Synthetic turf is quickly becoming the standard surface material for installation in high school sports fields. It increases play time, morale, reduces injuries and maintenance, and saves money.

One high school in Lee County is witness to the tremendous benefits that installing synthetic turf in a high school sports field can yield to the school's teams and coaches. The high school's football coach says that the synthetic turf has made the field look beautiful all the time, no matter the weather. Furthermore, he says that his team has sustained less injuries because the field's lack of divots and ruts.

The synthetic turf has allowed all of the high school's teams and organizations to use the fields consecutively, one after another, day in and day out, with no wear or intervals in between sessions for maintenance and repair. This was unheard of when the field had natural turf installed.

The soccer team's coach says that the synthetic turf is imperative if the team wants to be able to compete against the other teams in their region. Half of the teams in their region have synthetic turf fields. Synthetic turf guarantees that their team gets sufficient practice time in and then some. This increased practice time results in higher confidence and morale, which in turn results in more wins.

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The crumb rubber controversy has reached two more cities. One is in Edmonds, Washington; the other is in Toronto, Canada.

In the first town, Edmonds, officials plan to install synthetic turf in a local school. Some parents have come out against the use of the crumb rubbers and cited anecdotal evidence in the media. Officials however, point to two studies by the Synthetic Turf Council and the U.S. Department of Public Health which say respectively that in 40 years there hasn't been any connection made between synthetic turf and ill health effects and that synthetic turf does not pose elevated health risks.

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Wondering where to find public parks with synthetic turf fields in the Greater Los Angeles Area? Global Syn-Turf to the rescue! (With the help of LAParks.org.) For visitors and residents of Los Angeles who are looking to get your synthetic turf exercise on, here's a (almost) comprehensive list of all of the synthetic turf fields in the city of Los Angeles. This is a list of public fields that have adopted synthetic turf as their surface in the Greater Los Angeles Area, courtesy of LAParks.org.

Boyle Heights Sports Center

933 S. Mott St., Los Angeles, CA 90023 

This field is in East Los Angeles. Other amenities include barbecue pits, a baseball field (lighted/unlighted), basketball courts, children's play area, a community room, and picnic tables. Come here for a stroll on synthetic turf during your visit to East Los Angeles, or to engage on some one-on-one basketball with your buddy on your day off!

 

Delano Recreation Center

15100 Erwin St., Van Nuys, CA 91411

This recreation center has a soccer field that recently had synthetic turf installed. Other amenities are available at the facility, but the soccer field is the only area with synthetic turf installed. Councilmember Tony Cardenas and the Bureau of Engineering were responsible for the synthetic turf materials being installed, which was paid for through Proposition K funding. 

Evergreen Recreation Center

2844 East 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA 90033

This recreation center recently had synthetic turf installed on the baseball field during a $450,000 improvement project. Other upgrades include ADA accessible restrooms, new bleachers, water fountains, dugout shade covers, playgrounds, a childcare center and an adult fitness zone.

Expo Center (Soboroff Sports Field)

3980 Bill Robertson Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90037

The synthetic turf field at Expo Center is a multipurpose field, used for soccer, walking clubs, football leagues and day camps. Come here for all of your recreational and athletic purposes if you live in the area or if you're visiting on vacation.  Other activities include senior activities, boxing, zumba, and swimming.

Gilbert W. Lindsay Community Center

425 E. 42nd Place, Los Angeles, CA 90011

This space is the former site of Wrigley Field, which was demolished in 1969, for history and sports buffs. Gilbert W. Lindsay Community Center has two full-sized soccer fields surfaced with synthetic turf, a playground and is appropriate for family activities. It is not unusual to find people doing their regular, routine physical exercises at this location.

Glassell Park Recreation Center

3650 Verdugo Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90065

The synthetic turf surface at the Glassell Park Recreation Center location is on a soccer field. Other facilities include tennis courts, a baseball diamond, picnicking areas, and frolickers can even go swimming at a swimming pool.

