New Playground with Rubber Bark™

Coastline Church in Carlsbad, California just got a little more kid-friendly with this new playground. It uses our signature Rubber Bark™ as groundcover, to help keep the kiddos bruise free, and able to play on the equipment safely. Rubber Bark™ is manufactured with recycled tires, and is virtually chemical-free. It has been tested for safety procedures, and is ideal for playgrounds. Interested in getting your own playground with some Rubber Bark™? Find out how to order here!

Our bark comes in great playground colors too! Try our blue, brown, redwood, black, or forest green.

NSPX3- "Good vs. Bad Rubber Bark"

We came across this interesting tidbit (and video!) the other day when we were perusing the interwebs for rubber mulch related news and were so excited to see NSPX3 give a shout out to Rubber Bark™!

BAD BARK! 

The company was right in saying that there can be two very different kinds of rubber mulch in playgrounds throughout the country. Some rubber mulch companies can leave in harmful metal from the tires and, once dyed a certain color, can fade rather quickly. Some mulches also let their "true colors" show, with the nylon of the tires left exposed, which may cause skin irritation.

GOOD BARK! 

However, Rubber Bark™guarantees its color will stay true and goes through quite the rigmarole to ensure that no metals or other harmful substances are hiding in the rubber. Plus, Rubber Bark™ has a consistency to it, with its colors, size of the bark, and its texture, that other mulches may overlook.

Rubber Bark™ Introduces New Landscape Fabric, Gardeners Rejoice!

Yes, we are very excited to announce that a new product, a durable, sturdy landscape fabric with Rubber Bark™'s quality guarantee will be added to our wonderful list of outdoor products for the new year. Rubber Bark's landscape fabric complements our signature Rubber Bark™ mulch in numerous ways, including decreasing weeds and trapping moisture for soil and perennials while keeping out toxins. So, get your green thumbs ready, and make sure to get some weed cloth when you are ordering your supply of Rubber Bark™ from our website. Check out the news release below: 

Rubber Bark™ Streamlines Landscape Maintenance with New Outdoor Fabric

            Rubber Bark™, the leading west coast rubber mulch manufacturer, launched a protective weed cloth this week to its line of eco-conscious and budget conscious landscape products with the intent to streamline the process for customers to get both Rubber Bark’s signature mulch and the landscape fabric under one company.

Rubber Bark™ decided to include a weed cloth to its repertoire because of its importance in maintaining a beautiful landscape and its complementary features with Rubber Bark™ for many projects including gardens, playgrounds, edging, and yards.

            The weed cloth, which will come with the quality and guarantee of a Rubber Bark™ labeled product, acts a penetration barrier for weeds, and protects perennials surrounded by Rubber Bark™ from weed invasion.  Known as “geotextiles,” weed cloth is typically permeable fabric that has the ability to separate, filter, reinforce and protect drain systems. Rubber Bark™ will be carrying fabric made of Polypropylene in four different sizes.

Using Rubber Bark™ ensures the additional benefit of lengthening the life of perennials because it protects it from unnecessary sunlight yet allows for moisture and nutrients to pass through its pores and it provides an escape for trapped carbon dioxide, a toxic build up that can lead to sterile soil.  

             “It’s the perfect complementary product with Rubber Bark™,” said CFO of Rubber Bark™ Rob Nairn.  

“Rubber Bark™ is to weed cloth like peanut butter is to jelly.”

  Obtaining Rubber Bark™ mulch and weed cloth at the same location also allows for customer cost efficiency, as deliveries can be made in one trip and all the products needed for a weed-free project can be found in one place.

“Rubber Bark™ wanted to make it easier for customers to get both great products in one simple swoop,” said CEO of Rubber Bark™ Jana Nairn. 

“We are very excited to bring this new Rubber Bark™ product to our clients. It gives that extra protection some landscapes may need in weed prone areas.”

            

Tomorrow is Green Tuesday! Time for some Rubber Bark™ gift giving!

