During Earth Month, Playland embarked on a handful of eco-friendly initiatives to mold the historic park into a best-in-class sustainability attraction. The Rye amusement park has been a summer staple for locals and tourists alike for nearly 100 years. Now, the park is looking forward to its next 100 years while opting for a refreshed strategy to keep the scenic attractions looking pristine while reducing its carbon footprint.
Standard Amusements, the operator of Playland, partnered with Jones Lang LaSalle (JILL) to initiate the park’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and carbon emissions. Through the comprehensive sustainable strategy, the park will implement greener infrastructure and focus on reducing its carbon footprint for the next generation of visitors and dragon coaster riders.
“While continuing to preserve and honor Playland’s rich history, our key priorities include improving our carbon footprint and focusing on the park’s sustainability to welcome families for the next generation,” says Evonne Keeler, Chief Executive Officer of Playland.
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The latest strategies include reducing portable water usage, improving energy efficiency, increasing the reuse of materials at the park, and kickstarting a composting program. In addition, considering Playland’s geography and proximity to nature and the preserve, the park will soon feature green infrastructure and transform into a more climate-resilient facility. Taking these steps will reduce the park’s negative impacts to local ecosystems.
Initiatives throughout the park have commenced, including replacing old lighting with high-efficiency LED bulbs, moving away from propane to clean all-electric cooking appliances for food service, and installing water refill stations throughout the campus. The Standard Amusement team has planted over 50 trees throughout the campus and has begun installing green roofs on buildings.
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While taking a look at these changes, it’s important to keep in mind that these are just the beginning steps. Playland’s sustainability transformation is much larger and, with the global perspective from JILL, Playland will become a sustainable powerhouse in the coming years.
“We are proud to be part of the journey for this historic gem of Westchester County and are excited to work together with Standard Amusements to build something special for decades to come,” says Adam Fisher, who leads JLL Sustainability Consulting for the Northeastern U.S.
Playland’s opening day is May 18!
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