I strongly believe that sustainability in government parks should start on a local level. The state and city government operations have a great opportunity to help with the massive effort to save our planet. Oklahoma is behind the curb. States like Oregon and even Arizona have taken more of an initiative to keeping there state and city parks clean.
It was the summer of 2003 and i was 17 when i started working for the City of Edmond at Arcadia Lake. Arcadia is a motorsports and fishing lake located just east of edmond between the historical Route 66 and Memorial road. My job there was simple. 5 days a week i would arrive at 6 a.m. A co-worker and i would hop into a pick-up truck with a hydraulic bed and start driving around the camp sites and recreational areas. We would take turns driving while the other would pull out the trash from the bins and toss the tied bag into the truck bed. Once the bed was full of trash we would back the vehicle up to the dumpster and empty all of the contents into the same large rectangular steel box.
I recall thinking how most of the trash picked up was in some way recyclable. The mix usually consisted mostly of glass bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard, and biodegradable left over food. All of those things can be recycled or composted. Glass is easy to collect and the collection of aluminum can even bring in a small amount of extra revenue. Recycling cardboard is becoming increasingly popular. I am noticing that i have many friends that have jumped on board with there paper, plastics, and other packaging materials. Collecting compost can be difficult in isolated areas like campsites however, a central feature could be added. Perhaps encouraging people to just leave everything biodegradable on the concrete table near the fire pit so it can be scoped off and thrown into a compost. After a few months the composted material would make great soil for planting trees. This would be a great help because the usual potting soil contains fertilizers that can seep into the water and become harmful to the native fish.
If i was to write my previous employer a letter i would list many suggestions in the waste management area. The city of edmond needs to take the responsibility to set the example for there citizens. Many people frequent the 4 parks surrounding the lake and seem to have no problem placing everything that is useless to them into the same bin. The state needs to start making a serious effort accomplishing feats that aim towards a greener future.
Here are a few pictures i copied off the City of Edmond web site. I noticed there was no information on the Lake Arcadia site on environmental issues. The only related issue was under the rules column where it stated that it is against the rules to litter and bring fireworks on the property. It is sad that no green issues are addressed.