The title pretty much says all that is needed to say, however, we like to talk on the buzz so here's the scoop. Everyone knows about Black Friday, and Cyber Monday (today!) is becoming quite the tradition as well, but tomorrow is perhaps the most important, in terms of consumerism and eco-consciousness.

It's Green Tuesday, which is meant to inspire the shopping masses to think a little more environmentally about their holiday purchases. Buy local, recycled, reused, or products that have a low-environmental impact that may be recycled.  With climate change, rapid population growth, and countries industrializing at a breakneck pace, plus our own consumption here in the states, the Earth is taking a beating.

So, instead of buying a new plastic train set (packaged in that oh-so-bad Styrofoam!) why not buy some bright blue Rubber Bark™ for a playground set? Or buy some Rubber Bark™ for that green thumb in the family that has their sites set on re-mulching the spring vegetable garden?

Rubber Bark™ is made with 100 percent recycled tires that would otherwise go into California's already crowded landfills. It doesn't deteriorate, such as wood mulch, and is safe for the whole family.

This Green Tuesday, put recycled products such as Rubber Bark™ on your list. You will be doing your family, friends, colleagues, and Secret Santa's a favor, but you especially will be doing a favor for our good ole' planet Earth.

Tire Business Press

We at the buzz are happy to report that Tire Business has also put a story up on its news website about Rubber Bark's donation to the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Check it out!

Total Landscape Care covers Rubber Bark's Ronald McDonald House Donation

We are a little late on bringing this to the buzz, but we just found out that Total Landscape Care, a great outdoor/gardening/landscape magazine and website, picked up our news about Rubber Bark™ donating to the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Picture included! Check out their coverage here.

"HGTV'd" Featuring Rubber Bark™ on October 1

Woohoo, it is almost here! The premiere of Rubber Bark's "HGTV'd" episode on the HGTV channel will play at 8pm Pacific time on Saturday, October 1! Check out the press release below for more info about the episode and Rubber Bark's involvement. 

HGTV Program Featuring Rubber Bark™ Premieres Oct. 1

Rubber Bark™ proudly announces the premiere of HGTV’s hit show “HGTV’d” featuring its signature product on the first of October at 8pm.

Working with High Noon Entertainment, the production company that creates “HGTV’d,” Rubber Bark™ was chosen to help a family renovate their backyard into a usable, child-oriented space.

“We were happy to help out the program, and are looking forward to seeing the finished backyard displaying our product with the rest of the America in October,” said CEO of Rubber Bark™ Jana Nairn.

Tina Seiler of High Noon Entertainment sought out Rubber Bark™ for the program and expressed gratitude toward Rubber Bark™ after the shooting of the episode for “providing ‘HGTV'd’ with [the] fantastic rubber mulch for our Clegg backyard episode.”

“The yard now looks amazing, and the homeowners are ecstatic!” Seiler noted.

According to the “HGTV’d” website, the premise of the episode includes renovating the large backyard into something the whole family could use. 

“Landscape designer Ahmed Hassan take on the daunting task of overhauling the Clegg family's big and barren backyard in the middle of Texas,” the website details.

Rubber Bark™ has also worked with High Noon Entertainment on the HGTV show “Carter Can.”

“It’s important to Rubber Bark™ to be involved in different media endeavors,” said Nairn. “We like to be in the forefront of the industry, and awareness of our product is the first step.”

"HGTV'd" premiered June 6 on HGTV and airs every Monday at 9pm/8c.

  

Rubber Bark™ at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford

Rubber Bark™ is proud to announce that it recently donated a truckload of Rubber Bark™ to the Ronald McDonald House Playground at Stanford. The Rubber Bark™ will be used for the house's playground where many children like to spend their afternoons. The Ronald McDonald House was established to give families of ill children a place to recoup and relax during long stays at Stanford's children's hospital. Please read the press release below, as it has more details about why having safe playgrounds is so important to organizations such as the RMH.


