Tims Ford State Park 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.

• Tims Ford State Park’s golf course is part of the internationally-recognized Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and Groundwater Guardian Green program, which means that their course enhances the natural landscape and wildlife habitat while also improving efficiency and minimizing potentially harmful impacts of golf course operations. Several of the park’s program components include target watering and electric mowers and golf carts which are quiet and do not disturb wildlife.
• Cabins have energy-efficient LED lighting. Energy-efficient LED lights are also used to illuminate parking areas.
• The park participates in TVA’s Green Power Switch program.
• The campground is a Tennessee Valley Camp-Right Campground which means that the campground voluntarily strives to meet and promote environmentally friendly campground management and camping practices related to energy efficiency, water conservation, natural resource protection, and plant and tree management practices.
• They have also installed strategically placed trash and recycling dumpsters in the campground, removing all individual trash cans and placing signs informing visitors of these locations. Fewer trashcans result in a decrease in the number of trashcan liners required. This means less waste and a decrease in associated cost.
• The park reduces erosion in the campground through use of tent pads which are man-made surfaces that protect the ground from damage caused by repeatedly setting up a tent in the same spot.
• They also have made drainage improvements at the campground to help minimize damage caused by stormwater.
• They further enhance the ecosystem through controlled burns, encouraging growth of native vegetation, and an annual shoreline cleanup.