Metal picnic tables from The Park and Facilities Catalog at Indiana State University

When you are the landscape manager for a major college campus, you face a variety of challenges and that's why metal picnic tables are one solution that requires less maintenance and care.

Stephanie Krull is the Landscape and Grounds Manager for a leading college - Indiana State University in Terre Haute, with a student population of 13,000 students.

Indiana State University's colorful campus

As you can imagine, with that many students, there is quite a bit of wear and tear on the grounds.

The campus covers 200 acres and is located in a fertile region with the Wabash River running nearby. The landscape is covered with a spectacular array of flowers, shrubs, grass, planters and trees. In fact, ISU is certified as a Tree Campus by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the State's Urban Forester's Office. There are more than 3,500 trees on all university properties and 2,200 on the main campus.

In addition,

Recycling symbol created for Earth Day back in 1970 by a 23-year-old college student

When a 23-old student named Gary Anderson submitted his entry into a logo contest for Earth Day back in 1970, little did he know the impact his design would have on everything from recycling bins to recycled plastic benches.

The contest to adopt a "Universal Recycling Symbol" was the brainchild of the Container Corporation of America in Chicago, a recycled cardboard company, to help raise awareness about environmental issues.

At that time, Anderson was a student at the University of Southern California. Using inspiration from M.C. Escher (the artist who created those drawings of warped steps that seemed to defy gravity) and other influences, the young man submitted a drawing depicting three arrows moving in a circular direction. However, it's not a normal circle, but a "Mobius" configuration, where the arrows are twisted.

Anderson's entry won and he took home $2,500. But little did he know at that time

Leigh Lake at Grand Teton National Park. Photos such as this are available at NPS.gov

April 15 is the start of National Park Week in 2017 and a reminder to appreciate just what a privilege it is to sit on a park bench and behold the vast wonders of our national parks. In honor of this event, for two weekends you can visit a national park for free!

In fact, there is a whole treasure chest of goodies about our national parks that are available to the public. So, find a park bench or get out your hiking shoes and check out all of these free guides, maps, photos, videos and apps.

Free Admission to National Parks for two weekends - for National Park Week from April 15-16 to 22-23. We're not talking about just Yosemite and Yellowstone, but 413 national parks across the country.

Bison bull. (Photo by NPS)

Here's a list of free guides from the National Park Foundation that are a load of fun (link is below).

Free National Park Owner's Guide - if you like visiting parks, you will love this free

The National Fire Protection Association has created codes and standards for aluminum bleachers and wooden bleachers

By Gerald Dlubala

Looking out over your stadium, it can be picture perfect as the shiny angles of the aluminum bleachers frame the manicured field.

It's the perfect venue, just the way it was all envisioned.

But are there hidden dangers within your venue?

Those bleachers will be tested in every conceivable way, and because they will be the home for every fan that comes through that turnstile, they need to be safe. They're expected and assumed to be safe whether they're stepped or jumped on, climbed or crawled on, or even just sat on as intended.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) updates their codes and standards regarding bleachers and grandstands on an annual basis, based on input they receive throughout the year.

These standards are integral to providing and maintaining a safe, secure bleacher and grandstand environment.

Being sure aluminum bleachers are safe

Picnic tables at the Grand Canyo

Fine dining and picnic tables? Not the first image that comes to mind.

But think about a time when you enjoyed a meal in a nice restaurant where the ambiance was outstanding.  Beautiful wallpaper. Interesting chandeliers. Striking tile floor.

Sort of makes the food taste better, doesn't it?

It certainly makes the overall dining experience more enjoyable.

But the reality is, you don't' need to spend $300 to enjoy a meal with great ambiance.

Not when Mother Nature is the Maître d'.

Because if you take the time to look, just about every great view has a picnic table somewhere in the vicinity.

Take this picnic table overlooking the Grand Canyon for example. You cannot beat that for wallpaper.

Or how about this one of a picnic table overlooking a snow scene?

