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OK, we're in the throes of summer, and plants are growing like Audrey Jr. in Little Shop of Horrors. Sinuous winding vines are overtaking whatever semblance of order my front hedge had, and my backyard looks like the Illinois Prairie. But I'm not worried about craziness in my little bit of green, cause I know it may be filled with pests, but thankfully it's pesticide free, and that's way more important for the health and safety of my kids and family than the uniform Pleasant Valley Sunday look that's very popular in my town. (I'm also not interested in my kids being human guinea pigs, though branches of the US gov are trying to convince us.)
Today, however, if some of the towns folks have it their way, there'll be bigger fields to fry. And I do mean fry. There are several large slices of green I am concerned about, and if you've got kids--heck even if you don't, but you pay taxes--it may effect you, too. Yes, it's the astro Turf Wars.
Perhaps, like mine, your Bedford Falls hamlet is debating the installation of artificial turf on it's athletic fields. It's a big and growing business, (and some of the major players include defense contractors).
So before you fall prey to the snake oil salesmen, with their seductive tales of fewer injuries, water savings and zero maintenance, keep in mind that they fund most of those studies that 'prove' plastic is better than green. Lemme give you a little peek at what they're really hocking.
Things you should know about artificial grass:
- Artificial turf off gasses volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is of special concern for children, who are more sensitive to emissions, and especially toxic for kids with asthma.
- Ground tire rubber is used in some artificial fields as an impact-softening base. The toxic content of tires (including heavy metals) makes it against the law to toss them in the regular garbage, landfills or dump them in waterways. (But apparently OK for our kids to be playing, falling, rolling on...
- Temperatures on artificial turf have been documented to be 80 degrees hotter than natural grass fields under identical conditions.
- What happens when blood, spit, sweat and other 'stuff' lands on the field? Oh yeah, it takes A LOT of water to wash off. Let alone to cool it off in Summer temps. (There goes the supposed water savings.)
- Herbicides, fungicides or algaecides are not labeled by the Environmental Protection Association for application on artificial surfaces because of fears of runoff and contamination, but these same chemicals are being used anyway on some and maybe most synthetic fields. Hey, you gotta get that goop off somehow...
So it's your vote--just what do you want your kids exposed to? Toxic off gassing from a plastic coat that covers large areas of outdoor spaces? As great as a seemingly low-maintenance, perfect-looking field sounds, the beneficiaries might not be your town or your kids. Maybe, in reality, it's actually the 'makes-a lot-on-commission' salesmen who 'guarantee' the greatness of this giant doormat, who get the real benefits.
Now to be fair, I must say there are some more sustainable versions than the standard backed with tire-trash. However, in most cases, why, in this era of kids with Nature Deficit Disorder, would we opt to basically ziplock bag many of the open spaces our kids have regular access to?
I think we gotta use our common sense on this one, and commit to, embrace and maintain our own living field of greens!
For really thorough info on this (and loads of other kid safe stuff) , check out my friend Christopher's site, Healthy Child.org
Lynda Fassa is Planet Green's babies and family expert. She's the founder of Green Babies organic cotton baby clothes and the author of Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby, and the forthcoming Green Kids, Sage Families: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Family, both from Penguin NAL. Read her previous posts here. Green Babies is a registered trademark of Green Babies Inc.
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