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On The Road To A Model Community by Michelle Malca Cummins Recycle. Reduce. Reuse. For more than the past two years, those three words have provided the Park District of Highland Park with a strong sense of direction. And they still do. Those three words have guided our Park District's employees and business practices and led them down a winding road to a little-known place called "Model Community." Along the way the Park District of Highland Park learned many things and made many changes. Our environmental consciousness was raised; our environmental awareness increased. We learned "Fun Facts" such as: 1) Americans produce enough Styrofoam cups each year to circle the Earth 436 times. 2) Or, each year Americans throw away enough office and writing paper to build a 12-foot high wall stretching from Los Angeles to New York City. 3) Or, if we all recycled our Sunday newspapers we could save over 500,000 trees every week. Unfortunately, they didn't seem so funny. Instead such facts forced us to examine the methods and daily practices used to conduct the business of running our Park District. Landfills, toxic waste, acid rain, air pollution...GARBAGE! As we traveled the road we learned more about the abuses the planet is forced to withstand at the hands of humanity. With our knowledge came the realization that the Park District also had a hand in the problems facing the planet. The environmental problems threatening the planet did not belong only to others, but to us as well. We had a responsibility to do our part to help preserve and protect our planet, just as we did our parks, beaches and facilities. The journey begins We began our journey in May 1989. A "Proposed Recycling Program" was presented to our Board of Park Commissioners. Members of Park District staff developed the multi-faceted, district-wide program. The document detailed a number of environmentally friendly practices the District would employ. The office paper, computer paper, newspaper, glass and aluminum wastes would no longer be carelessly discarded. Staff wanted to actively recycle, reduce and reuse the wastes created by the day-to-day operations taking place in the workplace. While recycling is an effective way to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution and save landfill space, it is not enough. Before recycling things we use, we need to reduce what we consume and try to reuse that which we used in the first place. The next step was educating the staff on the why's and how-to's of recycling. A number of workshops were presented to full-time employees explaining the variety of recycling methods we would use to reduce the Park District's contribution to the solid waste stream. Exactly which items could and could not be recycled were discussed. Different receptacles for aluminum, glass, office paper, computer paper and newspaper were made available at our major facilities. Employees received personal "I'm a Recycler" boxes for their offices. This was done as a means to making the effort to recycle as effortless as possible. Instead of having to go to a recycling bin down the hall, employees could recycle right at their desks and the buildings' custodians would empty the boxes at day's end. (continued on page 21)
(continued from page 19) Program supervisors were given an itemized recycling agenda to cover with their part-time employees. For the program to be successful, it was vital that all employees participate. Additionally, we wanted to set an example for the public to follow. Each of our major facilities received receptacles that were clearly labeled as to the type of garbage they were intended for. A number of our more heavily-used, community-wide parks and our swimming beaches received cans marked for aluminum and glass disposal. These efforts brought us to our next step on the path: educating the public. Of course it made perfect sense that visitors to our parks and facilities also participate in the recycling program. Our challenge was educating them in the most efficient and effective manner possible. In essence we were asking them to alter lifestyle habits, and that's not an easy thing to do. We sent our message via a "Recycling Outreach Program" that was presented to students in the community's elementary schools in the form of a puppet show. The puppet show was created, written, and performed by members of the Park District's Heller Nature Center staff. The show is exciting, animated and motivational. Characters such as "Rey Cycle," "T-Rash" and "Maurice Cycle" explain what they refer to as the "garbage problem" we all face, and discuss the many things people can do to help solve the problem. In turn, the children go home and share their new-found recycling knowledge with their families. Our staff also strongly believes there is a distinct advantage in making children environmentally aware at an early age, using environmental education to influence their lifestyle habits in a positive way. The District's Parks Department was also making great strides of its own along the road to a Model Community. Compost and reuse of landscape wastes such as mulch and firewood; decreased use of pesticides; increased use of sand and a reduced dependence on salt as ice melt; recycling of oil, batteries and antifreeze; use of natural cleansers; use of recycled plastic building products—these were just a handful of practices used by the parks crew to lessen the Park District's impact on the environment. In late fall of 1990, a Highland Park resident, also a member of the Committee to Promote Recycling, which is a subcommittee of the Environmental Control Commission, contacted the Park District regarding the Model Community program. She recognized the Park District's efforts to recycle, reduce and reuse. And while she appreciated the strides we had made, she felt we could further increase and expand our efforts. She introduced the Park District to the Recycling/Reduction Education and Action for County Health (R.E.A.C.H.) program.