 

Interested in waterfront dining? There is no bigger waterfront than a beach. Just add picnic tables.

One of the biggest expenses people face when traveling is eating out. When you are on the road,

"Road diet" cities place more emphasis on pedestrians and bicycles than cars. Photo source: Sixthreezero.co

Whether you recognize it or not, wide, open roads psychologically trick you into driving a little faster and that is why cities are deciding to go on a "road diet."

Many roads in America are designed to accommodate a significant number of cars moving quickly, but sometimes the road is wider than is really necessary.

Downtown main streets are especially effected by this. As areas of high pedestrian activity, they are usually not accommodating to foot traffic or bicyclists, with high-speed roads and wide lanes taking up all of the space, leaving narrow sidewalks as an afterthought.

If drivers naturally feel like they need to increase their speed because the roads are wide, making it unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, your town might need a road diet.

A what? You heard that right, a road diet. Just like a trendy food diet is focused on slimming your waistline, road diets emphasize

Aerial view of Biscayne Green pop-up park. (Source: www.BiscayneGreenMiami.com

Dogs are probably the only creatures that love parks as much as humans and that's why dog park equipment was included in an inventive Biscayne Green pop-up park project in Downtown Miami.

For urbanites restrained by all that concrete and steel in cities but who still love the outdoors, this was one cool idea. The Miami Downtown Development Authority basically decided to transform 101 parking spaces in the middle of Biscayne Boulevard into active public space to showcase how these spaces can be turned around into a local destination for green space, entertainment, community and connections, and to gauge the reaction of the local community.

And there certainly was a reaction. The public filled up the park every day during the 20-day event.

Biscayne Green pop-up park (Source: www.BiscayneGreenMiami.com

"This was a huge success and we had a great reception from the community," said Fabian De La Espriella, planning

Attendance at national parks in the US continues to grow. Here's the latest list of Top 20 US National Parks based on recreational visitors in 2016. Share with your friends and family. Let them know these favorite must-see destinations for park enthusiasts (just hit share buttons at bottom of the page).

Top 20 National Park

To see the difference in attendance at each park, click here for last year's list of Top 20 National Parks in 2015.

Note: This infographic is brought to you by The Park and Facilities Catalog. We are a national supplier of park furnishings such as park benches, picnic tables, trash receptacles, bike racks and thousands of other items. We are also a strong advocate for national, state and local parks and encourage visitors to keep their parks clean so they can be enjoyed by everyone.

An outdoor stone altar with wooden benches at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sebastopol, CA

The members of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sebastopol, CA, wanted to create a special place outside their church where people of any faith would feel welcome to participate in everything from religious services and weddings, to concerts and poetry reading, sitting on wooden benches under a beautiful blue sky.

But what they created is no ordinary place. St. Stephen's Church succeeded in such a way that is sure to catch the attention of everybody in their community, along with spiritually minded people nationwide.

The stone structure they created is reminiscent of an ancient gathering place that you might find on a hillside in ancient Europe. The rocks were gathered from a nearby quarry by a local craftsman to build a striking blue-grey wall, to be draped with lush vegetation over the years, as a backdrop for viewers.

St. Stephen's Church stone and mosaic tile alta

In the middle of the wall

Fire rings keep a campfire safe and enjoyable

By Gerald Dlubala

Campfires are a staple of a quality camping experience and commercial-grade fire rings are an essential part of any location that provides campfires.

When contained within fire rings, campfires are a safe, aesthetically pleasing and functional part of our time spent outdoors.

Here's why. According to The Bureau of Land Management, people cause 80% of forest fires.

A well-meaning campfire that got out of control contributed to 20% of those fires.

By installing and encouraging the use of fire rings, you can promote campfire safety by controlling the size and containment of the fire as well as making it safer and easier to extinguish the fire when needed.

When installed at campgrounds, multifamily housing complexes, or even in residential areas, fire rings increase the manageability of camp or bonfires, making for a more memorable and worry-free experience.