Griffith Park

3401 Riverside Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90027

This location has a soccer field fitted with artificial turf. The synthetic turf was installed in 2014. This field is one of Los Angeles's most famous and frequented parks. It is sometimes referred to as Los Angeles's answer to Central Park. The park spans over 4,000 acres and is one of the largest parks in an urban area in North America.

 

Lafayette Park Recreation Center

625 South Lafayette Park Place, Los Angeles, CA 90057

This park has a 7,000 square foot dog play area surfaced with synthetic turf. Come here and bring your dogs for some fun in the sun! This area was originally created by a donation of land by Clara R. Shatto to the City of Los Angeles in 1899.

Lanark Park

21816 Lanark St., Canoga Park, CA 91304

The synthetic turf soccer field at this park opened in 2012. It was the first synthetic turf soccer field to be installed on its side of Canoga Park. The installation of the synthetic turf soccer field was spearheaded by Dennis Phillip Zine, who served on the Los Angeles City Council from 2001 to 2013.

Macarthur Park

2230 W. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90057

The 37,000 square-foot synthetic turf field was installed in 2009 and is primarily used for soccer. This park (formerly known as Westlake Park) is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, and is eponymously named after General Douglas MacArthur. It is designated as City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100. Come here to play soccer, baseball, take a walk, or socialize with friends.

 

Mar Vista Recreation Center

11430 Woodbine Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90066

The Mar Vista Recreation Center opened their synthetic turf soccer field in 2005. The synthetic turf field cost $700,000 and was funded through Proposition K, which passed in 1996 to provide funding to City parks and recreation facilities. Residents visit this park to play soccer, baseball, basketball, pool, and even roller hockey.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Park

3934 South Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90062

This 80 foot by 130 foot synthetic turf sports and soccer field was completed in late 2013. It was nominated by Councilmember Bernard C. Parks for a Proposition K grant in 2009. Parks saw it through the approval process and secured funding for the synthetic turf field to be built. The construction of the synthetic turf field itself was done by the Department of Public Works and the Bureau of Engineering (BOE), Architectural Division.

Rancho Cienega Sports Complex

5001 Rodeo Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90016

There is a new running track and state-of-the-art artificial turf at the Jackie Robinson Stadium, and a new soccer field with artificial turf. These improvements were spearheaded by City Council Member Herb J. Wesson, Jr. This sports complex has a gym, swimming pool and stadium, plus a children's play area & community activities room.

 

Rio De Los Angeles State Park (AKA Taylor Yard)

1900 N. San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90065

Rio de Los Angeles State is a 247-acre (1.00 km2) park and features both native plants and synthetic turf in sports fields. Other facilities include a children's playground, a  walking path, a mini water park, BBQ equipment.

Ross Snyder Recreation Center

1501 East 41st St., Los Angeles, CA 90011

This recreation center is the home of Nike (artificial turf) Soccer Field, which was completed in October 2002. The park is an 11-acre park; other activities include tennis, barbecue, basketball, baseball, picnicking, swimming, and volleyball.

Seoul International Park

3250 San Marino St., Los Angeles, CA 90006

This park is situated in the center of Koreatown. The artificial turf, multi-purpose sports field was built thanks to the Dodgers Dream Foundation, who renovatedthe fields in 2007. The renovation, which included installing the synthetic turf, cost $1.2 million. Sports played on the field include baseball and soccer.

Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area

17017 Burbank Blvd., Encino, CA 91316

This is not a park per se, but is a larger territory that has several parks within it. The parks are the Balboa Sports Complex, the Hjelte Sports Center, Lake Balboa/Anthony C. Beilenson Park, Sepulveda Garden, Sherman Oaks Castle Park, Woodley Park, Encino Golf Course, Balboa Golf Course, and Woodley Lakes Golf Course. The Balboa Sports Complex is a hub for sports, dance yoga, and picnicking, and contains an 80-acre sports field surfaced with synthetic turf.

