QUESTION FAKE GRASS in LGUSD.

Drill down on this simple overview of concerns with artificial turf created by the  Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell .  

Image from the FAQ of turi.org In addition to providing the facts, with references, on chemicals of concern, heat stress, injuries, and environmental concerns, the 2020  Toxics Use Reduction Institute's Fact Sheet , designed specifically for municipalities and institutions, shares the following regarding children's environmental health: " Children are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of toxic chemicals because their organ systems are developing rapidly and their detoxification mechanisms are immature. Children also breathe more air per unit of body weight than adults, and are likely to have more hand-to-mouth exposure to environmental contaminants than adults.  For these reasons, it is particularly important to make careful choices about children’s exposures."  

John Oliver explains why Teflon and other PFAS are bad, everywhere, and what to do about it. PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, is what makes Teflon non stick, clothing water proof, food containers resist soaking, cosmetics stay on your face etc.... Also, it is used to manufacture artificial grass.  This article has John Oliver's story (please watch the whole thing). He has some major points in there, including that this industry is and has been getting away with murder for years (at least since the '50's). There is also a link to a map where you can find your water company and see what their latest recording is of PFAS chemicals in the water your drink. There is an effort underway right now to ban PFAS as a class because they ban one and companies just switch to another one that isn't banned. 

Image from LGUSD slide presentation. Rather than go hunting through various emails to try to find the full set of docs shared by the district , you can find them all aggregated at https://bit.ly/lgusdturf    Pros / Cons of Synthetic Turf (the landscape designer's assessment) FAQ Regarding Landscape Upgrades Outdoor Classrooms and Campus Landscaping Update (11/3/21 version) Outdoor Classrooms and Campus Landscaping Update ( new content 11/8/21 ) To get familiar with the scope, costs, and consequences of the LGUSD's ORIGINAL landscaping proposal, view this original flyer  we created before district-hosted Town Hall Meeting . Go here for a recap of the Town Hall Meeting.