QUESTION FAKE GRASS in LGUSD.

Image from Sierra Club's "Outdoors for All" Campaign The Sierra Club Loma Prieta's  first letter to the LGUSD school board  implores them to choose an alternative to plastic grass.  The letter: implores the district to leave fossil fuels in the ground,  draws attention to the 11 student athletes that have recently died from heat stroke, points to PFAS in the human body as sufficient reason alone to reject artificial turf entirely, deems artificial turf a poor investment for its short-lived purpose citing the extreme problem that is microplastic pollution, highlights social justice and equity impacts covering playgrounds with plastic. An excerpt from  Sierra Club Loma Prieta' s   second letter to the LGUSD school board :  "Artificial turf should never be used because it is toxic to watersheds. Microplastics bioaccumulate eventually into food and access the bloodstream through the respiratory system and/or the gastrointestinal tract. The precautionary principle

Image from report by EWG.org " PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported " Wind and rain blow or wash pollutants off hard surfaces like streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and artificial turf systems into storm drains that flow untreated directly into our creeks and waterways. In LGUSD's proposed artificial turf "fields", water will rinse the chemicals off the weathered and worn plastic blades of "grass" as well as off the perforated carpet backing and perforated shockpad beneath. The chemicals will be rinsed into drainage pipes that flow directly to storm drains . Why wouldn't PFAS forever chemicals, lead, infill, plastic grass blades, microplastics, cleaning chemicals, and weedkillers be carried by rainwater and sprinkler runoff from local artificial turf systems into the surrounding storm drains that flow into Los Gatos Creek? Even David Teter acknowledged at our Town Hall meeting the greater volume

LGUSD boasts about its environmental stewardship successes. The incongruence of using plastic grass after all the other progress being made in the district is glaring, embarrassing, and baffling. Daves Avenue Green Team kids , what do you think about (or do you even know about) the plans to cover portions of your campus with surfacing that is "green" only in color? Now's your chance to learn about eco issues in your immediate world and get active.

It's December 5th.  Happy World Soil Day ! "Did you know Soil captures more carbon than trees!"  asks Candide Soil affects the climate that makes our planet habitable.  Soil is an essential foundation for all life on Earth! L et's work together to protect and restore Los Gatos soil health on our private and public properties, and in doing so, help slow changes to our climate and bolster our town's resilience to climate-induced weather extremes. Artificial turf installations in Los Gatos desertify our soils.   Desertification of soil is the permanent degradation of previously fertile land .   Converting a living landscape to artificial turf begins with  soil excavation.  The ground beneath is then compacted and covered with crushed rock similar to how construction of roads and parking lots begin. On top of that is layered other non-absorbent lifeless materials like, in some cases, a manufactured foam shockpad and finally rugs of green-colored plastic.  Life under a

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.