The Arlington Parks and Recreation Department's (APRD) superhero, Eco-man, has returned for the first of two sequels to Eco-man: The Beginning.

"Last year, the department created a short video promo for Ecofest Arlington in which a green-friendly superhero, Eco-man, was introduced. The plot consisted of an everyday citizen rising up to lead the fight against environmental ignorance, and promote green-friendly living," Assistant Director Gary Packan said. "Eco-man became an immediate hit with the Arlington community."

Following the video and event in 2013, the APRD received numerous requests for Eco-man to attend elementary and junior high field trips, events at the River Legacy Living Science Center, nature preserve tours, and much more. The new super hero was featured on Arlington water bill inserts and used for interdepartmental promotions such as Grease for Greens.

As a response to these requests, the department created downloadable Comic/Activity Sheets, Coloring Pages and an Activity Book in the year following the initial video release. These kid-friendly means of promoting environmental awareness helped further the new superhero's brand; however, public appearances for Eco-man became an issue.

"Our team had a costume budget of $25 for the first video," Electronic Media Specialist Justin Snasel said. "We were unprepared for 'Eco-man' to play such a large role in Arlington. The original costume was essentially a table cloth and duct tape so we knew we needed to create a more permanent version of the character."

After realizing that a fully-customized costume would exceed the project's budget, the marketing team decided to piece the new outfit together using personal resources, discounted items and third-party sponsorships.

A new and improved version of Eco-man was unveiled on September 11, 2014, during a first-of-two-part video series:Eco-man: The Return (Part One). Special thanks go out to the Arlington Police Department and the City Manager's Office for helping bring the new character to life.

Check out the new video here.

For more information on EcoFest, please visit EcoFestArlington.com.