Rubber Bark™ also felt a greater obligation to donate to this specific cause because of recent events that have effected the Rubber Bark™ family personally. The Nairn's youngest daughter recently underwent surgery, along with several extended hospital visits. While she has been extremely brave and in good spirits through everything, it is the staff and the services available (for her, at Central Valley Children's Hospital in Madera) to children and their families that have made a world of difference. The Nairn family understands that much more fully now, and empathizes with the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Stanford and all over the world. 

Rubber Bark™ Donates Mulch to Stanford’s Ronald McDonald House

With more children affected with life-threatening illnesses each year, Rubber Bark™ decided to make a donation of thousands of dollars worth of its signature product to the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, Calif.

Rubber Bark™, a recycled tire-derived scrap mulch, was spread around a play structure where children undergoing treatment and staying at the Ronald McDonald House, along with their siblings, can play outdoors safely during a difficult time.

“Many of the kids spend their days in hospital rooms and clinics, often cooped-up waiting for tests and results,” Linda Lyon, Development Director of the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford said.

 “Returning to the House after a long day and being able to expend their energy and anxiety by climbing and playing helps the kids and parents cope with the situation they are in.”

“We support the Ronald McDonald House in their efforts to alleviate pain and treat illness for children around the world,” said CEO of Rubber Bark™ Jana Nairn.


“Rubber Bark™ saw an opportunity to make a difference through our donation for this organization, and jumped at the chance to help out.”

“By covering the ground beneath the play structure with Rubber Bark™, you allow the children a soft landing from falls as well as a relatively dirt-free environment on which kids can play and enjoy,” said Lyon about using redwood-colored Rubber Bark™ for the playground.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House go to: http://rmhc.org. For more information on Rubber Bark™ go to: http://www.rubberbark.com.

About the Ronald McDonald House:

Ronald McDonald House at Stanford creates a home-away-from-home and supportive community for families of children with life-threatening illnesses receiving specialized treatment at local hospitals.  Built in 1979, it was the fifth such house in the country and is one of over 300 worldwide.   


And for more photos of the new playground, go to Rubber Bark's Flickr page! 

Newman plaza gets makeover with Rubber Bark™

Recently, the city of Newman acquired a grant from CalRecycle to use Rubber Bark™ in order to replace the town's inferior wood mulch to our shredded tire bark. Volunteers and community members helped spread the mulch on a community plaza but the redwood colored bark will also be used for playgrounds throughout Newman. 

Newman workers filling a plaza with Rubber Bark™.
Source: Westside Connect

Newman Public Works Superintendent Doug Mutoza said, in a Westside Connect article, a Gustine-based online news site, that much of the 1,000 tires Newman disposes of a year end up at Rubber Bark™'s facilities to be transformed into projects, such as the 42,000 pounds of mulch used for the downtown plaza. 

From the news piece:

“It doesn’t deteriorate like wood bark, and it doesn’t compact like the wood bark, which we have to go out and fluff up every few months,” Mutoza explained. “The sponginess of this material is a lot better than the wood. Twelve inches of wood bark is required in the fall protection areas on playgrounds, while this only requires six inches."


The grant awarded the city $122,000 for the project. 


Remember if you, or someone you know in local government or those that meet any of the criteria specified by CalRecycle, have a project in mind that could use some Rubber Bark™, contact our company, and we will help with the grant application process, which officially opens on August 17th. 

The Backyard Factory exclusively offers Rubber Bark™ in Colorado

Check out this news release about out great partner The Backyard Factory, the only retailer in Colorado that carries Rubber Bark™! You could spend hours in the Factory's great showrooms, which include great playgrounds, trampolines, and more outdoor recreation goodies.

Colorado’s Backyard Factory First to Offer Rubber Bark™ in the State

DENVER, CO — (July 12, 2011) Rubber Bark™, the largest rubber mulch distributor in California, and residential recreation product company The Backyard Factory continue their partnership to bring Rubber Bark’s signature rubber ground cover to Colorado communities.

The Backyard Factory, with locations in Denver and the Bay Area of California, have been carrying Rubber Bark for over ten years, yet are exclusive retailers for Rubber Bark ™ in Colorado.

