Month: November 2023

At least one town has opted to put a turf project on hold over health and environmental concerns. In Sharon, Mass., officials imposed a three-year moratorium on the installation of artificial turf. Like other towns, Sharon has faced pressure to repair crumbling athletic fields. In 2019, the town’s school committee requested the installation of a…

In Los Gatos, Calif., some parents have become embroiled in a fight over plans to put in artificial plastic grass at local elementary schools. Similar battles are playing out in states like Connecticut and Vermont with a focus on high schools. All have involved some level of concern around PFAS, with water contamination in the…

Portsmouth’s problems are illustrative of the turmoil surrounding artificial turf projects. Often scrutinized for the use of crumb rubber infill, which can contain neurotoxic metals like lead, plastic fields are drawing new fire due to PFAS even as manufacturers move away from crumb rubber. Prized for their ability to repel moisture, PFAS prevent plastic blades…

That has left local advocates enraged. “That’s lying, we call that lying,” Diana Carpinone, president of Non Toxic Portsmouth, said of the consultants’ promises. “We want [the council] to sue and go after Weston & Sampson, and go after the manufacturers, and say, ‘This is fraud, we bought a product you told us was PFAS-free…

Aware of the Massachusetts findings, the city’s consultants — Weston & Sampson — promised in a February 2020 public meeting that the chemicals would not be an issue. In a PowerPoint slide, they said they would “require PFAS-free materials in the bid specifications,” and pledged that they already had documentation from two manufacturers to that…

Environmental Working Group (text); Satakorn/istock (turf photo); Валентин Игнаткин/iStock (soccer ball); SnazzyMaps (map) In need of a new athletic field and already concerned about “forever chemicals” in its drinking water, the city council of Portsmouth, N.H., voted two years ago to install a new synthetic turf field only if it was “PFAS-free.” PFAS, or per-and…

Fake grass will not be banned in Wales, a minister has said, just days after she said she was exploring the idea. On Wednesday, Climate Change Minister Julie James said she wanted to see whether a new law banning some single-use plastics could be used for this. Her comments sparked a backlash from a business…

CBS New York has learned of similar fights in Westfield and in Scotch Plains, where a doctor with Mount Sinai’s Children’s Environmental Health Center wrote a letter to the town council discouraging the plan due to “uncertainties surrounding the safety … and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.” The EPA says studies have…

People in one Bergen County town told CBS New York investigative reporter Tim McNicholas they’re fighting it aggressively. There are similar concerns and battles brewing right now in Westfield and Scotch Plains, but it’s only in one town, Ridgewood, where an artificial turf field is being considered on a historic property. The signs lining West…

Some young athletes don’t want to give up their favorite cleats because they worry about performance on the field, he said. Like other sports medicine experts interviewed for this story, he thinks grass is safer. “There’s no question that there is less torque when you’re on grass no matter what cleats you’re wearing,” he said.…

A synthetic sports field is an investment that pays off in short order in regard to both time and money. A maintenance crew is an expense that many schools cannot afford, and with artificial turf the need for upkeep and repairs is virtually eliminated. You no longer need to mow, maintain and spend hours trimming…

When you use dirt or a traditional grass field, you are putting your players at an unnecessary risk for injuries. The soft, synthetic blades and structural padding on an artificial sports turf act as an added layer of protection in a game with constant impact. More importantly, your field will not deteriorate during a game…

Even with daily use, artificial football turf lasts longer than any other options available. With minimal maintenance, it can withstand your players trotting out onto the field for as long as 20 years. Sounds good, right? Now compare it to your traditional football field which needs attention after every game as cleats crash into dirt,…

A decade ago, playing football on a artificial sports turf was something that no athlete looked forward to. It was essentially rough plastic, and it felt as harsh on knees and joints as playing on a rough dirt field. However, in recent years, modern technology has enhanced the look and feel of artificial football turf…

Pet parks are becoming more and more popular every day, and pet-friendly areas are a necessity in any modern day city park or large park. Artificial pet turf makes it easy to have a minimal maintenance, cost-efficient, easy to clean area. We all know how quickly a natural grass yard can be torn up by…

outperforms its natural grass cousin in every test. Artificial playground turf is designed to dramatically reduce the impact from falls from any height to keep kids protected. In addition, cuts, scrapes, and serious injury are dramatically reduced as each individual fiber is reinforced with a durable, cushioning material. Most parks have landscape surfaces covered in…

Have you ever heard the phrase “it’ll be a walk in the park?” Ironically enough, it doesn’t apply to running a park, especially a large park like a city park. The logistics can be stressful. Park owners have to worry about staying under budget year round while hosting and running events, keeping the park clean…

Artificial turf provides an overall unappealing environment for pests of all kinds. Many grass insects lay eggs in soil, but when you take away this option, they’ll relocate. In general, many insects are attracted to soil and thrive where it’s readily available. Artificial grass also retains heat better than natural grass. This means it will…

The presence of standing water is a major problem, especially when it comes to those mosquitoes we talked about earlier. Standing water provides the perfect breeding ground for them. When you opt for synthetic grass, the ground gets leveled to a certain degree in order to get rid of any dips in your lawn. Then,…

Any insect or pest needs food to survive and many find it in backyards. When you install artificial grass, you limit the amount of food available. This happens because there’s limited access to soil, which is where insects find a lot of their food. You’re also eliminating flowering grass, thus taking away plant-based foods. When…

Insects and other pests can become a big nuisance, especially during the summer months. Texas residents start to prepare themselves for an influx of mosquitoes once the weather starts to warm up. Aside from making things uncomfortable for you and your family, pests can also cause damage to your lawn and garden. They can also…