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.

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 just common sense, that if you’re concerned about protecting your groundwater, streams and lakes – and protecting your children’s health – you’ll at least reduce if not eliminate the use of many kinds of chemical pesticides and fertilizers,” said Greg Goehner, president of NewGrass. “NewGrass gives you the opportunity to get rid of those chemicals and still have a green lawn to enjoy year-round.”

Several coastal towns in Maine have adopted restrictions on lawn chemicals. Other restrictions have been enacted by New York State Parks, Chicago City Parks, 29 communities and townships in New Jersey, at least 17 cities in the Northwest covering more than 50 parks and communities throughout Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut, according to various news reports and consumer awareness Web sites.

• In July, the city of Anchorage canceled plans to spray the herbicides 2, 4-D and dicamba on the Town Square Park, citing concerns over the safety of children playing in the park.

• In June, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation initiated the “Be Green Organic Yard NY,” a program in which participating businesses agree to avoid synthetic pesticides.

• In May, a 9-year-old environmental activist in Boulder, Colo., organized about two dozen children to protest the potential use of herbicides in front of the Boulder County Courthouse, after an advisory committee had approved two new herbicides for use on city parks.

• The City of Redmond, Wash., in its Annual Report on Your Drinking Water, earlier this year urged residents to use organic fertilizers and to “think twice before using pesticides.

“Overuse of chemical pesticides and fertilizers can damage beneficial soil life and wash off into streams, lakes or our aquifer, where it can harm plants or animals or someday show up in the water supply,” the Redmond report says.

Based on extensive and documented research into 30 of the most commonly used lawn pesticides by the public interest organization Beyond Pesticides, 14 are probable or possible carcinogens, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 15 with neurotoxicity, 26 with liver or kidney damage, and 27 are sensitizers and/or irritants.

“The most popular and widely used lawn chemical 2,4-D, which kills broad leaf weeds like dandelions, is an endocrine disruptor with predicted human health risks ranging from changes in estrogen and testosterone levels, thyroid problems, prostate cancer and reproductive abnormalities. 2,4-D has also been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” the organization reports.

Other lawn chemicals like glyphosate (RoundUp) have also been linked to serious adverse chronic effects in humans. Imidacloprid, another pesticide growing in popularity, has been implicated in bee toxicity and the recent Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) phenomena, according to Beyond Pesticides.

New York City recently put a halt to using crumb rubber infill on artificial lawns in its parks and school yards – even though the debate continues over the health risk that crumb rubber poses.

That’s the position NewGrass eco-friendly synthetic lawn and its distributors took several months ago when they switched to an environmentally safe, silicon-based infill.

NewGrass and New York City officials concede the jury remains out on the degree of risk from lead exposure to controversial crumb rubber infill (it’s made from recycled tires). But there’s another health concern that prompted New York City to stop using the stuff. City health officials believe crumb rubber could be unsafe when it heats up on hot days.

Like NewGrass and its authorized distributors in the New York area, New York City has chosen that going forward, it would rather be safe than sorry.

Dandelion Putting Greens, in Hopewell Junction, installs NewGrass® synthetic lawns using GreenFill, an environmentally friendly infill alternative, says company owner Frank Vitritti.

The debate over crumb rubber infill is being waged among environmental groups, concerned parent organizations, the rubber industry and some members of the synthetic grass industry.

“We’d rather err on the side of being responsible when it comes to public health,” Vitritti said.
New York City has no plans to remove existing crumb rubber in its 95 existing fields. One exception is a city soccer field that was closed in December when tests found elevated levels of lead.

“We believe it’s most likely some external contamination,” Assistant Health Commissioner Nancy Clark told the New York Daily News.

Activists and some legislators, however, have called the New York City fields potentially toxic and demanded removal, at an estimated cost of up to $1 million per field.

First Deputy Parks Commissioner Liam Kavanagh told a City Council panel recently that it will replace crumb rubber as part of the normal 10-year renovation cycle of the city’s fields.

When stories broke earlier this year about potentially unhealthy levels of lead in some artificial grass playing fields, NewGrass® synthetic lawns took the matter seriously. NewGrass® looked at its own products – had them tested – and was pleased with what they learned.

NewGrass® has always taken seriously its mission to be the artificial grass of choice when being water-wise and eco-friendly are as important as having more green lawn to enjoy year-round. Environmental responsibility was one reason that even before the lead scare NewGrass® stopped selling grass made with nylon blades. Its blades are 100% polyethylene.

