Fresh air, birds, phone chargers: Central Okanagan parks add new amenity

KELOWNA – A dead cell phone won’t also mean death to your Instagram life at two regional parks this spring.

Solar powered charging stations have been installed in Mission Creek and Gellatly Nut Farm regional parks where any device can be charged using a USB cord.

The chargers were created by an Enactus Okanagan College team who were concerned about the environmental impact of charging mobile devices.

“With solar energy being the fastest growing energy sector in Canada, our team saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between carbon dioxide emissions associated with phone use and the growing need for green energy,” team members Nick Gallant and Cooper Simson said in a news release.

Stations will be open during park hours and the pilot project will run to the end of May.

“The green technology exhibited by the ReCharge station pilot project is a perfect fit and we anticipate the stations will be a welcome addition to visitors in these two busy regional parks,” Brad Ackerman, Regional Parks Services Operations Manager said in the news release.

Enactus Okanagan College is a non-profit student organization focused on developing and implementing community projects.

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