Open Space Radio: Parks and Recreation Trends

We’re talking about a gross topic on today’s episode of Open Space Radio, but fortunately I’m joined by a few people who are on a mission to clean things up. Today we’re talking about cigarette butt litter, and how both Keep Tennessee Beautiful and Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful are doing their part in their state to reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter, which contains really toxic chemicals that can be detrimental to the environment.

On today’s episode of Open Space Radio, we’re talking inclusion. And, in celebration of June being Pride Month, we’re talking specifically about LGBTQ+ inclusion in parks and recreation. We're joined by Jason Shriner, marketing manager for City of Manassas Park Department of Parks and Recreation, to talk about why he feels that working in parks and recreation means being a leader in LGBTQ+ inclusion, as well as how park and recreation agencies can be more inclusive and welcoming to everyone.

Prepare to be inspired by today’s episode. We’re thrilled to be joined by Jennifer French, who has an amazing story of resilience after overcoming a snowboarding accident in 1998 in which she became a quadriplegic, to becoming a silver medalist representing Team USA at the 2012 Paralympic Games in sailing. We’re also excited to speak with Sam Mendelsohn, CEO of Greenfields Outdoor Fitness, which has been a leader in accessible outdoor fitness equipment since 2007.

Our May issue of Parks & Recreation magazine was filled with articles and tips about branding your park and recreation agency, how to master Facebook ads, and the importance of raising awareness about the great work you do. We also hosted a webinar tackling the latest trends in media and public relations. On this episode, we're taking a deeper dive into some of the questions we received during that webinar alongside our friend, colleague and NRPA’s Senior Manager of Public Relations, Heather Williams.

Today’s episode is slightly bittersweet. The exciting part is that we’re chatting with Barbara Tulipane, NRPA’s president and CEO, about the incredible 11 years she has spent helping transform NRPA into what it is today. But we can’t help being saddened that we’re having this discussion because of her upcoming retirement in June. We also chat about whether or not Barbara thinks parks are going to save the world (spoiler: she absolutely thinks parks are going to save the world).

On today's episode, we’re joined by Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom, who worked in local government for several years and is now a professional speaker and organizational development consultant who works with leaders who want to improve employee relationships and have more productive meetings. We talk about the things that can make a meeting productive, engaging and a space where not only great ideas come to life, but also where everyone's voice is heard.

On today's episode, we're talking about playground design and how design that keeps a community’s spirit in mind benefits the community as a whole. Our guest on the show is Todd Lehman, owner and "design guy" at Cre8Play. You may recognize Cre8Play from the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference, where they won Best in Show for their playground exhibit.

In today’s episode, we take a moment to celebrate five years of Commit to Health and how we're making an impact nationwide. Commit to Health is NRPA’s program to implement healthy eating and physical activity (HEPA) standards in park and recreation out-of-school time programs. It goes beyond just eating right and exercise, though — it’s all about getting staff and youth to engage and learn about lifelong healthy habits while having fun.

On today’s show, we’re talking about one of NRPA’s Top Trends in Parks and Recreation for 2019: The prediction that park and recreation recycling programs may soon end. We’re joined by Brendan Daley, the Director of Strategy and Sustainability for the Chicago Park District, which is leading the way in recycling and other sustainability practices, and Rich Dolesh, NRPA’s Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, who made this bold prediction at the beginning of this year.

Mark Foote, the aquatics superintendent for the City of Chandler Parks and Recreation in Arizona, discusses why he thinks it’s especially important in parks and recreation to be able to change the approach to certain things, like hiring, to attract and retain different generations — specifically Millennials and Gen Z. We also explore the current claims about a lifeguard shortage, and why Mark believes that there actually isn’t a lifeguard shortage, at all (he may just convince you, too).

When Derwin Hannah moved from South Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland, 22 years ago, he couldn’t help but notice that things weren’t the way they should be. He noticed that the kids were playing in the street and that the local park, ABC Park, was being overrun with criminal activity and not being cared for. Derwin wanted the kids in this Baltimore community to have the chance of experiencing the childhood that he had — a chance to play, a chance to feel a sense of belonging.

In this episode we are talking about the case — or really the many, MANY cases — for open space. While it would take several libraries to thoroughly go through all the reasons why open space is important, we went to the expert on land use policy and economic development issues — Ed McMahon, the senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

On today’s episode, we’re talking about park conversions. In recent history, we’ve seen some pretty remarkable conversions of abandoned or unused commercial and industrial space into vibrant public spaces. But the reverse is happening, too. Even though parks and open space are vital to every community, parks are being converted to non-park uses. In some cases, the conversions of these parks are for other valuable public purposes, but the net effect is the same — the parks are lost.

On today’s episode, we’re talking about pet peeves. We know how much passion you have for your and communities and careers and park and recreation professionals, but we also know that there’s always that one thing that continues to irk you.

On today's episode, we’re joined by Aaron Hipp, an Associate Professor of Community Health and Sustainability at NC State University’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Aaron is currently conducting research on topics such as how, where, and why our public built environments impact health behaviors such as physical activity and recreation, and the effect of the environment where we spend most of our time, such as work, school and sleep, on leisure time physical activity.