02/02/2026
Let your elected officials know we need to invest in safe and healthy schools, sports fields, and play spaces for all Montgomery County students - not in expensive, chemical-laden, heat-island producing, microplastic shedding, unrecyclable artificial turf fields.
Following a campaign spearheaded by several organizations including the Climate Coalition of MoCo with Safe Healthy Playing Fields, One Montgomery Green, and the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, the County Executive rightfully recommended to redirect the portion of the MCPS CIP $74 million request for plastic artificial turf fields to instead invest in safe and healthy modern durable grass fields and needed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) renovations. Responsibility now shifts to the County Council to uphold that decision. Councilmembers should support the CIP cut and instead fund modern stadium-level natural grass fields at MCPS high schools.
You can help by taking the following actions:
The Montgomery County Council's CIP (Capital Improvement) budget hearings are set up and open now to sign up for testimony Feb 9th and Feb 10th at 1:30 and 6:30pm. We urge Montgomery County residents to weigh in to ask the Council to support the County Executive's recommendation and remind the Council that ALL students will benefit from upgraded natural, healthy outdoor and indoor spaces. Here are the links to sign up to testify and to submit written testimony:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/PHSignUp.html
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/calendar.html
2) Send letters to your County Council members (and County Executive Elrich who supports natural play surfaces) using this Climate Coalition action alert:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/petition-for-real-grass-not-plastic-athletic-fields-for-montgomery-county-public-schools?source=direct_link&
3) Sign this Student Petition for Safe Healthy Grass Fields at MCPS schools:
https://c.org/pYywqR9jPN
Additional Resources:
https://www.climatecoalitionmoco.org
www.safehealthyplayingfields.org
www.sierraclub.org/Maryland/synthetic-turf
MCPS Student Climate Action Council
Artificial Turfs Report, June 4, 2024 (note that the students have updated their original recommendations- see the petition above) https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/scac/
- Scroll to artificial turf report link :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/122zenJtbxlZa4TQwyt4MjF9dDWONpdGcQqxLxgcwdGw/edit?tab=t.0
