QUESTION FAKE GRASS in LGUSD.

"Turn off the tap by shutting down the plastic machine", advises The Story of Stuff . Plastic comes from fossil fuels.   For sustainability and climate resilience purposes, we've been teaching our kids that we've got to reduce our use of fossil fuels. We've been teaching our kids we've got to stop using plastic in situations where we have reasonable alternatives. And our kids care... Daves and Lexington Elementary kids campaigned to get rid of plastic packaging and straws both in the district and with local officials . The Fisher kids were grand prize winners of an Eco Grant from Grades of Green in part for persuading the school to stop selling single-use water bottles . Van Meter kids attended an assembly with a representative of West Valley Collection & Recycling to learn more about how our waste stream is handled.  And for Earth Day, the Van Meter Green Team reviewed with the students that  "5 R's is the new 3 R's" :  Refuse, Reduce,

This image from spectrumlife.org reminds us " It takes a village " to raise a community of healthy children.  Speak up for the children in your "village". If artificial turf is installed on some subset of LGUSD campuses as part of the current landscaping project, this will be setting  a precedent of artificial turf usage that may extend across all 5 campuses in time. Actions taken by a community's public schools reflect the values, beliefs, and priorities of the community in which these schools reside.   If you live within LGUSD boundaries , you are represented by the LGUSD school board which was elected to make decisions, including how to spend the school district's budget, on the community's behalf.   The LGUSD school board is meant to be responsive to the values, beliefs, and priorities of its community.    Does use of artificial turf align with your values, beliefs, and priorities?   Part of the mission statement of LGUSD is to develop, through role

The Heat Island Effect. Source: Dustin Phillips on Flickr. Image featured in  "No More Pavement! The Problem of Impervious Surfaces" by Columbia Climate School Indeed one motive often cited for artificial turf usage is water conservation.  T he LGUSD slides from the 11/8/21 Town Hall meeting highlighted water conservation as a prime justification for covering school grounds with giant sheets of plastic. However, using water conservation to justify plastic grass is an argument sorely lacking in perspective. And it contributes to the false dichotomy that is this narrow set of district options being discussed. To conserve water, should we entirely sacrifice: two of the few remaining swaths of easily-accessible, publicly available living landscapes in our increasingly urbanized downtown?   the exposure to nature they provide 1000+ Los Gatos children twice every schoolday? the cooling they provide to counter the heat-island effect of our urban environment?  the biodiversity t

The downsides of using artificial turf outweigh the upsides. Image from aprilsmith.org . Go here to review the downsides to using artificial turf on campus areas OTHER than the play fields. Question whether motives for installing artificial turf outweigh these compelling reasons to dismiss artificial turf, especially given that alternatives are within reach... WATER USE UNDERESTIMATED - Uses water for cooling, cleaning, maintenance.  Required to maintain warranty. MAINTENANCE UNDERESTIMATED - Needs continual cleaning of dried-on sweat, spit, blood, vomit, dog poop/pee , bird poop, food, gum. Sweeping/leaf blowing. Brushing to keep pile up. Repairs. Requires regular testing of surface and infill hardness for SAFETY.  Warranties have restrictions inconducive to elementary school multi-use fields (no lawn chairs, no staking of bounce houses or tents, discourage food and beverage, etc.) HEAT ISLAND - Heats campuses, kids can’t play on it on hot days, endangers surrounding trees, affe

The downsides of using artificial turf outweigh the upsides. Image from aprilsmith.org . Below is a pared down list of downsides to using artificial turf, focused on concerns most relevant to areas of campus beyond the fields.  This includes spaces designed to be used as "outdoor classrooms" where it's envisioned the community's 5-11 year old students will gather, eat, and play during class time, recess, and lunch, such as outdoor corridors and courtyards, including a courtyard used daily by kindergarteners.   To review the downsides to using artificial turf on the play fields, see our original flyer . Question whether motives for installing artificial turf outweigh these compelling reasons to dismiss artificial turf, especially given that alternatives are within reach... HEAT - Artificial turf, even with plant-based infill, gets HOT.  For example, on a sunny, 80 degree day, it might be 110 degrees on artificial turf with cork infill.  Last schoolyear, we had 77 day

Image from  scvas.org Highlights from Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society's 11/4/21 letter to the LGUSD school board include the following quotes: We see sterile environments, such as expanses of hardscape and plastic, as hostile to human development and well being.  Schools should surround children with life - native plant gardens, trees, even lawns - not plastic. Access to vegetation and nature, at all scales, is important to the development of children's physical and mental health, senses, curiosity, academics and cognitive ability. Natural play areas improve children’s health, mood, and creativity. Grass and artificial turf both require water; the difference being when you water grass, you water entire ecosystems, including surrounding redwoods and oaks. Louise Van Meter, Daves Avenue, and Blossom Hill are all elementary schools and should foster healthy learning environments, creative spaces, and a connection to nature for our children. There is a global movement to reduce

Image from  Safe Healthy Playing Field 's  Facebook post . Marketing artificial turf as "recyclable" is greenwashing. Being "recyclable" and being "recycled" are not the same thing.  Artificial turf is classified as a single-use plastic .   While some single-use plastic water bottles may be recycled, artificial turf is  NOT being recycled in the U.S. It's challenging to separate the infill and contaminants from the carpet. There are no facilities in the U.S. that recycle artificial turf, and it's unlikely we're shipping it overseas.  Industry confirms in the video below that no artificial turf has EVER been recycled in the U.S.: 🟢👀🟢We spy something green...an industry greenwashing tactic! 🚩Artificial turf has long been touted as being recycled, giving communities a false sense of being good enviro stewards. 💀BUT @TenCateGrassUS admitted that NO artificial turf has EVER been recycled in the US. NONE. pic.twitter.com/Q8RTjoxEwZ — PFA