           “Rubber mulch is new to the Colorado market, but the word is spreading quickly about what a great product it is,” said The Backyard Factory spokesperson Christina Rogers about the exclusivity.  

So why is Rubber Bark™ the only rubber mulch the Backyard Factory distributes?

            “Rubber Bark™ is guaranteed not to blow away and the color stays true for many years,” said Rogers.  “You don’t need as much of it as wood chips or pea gravel and it won’t stick to children’s clothes.”

            “It’s been great partnering with The Backyard Factory for so many years,” said Rubber Bark™ CEO Jana Nairn. “They are great recreation retailers and an asset to the Denver community.”

            The Backyard Factory’s Denver showroom opened at the end of April this year. Rogers said Rubber Bark™ is one of the retailer’s most sought-after products.

            Rubber Bark™, made from used tires, is used for many purposes, including ground cover for playgrounds, residential yards, business landscapes, and around trampolines.

            “Rubber mulch is the safest surfacing for play equipment,” said Rogers.

About The Backyard Factory: 

The Backyard Factory is a family-owned specialty backyard recreation company that has been business for over 24 years. It has three locations in Sunnyvale and Martinez, California and Denver, Colorado. 

Rubber Bark™ on New HGTV program!

Recently Rubber Bark™ was notified by execs at HGTV that our wonderful rubber mulch was desired for an episode of its new series HGTV'd. Below is the news release below with all the details.

Rubber Bark™ to be Featured on New HGTV Series

 Rubber Bark™, the northern California rubber mulch company, will be featured on one of HGTV’s new home makeover series called HGTV’d.

The episode will be shot in Texas and produced by High Noon Entertainment. It will also include a surprise celebrity host and designer.

The premise of the show involves surprising homeowners with creative makeovers for rooms and outdoor spaces. Rubber Bark™ will be featured in a children’s outdoor play area.

“We are excited to be a part of the new program,” said Rubber Bark™ CEO Jana Nairn. “HGTV is a great source for those looking for new ideas in landscaping and design.”

“[The designer] will be transforming a 'blank canvas' of a backyard into the most spectacular space ever,” said Tina Seller of High Noon Entertainment about Rubber Bark™ involvement in the program.

Rubber Bark™ is manufactured in Ballico, Calif. From over millions of the state’s waste tires.

 For more information of HGTV’d go to:  http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/video/channel/0,1000149,HGTV_32796_46922,00.html


More details to come soon!

Playground safety for the summer

With summer fast approaching, it's important to remember the little ones that will be out of school, and for the most part, outside all day. Communities, schools and parents have made great strides in making playgrounds a safer place for kids to be kids, however there are still general safety rules that everyone should know and follow.

 One of the suggestions Consumer Reports gives when addressing playground safety includes having a comfortable, durable padding for kids to land on in case of a fall. And what does Consumer Reports recommend for ground cover around playground equipment? You guessed it, rubber mulch! Rubber Bark™ is flexible enough to lessen the impact of a fall, yet heavy enough to stay in place during harsh weather conditions.

So get ready for summer, go out and enjoy the playground.

Rubber Bark™ partners with Oregon lawn geniuses!

Here is a new press release about a recent partnership featuring Lindsley Lawn Care in Sherwood, Oregon!

BALLICO, CA (April 26, 2011) — In an effort to expand beyond state borders and offer recycled landscaping products to the Pacific Northwest, Northern California tire recycler Rubber Bark™ teamed up with Sherwood, Oregon’s Lindsley Lawn Care this month.

Family-owned Lindsley Lawn Care became interested in Rubber Bark’s colorful mulch products after a client noticed a similar product at a children’s museum in Portland and asked owner Paul Lindsley if they would offer it to customers.

“We are excited to offer Rubber Bark™ to the Portland market and look forward to growing this retail aspect of our business,” Lindsley said about the partnership. “It looks great, is ‘green’ which is huge in the Portland area, prevents insects, and is safer than wood chips when used in playgrounds and swing set areas.”

