The main thrust of these parks would be to heighten environmental awareness while having fun. With attractions featuring examples of per capita consumption of natural resources, the whole family should be astonished, entertained and informed.

An American Green Land might include:

-A 15,000 gallon wading pool representing the average citizen’s yearly water use

-A small grove of 30 year old pine trees, equal to the 200 cubic feet of per capita wood consumption, including simple cable elevators to reach some of the crowns

-Seven trees, equivalent to each person’s paper use for a year, could also be shown as a 680 pound, picture book with pages that can be turned by kids

-The per capita consumption of oil, represented by an oil well that periodically gushes 25 barrels of “oil” onto bathing-suited minors

-A year’s expenditure of natural gas, 60,000 cubic feet, demonstrated by a helium balloon, low hover ride

-A petting zoo of cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, etc. and surrounding fields of wheat, corn, rye and rice, equivalent to a lifetime of food consumption

-Other per capita amounts of coal (1000 lbs.), steel (800 lbs.) and cement (780 lbs.) present as climbing pyramids or as large spheres that could only be lifted with long levers

-Fished and hunted animals, dumped trash and recycled waste, also represented

Of course the whole park would be run as environmentally friendly as possible. An exhausted but thoughtful family returning home, might have a large sack of fertile soil in the trunk, park-produced from one person’s table scraps for a year.
-- FarmerJohn, Apr 03 2003

Build it here http://www.nyc.gov/...ompetition/2_0.html
Fresh Kills is a garbage dump famously big enough to be seen from space. Sadly, you're too late for the re-use design competition. [DrCurry, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Petting Slaughterhouse http://www.halfbake...ng_20slaughterhouse
Build it next to the Petting Slaughterhouse. [hippo, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Environmentaland (defunct) http://www.mnn.com/...-opens-in-hollywood
I don't think it lasted very long. [Ander, Apr 12 2016]

Hm...just touring Fresh Kills would be enough to stop your average child ever throwing anything away again in their life. Build it there, maybe.
-- DrCurry, Apr 03 2003


Ouch! – That quickly awakened the Darwinism in me. – Only comment... (+).
-- Shz, Apr 04 2003


Nice - I think you should be consistent and keep the amounts to "a year's supply for the average US citizen", rather than having some things being a year's supply and others being a lifetime's supply.
-- hippo, Apr 04 2003


I agree, but the image of petting a half pig or the back quarters of a calf made me hedge a little.
-- FarmerJohn, Apr 04 2003


I agree it's a tough subject to make interesting and fun for other than just green fiends. Most of us enjoy consuming, and destroying things more. With recycling and sustainable development, the conservation outlook needn't be depressing. The idea tries to provide eye-openers but with a cotton candy coating.
-- FarmerJohn, Apr 04 2003


There's always the chance some crazed vegan(s) will spash (fake) blood on critters, including the schmuck(s) wearing the cow-suit(s), thus terrifying toddlers.
-- thumbwax, Apr 04 2003



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