Five Resolutions for a More Eco-friendly Life in 2013
January 22, 2013
New Year’s Day 2013 may already be a blur in the rear-view mirror. A handful of well-meaning resolutions may already have fallen by the wayside. Still, it’s not too late to decide to make a positive change this year. NewGrass® artificial grass is here to help.
Drought conditions are continuing nationwide and concerns about the use of pesticides and a desire for more organic living are growing. In response, NewGrass® synthetic lawn offers 5 resolutions for a more eco-friendly life in 2013.
If five resolutions sounds a little daunting, don’t worry. They can all be met simply be replacing turf grass with NewGrass®, the synthetic grass of chose when water conservation and environmental consciousness are as important as having a green lawn year-round.
1. Save Water
The EPA estimates that that anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of the average U.S. residential water bill goes to outdoor landscaping, using more than 7 billion gallons of water daily. Sadly, the agency further reports that “some experts estimate that up to 50 percent of commercial and residential irrigation water use goes to waste due to evaporation, wind, improper system design, or overwatering.”
A NewGrass® artificial lawn requires no watering other than an occasional hosing to keep it free of dust and debris. And even that use of water can be eliminated if you use a rake or leaf blower instead.
2. Reduce Use of Nasty Weed Killers and Pesticides
Public agencies, homeowner associations and local and state governments from coastal Maine to North Carolina to Alaska are increasingly restricting the use of lawn chemicals to protect drinking water supplies, streams and rivers.
Research published in the academic periodical Environmental Management concluded that “outdoor water conservation practices such as xeriscaping … may need to be extended as many municipalities continue to face increasing pressures on freshwater. In “American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn,” Ted Steinberg says America’s lawn-care obsession fuels a $40 billion industry, mostly for fertilizers and pesticides.
It’s a concern that environmentally safe NewGrass® artificial grass removes completely, because it requires no fertilizers and it nearly eliminates the need for pesticides.
“It’s common sense,” says Gregory Goehner, president of NewGrass. “If you’re concerned about protecting your groundwater, streams and lakes, you’ll at least reduce if not eliminate the use of many kinds of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. NewGrass gives you the opportunity to do that.”
3. Create an Urban Green Area
Rooftop patios and terraces as well as urban thumbprint parks have benefited from the use artificial grass. In New York City, NewGrass® has been relied on for applications as varied as a rooftop patio of swanky Trump Place and the ground cover of a 0.1-acre temporary indoor “pop-up park,” reported on by The New York Times. In Atlanta, the producers of the TV show Movie and a Makeover replicated a backyard patio complete with lawn on an Atlanta rooftop using NewGrass®.
“NewGrass® is a great choice for a rooftop terrace, because even when it’s wet, after a rain or snowfall, a NewGrass® installation won’t overload a building with standard weight-being limitations,” Goehner said.
4. Keep the Dog Run Clean … and Green
A quality synthetic lawn gives you a surface that feels so natural your favorite canine friends will love to play on. But they won’t be able to damage it, no matter how much they romp. And your artificial grass won’t yellow, no matter how often your pets need to answer Mother Nature’s call.
You’ll also save time because it will be easier to pick up after your dog. Those are just a few reasons NewGrass® has been installed in the tony Applewood Pet Resort and Boulder Falls Pet Resort in Scottsdale and Phoenix. One reason is that they eliminated the dead spots, holes from digging and mudpots they had with turf grass. In addition, the inorganic glass blades of NewGrass eliminate bacteria and diseases and stifle fleas, ticks and other pests.
5. Reduce Outdoor Play Injuries … As Well as Dirt and Allergens
Turf grass and its weeds can aggravate allergies, in addition to their need for fertilizers, pesticides, watering and maintenance. Sand and wood chips create cushioned surfaces, but both are messy, scatter easily and routinely need to be replenished. Perhaps least appealing of all, sand and wood chips can attract cats, who consider these coverings to be one big litter box.
A quality artificial grass is the optimal choice for ground covering for your children’s play set. NewGrass® lawns, for example, are lead-safe, hypo-allergenic, don’t stain clothes, prevent dirt and mud from being tracked inside, and eliminate the kind of injuries that a fall on gravel, sand or dirt can cause.
“As a ground cover for play areas,” Goehner said, “NewGrass® is superior to traditional natural products, including grass, sand and wood chips.” In fact, NewGrass® was chosen by the NFL and Gatorade as the playing field for their NFL Junior Training Camp in the shadow of the new Cowboys Stadium the day before Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas.
No CommentsNewGrass Meets Challenge of Lack of Outdoor Activity among Kids
November 15, 2012
America’s children are getting increasingly less outdoor exercise, studies show. This problem, which contributes to childhood illnesses and obesity, is made worse with the approach of winter snow and ice. As the temperatures drop and snow moves in, traditional play areas of gravel, dirt and sod play simply become unusable.
The use of NewGrass® to create year-round play areas is one way families and schools from coast to coast have directly and successfully addressed the challenge of getting kids moving outside.
“We’ve had great success with NewGrass® on all kinds and sizes of play areas and in all kinds of climates and weather conditions,” says Gregory Goehner, President of NewGrass, the artificial grass of choice when water conservation and being environmentally and eco-friendly are as important as having more green lawn to enjoy in any season.
A play area covered in NewGrass®, for example, is usable even after a snowfall, because it’s installed in a way that lets water simply drain through.
Installing NewGrass® in backyard play areas, school playgrounds and other settings is one way to act on the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics earlier this year that children under five play outside as much as possible.
“Today’s children are four times less active in their day-to-day lives than their grandparents were,” the AAP report says. “That kind of statistic is troubling and calls for some parental intervention.”
A recent study published in the online JAMA Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine meanwhile found that nearly half of all U.S. preschoolers don’t even have one chance each day to play outdoors under a parent’s supervision.
“Preschool age children should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day,” says the report’s author, Pooja Tandon, MD, MPH, of Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “But many preschoolers are not meeting that recommendation. Young children need more opportunities to play outdoors and to help them be more active.”
“NewGrass® is an eco-friendly, natural-looking and incredibly safe alternative to any other kind of surface under our play sets,” Goehner said. “It eliminates the kind of injuries a child can suffer from a fall on gravel, sand or dirt. We’re also very big on the fact that NewGrass® is lead-safe.”
Sand and wood chips create cushioned surfaces, but both are messy, scatter easily, routinely need to be replenished and are unusable after a snowfall or heavy rain. Perhaps least appealing of all, sand and wood chips can attract cats, who consider these coverings to be one big litter box.
Turf grass and its weeds can aggravate allergies, plus they require fertilizers, pesticides, watering and maintenance. NewGrass® is hypo-allergenic, doesn’t stain clothes and prevents dirt and mud from being tracked inside.
