GrassRoots4HamWen.org

11/21/2025

Never forget he actually made this insane statement!

08/29/2024

Lest we forget, here's an important reminder! Artificial turf, aka Plastic Grass, is harmful in more ways than one and should be banned everywhere.

A short video outlining the main problems with artificial turf fields.Please see greenopensomerville.org for links to data from this video.

08/23/2024

The East Coast has led the way on anti-artificial turf legislation. New York state has placed a moratorium on new turf while Boston and several other communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut have enacted bans or severe restrictions.

Many of the efforts have been driven by revelations surrounding the risk factors of PFAS and other chemicals associated with plastics like those used in fake grass.

(Note: We attempte to place a moratorium on artificial turf in Hamilton, MA, but lost that fight at Town Meeting in 2024, despite providing volumes of scientific evidence of the harmful effects of plastic grass to athletes, the community and the environment.)

By Carmela Guaglianone Artificial turf carpets athletic fields, playgrounds, and residential lawns across the US, offering a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass that always looks lush and doesn’t require heavy watering. But while this popular synthetic material is marketed as eco-friendly...

08/21/2024

Beware of words, terms and phrases used by officials or corporate spokespersons to allay public concerns about risks or hazards.

Often these terms are empty claims and false assurances by speakers with very limited knowledge or are deliberately intended to dismiss public concerns and avoid responsibility.

A more accurate term for artificial turf is "Plastic Grass".

08/17/2024

In this one-on-one 30-minute virtual conversation Just Zero's Senior Scientist, Laura Orlando, is joined by Kyla Bennett, Director of Science Policy at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Together, Orlando and Bennett discuss the PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," in our waste, why they're a problem, and what needs to change.

In this one-on-one 30-minute virtual conversation Just Zero's Senior Scientist, Laura Orlando, is joined by Kyla Bennett, Director of Science Policy at Publi...

08/08/2024

Artificial Turf Part 2: Kyla Bennett, PhD and JD, director of science policy at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, opens this Enviro Close-Up by providing a summary update of serious problems of artificial turf.

Enviro Close-Up #692 Artificial Turf Part 2 Kyla Bennett, PhD and JD, director of science policy at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, opens...

07/19/2024

Portsmouth update in The Boston Globe. Old artificial turf fields STILL not being recycled, despite industry promises.

When the Portsmouth, N.H., school district decided to replace its artificial playing fields with new turf, it paid to have the old carpet recycled. Instead, environmental activists found it abandoned in New Jersey.

06/25/2024

Artificial turf field CLOSED in Watertown due to excessive heat.

Hamilton was warned that this was one of the many problems associated with artificial turf.

The City of Watertown [Image description: two graphics of thermometers, picture of turf grass, words "Victory Field turf is closed due to excessive heat"] Victory Field Closed Updated on June 20, 2024 10:02 Victory Field turf is closed due to the excessive heat forecasted for today, Thursday, June 2...

06/22/2024

State Senator Lisa Cutter, a Democrat representing Evergreen and Morrison, was one of the bill's sponsors.

"We know that PFAS are a dangerous toxin. We don't need to continue producing them. Our community shouldn't have to pay the price for their health."

Regrettably, that is exactly what a small, vocal portion of our community chose to do when they voted to replace three natural grass athletic playing fields at the high school (5+ acres) with artificial (plastic) turf.

Essentially, they voted to build a toxic plastic waste site, knowing the risks to the health and safety of the students and the community.

The new law will affect all kinds of things Coloradans buy and use every day, that are made using something called per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

06/20/2024

Artificial turf temperatures can exceed the temperature of asphalt on a hot day. And this is just one of the many dangers it poses. Artificial turf is a hazardous material. It's as simple as that.

Artificial turf temperature of over 138 degrees on Maple Field late Tuesday – Natural grass temperature at 92.6 degrees the staff of The Ridgewood Blog

06/17/2024

Concerned citizens have been asserting that artificial turf is a poor choice for Newton for many reasons, but because artificial turf becomes significantly hotter than natural grass — by 35-55 degrees or greater — the danger it poses as temperatures rise is increasingly important.

Heat Advisory. Artificial turf “heat islands” affect everyone, not only athletes and coaches, but maintenance workers and spectators as well.

“…Even with adaptive behaviors, at certain temperatures or humidity levels, no one is safe outside for extended periods of time…“ says Dr. Aaron Bernstein* in a recent Atlantic article.

“Children have an especially difficult time with excess heat that interfere with this regulatory process because they do not thermoregulate like adults,* warns Brita Lundberg, MD, Chair of the Board at Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Concerned citizens have been asserting that artificial turf is a poor choice for Newton for many reasons, but because artificial turf becomes significantly

06/17/2024

From a purely environmental perspective, plastic grass on playing fields simply can’t be justified. Synthetic surfaces are incredibly resource depleting during manufacture, extremely expensive to install, easily damaged, simple to vandalise and are rendered unusable for some days following heavy rain.

The much lauded “all-weather surface” isn’t at all what it’s cracked up to be. Just like natural grass, the grounds are often closed following a heavy downpour. Well-draining grounds with natural grass can often be played on the following day. The same can’t be said for the synthetic grounds that are closed due to a significant rain event.

by PETER HEHIR   The environmental argument for retaining grass wherever possible, especially those grass covered sporting fields that presently