Lawn Association & LANDSCAPE say NO to fake turf – I do have a natural lawn at home. It may not be the most glamourous looking piece of turf, it can be patchy in the dryer months, it will never have regular striping when mown, and it contains lots of weeds, however it is alive, it is generally green, and it helps me to feel connected and closer to nature.
There are numerous benefits of a garden lawn, the most obvious being that the grass takes in carbon dioxide from the air and produces oxygen through the photosynthesis process, it is a wonderful habitat for an abundance of insects it feeds, and houses and it is a safe area for pets and children to play.
I do like the look and feel of natural turf and when there are issues of dirt patches the challenge of rectifying with new seed or turf rolls, can help to restore the lawn, back to its natural beauty
The ethos of the Lawn Association has always been to promote fully the use of REAL lawns and NEVER artificial ones. Indeed, it has always been a mystery to them as to why anyone would replace a key sustainable component of our living environment with a coal and oil-derived product, one with only a limited life span, and that is almost impossible to recycle.
Therefore the team are over the moon to have been asked to come on board as partners with the LANDSCAPE show next year. Why? Because the industry trade show will only support real turf at their event in September 2023. This environmental stance means LANDSCAPE will not accept any bookings from exhibitors representing artificial turf, plants, or flowers.
LANDSCAPE cites three main reasons for their push towards real turf over artificial:
1 – the environmental impact
2 – the effect on wildlife
3 – widespread recycling issues
LANDSCAPE Event Director, Jeremy Storey-Walker says: “We each have a responsibility to respect our environment and at LANDSCAPE we have the ability to help enforce the message and encourage the use of natural materials wherever possible”.
David Hedges Gower, the Chairman of the Lawn Association will be on a guest panel to discuss the benefits of REAL turf and the association will also have a stand at the show.
David said “Living grass plays a vital role in absorbing heavy rainfall, capturing CO2, removing air pollutants, lowering temperatures and maintaining biodiversity. We feel very strongly that real grass, an invaluable environmental asset, must be protected and promoted. We thank LANDSCAPE for offering us this platform and look forward to working alongside them in highlighting the benefits of real turf.“
Lilly Light