I have to admit that I’m not sure I’d want fake grass in my own backyard. But, in a recent twist of reason, I’ve started to warm up to the notion. Though I couldn’t imagine taking a midday nap in a meadow of green plastic fibers, there are applications that warrant its use. And, no, I’m not talking about a sports field (though that is a worthy usage). If we are serious about cutting our resource consumption…then maybe synthetic lawns deserve a closer, and less disapproving, look.
Though synthetic grass can be applied in pretty much any residential setting, it would be best put to use in commercial properties. Not so much at parks and schools where people actively interact with the material, but more like strip malls, shopping centers and office complexes. These are areas that inevitably have lawns that are completely under-utilized and over-maintained. No one is having a picnic or rolling around with a lover at any of these locations. Grass is there because it’s green.
But consider the costs. Weekly mowing. Daily watering. Monthly fertilizing. Seasonal over-seeding. Output of fossil fuel emissions. And much of the time the grass looks like hell. Enter synthetic lawns. With a preemptive and initial outlay of money, all of these property management woes disappear. Lawn sprinkler leaks become a thing of the past. Irrigation over-spray on sidewalks is gone forever. Water bills and maintenance costs plummet! And the business property owner is left with a landscape that looks good all year-round.
Synthetic turf companies have even made huge advances in the overall appearance of their product. No longer do fake lawns look like Easter egg basket filler. You can now find faux grass varieties with what looks to be natural imperfections and spent blades and most are made of recycled plastics. Now don’t you think that’s worth at least a second glance?
“I have to admit that I’m not sure I’d want fake grass in my own backyard. But, in a recent twist of reason, I’ve started to warm up to the notion.”