Summer time means more events and unfortunately, more trash. In this day of excessive garbage, adding more commercial trash cans at key locations is one solution

It's "Summertime and the livin'" is easy…and unfortunately, the commercial trash cans will be overflowing.

Summer is a fantastic season for a number of reasons. But as more people spend more time outdoors at parks, concerts, restaurants, theme parks and other facilities, that also means there will be a greater accumulation of garbage.

Let's face it. Litter is not a pleasant subject. But when you look at the ugly statistics, it's definitely something every park and facility manager should be concerned about.

1. The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash, EVERY DAY, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

2. That amounts to about 700,000 tons of garbage, EVERY DAY.

3. In a survey of Americans conducted by Keep America Beautiful, 43% of respondents said they had littered in the past 30 days.

4. Young

The Brickell Ten project has magnificent skyline views

A rooftop terrace on a condominium in Miami is certainly a great place to hang out but when you add a brilliant contemporary design, a bar area and trendy, large commercial planters, well then it becomes THE place to be.

That's what the creators of the stunning Brickell Ten condominium project at 1010 SW Second Ave. in Miami accomplished. And part of that appealing design can be seen in the stylish finishing touches to their roof and outdoor pool area on the fifth floor.

The designers installed several large commercial planters with a smooth metallic-like finish supplied by The Park and Facilities Catalog. These charcoal-colored commercial planters give the outdoor spaces a sleek, high-tech appearance.

The molded fiberglass commercial planters measured 72 x 72 x 72 and 36 x 36 x 36. Mini-palm trees were planted inside to coincide with the clean, avant-garde design within a tropical setting of South Florida.

"I just think they are gorgeous,"

The City of West Palm Beach arranged for local artists to paint 25 picnic tables with an Aesop's Fables theme

Want to create a great attraction for your park this summer with picnic tables?

One city came up with an idea to liven up their surroundings by using wooden picnic tables as canvases for local artists to display their talents.

What a fantastic (and simple) strategy to bring people to a park or promotion!

And what a clever way to generate revenue for your park (The city will auction off these tables at the end of the summer).

These artistic picnic tables are part of the Summer in Paradise celebration organized by the City of West Palm Beach in Florida.

The organizers decided to make the theme for the event - Aesop's Tables, centered around the Aesop's Fables books that have thrilled readers for years around the globe. Some of the familiar stories are "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and the "Tortoise and the Hare." (You can see all the painted picnic tables here.)

Local artists painted

The Augusta Collection is part of a new line of premium outdoor metal benches now offered by The Park and Facilities Catalog

There's something special about an outdoor bench and what it says about a company or facility.

The Park and Facilities Catalog introduces a new line of premium outdoor metal benches that are sure to add an elegant look to any landscape.

Guidelines for outdoor metal benches

Here's why outdoor benches are so important:

First impressions: Think about it, the first thing many people see when they visit an office building, school or other facility are the outdoor site furnishings, including the benches.

The elegant Hamilton Collection outdoor metal bench

Are the outdoor metal benches contemporary and stylish or are they shoddy and boring? Do they make an aesthetic statement that catches the eye? Do they blend in with the surroundings?

You could go so far as to say that those outdoor metal benches represent the culture of the company. Do the benches say to a potential

Aluminum bleacher must provide easy and safe egress

By Gerald Dlubala

An aluminum bleacher can be an awesome sight at pre-game time, sitting in a shimmering sea of seats, awaiting the frenzy of cheering crowds.

Then to game-day activities, with fans hustling and bustling, continually moving in almost choreographed movement, side to side, top to bottom.

The planned and marked paths of movement also guarantees that the rush in when the gates open and the mass leaving at the end of the event move smoothly and fluidly in a calm and organized motion.

A lot of engineering and thought goes into making an aluminum bleacher work the way you want them to work.

