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.

Where are the 5 threads a week calling to ban disposable nappies, sanitary towels, and wipes which are convenient but bad for the environment?

I couldn't agree more and yes, I judge people who have it.

I hate artificial grass. It looks shit and is horribly damaging to the environment. A neighbour of mine has recently had a small lawn put down and it looks terrible. We don't have big gardens, but do have lots of birds and wildlife and I worry that more neighbouring morons will copy and that diversity will disappear.

I wouldn't ban it, however, but I do think that the sale of it should be restricted.

Our planet is literally drowing in plastic and it is impacting us all on so many different levels, polluting our food and drinking water and bombarding our bodies and nervous systems with toxins and pollutants. Someone who actively chooses to add more to this overload knowing this is either stupid, selfish, ignorant or all three. Wildlife needs CORRIDORS to flourish, do people really not understand this? Or perhaps not aware of the crisis with our pollinators, you know, those pesky little bugs that facilitate food production? They are possibly one of the most soulless inventions of recent times and stating that there are "many things more environmentally damaging and problematic than this" is just a lazy way of avoiding responsibility for personal choices that impact all living things.

A few years ago I would have agreed with the comments saying it's shit, unnecessary, I judge people who have it etc.

However that was until I lived in my current house. Our back lawn is awful - clay (I think), shady, at the bottom of a hill. In the height of summer we get about 3 months use out of it. The rest of the time it's a patchy, squelchy bog that the dc can't stand on let alone use. We've done all sorts of treatments and lawn care, sowed hardier grass, hired a garden specialist, poked it full of holes and done a sand layer. Nothing works, it's just largely unusable.

If you live in a house with a 'normal' lawn then you probably can't relate and will keep shouting about how no one should have them.

Personally though I can't wait until we can put one in the back. But we're planning on saving until we can buy the highest quality, most natural looking one we can afford so it's a while away yet.

I planted the garden for biodiversity so I would never have a plastic lawn as they are worse than paving or concrete environmentally when you factor in the microplastic pollution. I can see some limited indoors or for disable people but not happy with draining into the water courses.

And yes, I also appreciate dandelions and daisies in my grass...

So what?! What does it matter to you that Mary from no.43 doesn't want to be arsed mowing her lawn?

Whoever it was, my point stands.

In other news: Why is not possible to selectively quote on here, tagging the poster?It leads to confusion.

Just reading the reasons why people have it strikes me as this is an accumulation and exploitation of OCD tendencies.

The mental health of our nation isn't the best, and this sort of thing doesn't help us get more robust. "Don't like the grass - it requires some work and also creates a mess - so let's just get rid of it completely" No work around, no acceptance of non-perfection, no ability to deal with the 'anxiety' that comes with it.

If you have mud, you really should learn to deal with it, especially for your children's mental health. I know you will think I am being ridiculous, but it is the definition of snow plough parenting. And will create snowflake kids (are these the ones installing it? The Gen Z's?)

Sounds like unless you put some drainage in, you're artificial lawn is just going to turn into a floating island of green!

Personally, I hate it. It looks awful, fake, plasticy and feels even worse if you try to sit down on it.

You aren’t very bright, are you?

Your abominable selfishness and pig ignorant inability to understand why plastic grass is harmful to us all is the reason we are in the environmental mess our children and grandchildren will be dealing with for years to come.

Horrible things for both biodiversity and for overall environmental impact. At least paving stones etc don't shed microplastics all over the area and are to a far greater extent recyclable/reusable.

Plus they look unbelievably shit once they've been down for any length of time.

I don't think you're going to win anyone over to your cause with that response, to be fair.

There are a lot of incredibly ignorant people on this thread, and in the main they aren’t the people with artificial lawns!

the people who install this stuff are ignorant and selfish. I honestly despise them

Classic

Your abominable selfishness and pig ignorant inability to understand why plastic grass is harmful to us all is the reason we are in the environmental mess our children and grandchildren will be dealing with for years to come

Isn't it "abominably selfish" to produce more consumers on an already over populated planet? Or is that OK because...you wanted kids?? I think you're getting a teeny bit over invested in plastic grass hun.

Indeed. It's a stupid post.

Someone putting down artificial grass is not THE reason why there's an environment crisis. The crisis is caused by a myriad of things. Posts like this are just inviting whataboutery into the discussion.

There is also the matter of 'grounding' or 'earthing'

We have evolved over millions of years to be 'recharged' by the electrons in the earth when we stand on it. Barefoot on grass. Research has shown "barefoot contact with the earth can produce nearly instant changes in a variety of physiological measures, helping improve sleep, reduce pain, decrease muscle tension and lower stress."

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/

Obviously you don't get this from plastic grass. Ever.

What a shame we want to do this to our world and experience of the world. We seem to think that nothing matters really and a snazzy marketing brochure / instagram picture tells us the full truthful story as to what artificial grass really is - i.e. just something that looks nice and offers some short-term gain. We have no respect for the earth that got us to this point over millions of years.

It's making me laugh that I have the tiniest bit on my little front garden so will get judged but if you come on my big back garden with it's real lawn it's full of flowers, birds, bees and butterflies (plus the odd mole, little bastards). We get hedgehogs all the time too.

I can’t speak for others, but I did say that it was no surprise that covering your garden in plastic was bad for the environment. I am not posting in support of fake lawns.

My comments were in objection to the outrage and barely-veiled snobbery. Those who seemed gleeful in finding a righteous stick to beat the chavs with.

There have been some great points made here, I especially liked the very insightful comment a page or so back about the sanitisation of life and connection to nature (something that is very important to me - see my user name)

We should be having these discussions. Plastic lawns are harmful.

What is neither helpful nor necessary is shaming and vilifying the people who have them.

It’s funny how the plastic we are ‘drowning in’ never seems to include things like Lego and glossy polymer-coated children’s books. (Absolutely fine to discuss one and not the other - just stick to the issue and lay off the judgement!)

Someone who actively chooses to add more to this overload knowing this is either stupid, selfish, ignorant or all three. Wildlife needs CORRIDORS to flourish, do people really not understand this?

Presumably those talking about biodiversity and wildlife corridors would be equally up in arms about building larger houses than we need. People's new kitchen extensions and garden rooms aren't fostering wildlife and plants either.

Knowledge is your friend, I take it you are fully versed in Bio-Diversity Net Gain within construction and planning and how it fits into our legal framework?

@hamstersarse i have some artificial grass my kids still know what mud is and get muddy,

@orchiddottyback really so why are all the fields around me having large estates on
I know these places have bats and badgers ( both protected) but still seem No issues with them building houses when they want

I made a new friend with DC, got invited to hers to and she has fake grass and it was edge to edge, no plants nothing. I just don't think we are compatible.