Selection of different fire ring

Camping grows as a preferred recreational

The property managers of this office park in Florida ordered concrete picnic tables as a way to secure their commercial site furnishings from storms and high winds

Preparing for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other meteorological events can be nerve-wracking, but when you use concrete picnic tables, that's one item you don't have to worry about.

And that is one reason why the Meek Companies decided to use concrete picnic tables from The Park and Facilities Catalog for an office park they manage in Jacksonville, Fla.

When a storm approaches, emergency checklists need to be created. As you can imagine, there are a myriad of items to consider - boarding up windows, moving vehicles, protecting valuables, etc. etc. etc.

But with concrete picnic tables or concrete benches, those are items you don't have to add to the list. They are not going anywhere.

That's why this product was the preferred choice for the Metro Square Office Park, said, Cindy Kaneer, RPA, FMA, property manager with The

 

Bike room layouts are part of the AIA CES Course offered by The Park and Facilities Catalog

The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently accepted as an AIA CES Approved Provider by the American Institute of Architects for its course "How to Create a Successful, High-Density Bike Room."

"We are very pleased to receive this designation," said Chris Luyet, Vice President and General Manager, "This enables us to help educate architects about best practices regarding bike rooms which are becoming a required and highly-attractive amenity in buildings across America."

Bicycle commuting is booming across America. The League of American Bicyclists estimates the overall number of bicyclists who ride to work grew by 62% from 2000-2013 and 105% in bicycle-friendly communities. Many cities are spending billions on bicycle infrastructure and now require bicycle parking and bike rooms to promote this alternative mode of transportation.

Architects encouraged to register for bike room course

The AIA

Bike rooms with vertical wall mount bike racks can save space and prevent bicycle clutte

By Gerald Dlubala

The simple aesthetics of an organized bike room or bike storage space laid out with an attractive, space saving, wall mount bike rack should be enough to provide adequate bicycle parking.

But when you add in zoning laws, bike room standards, tight spaces and other challenges for planners and designers, these vertical bike racks are now the must, go-to solution for commercial use in apartment settings, multi-unit housing complexes, and business offices.

The Future of Bike Rooms Is Now

Design flexibility and planning compatibility are points that should not be overlooked, because as we speak, more and more cities are requiring that bike rooms, long-term bicycle parking areas, or some combination of the two be offered as part of new, updated, or retrofitted construction plans.

Some of the larger metropolitan areas, such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles are updating their

The new $145 million spring training home of the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals in Palm Beach County Florida. (Photo courtesy of The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches)

Filling bleachers with baseball fans is big business in South Florida and with the addition of a new two-team stadium, just goes to show the economic impact of sports in any community.

Starting in March, spectators will be singing "Take me out to the ballgame" in a brand-new facility in Palm Beach County - The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches - that will be the winter home for the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.

This $145 million-dollar facility has the capacity to hold 8,000 people with seating for 6,500. (The rest of the seating will be traditional spring-training style - visitors can sit on blankets on a grass berm overlooking the field. The ultimate in "green" bleachers. This was one of the alluring features of the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training facility in Vero Beach for decades. That was until

Outdoor grilling is gaining in popularity at record levels and another reason why park and facility managers should place permanent grills on their properties

By Gerald Dlubala

How important is it for a facility to provide permanent grills for public use? Just ask the experts.

"It's part of the American identity to have a grill," says IBISWorld, a global intelligence business leader specializing in Industry Market Research.

With 75% of Americans having a grill at their disposal, and almost half of those grilling more than once per week, barbecue is ingrained into our weekly meal planning and preparation.

As a park, facility, or multifamily housing manager, this information should speak to you regarding the amenities you offer.

Permanent grills are a simple and inexpensive marketing amenity that can be added to multifamily communities

If you want to keep up with public trends and expectations, one area to improve on is the accessibility you provide to better, larger, and more enjoyable