A descriptive study of sustainability strategies among local parks and recreation departments in Tennessee

This thesis represents the first study ever performed in the state of Tennessee on the usage of ecological sustainability strategies in the local parks and an analysis of the existing barriers preventing their implementation. A survey was e-mailed to all of the 105 Tennessee Recreation Park Association park directors requesting this data. As a result of this analysis, a list of 34 environmentally friendly sustainability strategies has been identified that should be considered for implementation in the local parks by their directors. The most common perceptions the directors listed as barriers to their implementation of sustainability strategies included staff knowledge, budget constraints and the number of staff.

This thesis should serve as a catalysis for further study and should the basis for a concerted effort to develop comprehensive sustainability action plans with measurable objectives for the local parks throughout the entire state of Tennessee. Oregon is the only state that has such an operational action plan for its parks in existence. The Oregon state legislature through state law has required the state and local parks to achieve their sustainability goals by 2014.