Posts Tagged ‘Rubberecycle’

If it’s good enough for President Obama…

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

If it’s good enough for President Obama, then one Philly town figures it’s good enough for them. That’s what the town said when they replaced their playground dirt with recycled tires. The rubber playground mulch will now provide a safe cushion for the kid’s who play there.

The borough used a community development grant to pay for the rubber mulch. The cost for two playgrounds was $56,434 and is the same surface used at the White House for their playground.

Rubberecycle gave 8 tons of green, recycled tires called Playsafer Rubber Mulch to the White House about a year ago.

The tires used to make the surface are chopped up in a million bits and come in different colors. This particular playground was a blue color.

“We use only tires taken freshly off rims from tire centers. We do not use any that are found along the side of the road or in a landfill. We shred them and recycle the steel and make the mulch,” according to Keith Sacks of Rubberecycle.

The benefits include

  • needs no maintenance
  • is safer for children who may fall
  • non-toxic
  • odor-free
  • non-staining
  • non-abrasive

Borough Mayor Bob Lebo said he’s pleased the council decided to buy the rubber mulch. “I think it’s great. It is much safer for our children and the other benefits certainly will pay off,” he said.

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How to Become a ‘Let’s Move’ City or Town

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Michelle Obama 2008-10-22 (1)
Image via Wikipedia

As part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, cities and towns around the country can join the effort to slim up America’s kids.

Mayors and Elected Officials can become a Let’s Move City or Let’s Move Town.

Here’s what to do – in 4 categories:
1. Help Parents Make Healthy Family Choices: Offer parents tools, support, and information to make healthier choices for their families.

2. Improve the Health of Schools: Promote healthier food in schools

3. Increase Physical Activity Opportunities: Promote physical activity in your schools, city, or town

4. Make Healthy Food Affordable and Accessible: improve the affordability of healthy food

Mayors and elected officials are encouraged to take action in each of the 4 areas.

Rubberecycle enrouages communities to join the effort to get our kids moving. Part of that is taking them to the playground. We’re proud to contribute in a small part by creating safe and accessible playgrounds with a rubber mulch surface like the one found at the White House playground.

More at http://www.letsmove.gov/cities_and_towns.html

Related article:

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Michelle Obama Gets Kids Moving

Monday, May 31st, 2010

Did you know that Michelle Obama has a blog? She does. As part of her effort to fight childhood obesity she launched a blog. She’s bringing it all home with her “South Lawn Series.” It began with the first event On May 25. The First Lady and almost 100 local students were at the White House. She’s planned events this summer to get kids moving. They’ll have sports, games and activities led by local groups to help inspire them.

The cause is important to our country’s future health. “Studies find that about 1 in 5 children becomes overweight or obese by age 6, and that more than half of obese children become overweight before the age of 2. Nearly 6 percent of infants younger than six months are overweight, the report says, up from 3.4 percent between 1980 and 2001,” says  an article about the initiative in Huffington Post.

The First Lady is encouraging kids to get at least 60 minutes of exercise each day. Kids aren’t out playing and running around as much as they used to. Instead they’re sitting at home, watching too much TV and playing computer games. While there are a lot of valid reasons for this, we need to change it.

It’s great to see how innovative playgrounds encourage kids to get outside and move around. There are not only more creative playgrounds, but safer playgrounds and playgrounds that can accommodate kids in wheelchairs and with disabilities.

Mrs. Obama walks the talk too – one of the first tasks when her family moved into the White House was to get a playground installed. It’s fun to have young kids in the White House and the girls enjoy playing on it.

Here’s some trivia that we’re especially proud of – bet you didn’t know that Rubberecycle’s rubber mulch is the playground surface the first family chose for their eco-friendly playground.

Reducing Playground Injuries

Monday, May 3rd, 2010
User:Squishy Vic's son on a swing
Image via Wikipedia

I just saw a news report about how many children get hurt on playgrounds each year.  Rubber mulch is one way we contribute to help make playgrounds safer for kids.

Schools hire playground inspectors to look over the equipment for potential problems.

Here are some other interesting facts about playground injuries:

  • 2,300 kids are injured every year on school playgrounds
  • 5th-graders sustain more injuries than any other group
  • Falls are the #1 cause of injury

What to check :

The inspector checks the nuts, screws, bolts and other hardware to make sure it hasn’t come loose. He checks the slides, and pushes on the joints to see if they are solid. Even a hole in the equipment can be a hazard.

Another important spot to check is under the swings. Lots of children fall off swings, so what kind of a surface will they hit? In this picture it looks like the child would fall on hard concrete. There must be something to cushion the fall. Rubber mulch can do a lot to prevent injuries. At Rubberecycle we’ve tested dropping eggs from the top of the playground’s highest point. The egg didn’t break when it hit the rubber surface.

Playground safety should be a top priority at school and at home. Even playground equipment in your backyard should be tested. Parents can look over the set to make sure it’s held together well. Besides these suggestions, parents should watch their kids.

Check out our 7 PlayGround Safety Tips.

Go Green this St. Patrick’s Day

Monday, March 15th, 2010
Green fountain in front of the White House on ...
Image via Wikipedia

In just two days it will be St. Patrick’s Day – a day to go green! I know that most of you probably don’t think about recycling and environmental issues for this holiday – but that’s how we at Rubberecycle look at it. Did you know that the original color associated with Saint Patrick was not green, but blue? Those are our colors today. The day is celebrated on March 17 – in two days.

All around the country there are parades planned and many cities dye their fountains or rivers green. Schoolchildren pinch each other. People decorate with shamrocks. However, what I think is also important is to think about the impact we have on this earth. Are we using our resources wisely? Are we doing what we can to cut down on waste and reusing what we can?

Rubberecycle starts with 100% recycled scrap tires that would otherwise end up in a landfill. We use the recycled material to makes products that are safe and ideal for recreational surfaces and landscaping. The White House used recycled tire mulch for their playground and many others have too. Like most activities this is an investment for the long term, not a short-term solution. With our lifetime guarantee, you should never have to use another surface.

So in between all the parties and fun we hope you’ll associate St. Patrick’s Day with going green. Next month there are two holidays specifically for those causes. I’ll cover them soon. In the meantime, try not to get pinched!