Artificial Grass! That's right, the City is replacing the real stuff in the Village with astro turf! Good for them. For one, it's the "green" thing to do. I have golf course quality lawns on either side of my home, which I proudly refuse to compete with. The reason is twofold: there's a water shortage and I know too much about the chemicals used to maintain healthy grass to ever use them around my child or dog. Two, if more governments, businesses and private individuals start using artificial grass, it will bring the price down to where I can actually afford to have it put in here.
As for how it looks? Well the stuff on the 100 block of Harvard looked slightly darker to the eye, which was what caused me to look closer, but otherwise, I'm still a believer.
Anyone know if off-gassing is much of a concern with the artificial stuff? The stuff in Claremont didn't seem to smell at all, but that's not always a true indicator.
THE END
4 comments:
Thursday's (11/15)Home section of the LA Times includes some environmental info you might be interested in.
The fake grass is pathetic! I think that the City of Claremont should be ashamed. The color is the only part that is green. It is a manufactured product. There are so many types of low water grasses, ground covers, etc. that would be better. Real plant material is part of an environmental solution not a similated, fake solution.
Synthetic grass hold more heat that regular grass or plant material. Requires chemical disinfectant on a regular basis. More germs. Holds water more because of poor absorbtion. Much of it requires recycled rubber that is a pollutant. It is not sustainable regardless of what the advertizment propaganda says. It has polyurethane backing, in most cases (A nice product, but far from green).
I see it's value for sports facilities that have heavy use and need major maintenance. But for parks and city parkways, I beleive that it is very environmentally unfriedly. I am also not impressed by its use in residential yards. If you want to save water or have low maintenance, plant drought tolerant plants. The Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens is a great place to start.
Sorry for the rant.
thejay-
Thank you for weighing in. You make some good points. I am most struck by the idea that the fake gras requires chemical disinfectant on a regular basis.
I think I will continue to go for the "dry grass while adding more and more drought tolerant plants" for my own yard.
I can only speak for the grass that I know, but here's my info...My hubby owns a company that grass in the area (I don't think they did the Claremont stuff).
I have never heard of using chemical disinfectants. As for absorption, the grass has a permeable membrane so the water passes through. Most grass companies use crumbled rubber infill which is pretty nasty. It is from recycled tires, but I hear that it tracks a bit and can't be great for the environment. My hubby uses zeolite which is a mineral...people use it to absorb oder in horse stalls and it is completely natural and harmless to all. That is an option.
It is true that it holds heat in the summer, but when you look at the amount of water used to keep grass growing green in the summer versus watering it down every once in awhile on a really hot day...it doesn't compare.
I would suggest you look into it a little deeper. There are a lot of options out there. And I'm not saying that artificial grass is the end-all. Natural drought-tolerant plants look great too. But if you absolutely have to have grass, there are good synthetic options.
Robyn
PS. If you want to look at hubbby's site, it's alwaysgreengrass.com (NOT a plug...just fyi)
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