Why Artificial Grass Lawns are

by Emily Croskey
(North Canton, Ohio)

Artificial grass lawns offer a lush, beautiful, low-maintenance alternative to natural grass. What some people don't realize is that artificial grass is also a responsible landscaping option, with many numerous benefits to the environment such as water conservation, chemical-free maintenance, and recycling. Artificial grass products by can even help green builders meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED Guidelines.

Water Conservation & Artificial Grass
Artificial grass lawns do not require water to stay green, lush, and beautiful all year. This water savings can mean many things to homeowners who decide to utilize artificial turf in their landscaping. First, it can save money on water bills. Watering lawns accounts for a large percentage of residential water usage, so depending on how much natural lawn is replaced with artificial grass, the cost savings can be substantial. The Synthetic Turf Council estimates that the use of artificial grass has resulted in the conservation of between three to six billion gallons of water in 2010. In addition to saving money on water bills, some cities offer rebates and credits for residents who install artificial turf as a water-saving landscaping alternative.

Artificial Grass Offers Chemical-Free Maintenance
Maintaining a natural grass lawn may require a variety of fertilizers, pesticides, and weed killing chemicals to keep the grass looking its best. A synthetic turf landscape eliminates the need for these lawn care chemicals, keeping them out of the yard, and out of the environment. Homeowners also appreciate the fact that they no longer need to spend time and energy performing maintenance on their artificial grass lawn. With artificial grass, people spend their time enjoying the lawn instead of mowing, edging, and seeding.

Artificial Grass: Recycling
There is an exciting new recycling program at Yellowstone National Park, called Project Yellowstone. Visitors to Yellowstone Park deposit plastic bottles into receptacles throughout the park, and the plastic is recycled to create artificial grass backing. The recycled backing is utilized on premium synthetic grass products, helping keep unnecessary waste out of landfills. Artificial grass also incorporates soybean plants, which are 100% renewable resources, into the backing of the grass.

LEED® Certification
Artificial grass is also recognized as a material that contributes to sustainable building. The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit organization focused on sustainable building design and construction. USGBC developed the LEED building rating system, to guide green builders in creating the most sustainable buildings possible. Artificial grass can help green builders meet USGBC LEED guidelines under several categories including SS61, SS62, WE1, MR4, and MR6.1.

Health & Wellness
Saving the environment is worthwhile and necessary, but artificial grass also contributes to the health and wellness of the people and animals that use it every day. Artificial grass does not contain any allergens like natural plants and grass. It also does not harbor insects, since there is nothing in artificial grass for insects to feed upon. And grass stains are a thing of the past. Artificial grass is a soft surface for children to play on that will not leave grass or mud stains on their clothes and shoes.