Green Initiatives

Green Roof

Buildings and Parks

  • Environment-friendly parks plan and design: For all parks CIP projects, landscape architecture professionals are hired to evaluate the environmental impacts, and design beautiful landscapes.

  • Responsible building practices: Our parks and recreation buildings are following the practices to use energy-saving and water-saving implementations with office light on timers.

  • Fuel efficiency policy: FCPR has adopted policies to reduce emissions released into the air and the fossil fuels consumed, including purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles, following anti-idling practices, and purchasing fuel-efficient machinery.  

  • Proper maintenance: Standard equipment maintenance and replacement program has been established to make sure all equipment and vehicles are in good working condition.

  • Reduce printing: FCPR saved approximately 300 trees in 2021 by converting traditional brochure printing and mailing to digital online versions. We encourage staff to use electronic documents for file storage and paperless meetings.

Custodial Services

Our custodial team’s mission is to provide a clean environment for the county. We fulfill our mission while using environmentally responsible cleaning products, equipment, and sustainable processes.

  • Micro-Fiber rags: These rags can be laundered and reused up to 500 times. When staff clean with them, they use the eightfold method to utilize all sides of the rag.

  • Energy Star Certified equipment: When laundering, the washers and dryers we utilize are Energy Star Certified.

  • Green or EPA certified clean products: The three main chemicals we use are Spartan Clean by Peroxy (Green), Spartan Bio-renewable glass cleaner (Green), and Spartan HDQ Neutral One-Step Disinfectant Cleaner (EPA certified). We also use healthy dye-free and fragrance-free hand soaps that are USDA Certified Biobased products and Ecologo Certified to Standard Name UL 2784.

  • “More from Less” paper products: Parks and Recreation uses redesigned coreless bath tissues and continuous hand towel systems to minimize waste and carbon footprint.

Improvements

The Division of Frederick County Parks and Recreation is actively researching ways to improve energy usage, emissions, land and water management, and waste and recycling management. The Division’s sustainability goals for the next few years include:

  • Green equipment: FCPR plans to purchase more green equipment including battery-powered landscape tools and machinery.

  • Vehicle selection to improve fuel efficiency: FCPR will give preference to purchase more hybrid and electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.

  • Reduce waste program and promote recycling: More parks will be equipped with recycling services.

  • Install electric vehicle chargers in parks: FCPR is working with a utility company to install EV chargers in our parks in 2022/2023.

  • Reduce printing: FCPR has saved approximately 300 trees in 2021 by converting traditional brochure printing and mailing to digital online versions. We encourage staff to use electronic documents for file storage and paperless meetings.