Installing a “Green” Playground

Zion Baptist Church, located in Marietta, Georgia, began planning for a new sanctuary and educational building in 1998. In September, the final phase of that plan came to fruition with the opening of Zion Baptist Academy. Starting out with preschool and pre-K programs this year, the Academy will also house a K-5 elementary school program set to open in fall 2008.

In addition to planning a strong Christian-based academic program, the importance of outdoor play to a child’s physical and mental development was not overlooked. To provide children with an exciting place to play and socialize, the church installed a 3,000-square-foot, fenced-in playground area with injury-reducing poured-in-place rubber surfacing.

The playground structures and other play elements selected for Zion Baptist Academy are part of the environmentally friendly EcoPlay Playground line of products from Safeplay Systems, www.safeplaysystems.com, also based in Marietta.

With the traditional look of wood, EcoPlay Playgrounds are made from post-consumer recycled HDPE plastic (milk jugs). The play structures, designed and manufactured for Zion, contain material equivalent to 35,750 milk jugs – milk jugs that otherwise would have ended up in local landfill. The structures are low-maintenance, toxin-free, PVC-free, and come with a 50-year warranty. In addition, not only are the play structures made from post-consumer recycled material, if they ever have to be dismantled at some future date, the EcoPlay components can be sent through the recycling process yet again – making each structure a “sustainable” product.

Zion’s playground was custom-designed by one of Safeplay Systems’ Certified Playground Safety Inspectors and includes three distinct play areas – one for toddlers, one for children ages 2-5, and one for children ages 5-12. The play elements in each area are age-appropriate for each group.

The toddler area consists of a sandbox, a small picnic/activity table, a park bench for adult supervisors, and a playhouse with seven activity panels. The area is separated from the other play areas by a gated “wall” of activity panels. The panels chosen stimulate the toddlers through the use of color, texture, and shape. The enclosed play space provides toddlers with a safe area in which to crawl, stand, walk, and explore – without risk of accidental collisions with older children.

On the other side of the activity “wall,” the playground space includes two play structures, a small picnic/activity table, two park benches, and two spring animals. The structure for children ages 2-5 has a maximum deck height of 48 inches and features a wave slide, a gently sloping rock climbing wall, a “tree climber,” and an under-deck area with bench for quiet socializing.

The structure for older children (ages 5-12) has a maximum deck height of 70 inches and features a side-by-side slide, a spiral slide, a vertical rock-climbing wall, and an overhead looper. (The overhead looper requires a child to have developed upper-body strength and would be inappropriate for younger children.) Both of these play structures were designed to comply with the standards set forth in the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

The poured-in-place rubber surfacing, installed by No Fault Sport Group, is also eco-friendly – consisting of post-consumer recycled rubber shred material from tires and capped with premium quality EPDM rubber. Zion chose to have the surfacing colored green (to resemble grass) with an orange “trike track” within the toddler area.

Even though recycled content was not a major factor in the purchasing decision, it turns out it is an added benefit and provides the church and academy with a sense of pride.

“We are proud of the fact that our playground structures are made of recycled material,” says Thomas Webster, executive director of the academy. “We like to do our part for the environment.”

The end result is safe, stimulating, eco-friendly playground with places for children of all ages to play and grow – all from some old tires and used milk jugs. Adhering to the tenants of environmental stewardship couldn’t be easier – or more fun!