Whitsett Sports FIelds

7000 N. Whitsett Ave., North Hollywood, CA 91605

This facility is unstaffed and contains a synthetic turf baseball diamond and a synthetic turf soccer field.

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Having a hard time installing artificial grass around trees? Watch this video for some helpful tips.

 

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Global Syn-Turf, the leading global provider and manufacturer of artificial grass services and technologies, announced today that it has won the prestigious Best of Hayward Award in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category for 2015.  Launched in 2009, Global Syn-Turf is an internationally recognized industry leader, renowned for its cutting-edge artificial grass products, technologies, and services, and its forward-looking thought leadership in the lawn and garden industry. The conferment of the Best of Hayward Award on Global Syn-Turf recognizes the Hayward-based company for its positive impact on the community and exceptional customer service.

"This is the second year in a row that Global Syn-Turf has been recognized by the Hayward Award Program in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category. And we couldn't be prouder. Receiving this recognition again is a testament to our practice of offering customers superior customer service and making their lawn and garden experiences easier and more affordable," said a GST rep. "Following on the heels of the recognition from the Hayward Award Program last year, this award underscores Global Syn-Turf's unique focus on the community and our delivery of best-in-class artificial grass technologies and services that truly help consumers."

Each year, the Hayward Award Program identifies companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. The selected firms are local companies that enhance the positive image of small businesses through service to their customers and the community, and help make the Hayward area a great place to live, work and play.

Commenting on the honor of being included among other winners in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel Brady, Sales and Marketing Manager, stated, "We're so proud to be among this year's winners and to be selected from over a hundred other eligible companies in the Hayward Lawn & Garden Equipment category. The other 2015 Best of Award winners are a world-class group of innovators who constitute the very best of Hayward's community, and are exemplary of why the San Francisco Bay Area is known as being a hotbed of innovation and excellence."

The Hayward Awards Program is very rigorous, focusing on quality, not quantity. Various sources of information and data are gathered and analyzed, both internally by the Hayward Award Program committee and by third parties, to choose the winners in each category.

Ms. Brady continued, "Having been in the artificial grass industry for years, we have seen incredible technological advancements and market shifts take place. But while the technology is constantly changing, one thing has been constant -- our concentration on providing customers and partners with a truly outstanding experience and the highest levels of support. This consistency is why Global Syn-Turf is one of the most admired companies in the lawn and garden category. On behalf of the entire Global Syn-Turf team, thank you, Hayward Awards Program committee, and congratulations to all of the other winners."

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For many high schools, installing synthetic turf gives their teams a competitive edge. The synthetic turf surface allows them to practice on the field 365 days a year, no matter the weather conditions, and habituates them to playing on a surface material that is quickly becoming the standard material in high school sports. However, installing the synthetic turf in the field can be prohibitively expensive for many high schools.

A high school in Belleville, IL, has taken a novel approach to raising the necessary funds to pay for their new synthetic turf field. The high school has sold ad space on the surface of the field itself to local companies. The field currently has 20 ads displayed in panels in the synthetic turf itself, including a local Chick-Fil-A. Additional funding for the synthetic turf field came from clubs and donations.

The ad panels are currently sold for five-year periods, and when the companies want to remove the ads, all the high school has to do is cut out the turf with the ad display on it and replace it with a synthetic turf that matches the color of the rest of the field, or replace it with a new ad-paneled synthetic turf.

It's a proven effective option of raising money to pay for synthetic turf fields that you may want to propose at your next school board meeting.

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Spring is upon us... Hark the heralds of the artificial grass installation season! 

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Brothers Arijeet and Rajvarun Grewal, students in Hanford, CA, helped forward a bill that would subsidize synthetic turf in California. The bill, AB 603, was introduced by Bakersfield assembly member Rudy Salas in February. If passed, the bill would grant a subsidy to those who replace their natural grass lawns with artificial grass.

