To think fake grass is not tacky

[Dizzydodo]

At the Doctors with dd about eczema, GP says it can be triggered by pollen, grass seed etc and asks if she's been in the garden a lot with the nice weather. I say 'yes but we've got fake grass'. GP rolls his eyes, laughs and says 'fake grass?! Like Wayne Rooney? Goodness me!'

I have no idea if Wayne Rooney has fake grass or not and I'm not in the least bit offended by the GP (I think he was trying to be funny) but it got me thinking....does fake grass in my garden make me a wannabe WAG?

MissDuke

IKWYM MumOnaCornish I always get upset when WE the consumers are criticised for buying all the plastic packaging etc. and there doesn't seem to be any judgement directed at the manufacturers who over package food especially.

Kennington I think it depends on the rubber.

Some of the posts on here are depressing. Some people just really don't give a fuck about putting themselves out in the slightest to protect our world.

I'd happily pave over people who dig up real lawns to put that rubbish down

it screams laziness and looks shit

Some of the posts on here are depressing. Some people just really don't give a fuck about putting themselves out in the slightest to protect our world.

Fake grass is associated with trailer parks where I'm from. Poor/lazy people who can't be bothered taking care of their lawn.

Luckily, I've never seen this in my area at all - the locals obviously have better taste and a decent conscience.

Nature really is beautiful and you get idiots screwing it up

Just a few examples of comments on this thread - personally I think these are 'judgy' and not just based on opinion and completely ignore the reasons people have given on the thread for using artificial grass.

I love a beautiful garden and real lawn is part of that. But it doesn't both me what others do!

I've never met an nt older child who hits people because they have put something in their mouth but may be they exist.
I don't view keeping my disabled child indoors all day as a real choice but I know those who I consider to have extreme views won't understand that.

Kennington, that is definitely something I plan on looking into thoroughly before making any decision on what to do first, I hadn't really thought about it before this thread. My ds already plays football on an artificial pitch three hours a week so it's definitely something I need to look at. He brings home little black balls in his shoes and socks from it and a few parents have mentioned before about the risks so I always have him take off shoes and socks before we leave to shake them all off. My husband tells me that our walk home from the pitch is more of a risk than the pitch and to chill out, I find all this risk assessing very hard

The thing is Miss Duke There are lots of good reasons for concreting over a drive, for removing trees, for spraying insecticide\fungicde all over farm land etc. etc.

But that still doesn't mean nature won't continue melting the ice caps and allowing bees to disappear etc. it seems to me that we humans really need to think very carefully about what type of world we want for our grandchildren to grow up in.

So in the interim my disabled child should remain indoors until I get time to supervise her out the front Or face the mudbath out the back.

Who is suggesting that Missduke?

Missduke
Nobody is saying that

'putting themselves out a bit to protect our world'

...and as others have said, some people never stop to consider what it's like to not have the luxury of choice. My husband died last year, he used to mow the lawn. I can't manage it in my wheelchair so I decided to have artificial grass put down.

Why would say that MissDuke?

It's great for you that it's a solution for your family needs, and that's why you are using it, but it won't change the fact that's it is tacky and bad for the environment.
Nothing to do with you or your child.

No I hadn't read the article in the telegraph
I am more concerned by the heavy metals present which aren't good - regardless of cancer risk
Hopefully newer fake grass is made better with this in mind. I don't know.
Either way I would be concerned until new information or research is done into the composition.

100% OF CANCER IS CAUSED BY BEING ALIVE.

www.anorak.co.uk/288298/keyposts/the-daily-mails-list-of-things-that-give-you-cancer-from-a-to-z.html/

I think posters on this thread are in much need of reading this, so they can avoid getting cancer.

Of course it's tacky! Without question.

GP says it can be triggered by pollen, grass seed etc and asks if she's been in the garden a lot with the nice weather. I say 'yes but we've got fake grass'

Sorry, and I expect it's been mentioned, but fake grass won't protect you from airborne pollen etc.

In my development about about 60 flats have small front gardens (think 20 foot squared, at most.) A lot have opted for various combinations of paving, pebbles or decking. I'm virtually the only one with maintained real grass. (There are a few gardens with "lawns" that are mostly weeds.) Two of my neighbours have opted for fake grass. I would say their gardens are in the top 20% for overall attractiveness. In both cases there are lots of real plants around the edges, and in one case the fake grass is part of a very formal design where the other half of the flat garden surface is smooth polished white stone (i.e. not ordinary paving.)

I'm persisting with my real grass, but from where I stand, fake grass is the better/posher option.

Wish I could afford it

Well said, Chardonnay People are free to chose plastic grass, if they want it or see it as a necessity. That doesn't stop it being a very poor choice for the environment, that will remain many thousands of years after our deaths.

Meanwhile I am yet to hear of anyone getting cancer or otherwise dying from exposure to grass. Although someone will no doubt prove me wrong!

We have fake grass. We have a patch about 3m square in our tiny back garden. It was put down over the existing concrete, so we weren't digging up real grass in order to put it in.

I prefer real grass to fake, but a real lawn was never an option in our tiny, shady back garden.

It does a job. It's appropriate in the right setting. We have planting around the edges to keep the bees happy.

www.pollen.com/allergy/news/682536

Among women, however, a history of allergies to plants, grass and trees was significantly associated with a higher risk of blood cancers.

Close enough?

Those using bad for the environment argument are you using peddle bike to produce your electric for daily showers and recycling your water, I could go on.

Like I said lift up my fake grass carpet and there is a lot of worms bugs and other creepy bugs. It's no different to using weed suppressant, I have drainage holes.

Bees prefer to nest in the bloody air bricks.

No, but I walk to the shops instead of using the car and yes, I do use the bath water in the garden, and only use the tumble dryer once a week.

Whichever way you look at it, my lifestyle choices don't make plastic grass any less naff.

But IgnoreMe I may not create my own electricity (I would if I could and we could afford it) it's the enormous number of concrete drives and thoughtless planning and buildings that makes flooding much more likely, which is just one example of the nightmares that are happening right now, caused by so many people, governments and councils who don't give a shit about the environment.

If you are asking do I live the perfect eco life what ever that may be Ignore, then no I don't. If you are asking whether I try to make good environmental choices, then I do my best, usually, but not always, I'm human.

However the above doesn't negate the fact that plastic grass is a terrible choice for the environment.

You are not being unreasonable to think it but it is desperately naff

Anyone who thinks otherwise will also have questions to ask of themselves

Well there you go Redtooth let's rip it all up!