Without even thinking about it, your bleachers are scientifically engineered to provide not only quality seating, but also quality methods of movement as well. Following are some of the critical bleacher egress specifications and standards, developed and based on bleacher occupancy, load, and layout, as well as specifications of some of the

Two people relax on a park bench. Research shows that the average American visits a park 29 times a year

If the Trust for Public Land checked out parks in your town, would they reward the city with a bunch of park bench accolades for providing open spaces for local citizens?

Minneapolis certainly earned recognition. In fact, that city was given the highest ranking and a "Five Park Bench," award as the best park system in the US, according to a study conducted by the Trust for Public Land.

The Sixth Annual ParkScore survey was created by the trust to provide a benchmark for how cities rank for their parks compared to other municipalities. The research also provides guidance for city planners to use when considering the number of open spaces and amenities they should be providing for public use. (See list of Top 30 cities below).

Park bench ratings issued for cities with best park systems

According to the trust, they determined their rankings based on three factors:

Access: how long does

Space-saving UpLift Bicycle Racks are featured at the Griffin School in Austin, Texas

A prestigious private high school in Texas recently installed The Park and Facilities Catalog's new, space-saving Uplift bicycle racks.

The Griffin School is a popular and fully accredited private high school in Austin, Texas with a unique approach to learning.

In an open letter, one of the founders and school director Adam Wilson outlined the school's philosophy, "Griffin School provides students with a high school program that values individuality, creativity, and community. We recognize that for many gifted and creative students, the structures inherent in traditional high schools can limit and impede the development of academic, social and emotional growth,

"Our school enables students to succeed through interactive classes capped at 15 students and academic programming that fosters artistic expression, critical thinking, and genuine involvement in the school and Austin community."

The school hosts

A happy terrier gets a workout on dog park equipment. More dog owners are realizing the benefits of training their dogs on this equipment for exercise and learning commands

By Gerald Dlubala

Think about the difference a few pieces of dog park equipment can make to a dog and their owner.

Research says that the relationship we have with our dogs is based on thousands of years of evolution.

Going back up to 8,000 years, dogs have been found buried next to their human counterparts, sometimes outfitted in extravagant collars, expensive robes, and laid next to gem-laden spoons and bowls.

The bond is not just emotional, say scientists. More recent studies have shown that when humans and dogs are together and making eye contact, the dog in fact, experiences the release of the hormone oxytocin as humans.

What is oxytocin, you ask? Well, that's the same hormone released when a mother lovingly looks upon her baby in her arms. So it's no wonder that there is such a bond between humans and their dogs.

The FBI estimates 1 million bicycles are stolen every year and here is a video on "How to Lock Your Bicycle Properly to a Bike Parking Rack" that could prevent you from becoming another unfortunate victim.

The FBI says that a bike is ripped off every three minutes. On college campuses, bike thefts usually top the list for stolen items.

Street crime is on the rise when it comes to bike thefts. One reason, according to Priceonomics, is that the chance of being caught or going to jail is relatively risk-free.

Another factor in the equation is that with the recent advancements in bicycle manufacturing, such as the use of lightweight carbon frames, people are now purchasing more expensive bicycles. Some run in the thousands of dollars, which makes this sideline very lucrative for criminals. Sadly, many crooks will sell these bikes for five to ten cents on the dollar.

The good news is that there are strategies you can use to protect your ride. Many of them are just simple common sense. But

Concrete bollards protecting a sidewalk. Notice how the cement is painted the same color as the building, another option available with concrete bollards

By Gerald Dlubala

Bollards as protective devices have been used going back to the late 1700s, when the first ones were crafted using everything from heavy tree trunks to old, vertically planted cannon barrels to the modern concrete bollards used today.

As they have become more sophisticated, modernized, and more skillfully manufactured, concrete bollards are now more personalized and aesthetically appealing.

And even though bollards are used as barriers to keep pedestrians safe from vehicular traffic, they have become just as important in keeping motor vehicles out of specific areas of concern, whether enclosing pedestrian traffic or not.

