Johnsonville State Historic Park Wins Award for Excellence in Sustainability

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has honored Johnsonville State Historic Park in New Johnsonville with the Excellence in Sustainability Award among the 57 Tennessee State Parks. The award is part of the annual Tennessee State Parks Awards of Excellence.

“Johnsonville State Historic Park is a model for its work in sustainability,” said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner of Conservation at TDEC. “We congratulate the park on this well-deserved award, and we look forward to its continued strides in this category.”

The Sustainability category of the awards is for parks that have demonstrated exceptional sustainability measures throughout the park or within a specific operation of the park. Sustainability includes a wide variety of activities including but not limited to energy conservation, recycling, waste reduction, water conservation, local purchasing, reduction in consumption, organic and native gardening, use of recycled products or reused materials, reduction of chemicals, and more.

Johnsonville State Historic Park has been named a Platinum level park in TDEC’s Go Green With Us program four times, the most ever among the parks. Highlights have included a pollinator garden, a donated solar powered audio station, and recycling 150 tires in partnership with Liberty Tire and the Tennessee Environmental Council.

Johnsonville State Historic Park is a day-use park named for former president Andrew Johnson. The 1,075-acre park has great recreational opportunities, including 10 miles of well-maintained trails, birding, swimming, fishing from the bank, and picnicking.

TDEC also announced awards for the best parks in the following categories: Pickett CCC Memorial State Park for Customer Engagement and Resource Management; Booker T. Washington State Park for Innovation; and Radnor Lake State Park for Interpretation. Seven Islands State Birding Park was named Park of the Year.