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Appeased: Toxin-conscious moms and dads
at a Cambridge private school.
Featured in "The Skinny" October 2008
When the International School of Boston decided to replace its old sand and gravel playground with artificial turf, many parents protested that the faux field would contain lead and other potentially hazardous materials. So ISB did what any self-respecting Cantabrigian establishment would do and went all-natural, dropping $300,000 to install the nation's first artificial turf with an infill made of cork and coconut shell.
While the eco-friendly option might be too dear for other Boston-area schools (it costs 10 percent more than rubber infill), ISB head John Larner insists it's worth it. "We were concerned about the children's health," he says, adding that he's also resolved "to be as environmentally friendly as possible." So far, mission accomplished with an added bonus on the health front: Since the gravelly field was replaced, there's been a 70 percent decrease in student injuries. "My job is definitely easier now," school nurse Christine Mabardy-Higgins reports. - Christina Koningisor"Green" Synthetic Turf for Cambridge School
Synthetic turf is something of a two-edged sword: It has gained some popularity as a low-maintenance recreational surface. On the negative side, some point to its head absorption qualities that can make the surface too hot, and the presence of lead and other possible carcinogens in its rubber infill material.
When the International School of Boston considered a synthetic turf for its sports fields, its green committee sought to find a natural infill material that would provide improved safety through reduced incidence of “burns” and injuries, while complying with an environmental resolution passed by the school board.
“We quickly concluded there was nothing currently being used in the U.S. that would meet that mandate,” explains Jonathan Austin, principal of Austin Architects, which developed the school’s master plan and designed the = new play area in collaboration with Ray Dunetz Landscape Architecture.
The design team identified a new product and then conducted a rigorous review with the school’s green committee to ensure the product was the right fit for the school’s needs.
The artificial turf under scrutiny was manufactured by Limonta Sport in Italy and had been used there for almost a decade on professional soccer fields. This artificial turf, supplied stateside by New York-based Geo Safe Play, eschews rubber for coconut shells and cork as infill material. These natural materials allow rain to be absorbed, thus producing far less rainwater runoff.
The natural infill product costs about 10 percent more than a field made with rubber infill, but the International School of Boston decided it met their needs. It is the first site in the U.S. to install this artificial turf.
Domenic Carapella, managing director for Geo Safe Play, says the product is a lead-free synthetic turf. The “natural infill material retains humidity, contains no harmful metals or chemicals and adds no heat to the system,” he asserts.
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