Posted by GC, a resident of the Sylvan Park neighborhood, on Oct 16, 2011 at 10:08 am

There are lots of reason for natural grass. And one artificial salesman pushing for the other. Hear are a few.

Ground rubber tires are used in some artificial fields, yet because of their toxic content they are prohibited from being disposed of in landfills or ocean dumping. Where will this toxic material be disposed when a replacement field becomes necessary?

Temperatures on artificial fields have been documented to be upwards of 86.5 degrees hotter than natural grass fields under identical conditions. How long can players of all ages be safely exposed to this level of heat?

Field sanitation that includes the removal of bodily fluids and/or animal droppings present a unique problem for artificial fields. Will antiseptic cleaners properly sanitize field? If so, how often?

Abrasive surfaces such as artificial fields can result in difficult-to-heal injuries, particularly in the presence of bacterial or viral pathogens. Are you prepared to treat these wounds properly?

Field hardness on artificial surfaces can result in serious chronic or immediate athletic injury? If additional ground tire rubber is periodically added to soften the field, is toxicity of the material also renewed?

Natural turf is preferred by 88% of NFL players, and 96% believe that artificial turf contributes to injuries.

Natural turfgrass saves energy. The front lawns of eight houses have the cooling effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning. That's amazing when the average home has an air conditioner with just a three or four ton capacity.

Green turfgrass significantly lowers fire hazard risk. How would an artificial turf field fire be fought quickly while minimizing the danger to fire fighters, and reducing the release of toxic fumes?

The initial price of artificial turf is many times greater than a natural turf area. Maintenance costs are equal or higher.

Natural turf lessens global warming by absorbing and sequestering carbon dioxide greenhouse gases.

What about artificial turf's carbon footprint? The tree planting offset requirements to achieve a 10-year carbon neutral synthetic turf installation for one field was estimated to be 1861 trees. That's right! 1861 trees need to be planted for every artificial turf field installed.