, natural elements), natural landscaping, and energy efficient designs.
At Cunningham Recreation, some of our favorite playgrounds are those that focus on Mother Nature and sustainable living. Let’s highlight the different ways you can build or update your playground using native landscaping, sustainable materials, renewable energy, and smart features.
Sustainable Materials
Cunningham Recreation’s nature-themed playgrounds are friends to Earth! They feature renewable materials such as plastic timbers, reinforced concrete, high-density foam, and resin. For instance, our PlayCast Critters are crafted from durable PlayCast resin and hand-painted for realistic detail. You can attach these critters to any play system in an upright position.
Nature Themes
To support your eco-friendly playground, choose a design that embraces nature. Not only does this make it easier to include sustainable materials, but also it allows you to expand your playground with unique features like sensory paths, butterfly gardens, or rainwater collection areas.
Some of our most popular nature themes are:
- Nature, rocks, and treehouses
- Birds and animals
- Beach, sea life, and rivers
- Spiders, reptiles, and insects
- Barn yards
Natural Landscaping
We also encourage designers to utilize the surrounding landscape. This allows them to embrace nature—and even save money! If you make use of mature trees for shade, for instance, you don’t have to purchase shade structures (or at least as many). Consider planting native trees and shrubs, laying grass, planting flowers in bed areas with mulch, and field areas with wildflowers. These features make your play space eco-friendly and also support bees, butterflies and wildlife. Using engineered wood fiber for playground safety surfacing is the perfect way to blend the manufactured environment with nature.
Energy-Efficient Design
As renewable energy becomes easier to harness, more playgrounds are also embracing energy-efficient designs with smart features. For example, you can install solar-powered lights for safety and visibility without worrying about electricity. Water play areas that recycle and filter their own water supply and kinetic energy play equipment can also be parts of an energy-efficient design.
Nature-Inspired Playgrounds
Cunningham Recreation has many different nature-themed playgrounds that you can choose for your play space, including Bailey Cove, Lake Forest, and Jumbo Shrimp. (You can find these on pages 54-55 of the GameTime catalog.) These playgrounds feature natural colors in shades of brown and green, recycled plastic timbers, and rustic themes.
A real-life example of an eco-friendly playground is the Loris Nature Park in South Carolina. It recently received an upgrade to make it inclusive. The entire main structure has ramped access and wide decks, allowing kids with mobility devices to use the playground comfortably. It also features a natural palette of browns, beiges, and greens, complementing the surrounding scenery. Kids also have the opportunity to follow animal prints and hop over the “rivers” in the poured-in-place recycled rubber safety surfacing. Additional features include a climbable, ladybug and caterpillar, inclusive whirl, freestanding activities, and slides.
Contribute to a Healthier, More Connected World
If you are looking to add an eco-friendly, sustainable playground to your neighborhood or community, contact Cunningham Recreation today. Our team can help with eco-conscious planning, material selection, and custom designs tailored to your community's needs. This way, you can benefit today’s children and tomorrow’s planet. Let’s build something greener—together!
