Parks and Playgrounds Use Synthetic Grass to Increase Activity Levels for Preschoolers
Monday, May 21, 2012
 ATLANTA, GA – While the American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under five play outside as
much as possible, an April 2012 study
led by Seattle Children's
Research Institute found that nearly half of U. S. preschoolers did not
have even one parent-supervised outdoor play opportunity per day. Recognizing that the lack of convenient
outdoor spaces contributes to this trend, a growing number of parks and
preschools are choosing synthetic grass for their playgrounds to allow more
opportunities for young kids to be active.
"According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity
rates among children younger than five have doubled over the last two decades,”
said Rick Doyle, President of the Synthetic Turf Council.
"Synthetic grass playgrounds offer safe, resilient and accessible surfaces that
can be used by kids year-round to increase physical activity levels.”
New synthetic grass playgrounds nationwide have reclaimed
previously unusable spaces for the benefit of the community. Cumberland Park
in Nashville, Tennessee was built on a former brown field industrial site adjacent
to the Cumberland River reclaimed by park planners working closely with the
Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental officials. With more than one million visitors expected
annually, officials decided to install synthetic grass from ForeverLawn in heavy activity areas such
as playgrounds and a climbing wall because of its durability, the option to
incorporate safety features and ability to conserve water.
The City
of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department in Nevada manages aquatics and
recreation centers and boasts 54 neighborhood and community parks. However soaring summer temperatures caused
cracks, separations, peeling and fading in the poured-in-place rubber surfaces
used in the playgrounds. They turned to SYNLawn to replace dilapidated rubber
surfaces in five parks with synthetic grass, create more attractive, safer play
areas for young children and kids of all ages. Daycare facilities have also
recognized the benefits of synthetic grass playgrounds, like Home Depot’s Early
Childhood Development Center at its corporate offices in Atlanta, Georgia.
Located at the base of a steep grade, the unique playground from ForeverLawn
features synthetic grass hills and valleys and even a lazy river defined by the
winding blue turf. Special padding under
the turf creates fall safety zones and the entire playground is ADA accessible.
About the Synthetic Turf Council
Based
in Atlanta, the Synthetic Turf Council was founded in 2003 to promote the
industry and to assist buyers and end users with the selection, use and
maintenance of synthetic turf systems in sports field, golf, municipal parks,
airports, landscape and residential applications. The organization is
also a resource for current, credible, and independent research on the safety
and environmental impact of synthetic turf. Membership includes builders,
landscape architects, testing labs, maintenance providers, manufacturers,
suppliers, installation contractors, infill material suppliers and other
specialty service companies. For more information, visit www.syntheticturfcouncil.org.
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