Ari and Raj, students in Hantford at Pioneer Middle School and Sierra Pacific High School, thought of the idea and suggested it to Mr. Salas via a letter. Mr. Salas liked the idea, and now it's being put into motion. The brothers created a Facebook page for their project called Saving California Farms One Drop at a Time.

Ari and Raj agreed to speak with us in this interview, and Global Syn-Turf is honored to have them. 

Where did the idea come from?

Raj: Last summer, we decided to redo our landscape. My brother and I became interested in finding out if we could install synthetic grass, which will help conserve fresh water. My father explained that synthetic grass is expensive, and he further explained that we could go for it if it was subsidized like solar panels. This encouraged us to propose legislation.

What motivated you to pursue this endeavor so seriously?

Ari: Living in the Central Valley, one cannot escape drought news. We learned that more than 60% of fresh water is wasted on lawn maintenance in California. Therefore, we wanted to do our part to conserve fresh water.

When did you realize that the potential of synthetic grass as a drought-tolerant option wasn't being fully utilized?

Raj: After researching extensively on this topic, we learned that many cities in California did provide rebates for homeowners and businesses that purchased and installed synthetic turf. However, we learned that there was not a state-wide program that provided state-wide incentives, given that some of the cities and counties do not generate much tax revenue and cannot afford to provide incentives to its residents.

What do you think will be some of the long term effects of the popular adoption of synthetic grass in residential areas?

Ari: Primarily, the adoption of synthetic grass in residential areas would help conserve a lot of fresh water that can be used for our Central Valley agriculture. It would also decrease the chances of another severe drought to occur in California.

Do you think synthetic grass has any advantages over other drought-tolerant alternatives, such as xeriscaping?

Raj: Synthetic grass and drought- tolerant alternatives both have advantages. They both help reduce the wastage of fresh water. However, grass is a part of our natural lives. Xeriscaping, on the other hand, takes away that naturalness.

On your Facebook page you say that "One day, water may lead to the division of California." Could you expound on that?

Raj: It is a politically hot subject. Several times in the past, a division of California has been proposed. More than any other political reason, water was the main issue. Recently, there is zero water allocation from the Sacramento--San Joaquin River Delta due to smelt fish. The majority of Central Valley residents believe that Big Brothers on both sides (North and South) control most of the legislative processes due to their population and, hence, influence and control of the flow of water.

On your Facebook page you say that you "would like to propose a clause in the bill allocating a percent of subsidy to provide vocational and trade education for those who may get negatively impacted so they can rebuild a better and brighter future for themselves and their families." Could you expound on this idea?

Ari: We wanted to make sure that our proposal does not negatively impact anyone, especially hardworking Californians in the landscape industry. Therefore, we proposed a portion of incentives to train them in synthetic grass installation.

On your Facebook page you say that popular adoption of synthetic grass will "bring economic prosperity to the state of California." Could you explain this a bit further?

Ari: In the beginning, lot of people were against Internet or online shopping, and now we can see how many jobs it has created in terms of software, e-commerce, and logistics (warehouse and transportation) jobs. Along the same lines, we strongly believe that the synthetic grass industry will also contribute in creating jobs (i.e. manufacturing, installation, and maintenance).

What has it been like working with Bakersfield assembly member Rudy Salas? Are there any lessons you can impart to us that you learned from working with him?

Raj: It was a wonderful experience. We have learned more about the other projects and bills that are being proposed in the Assembly Session. We have learned to become more active in our community.

Did you have a specific strategy for pitching the Bill to the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation, Mr. Phil Ting?

Ari: It was a great pleasure to meet Mr. Phil Ting and asking for his support in person. We believe we have already reached the masses via TV and newspapers. We have also requested the local city council and county Board of supervisors to write to Mr. Ting in our bill's support. We also encourage the industry (including your company) to support and lobby our bill.