From the get-go, NewGrass® wanted a synthetic grass that not only conserves water and reduces lawn maintenance, but is also truly earth-friendly. For example, it wanted NewGrass® to be recyclable. The company knew that nylon was an impediment to having a truly recyclable and bio-degradable product.

That is one of the reasons NewGrass® has blades of 100% polyethylene fiber. Polyethylene is a recyclable product. NewGrass® believes polyethylene also makes a more durable and more attractive fake grass than nylon fibers.

When potentially unhealthy levels of lead dust in some artificial grass playing fields were reported early last summer by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS), the federal Centers for Disease Control issued a health advisory. The CDC did not confirm the findings. But it did expand on them.

The CDC stressed, for example, that the New Jersey study “indicated” that potentially unsafe levels of lead dust were found only in athletic fields of fake grass that are old, used frequently and exposed to the weather, because their blades break down into dust as the fibers are worn.

However, the next day, the CDC went further and issued a follow-up statement that underscored the commitment by NewGrass® to environmental responsibility and further validated its choice to use only polyethylene fibers in its artificial grass.

The CDC said the New Jersey studies indicated that nylon or nylon/polyethylene blend fake grass contained “levels of lead that pose a potential public health concern.” On the other hand, the CDC reported that the same tests found that fields made with fake grass of 100% polyethylene fibers – like NewGrass® – “contained very low levels of lead.”

Within weeks, the debate over lead and artificial grass swept the nation and came to a head in California, where several synthetic grass companies were named in a class action suit by a national nonprofit consumer protection group.

Being proactive, NewGrass® asked the California attorney general’s office to test its grass. The state did and determined that NewGrass® 100% polyethylene lawn is “lead safe.”

“We’ve always taken the responsible approach,” said NewGrass President Greg Goehner. “It’s our mission. The fact that poly lawn is lead-safe is not why we chose it in the first place. But it’s indicative of how we do business.”

Winter is just around the corner, and that’s a reminder that spring landscaping plans aren’t far behind. As you consider what to do differently next year, think about creating a truly healthy lawn – a lawn that’s environmentally friendly as well as healthy for pets, children and wildlife.

You may think your lawn is not important in the big scheme of protecting the environment or being eco-friendly. But consider this: When added up, all of the lawns across the United States would cover the state of Ohio.

Needless to say, that much natural turf grass requires a lot of water, pesticides and fertilizers.

“How we manage our lawns affects the health of our children, pets, wildlife and water quality,” according to Lynn Markham, a land use specialist with the Center for Land Use Education at the University of Wisconsin.

Markham suggests three steps for creating a lawn that’s healthy of the environment and for your pets and family. NewGrass® couldn’t agree more.

Avoid using pesticides. Pesticides are potentially harmful to children, pets and wildlife. Also, they can be tracked into the house or leach into the groundwater. NewGrass® requires no pesticides if it has been properly installed and the base material properly prepared.

If you must fertilize, avoid phosphorus. Phosphorous accelerates algae growth in lakes and rivers, and lawn fertilizer is a major source of phosphorous in our waters. Markham writes that fertilizing the lawn of a typical half-acre lot could add more than 50 pounds of phosphorous to that yard each year. Eco-friendly NewGrass® of course requires no fertilizer at all. In addition, it is lead-safe, and 100% recyclable with polyethylene blades and a bio-based backing.

Get small. Reduce your turf grass footprint. Plant more trees, shrubs, wildflowers and tall grasses, and consider installing synthetic lawn particularly in areas that are hard to maintain or require unusually high amounts of water, pesticides or fertilizer.

Fort Worth, Texas – As demand grows for green building materials, NewGrass® synthetic lawns have the potential to help builders and contractors obtain advantageous credits toward green building certification.

Buildings that are LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) obviously have marketing and public relations advantages in today’s eco-aware environment. In addition, they cost less to operate, have higher occupancy rates, enhance occupant health and increase return on investment, according to studies from the U.S. Green Building Council, which developed and manages the system.

NewGrass® is also proud to announce that it is a U.S. Green Building Council national member.

The Council’s LEED rating system has become the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance “green buildings.” The Council says the system gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance, including site development, water savings, energy efficiency and materials selection.

The LEED system defines the requirements to achieve prerequisites and voluntary points toward certification in several different categories, including New Construction and Major Renovations (a category for Homes is still under development, and the category for Schools is based on the New Construction ratings system).