Filling a niche in the temperate, eco-conscious Pacific Northwest for recycled landscaping products Rubber Bark™ saw an opportunity to collaborate with a well-known and respected landscaping service company.

“It’s great that Lindsley Lawn Care sought us out to do business,” Rob Nairn, CFO of Rubber Bark™ said. “We see this partnership as providing quality products and services that otherwise may not be attainable in the area.”

 Currently, Lindsley Lawn Care runs a warehouse distribution site in Tualatin in which will sell Rubber Bark™.  Its hours are by appointment only but both companies believe they will become regular as business increases. Lindsley is also looking to get the product onto local store shelves for sale to the public.

For more information about Lindsley Lawn Care go to www.lindsleylawncare.com. For more information on Rubber Bark™ go to www.rubberbark.com.

Bender Boards Now Available at Rubber Bark™

We are now offering Bender Boards!  Bender Boards are flexible plastic lumber, perfect for landscaping, playgrounds, and yard projects. Below is a press release detailing some of Bender Board's benefits and our thoughts about the addition to the Rubber Bark™ lineup of products.

Rubber Bark’s New Product Keeps Plastic Out of Landfills

 For all its many uses, plastic—in its recycled form— can add one more use to the list. Rubber Bark™, a manufacturer that primarily makes rubber products from recycled tires, is expanding to include malleable landscaping boards composed of recycled plastic, a move that the company hopes will increase awareness about the importance of reusing durable resources for creative uses.

The new product, called Bender Board, is designed to flex around gardens and yards, although it may also be used for other purposes, including bordering concrete installations, framing playgrounds, and conforming to tight curves for decorative edging.

One of the most impressive aspects of the boards is that it’s made from 100 percent post-consumer plastic. According to Earth911.com, recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. Rubber Bark™ understands the importance of environmental stewardship, and chooses to use recycled plastic not only for the benefit of offering lower prices for the consumer, but also to keep waste out of landfills.

“I love the fact that we are going through and keeping plastic out of the landfills,” Bender Board manufacturer Jeremy Palgenza said. “It’s super flexible, you are able to do things with it that you could never do with wood lumber.”

“It’s a great product that we hope to see in a lot of yards this spring and summer,” Rob Nairn, the CFO of Rubber Bark™ said. “Reusing plastic is just as important as reusing other materials, like the tires we make into mulch. It’s a great complementary product to our line.”

And the trend of reusing plastic has caught on. According to plasticsmarkets.org, in recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics.

a landfill full of plastic 

Rubber Bark™ can cut the boards to any specific size. For more information on Bender Boards go to Rubber Bark's website.

Rubber Bark™ Introduces a New Product!

We at Rubber Bark™ are very excited to introduce a new product for the coming season, which we hope will be full of new playgrounds and landscaping. With the environmental responsibility to use recycled products always in mind, we will be proudly offering Bender Board!

Bender Board used for installing
a concrete patio

Bender Board is exactly what it sounds like, but also so much more! Best for outlining playground areas and landscape borders, Bender Board is made from recycled plastic in the United States. It is resistant to insects and is non-permeable, meaning all of your watering will stay put on your flowers and plants! You can run it over with your lawnmower or use it to create your concrete patio sidewalk.

Like MacGyver, this board is designed to withstand the tough stuff. It's scientifically designed with construction in mind. It includes a 2" slip joint on each end of every piece on Bender Board. The slip joint allows for thermal expansion and contraction, so the board always remains sturdy.

Bender Board used to
outline a garden

As we mentioned earlier, there are many things Bender Board can be used for, and we will be doing another "how-to" post about installing Bender Board for certain projects soon. Rubber Bark™ will  carry 4’ and 20’ lengths of Bender Board in  1”x 4”, 1"x 6”,  and 2"x 6" sizes.  Specific dates to start purchasing and prices are coming soon!

Rubber Bark™ Teams Up With Arizona Distributor

Rubber Bark™ is expanding! Below is a press release about a new partnership with all-around wonderful playground and outdoor furniture installer American Play Systems, located in Tucson, Arizona. 


