The Okotoks Environmental Park " Anti-litter Campaign"

Written by the students of Dr. Gibson School

Within the town of Okotoks, before a housing development can begin, town planners are required to set aside a parcel of land that can be turned into an environmental park. The standard size for all of the environmental parks within Okotoks must have a perimeter of 2400 meters. In order for the citizens of Okotoks and the visitors from Millarville and Red Deer Lake to enjoy this natural environmental park, a total of 14 paths must be provided for biking, walking, rollerblading throughout the park or to access to the man made lake. The lake, which has an area of approximately 500 square meters is planned for the center of the environmental park.

Once you start walking or biking on any one of the 14 paths, you will be able to end up on a different side of the park. All 14 paths need to have very few turns and sharp corners as biking and rollerblading can be dangerous if there are too many turns and corners. You need to plan a path that is wide enough for two people traveling in different directions to meet and pass.

Okotoks planners are concerned about the amount of litter that may accumulate as the town and visitors begin to enjoy the park area. To plan for this, the developers need to install a number of litter bins strategically placed to keep the esthetics as natural as possible. Keeping in mind that the environmental park must keep its natural look, the town planners recommend that there should be a minimum of 3 litter bins on each path. The city treasurer is worried about the cost of the litter bins and will only approve the cost of a maximum of 11 litter bins. He would like to see fewer if possible.

The developers need your help to create a plan for this environmental park that includes 14 paths and placement of fewer than 11 litter bins. Submit your plan by June 22nd.