Canisdirus

Sure why not.
Every kid today is born with plastic in their bodies...Mom gives some through the placenta.
The amount of plastic you absorb is the amount of a credit card...every week.

So obviously...what we need is...more plastic in our lives.
Have the kiddies roll around on it...what harm could there be.

The obvious answer is neither 'grass' nor artificial lawns...native yards...never cut them.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Eventually, there's going to be yards and yards (?) of faux grass floating in the ocean.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Zeroscaping and gravel are necessary in the SW if we are to preserve our water. We don't manage our resources well and drought has been an issue for many states for years now. And still the developers build new homes, removing most of the natural foliage and replacing that with plants and trees needing still more water. Check out Lakes Mead and Powell- they are at an all time low level and they are major reservoirs that provide irrigation and water to many areas. The Colorado River has been overused for irrigation and it is nothing like it use to be. California is an ecological mess with years of drought and fires. I don't know the answer but I hope someone does before our water resources are depleted.

rcarol

in California 80% of the water is used by agriculture but it is homeowners that are tagged with the responsibility to conserve and can be fined for not doing so.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

It does not show where you are from, but your reply would suggest Sing Sing. This country was created by people who do what they want and to live as they want. The world showers appreciation on areas that make deserts green, and the people who do it! If you only want to mimic nature, then live in your outhouse and enjoy your environment.

As for California, it is a desert also, but was made green by water imagination, that brought irrigation to the valleys and now feeds the world. Also, Arizona's economy is composed of 5 "C"'s, one of which is Citrus. That water is provided by canals. So you people who stick your heads up your butt and do not understand how the world works are not adding to intelligent conversation, which is in limited supply here on UHH. Plastic is much more harmful to our environment than added fertilizers, many of which are natural. We do not have mosquitos here in Vegas like there is in Arizona, and Arizona has far fewer than Illinois or Wisconsin. We do not need trucks with sprayers driving down the streets to kill flying problems. So each area has it's own impractical arrangements needed for us to live comfortably. When someone says "look at nature" you are being callous about what is going on in your own area to make your life acceptable.

Grass around our homes helps cool us off, cleans the air, and is nice to look at. Water is abundant in this world, and as the monsoon rains come and fill the aquifers, the problems become less severe. But I sure would be accepting of projects that would allow some of the water that flows east from the continental divide to flow west, where more and more of the population wants to live!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Actually, it’s trees that keeps a house cool, cleans the air, provides habitat for wildlife, sequesters carbon and serves as a noise buffer. Clear cutting land for grass (as is done routinely in my city) is the worst environmental mistake you can make. In my neighborhood, as the older citizens die or retire, their 2000-2500 sq ft. houses are bulldozed, all the old growth Oaks and Poplars are cut down and 5-7,000 sa ft houses with 10’ lot lines on either side are built, then to finish the environmental destruction, sprinkler systems are installed, turf grass is laid and nitrogen is sprayed constantly throughout the year (mostly running into storm drains and into our creeks and rivers) every time the sprinkler system runs. Then, as a final bit of desecration, they hire a mosquito spraying service, which kills every living insect, and harms both the soil micro biome and drives away the bats that used to eat the mosquitos naturally. Oddly, you never see any of these folks actually outside, enjoying their beautiful green lawns (where there is zero shade), nor do they know anything about gardening or maintaining their yards - a service takes care of everything. They stay inside and pay outrageous cooling bills because the trees are all gone. And of course, in this sterile environment, there is essentially no wildlife.

In my city (sadly), money has taken over the city council, zoning rules have been abolished, tree preservation ordinances are non existent or non enforced, and development is king, with no consideration for the urban environment we are destroying. What was once “The City of Oaks” is quickly becoming the city of stumps. We are the holdout in our neighborhood - our lot is completely wooded and 10 degrees (at least) cooler tha our neighbor’s yards. Our A/C bills are low as is our water bill, and I do our own yard maintenance which is minimal (no point in trying to manicure the woods), and we are blessed with birds of all types, butterflies and fireflies, bats, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, possums, chipmunks, and the occasional deer.

End of rant…

Boris77

Plastic grass is a bad idea other than a few public areas where it serves as a useful alternative to living vegetation.
I live in an area that has three rivers, and a pretty good amount of rainfall. I planted trees and shrubs recommended for my region, most of which survived. My grass is more than 50% replaced with trimable broadleafs now. What nature choses to survive is what I support, with minimal water supplement and NO fertilizers or insecticides.
You chose where you live, and live with the environment.
Boris

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

No argument on trees at all. They are very important to shield the houses from the sun, and provide a place for the birds to nest. Ecologically, trees and grass go together, better than plastic or gravel at least!

Flying Three Loc: Berthoud, CO

It has been dry in Colorado. We replaced a large area of bluegrass with a product called Dog Tuff. It is a hybrid grass planted with plugs. We water it slightly 1x a week. We mow it once a year. So far, we have reduced our water bill more than 60% and we still have green.

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

I looked it up. The difference is our grass stays green all year. Your product would work in Arizona where they are used to over-seeding in the fall for a new lawn. For some reason, both California and Nevada use a grass that stays green all year, which makes sense because many things in Nevada follow what California does.

josquin1 Loc: Massachusetts

why use plastic grass? Use plants meant for a desert environment that can survive with very little water.

edrobinsonjr Loc: Boise, Idaho

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

Amen! Grass does not grow in the desert. They chose to live the desert. If want grass (and a lot of other things like swimming pools), move to where the water is at. We shouldn't send them wild flower mixes. We should send them luggage.

Dalek Loc: Detroit, Miami, Goffstown

Do they have fake trees available? Is Plastic grass hot when you walk on it.

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

Which do you prefer??? -- green grass around your house or food on your table??? -- and also in California, snail darters (or something) in your rivers???

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City