Mark your calendars: Registration for January-March programs is coming soon! Oak Park resident registration opens Saturday, Dec 6 at 8:30A. Non-resident registration opens Saturday, Dec 13 at 8:30A.

Sustainable Practices

Through various initiatives, we’ve reduced our environmental footprint with ongoing efforts to further mitigate resource depletion. Our holistic sustainability strategy includes waste reduction, energy efficiency, green energy production, education, water conservation/reuse, native habitats, green procurement policies, and more.

Solar Panels

Eleven Park District facilities currently utilize energy generated by their own solar panels totaling over 828 MWh. This energy generation is equal to 78 homes or 692 acres of U.S. Forests in one year for an annual cost savings of approximately $81,000. Solar panels are located at the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center, Community Recreation Center, Fox Center, John Hedges Administrative Center, Longfellow Center, Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex, Oak Park Conservatory, Barrie Center, Carroll Center, and Stevenson Center.

In alignment with the Park District’s comprehensive plan and core values, we entered into an agreement with Realgy, LLC of West Hartford, Connecticut to install a solar field on the south roof of Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex (RCRC). The solar panels, installed in fall 2016, are helping the District save approximately $25,000 annually through energy service and delivery costs to RCRC. In addition, this agreement allows the Park District to reduce our carbon footprint. Additional solar panels were added to the RCRC roof at the end of 2018 through our partnership with Realgy increasing our savings to $60,000 annually.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) partnered with the Park District on the installation cost of 20 solar panels on Longfellow Center. In addition, the NRDC gifted the panels to the District which were installed December 2016. These panels provide a substantial amount of the power needed for Longfellow Center allowing the Park District to recover all costs from the purchase and installation of the system in less than 6 years through energy savings. In December 2017, the Park District purchased an additional 10 solar panels for the roof at Longfellow Center which were installed the first quarter of 2018.

In fall 2018, 30 solar panels were installed on the Fox Center roof as part of the Park District’s mission to be a leader in sustainability.

A 22kW solar field was installed on the roof of the Oak Park Conservatory at the end of 2018. This project was funded through the Green Mountain Energy Citizen Sustainability Pledge Program.

Tree Maintenance and Inventory

The Park District of Oak Park is committed to the highest possible level of management for all natural resources represented in our parks. The Park District maintains a tree inventory identifying the age, condition, and location of all trees throughout the parks system using GIS software.

Learn More

Tree Inventory Fact Sheet

Tree Removal Fact Sheet

Tree Maintenance and Inventory - tree-maintenance-inventory

Prescribed Burns

The Park District of Oak Park conducts prescribed burns of the native plant areas for the purpose of improving the health of the plantings. These burns are conducted on an annual basis at Taylor, Field, Barrie, and Lindberg Park and Austin Gardens, weather permitting.

Prescribed burning is perhaps the most important tool in successfully managing restored ecosystems. Because our native plant communities have evolved with periodic fires occurring naturally, the native plant areas in our parks also depend upon regular burning to thrive. Conducting a prescribed burn is weather dependent and will only occur within the parameters for wind speed, wind direction, and relative humidity. Snow or ice cover and moisture level of the dead vegetation are also considered.

Prescribed burn will be conducted by experienced and certified crews that have extensive training and certification in fire behavior and logistics from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG). All prescribed fires are conducted with permits from the state Environmental Protection Agency divisions and the local fire department. Local fire and police departments are contacted prior to, during, and after the fire. This project is a Greening Initiative of the Park District of Oak Park.

firefighters monitor prescribed burn
Weather conditions necessary to conduct a prescribed burn include 1-3 days dry sunny weather before burn. This is to dry out the dead vegetation. Without sufficient drying time, the vegetation won’t burn even if the weather conditions on a particular day are perfect. On the day of the burn, the following conditions need to be met:

Wind Direction: West – ideal, NW or SW is acceptable
Wind Speed: 3 – 20 mph
Low Relative Humidity
Atmospheric Conditions: clear skies, stable forecast

Learn more info in this prescribed burn presentation. For more information about this project, e-mail Patti Staley or call the Park District of Oak Park at (708) 725-2451.