REDUCE Your Carbon Footprint Using Synthetic Grass

Posted on May 21st, 2010 by admin

In today’s world, no one can deny the need to reflect on the impact any activity may have on the environment, our health or our safety. We are in the middle of many significant advancements in technology while looking to our past to find answers to reduce our dependence on products that create greater environmental impact, health and safety risks than they may reduce or save.

Inspired by the opulent grass areas gracing the grounds of English estates, lawns seem to be a unique "need" for Americans. Many of our residential communities actually mandate the installation of lawn areas on properties without regard to financial and environmental costs. Over 30 million acres of "domestic" lawn areas grace US landscapes; over 1.68 trillion square feet.

Synthetic turf products have proven, over and over, to be environmentally friendly, ergonomically pleasing and an economically sound investment. Naysayers of the use of faux grass surfaces for traditional, natural solutions would have you believe that these products are bad for the environment. Entities such as Turf Producer’s International (TPI), has thrown significant resources against the task of proving the use of synthetic turf is detrimental to humans and the environment and has failed to find the smoking gun. In 2004, TPI sent a press release out about a pending meeting to discuss the "hazards of artificial turf" with the EPA. The majority of the claims revolved around the use of recycled crumbed rubber as an infill (or ballast) material on the surfaces of the synthetic turf.

fake grass for lawns TPI Claims Rubber Infill Materials TOXIC The focus on the use of crumb rubber as an infill material was determined "generally harmless" in their own commissioned study of the subject prepared by Dr. Joseph Sullivan, Andrea Consulting, Sacramento, California. His conclusions were that, recycled rubber tires, shredded and crumbed to use as infill, may only pose a threat to humans and pets if they are already prone to topical allergic reactions to these types of products; trying to prove that the rubber infill leaches extra-ordinary amounts of toxic waste and cancer causing agents into local landscape surfaces or our watershed was shown to be inconclusive.

Dr. Sullivan’s conclusion and summation found, in a phrase, "no red flags here"; though, as with any scientist, he qualified his statements by saying that "further study may show different results in the future". [The report is no where to be found on the TPI website for verification, though it appears as a footnote in various other 1ff8 inflamed TPI publications, bashing the use of synthetic grass and artificial turf; a copy is on file at ASGi and serves as reference].

Crumbed Rubber and Alternatives Studies based on the safe use of synthetic turf for sports have shown that in high-heat climates, synthetic turf surfaces may reach extraordinary heat levels compared with natural grasses; so will asphalt and concrete, in full sun. The use of crumb rubber has proven to be the major contributor to the "heat" affects and toxicity concerns. Alternative infills have been on the market for several years; they are manufactured using either raw polyethylene pellets or a core of rounded silica sand granules that are then either encapsulated with new rubbers, acrylic or other materials and colored in tones, such as beige. The color and core structure of the materials make surfaces much cooler (up to 50%), many new infill materials are anti-microbial, non-flammable, recyclable and completely inert to both humans and the environment.

If the possible heat or potential for "toxicity" of recycled or new crumbed rubber infill materials concerns you - select an alternative infill solution, and move on!

Only 100 million square feet of synthetic grass & artificial turf was produced and installed last year (2006). This includes all the synthetic grass manufactured for sports fields (approximately 90 to 95% of total use) and other residential and commericial lawn, landscape and leisure sports uses.

Compare that to the amount of acreage of lawns that are installed and synthetic turf represents less than 0.02% of overall surface area, installed annually. The "lawn" industry represents the 5th largest "crop" that we sow in the United States; larger than soy, wheat and some other staple grains; and it doesn’t feed anyone but the owner’s ego.

With two-cycle engines and lawn-care chemicals representing 8% of the cause/effect of global warming, one immediate benefit by using synthetic grass is that it completely eliminates the use of one of the top contributors to global warming, water and air pollution, the lawn mower! Another dynamic is the dramatic reduction of toxic chemicals, emissions and water usage.

ASGi and its members know we can help you reduce lawn related toxicity and deliver, both natural looking and durable solutions, that will gently co-exist and serve your blossoming world.

For the record (US Statistics, unless other wise noted)*:

91 million households support lawn and landscaping
78 million households use pesticides, fertilizers and herbacides
Herbicides - 90 million pounds are used annually
Fertilizers - 1.2 million tons (synthetic, commercial produced) used annually
Pesticides - 210 million tons used annually
a 2004 national survey revealed that only 5 million US homeowners use organic lawn practices and 35 million of the estimated 91 million US households use both toxic and non-toxic methods and products

Health Risks and Hazards of Toxic Lawn Care Chemicals & Equipment*

Of the 30 commonly used lawn pesticides studies point to various red flags linking many with birth defects, neuro-toxicity, liver and kidney damage, hormonal (reproductive, growth and development) issues and many long-term, chronic challenges such as an increase in asthma, immune-suppression and susceptibility to cancer (especially at risk are our young and old!).

The National Academy of Sciences estimate 50% of the lifetime pesticide exposure occurs during the first 5 years of life (home, school, church, public areas).
Studies have linked pesticides with hyperactivity, developmental delays, behavioral disorders and motor dysfunction - do we need to draw a line to see how exposure to dangerous chemicals used for lawn care and maintenance increases the risks our children may have with ADD, ADHD, Autism and other neurological disorders, as well as, the extreme rise in childhood bouts with life-threatening cancer.
Studies find that dogs exposed to herbicide treated lawns can double their chance of developing canine lymphoma and may increase the risk of bladder cancer in certain breeds, 4 to 7 times.
Of the 30 commonly used pesticides, 16 are toxic to birds, 24 are toxic to fish and aquatic organisms and 11 are deadly to bees
For every hour a two-cycle engine (such as a lawnmower) runs, it emits approximately the same amount of pollution as driving a automobile 100 miles
Engines, such as lawnmowers, represent 8% of the point and non-point sources of pollution leading to increased, expanded global warming