Artificial garden lawns - what a weird world

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Another installed on our street. I just don’t understand it. Why would anyone do this?

There is a petition to ban their sale for installation in residential dwellings if you want to sign it:

It’s only got 5,900 signatures so far, which seems a pretty low number, given how much of a no brainer this is, imo. Maybe that’s just me.

petition deleted by MNHQ as we don't allow them, we're afraid.

our tiny front garden is completely full of plants on a gravel garden. The back has a tree so is very shady, we have borders and decking but nothing will grow directly under the shade canopy so we have a tiny patch of artificial turf as it’s cleaner - used to be gravel but the dog doing zoomies was lethal for the glass doors and everyone else as well as muddy. No regrets and zero eco guilt as overall it’s a very untidy garden with flowers almost all year round full of buzzy bees and birds, not a sterile mass of green.I think in some applications it’s no worse than composite decking (which we don’t have) or paving as at least is permeable.

Whattaboutery nonsense.

"Don't talk about others being abusive unless you've never shouted at anyone".
"Don't complain about the PM lying, u less you've never lied".

I avoid plastic packaging on food as far as possible and if I must- I make sure it's recyclable at least. No, I don't read my own livestock in my rented flat. I don't fly. I drive a car because I need a license for my job, but love the train. I work in the property/environmental sector.

Whattaboutery nonsense.

you can dismiss it like that so you can keep your feelings of superiority or you can actually reflect on the complexity of this issue and the pointless of judging one choice very harshly without considering context. Your choice.

Absolutely.

I don't see anyone here rushing to support my elderly neighbours in their enthusiasm to prevent environmental catastrophe.

They've still got original house decor from the early 90s, don't reguarly knock walls, extend, redecorate etc.
They don't travel about much be it in their car. They don't holiday much and aren't of the generation that took city breaks or regular foreign travel.
They're not major consumers. Cook from scratch. Used to grow a lot of fruit and veg until it became unmanagable. Not into fashion, still wearing their decades-old M&S clothes which pre-date fast fashion.
They just want to look at a maintainence-free patch of green surrounded by their deep, densely planted, shrubby, flowery beds which are considerably more biodiverse than the average house to fence over-mown lawn that most gardens are around here.

Their environmental footprint will be far lower than most from younger generations. I'm not going to begrudge them a few square metres of practical garden space.

Most spaces where artificial grass is used were never going to be havens of biodiversity anyway. Concrete/ paving has its own issues of mineral extraction and production energy anyway.

Their environmental footprint will be far lower than most from younger generations. I'm not going to begrudge them a few square metres of practical garden space.

exactly

@Figmentofmyimagination will happily sign, the link doesn’t work.

It won't be long before they're a fashion statement and come in different colours. (Grey anyone?)

Let's face it they're only green because laying a sheet of plastic to look like a lawn makes it less weird. I

If you want a lawn, you need grass. If you want plastic carpet then why have green?

The world is indeed bonkers OP

At a wild guess you have to oay them to do that!
Honestly, i cant believe some busybody has started a petition to tell people what they can do in their own garden. Nose out!

Some of these replies are so snobbish and coming from a place of utter blind privilege

Of course plastic gardens aren’t “good” for the environment - as with many other things like driving, flying, shopping at a supermarket, eating meat… but people do them out of necessity or desire

if you buy a house with a small paved courtyard and have small children - spending 50k plus to knock out the tarmac isn’t an option for most families who are working hard to feed their children. Why can’t that family lay a plastic lawn on top of the paving so their children can play and so they can enjoy their garden. or should they just remain in their house forevermore just looking out onto the garden that they can’t enjoy for safety reasons

what utter nonsense

just like many posters here will be eating meat, flying on holiday or driving to do a pick up without a second thought

The problem with Whataboutary arguments is that none of us would have to do anything about our impact on the world ever.

No, that's not true at all.

But you can't argue that this couple are major offenders in terms of sustainability, despite them doing one thing you don't like.

Everyone has different priorities. I'd love to see a move towards everyone understanding their footprint in the round and taking steps to reduce it in ways that feel manageable for them.

But that isn't about everyone just cutting out the things that you don't like/value.

This thread makes me want to AstroTurf my entire property. The judgment of wine of you is disgusting.
In your house do what you like.

😂

Don't be silly. There's all sorts of rules and building regs dictating what you can and can't do in your house and garden.

This thread makes me want to AstroTurf my entire property.

If you really want to piss off the good citizens of mumsnet, make sure you get in a sex pond while you're at it 😂

I also have a patio, I don't think I'm allowed to slab over the entire garden!

You do know that sometimes trees have to be cut down? Previous owners planted a conifer in our garden, which is a tiny terraced garden. By the time we moved here the thing was as tall as the upstairs flat and damaging their garden. What were we supposed to do, leave it to cause more damage?

If we are going to ban plastic grass, can we ban carpets as well?
I mean same shit, just a different area of your living space.
(And I don't have carpets or a plastic lawn.)

I can't believe that some busybody started a petition to tell people what they can carry their own shopping home in...

Plastic pollution is a curse upon us all.

There are plenty of other options rather than of rid of the tree or have plastic grass.

I actually think you might be right; it would start off with bluey grey like christmas trees, then go onto full on grey. Some would have pink to be a bit different, but then change it after a year or two as they got fed up with it.

Totally. Because biodiversity, water run off and all the rest of it is such a problem in your living room, isn't it?

The link doesn’t work

Totally agree OP.

Agree. It's so disheartening.