R.E.A.C.H. had worked extensively in Lake County to promote recycling, to raise environmental issues, and as the local representative for the Model Community program. R.E.A.C.H. agreed to work with the Park District so that it could become a part of the Model Community, the first Model Park District in the United States. The idea for the Model Community program originated with the Central States Education Center, a not-for-profit organization in Champaign. The Center serves rural Midwest communities, helping grassroots citizen groups to develop environmentally sound alternatives to projects and methods, such as proposed landfills and hazardous waste sites that negatively impact the environment. Waste prevention, elimination of toxics/chemicals, promotion of recycling and usage of products made from recycled materials are the guidelines from which a model agency/community works. The Park District felt that joining the Model Community would strengthen its ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the environment, both internally and throughout Highland Park. The next step down the path resulted in the appointment of a Model Community Task Force which included six Park District employees and two volunteers from the community. The Task Force met regularly. It reviewed the Park District's recycling practices at the time and looked toward what could be done for the future. Then the Task Force developed a specific list of recycling and waste reduction criteria to be met and/or upheld by the Park District. The list of standards is as follows: Waste prevention (Volume and Toxicity)
1. Composts and reuses all landscape wastes. Recycling (Volume and Toxicity)
1. Provides opportunities for employees to recycle aluminum, glass, office paper and newspaper at major indoor facilities.
Utilization of Recycled Materials
1. Accepts donations of used materials for park program use. Miscellaneous
1. Helps promote the "Model Community" concept by displaying logo where appropriate. At its February 28, 1991, meeting, the Board of Park Commissioners was presented with its Model Park District certificate. This seemed to mark the end of the Park District's journey to becoming a Model Community. But our commitment and efforts continue on. While it's terrific to see employees drinking out of their ceramic Model Community mugs rather than Styrofoam or paper cups, our responsibility and participation do not end there. We are continually searching for new ways to expand upon the program. In November the Board of Park Commissioners adopted a Policy on the Environment that goes so far as to include consideration of the environmental practices of contractors who do business with us. The Park District of Highland Park's Policy on the Environment is a comprehensive statement presenting environmental principles and practices that influence quality of life issues dealing with air quality, pesticide use, and recycling. In December the Park District instituted its first Christmas Tree Recycling Project. The Park District, in conjunction with North Shore Waste Control and Citizens to Promote Recycling, offered residents of Highland Park and Highwood the opportunity to recycle their Christmas trees. For a period of two weeks, beginning December 26, the Park District provided drop-off sites at two park locations. North Shore Waste provided roll-off dumpsters for temporary storage of trees. The Citizens to Promote Recycling assisted in the public relations by distributing information to Christmas tree sale lots in the area. The Park District was also responsible for the labor to chip the trees into the mulch that we would later use in our parks. March 1992 marks the completion of our first year as a Model Park District and we must re-assess and re-evaluate what we have done as a member of Model Community. Reviewing the initial 18 standards set by the Task Force we see the first year has been quite a success. We have met and upheld these standards and will expand on them. As we hoped for, many of the environmentally friendly practices undertaken by the Park District as a business have been implemented in the homes of its employees and its visitors. Word has definitely spread. For the past two-plus years the Park District's seasonal Leisure Time program brochure, which is mailed to all the residents of Highland Park and Highwood, has featured a recycling column. Topics covered have included: The Three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — The Recipe for a Healthy Planet; Non-Toxic Natural Cleaners; and Seeds of Hope —Dealing With Yard Wastes At Home. Those who read the brochure can't help but learn more about the environment and the vital role they play in protecting and preserving the planet. This leads us to an important point—education. While activities of recycling, reducing and reusing performed by the Park District of Highland Park have led us to Model Community, we have a responsibility to share our knowledge and our stories with others. We cannot beat the "garbage problem" on our own. But every person and every organization that becomes involved in the recycling effort and the Model Community program, improves the odds. The standards we set out to meet are attainable. It simply takes time, effort and dedication. But isn't it worth it? So here we are in the Model Community, won't you join us? If you would like more information on the Model Community, call the Central States Education Center at (217) 344-2371 or the Park District of Highland Park at (708) 831-3810. About the Author Michelle Malca Cummins is the Public Information and Marketing Coordinator for the Park District of Highland Park.
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