Woods Tennis Center bubbles upcycled at local nursery

When the Woods Tennis Center bubbles were taken down in 2017 after a permanent structure was built, no one would’ve guessed they’d be reused at a nursery on the west side of Lincoln, Nebraska. The bubbles are used for various purposes including weed prevention, equipment covers, floor liners and more.

“If I didn’t take it, it would go to the landfill,” said Derek Ehlers, property owner. “I hate to see all that good material go to waste. I try to reuse as much as I can.”

Ehlers bought 18 acres in 2016 and runs a business called Root + Hive, an educational and cooperative community for independent growers of all skill levels. He currently has four tenants, Community Crops, Midwest Natives Nursery, Grow With Me Gardens and Gup’s Flower Farm, all doing different things in various greenhouses.

Woods Tennis Center Executive Director Kevin Heim said it was important to his team to reuse the bubbles, and working with Ehlers proved to be a perfect match.

“It’s a rewarding thought knowing that for 30 years the bubbles provided year-round recreation, memories and more for the community, and that they continue to make a positive impact in our community in a completely new and exciting way,” Heim said.

Ehlers took all eight rolls of the material and still has six left. It’s so heavy it takes a tractor to move it, he said.

Earth Day, which takes place April 22 with the theme “Our Power, Our Planet,” is a good reminder to do one’s part for the environment, no matter how small.

“If you do things in small steps, it can be a continuum,” Ehlers said. “Every little thing you can do makes a difference. If I can reuse a Woods bubble and leave it out of the landfill, I’m doing my part.”

Though Ehlers’s kids never played tennis underneath the bubbles at Woods Tennis Center, it is not lost on him when he drops them off for practice at Woods how things have come full circle in his life.

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