To Meet Demand Rubber Bark™ Announces New Partnership with American Play Systems

BALLICO, CA (March 16, 2011) — Residents in Tucson and Phoenix can breathe a sigh of fresh spring air when deciding how to landscape this season, with Rubber Bark™, one of the largest tire product manufacturers on the west coast, teaming up with Arizona playground heavyweight American Play Systems, to provide quality ground cover by the discounted truckloads.

The new partnership between American Play Systems and Rubber Bark™ transports rubber mulch into Arizonans’ yards with American Play Systems offering and installing the recycled bark.

“ [It’s a] great product,” said Craig Moore, General Manager of American Play Systems about Rubber Bark™.

Moore believes that the partnership will increase “the opportunity to have the product on hand to provide instant service.” 


And the air will be fresher in Arizona this summer, since according to Ag Link, Inc. using Rubber Bark™ decreases your carbon footprint by 88-94 percent over alternative products and ensures old scrap tires are not land filled or dumped on the side of the roads.

 “We are very excited to be working with American Play Systems,” said CFO of Rubber Bark™ Rob Nairn. “We wanted to expand our distributors to Arizona, and we think we found a great partner with American Play Systems.”

The new partnership not only brings the California rubber mulch to Arizona, it also brings savings for its customers, with American Play Systems offering up to 25 percent off a purchase of the mulch.

Rubber Bark™ is made from 100 percent recycled tires. Recently featured on the PBS educational show Curiosity Quest Goes Green, it is also available online at rubberbark.com. For more information about American Play Systems go to americanplaysystems.com.

And here is a synopsis of American Play Systems: 

American Play Systems has been operating in Tucson for 13 years, previously under the name Tucson Play Systems. The company provides and installs commercial playground systems, residential Rainbow Play Systems, permanent shade and ramada structures and site and park furnishings. 

Customer testimonial of Rubber Bark™

We recently received a customer testimonial that we liked so much, we decided to share it with you on the Buzz.

Chuck, from Kern County, had been working on a playground project and decided Rubber Bark™ was one of the missing pieces for his plan. Here’s what he told us once he was finished, “The bark worked out great. My two-year-old grandson loves playing in it and grandma likes the added fall protection. We think it looks great. It really does make the whole project better.”

Chuck saw Rubber Bark™ at the Kern County Fair in California a few years ago, but held off on using it for his playground project until he became a grandpa. As an employee of Kern County Waste Management, Chuck knew he wanted to use a recycled material for his groundcover.

Below is a photo of Chuck’s wonderful new playground. Thanks, Chuck, for giving us a shout out and informing us about your project!

Do you have a story about your Rubber Bark™ experience? Let us know! Contact us at rubberbark@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post.

Rubber mulch at Disneyland!

Some of us at Rubber Bark™ recently had the opportunity to visit the happiest place on earth – Disneyland. And we were so excited to see RUBBER MULCH and other recycled tire products such as pour-in-place at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in California Adventure! We took some pictures of our climbing adventure. Check them out! 

                                 

                            


According to the Disneyland website at the Redwood Creek Challenge trail you can "discover the wonder of the great outdoors" and the site describes it as "a wilderness recreational area featuring the magic of Brother Bear. Explore forested paths, climb lookout towers, swing on rope bridges and zip down suspended slides." 


Great and green fun! 

Playground in Tennessee gets makeover with rubber mulch

Image from EPA website,
not news article

Here at the buzz we like to keep an ear and an eye out for news about town (and by town we mean our rapidly shrinking world) on rubber mulch, its uses, its safety, and why people enjoy it.

Below is a quote from a recent article in a Tennessee newspaper about a revitalized playground that used rubber mulch and foam padding around its climbing equipment. It gives a few good characteristics of rubber mulch. 

"The solid surface has the tiles that are three inches thick, and it’s very squishy. It’s fun just to walk on," [Leisure Services Director Sue] Stuhl said. "The rubber mulch also is an improvement over normal wood mulch — it doesn’t degrade or compact nearly as quickly."