What was the experience like traveling to Sacramento to introduce AB 603? Did anything occur that was unexpected? What was the most surprising thing you learned about during your trip introducing the bill?

Ari: It was an amazing experience. We were honored and delighted to be invited by Mr. Salas to be a part of history in the making. We still have goose bumps from being on the assembly floor submitting AB 603 and seeing "Grewal Family" name on the notice board in the assembly hall. As a visitor you are just allowed to be in the gallery, but being there, on the assembly floor, just feels great!

Raj, according to a report, you are interested in pursuing a career in politics because of this experience. Is there a specific area of politics you are interested in?

Raj: I have not fully chosen my field; however, whatever job I do take, I would love to give back to my community. Going through this adventure has definitely opened my eyes to the endless career paths from which I could choose.

How does this experience fit into both of your long-term goals?

Ari: Our community has instilled in us the will power to give back to our community. Proposing this bill has given us the opportunity to help our neighborhoods. Also, we have learned that the sky has no limit in defining our own destiny.

Is there anything else either of you would like to talk about?

Raj: We highly appreciate you reaching out to us. Once again, we strongly request your company's leadership team to engage law makers in California (especially Mr. Ting and Mr. Salas) and support our bill.

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As California's drought is showing no signs of abating, officials have been forced to ramp up their water conservation efforts, which will bolster the artificial grass industry. Officials say that since we've entered a fourth drought year, the state of California needs to take the necessary steps to ensure that we'll have sufficient water resources if another drought year follows in 2016. Last year was a very lucrative year for the artificial grass industry and it looks like 2015 will be the same as more people turn to it as the best option in keeping their lawns beautiful without the excessive use of water.

Regulations by state officials are:

1. No vehicle washing without shot-off nozzles

2. No sidewalk and driveway washing

3. No backyard irrigation runoff

4. Restaurants are prohibited from serving water unless requested

5. Hotels must give guests option of forgoing daily linen washings

6. No watering lawns and gardens during storms and for 48 hours after storms

An interesting note is that the chairwoman of the state water board says that the state has been forced to create these new regulations because authorities of local water districts have been remiss on water use restriction.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District already offers a turf replacement rebate which rewards homeowners $2 for every square foot of their yard that they replace with artificial grass. Some districts of Los Angeles County still discourage the use of artificial grass and others outright prohibit it. Homeowners associations, however, may be forced to allow it if drought conditions don't get better soon: In San Diego, for instance, a bill has been proposed which would force HOAs to allow artificial grass to be installed in their districts.

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As California's drought is showing no signs of abating, officials have been forced to ramp up their water conservation efforts, which will bolster the artificial grass industry. Officials say that since we've entered a fourth drought year, the state of California needs to take the necessary steps to ensure that we'll have sufficient water resources if another drought year follows in 2016. Last year was a very lucrative year for the artificial grass industry and it looks like 2015 will be the same as more people turn to it as the best option in keeping their lawns beautiful without the excessive use of water.

Regulations by state officials are:

1. No vehicle washing without shot-off nozzles

2. No sidewalk and driveway washing

3. No backyard irrigation runoff

4. Restaurants are prohibited from serving water unless requested

5. Hotels must give guests option of forgoing daily linen washings

6. No watering lawns and gardens during storms and for 48 hours after storms

An interesting note is that the chairwoman of the state water board says that the state has been forced to create these new regulations because authorities of local water districts have been remiss on water use restriction.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District already offers a turf replacement rebate which rewards homeowners $2 for every square foot of their yard that they replace with artificial grass. Some districts of Los Angeles County still discourage the use of artificial grass and others outright prohibit it. Homeowners associations, however, may be forced to allow it if drought conditions don't get better soon: In San Diego, for instance, a bill has been proposed which would force HOAs to allow artificial grass to be installed in their districts.

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