Radnor Lake State Park and Natural Area has completed the Platinum Recognition Level of the TN State Parks Go Green With Us Initiative and Guidelines. The guidelines include multiple areas of environmental sustainability, including education and outreach, water conservation, energy efficiency, waste and recycling, and much more. Congrats to this park for going above and beyond to be excellent stewards of our natural resources.

The mission of the Tennessee State Parks Go Green With Us program is to preserve and protect our state parks through sustainable park operations, resource conservation, and recycling. Program components cover a diverse array of initiatives, including energy and water conservation through equipment and operations upgrades, recycling programs, projects to enhance ecosystem health, and erosion control, among many others.

Radnor Lake State Park is committed to energy efficiency and sustainability and has completed a large number of related projects.

• Two electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at the Visitor Center.
• Led a Jr. Ranger cleanup at the Duck River that removed and recycled tires at Bridgestone.
• Recycled 700+ Christmas trees into mulch used on park trails as a part of their Trees to Trails program.
• Converted 20+ acres back to native grasslands using a custom seed mix that included common milkweed to promote monarch habitat.
• Installed LED lights at the Aviary Center to reduce energy consumption – funded by the Friends of Radnor Lake and the Barbara J. Mapp Foundation.
• Worked with Motlow College Professor Kevin Fitch and students to target the removal of Wild Garlic Mustard
• Recycled 9,260 pounds of mixed materials.
• New doors and the addition of a vestibule area at the visitor’s center help maintain a consistent temperature.
• The visitor’s center and all of the ranger residences have been upgraded to more energy-efficient LED lighting.
• The visitor’s center, education center, maintenance shop, and two of the ranger’s residences received spray foam insulation to fill in various gaps to eliminate heating and cooling losses, therefore decreasing the overall energy consumption.
• Other enhancements to park buildings include new water heaters. The visitor’s center was upgraded to a more efficient tankless water heater that only heats water as it is needed instead of constantly running to keep a large tank of water hot. The Hideaway House ranger residence was fitted with a new water heater that has a hybrid heat pump. It replaces two older water heaters that used about 9,000 kilowatts per year costing about $950 a year to operate. The newer heater uses about 1,800 kilowatts and costs about $185 per year. An additional ranger residence was fitted with a new tankless gas water heater that runs on natural gas. It will save approximately $1,000 annually in utility costs. It replaces three older water heaters that used about 13,500 kilowatts costing about $1,350 per year to operate.
• Other projects at the park include the Hideaway House getting new energy-efficient insulated front and back doors and Energy Star windows. At one of the other ranger residences, a new American-made Energy Star refrigerator was installed. The park’s maintenance shop, once a horse barn, had its two ceiling electric heaters replaced with an Environmental Protection Agency clean air certified wood-burning stove. Locally sourced wood will fuel it.
• The park contributes to ecosystem health through controlled burns, planting native grasses and vegetation, and mulching or graveling trails to prevent erosion where appropriate. 
• The staff has monthly volunteer park improvement and litter pickup events, as well.
• Uses recycled and repurposed building materials throughout the park for structures such as the Lake Trail Observation Deck and the aviary viewing decks
• Hosts multiple clean-ups year-round to remove litter and debris from waterways and natural areas
• Accepted over 700 Christmas trees from surrounding communities to be recycled into mulch used on park trails
• Upgraded to energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the park
• Recycled over 9,000 pounds of mixed materials