The popularity of concrete bollards increased in the 1990s when they began to be the preferred choice for protecting campuses and other highly populated buildings.

Credit the world of vehicle-based terrorism

Central Park in New York City - 843 acres of grass, trees and 9,000 wooden benches

Summer means warmer weather but also more wear and tear on outdoor facilities. If you want to see an excellent example of just how busy this season can be, check out New York's Central Park and how it handles millions of annual visitors, an endless number of plants and thousands of wooden benches.

Surrounded by 8.5 million residents in a place that also attracts a swarm of tourists every year, this lush patch of 843 acres in the middle of concrete and steel certainly sees its share of visitors.

In fact, today about 40 million people enter the park every year.

New York City is in the Northeast, with definitive seasons. That means there are days when the park is desolate and days when the park is packed.

Park survey tracks visitors during the seasons

Back in 2008 the Central Park Conservancy, which funds 75% of the park, began a study of park use. This was a full-scale research project which took a year to

The Park Catalog's newly invented commercial bike rack called the "UpLift" was featured in an article on the Palm Beach County Business Development website

The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently mentioned in an article on the Palm Beach County's Economic Development Resource website about the company's successful invention of a commercial bike rack called the UpLift.

The site is operated by the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County a resource established in Palm Beach County to assist existing businesses and help new companies start up or relocate to the area.

Their mission statement says: "The Business Development Board is to stimulate economic energy, promote business diversity and enrich the vitality of Palm Beach County through the relocation, retention, and expansion of companies to our area."

The organization offers a wealth of services. Those include:

Resources on buildings, land and office space that are available, all offered on a computerized, up-to-date inventory

Aluminum bleachers offer a great opportunity to generate additional revenue by adding sponsor banners

The reflection of aluminum bleachers wrapping around a well-groomed field is a thing of beauty.

Looking out over your own venue likely gives you a similar sense of satisfaction, with freshly maintained grounds and bleachers all ready for the next round of rowdy fans.

But even though they're full on game days, the field and bleachers tend to see little action in between.

Oh, there are the normal practices on the field, perhaps even a few people using the field and track for their own fitness goals, and that one guy that practices his golf chipping on a regular basis.

But it's easy to see that these bleachers are not living up to their potential, now are they?

Game days are by far the busiest, and generate a nice profit. But are you truly maximizing revenue on those days?

What about putting this venue, and all it has to offer, to use for other opportunities?

Aluminum bleachers can generate

May is Bike Month. Bicyclists gather in a "Critical Mass" demonstration to show their concern for safe streets and protected bike lanes

May is Bike Month and the impact of all those bicyclists, bike lanes, bike parking racks, bike share programs, bike accessories and bike trails have given this segment of society enormous clout.

Bike Month was created by the League of American Bicyclists. Cities all across the US have planned activities such as car-free days and get-togethers to celebrate this month. The number of active bicyclists in every town is increasing.

Just consider these statistics for example:

There are a record number of bicyclists - last year 67 million people rode a bike in the last 12 months, according to Statista.com. In 2008 there were 47 million. Wheeled sports - mostly bicycles - account for $97 billion in outdoor spending every year, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. About $14 billion is spent yearly on bike and skateboard gear. Bike trips and other wheeled

With a record number of bicyclists in America today, it would be wise for cities to seek a "bike friendly" designation by adding more bike lanes and bike parking racks

Is your city a  bicycle-friendly community with plenty of bike lanes, bike parking racks, and safer streets? It can mean the difference between getting with the times or having people avoid living in your city altogether.

Bicycle commuting is on the rise. Since 2005, the share of bicycle commuters increased at a national average of 46%, but some states have seen an increase of more than 100%. This is good for everyone, but especially the environment and the health of individuals within the community.

Bicycle commuters are so passionate about continuing to bike to work that they are willing to specifically move to bicycle-friendly cities. If your city isn't bike friendly, it might be slowing its growth.

If you want to keep up with modern trends, earning a bicycle-friendly distinction is key. The most well-known certification