Naperville Park District issued the following announcement on Oct. 16.
Naperville Park District was recognized by the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) with the 2018 Best Green Practices Award, presented at IAPD’s annual awards gala in Wheeling on Friday, October 12.
The Best Green Practices Award recognizes the District’s accomplishments in the areas of recycling, environmental education and advocacy, purchasing, green building, energy conservation, water conservation, stormwater management, and protection of wildlife and habitat.
In addition to its consistent progress in each of these areas, the District was recognized for several new initiatives in 2017 and 2018. For example, in response to concerns about Roundup from a resident group, NonToxic Naperville, the District began an organic park maintenance initiative, using organically based products to maintain playgrounds and 8 designated parks. New recycling projects included tennis ball recycling, led by high school tennis athletes, and a pilot pumpkin smash, composting Halloween jack-o-lanterns directly into the soil at the District’s Ron Ory Community Garden Plots. The District also partnered with 12 other community organizations to lead Earth Week Naperville, involving 900+ volunteers in cleanup projects and special events.
Nature Center Manager Angelique Harshman and Park Operations Manager Carl Gorra accepted the award for the Naperville Park District. Harshman plans nature programs for all ages at Knoch Knolls Nature Center, the District’s center for environmental education. Gorra manages the District’s Central Parks Division and continually looks for and tests new, eco-friendly products and methods for maintaining both natural areas and the turf playing fields that host hundreds of athletic games and practices.
The 2017 Sustainability Report provides additional information about the Naperville Park District’s environmental initiatives and can be viewed and downloaded at www.napervilleparks.org/greeninitiatives.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Naperville Park District
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