Sept. 22, 2025 6 AM PT
To the editor: As this text states, there’s 1000’s and 1000’s of acres of synthetic turf which are being put in in California public parks, colleges and universities, creating well being and environmental points as a result of using petroleum merchandise of their manufacture (“As California installs more artificial turf, health and environmental concerns multiply,” Sept. 17). For a few years, synthetic turf has been the burial floor for outdated tires, offloading that downside from the tire recycling points.
Let’s substitute grass with grass. Bamboo is now a sustainable supply in constructing merchandise like flooring and furnishings in addition to materials and shutters. The plant grows like loopy and isn’t sophisticated to reap and course of. Manufacturing must be managed in order that it doesn’t strip the soil of vitamins over time, like many crops. However it might doubtless be far inexpensive to reap and manufacture as “synthetic” turf than nylon and plastic sourced from fossil gas drilling, and isn’t filled with chemical compounds and different poisons. We have to forestall poisonous chemical compounds from entering into our soil and watersheds and supply a cool and permeable taking part in floor.
I’m positive I’m not the primary particular person to think about this concept for growth; I’d even wager there’s been some exploration of the mechanics of rising and processing a pure fiber to be used as a man-made turf. Who is aware of what number of growth efforts have been sidelined by fossil gas pursuits?
Laurie Barlow, San Marino