With its EnviroCel™ backings, NewGrass® may contribute to total ratings under LEED credit for New Construction in the following categories:

• Water Efficiency Credit 1.1. - Water Efficient Landscaping: reduce by 50%
• Water Efficiency Credit 1.2 – Water Efficient Landscaping: no potable water use or no irrigation
• Water Efficiency Credit 2.1 – Construction Waste Management: divert 50% from disposal
• Materials & Resources Credit 2.2 - Construction Waste Management: Divert 75% from disposal
• Materials & Resources Credit 3.1 – Materials Reuse: 5%
• Materials & Resources 3.2 - Materials Reuse: 10%
• Materials & Resources Credit 3.2 - Materials Reuse: 10%
• Materials & Resources Credit 4.1 – Recycled Content: 10% (post-consumer plus ½ pre-consumer)
• Materials & Resources Credit 4.2 - Recycled Content: 20% (post-consumer plus ½ pre-consumer)
• Materials & Resources Credit 5.1 – Regional Materials: 10% extracted, processed and manufactured regionally
• Materials & Resources Credit 5.2 – Regional Materials: 20% extracted, processed and manufactured regionally

It’s important to note that LEED ratings are based on project’s total point score, not only on its buildings materials. For example, under New Construction, the Water Efficiency Credit 1.1, for Water Efficient Landscaping, requires the entire project to reduce water use by 50%.
NewGrass® is proud to be an ally in the EPA’s GreensScape Program and the only artificial lawn that is Certified 100% Eco-Friendly, from the way it is manufactured to the company’s pledge to properly recycle any NewGrass® lawn at the end of its usable life, at no cost to the customer.

Fort Worth, Texas – With major new initiatives that improve its products and enhance customer care, NewGrass® has strengthened its commitment to being green in every sense of the word.

NewGrass®, the artificial grass solution when water conservation and being environmentally conscious are as important as having a green lawn year-round, is now Certified100% Eco-Friendly. From the way its synthetic lawns are manufactured to the way they are ultimately recycled many years later, NewGrass® is acting on a promise to be a truly earth-friendly company.

The NewGrass® Certified 100% Eco-Friendly Pledge is being launched with three basic components: changes in the way NewGrass® is made and installed, actively supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and pledging to properly recycle NewGrass® at the end of its life at no cost to the customer.

“NewGrass® has always been a water-conservation alternative, safe for children, wonderful for dogs and of course, never needed pesticides, so it’s always helped reduce ground water pollution,” said company President Greg Goehner. “But we believed we could do more. We want to offer an environmentally safe product and be more active as good stewards of the environment.”

Made with Renewable and Recycled Resources; Totally Recyclable
NewGrass® has a new backing that replaces over 90 percent of the oil-based compounds found on previous generations with bio-based compounds that are derived from domestically-grown soybeans – a renewable resource!

On the ground, the NewGrass® backing offers greatly improved drainage. This results in longer life for the backing, as well as for the grass blades and any infill. It also means faster and more consistent drainage, which is better for the aggregate base underneath a NewGrass® installation, as well as for the surrounding landscaping.

The blades of NewGrass® now incorporate post-consumer polyethyene. That makes them – and the entire product – 100 percent recyclable.

When it comes to installing its lawns, NewGrass® is now offering GreenFill, the only product developed specifically as infill for synthetic grass applications. GreenFill is a color-coated, clean and dust-free bead of environmentally safe and friendly silicon dioxide. Silicon dioxide is found naturally in various forms, including in quartz, opal, sand flint, and agate.

GreenFill’s unique coating clings to the tiny cracks in the silica and is chemically bonded to its surface. The result is an artificial grass infill that is very strong, sanitary, reusable and does not attract water (heightening its anti-microbial features).

The NewGrass® Carbon-Offset Pledge
For every square foot of NewGrass® installed, the company is making a donation to the Carbon Fund, a non-profit organization that is leading the fight against global-warming climate change.

These contributions further support the NewGrass® commitment to a safer, greener environment and the reduction of harmful carbon dioxide emissions. Donations help the Carbon Fund promote climate change education, carbon offsets and reductions, and public outreach. They also help NewGrass® actively reduce its carbon footprint.

In addition, every square foot of NewGrass® helps reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That’s because every NewGrass® installation means increased domestic soybean production, which in turn improves air quality by consuming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The NewGrass® Remove & Recycle Pledge
NewGrass® carries a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty. But if a customer ever wants to take up their NewGrass® lawn at the end of its useful life, the company will remove it free of charge for recycling.

