This has been a hot topic in the landscape industry since living green has increased its popularity in the past decade. More than 225 million square feet of artificial turf has been manufactured since it debuted in the mid 1970‘s. Artificial turf came on the market but is now starting to boom again and rise in popularity since going green has become the cool way to go. It has won acclaim in the going green industry particularly because it uses virtually no water or energy, is always aesthetically pleasing, and is almost if not 100% recyclable. Artificial turf makes its grass blades from recycled plastics and the padding and threading is made from soy-based and also 100% recyclable. They require very little maintenance and usually tend to last about 15 years. The maintenance consists of re-nailing down areas that become loose, and running over the turf with a tool to re-fluff the blades of grass.
On the other side, their are strong feelings that this plastic alternative is not the way to go. Even though it is safe for all animal habitats it does eliminate dwelling for many creatures. Real grass is also a natural material which decomposes and breaks down in a natural cycle. How can one argue that a plastic alternative is better for the environment than a natural one?
Controversy has seemed to arise when large amounts of real turf in drought stricken areas (particularly California and Arizona) appear. Many people do not like the idea of fake plants. Many people have seemed to compromise and instead of planting turf have gone green by substituting turf with porous paving, mulch, gravel or green pavers. All of these substitutes have become more and more popular in landscaping companies today.
What would you say is the greener way to go?
NEITHER! I think William McDonough spoke about the idea of a lawn very poetically in 'Cradle to Cradle' when he said:
ReplyDelete'The average lawn is an interesting beast: people plant it, then douse it with artificial fertilizers and dangerous pesticides to make it grow and keep it uniform - all so that they can hack and mow what they encourage to grow. And woe the small yellow flower that rears its head!"
I feel that real grass is still the way to go. As much as we hate insects and creatures that inhabit the natural plants they are what keep us alive. If a push to artificial grass goes mainstream, eco systems would crash, bugs would not be able to fertilize our other plants, and we would just be living in a plastic jungle.
ReplyDeleteBasically synthetic turf comes in different lengths, colors. It can look like Bermuda, bluegrass, centipede. Artificial grass can look like any type of natural grass. Artificial Grass Perth can have a natural grass finish. Artificial grass is always green, but in case of natural if it is maintained properly then only it will look green.
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