Fort Worth, Texas – NewGrass® is proud that the U.S. EPA recently accepted it as an Ally in the agency’s GreenScapes Alliance.

GreenScapes is a partnership program to help preserve natural resources and prevent waste and pollution. It encourages partner businesses, government agencies and other entities to make more holistic decisions regarding the use of the land, water, pesticides and energy.

GreenScapes promotes practices and products that meet consumers’ needs, but have better environmental profiles than current methods. NewGrass® synthetic lawn is exactly that kind of product, said company President Greg Goehner.

NewGrass® is the artificial grass of choice when water conservation and being environmentally conscious are as important as having a green lawn year-round. GreensScape’s goal is to help the public “find better yet flexible ways to conserve valuable natural resources, prevent pollution and be a voice for change in the industry.”

“NewGrass® is one of only a few synthetic grass companies to make this commitment,” Goehner said. “To us, being selected as an Ally with the EPA’s GreensScapes Alliance validates our commitment to being 100% eco-friendly.”

As a GreenScapes Ally, NewGrass® joins professional groups, trade associations, research organizations and product manufacturers or marketers nationwide working with their affiliated organizations to promote greater use of GreenScapes activities.

NewGrass™ is eco-friendly far beyond being a valuable water conservation measure.

The backing on NewGrass™ is in fact partly made from domestically grown soybeans. Called BioCel®, is made by Universal Textile Technologies, which has worked since 1999 to incorporate soy-based polymers into backings for artificial lawns and carpets.

According to UTT, soy-based polymers are polyurethane polymers in which a portion of the binding chemical compound (polyol) is derived from one renewable resource—the soybean plant. UTT uses soybean oil that is extracted from soybeans and then stabilized by removing gums and waxes. Finally it’s converted into a polymer. This is the polymer that becomes a key part of the backing for NewGrass™.

The soy-based polyols used by UTT account for 10%-14% of the overall backing weight. In addition, UTT incorporates a significant percentage of recycled content, resulting in a backing that is 60%-70% “green” by weight. This is important for NewGrass™ because the backing is the greatest weight of the product.

NewGrass™ blades are basically made from the same compounds that you’ll find in everyday plastic water bottles and with the same environmental protections, said Sandy Galinksi.

“It’s polypropylene or polyethylene, standard stuff that’s been around forever,” Galinski said.

As for the actual manufacturing process, it’s all done through highly computerized, electric-powered manufacturing equipment. None of the equipment is run on fossil fuels.
The blades are made using an extrusion process that results in negligible waste, said Sean Peng.

“Then comes the tufting, in which the strands are woven together and attached to backing cloth,” a process that also releases no greenhouse gases and negligible waste, Peng said.

Finally, the yard is coated using a high-heat process, also without greenhouse effects.

TEMPE, Ariz. – Synthetic grasses such as NewGrass™ are a valid alternative in promoting water conservation, according to preliminary results from a long-term research project.

The conclusion is significant because for years, artificial lawns have been ignored as a serious water conservation measure.

“I think it’s probably a good niche product for a lot of people,” said Marc Campbell, a water planning analyst with the Salt River Project (SRP) in Tempe, Ariz., and director of the research project.

After more than 1½ years of observing, testing and evaluating several plots of artificial grass similar to NewGrass™, the SRP – the country’s third-largest public utility company – says it can give synthetic grass the thumbs up as a genuine water conservation alternative.

The SRP put synthetic grass side-by-side with natural local grasses and xeriscaping as part of its ongoing efforts to give consumers new and better information about water conservation alternatives, including products like NewGrass™.

“We did consumer focus groups, asking people about water conservation supplies, landscaping, conservation measures and possible new programs,” Campbell said. “We asked them what they’d like to know about grass options and about landscaping alternatives.”

“We learned that despite our efforts to push xeriscaping, there were a majority of people that just wanted to have a natural grass landscape,” Campbell said.
That’s a big concern in an area where a draught is ongoing and, according to Campbell, an estimated 60 percent of all residential water use is for outdoor landscaping and swimming pools.

SRP wanted to study synthetic grass as a conservation measure because it is gaining acceptance as a landscaping alternative in general, and an increasing number of cities are “starting to consider it a little more seriously” as well, Campbell said.

“Generally, people are looking at synthetic grass a little more seriously than they did a couple of years ago,” he said. “We want to give the general public and the cities here in the Valley the information they need to make their own decisions about whether to use it and if it’s right for them.”