Astroturf – a covering over of nature?

I’m noticing more and more artificial grass being used now in private gardens as well as playing fields and football grounds. Again, it’s one of those modern conveniences that are creeping into families lives to save time and energy. All that mowing of real grass when all you are looking for is a place for your kids to kick a ball around – so why bother? It seems to make sense to roll out some artificial grass and not have to wait for it to grow. Maintenance is easy – just put it in the bin every ten years and get some new stuff!

Yet it kills the life in the soil. Insects can’t survive under plastic. Birds can’t survive eating plastic. Astroturf breaks down under constant use and tiny micro-plastic pieces enter into the water-courses and kill life in our oceans.

Household gardens and yards are under the control of the people living in their houses and apartments. We have the choice to take our place as one of the myriad species of living organisms on our planet and respect the others. Alternatively we can turn our backs on it all and try to cover it over. Unfortunately this strategy will end up killing us too. We live because countless other species do as well.

As part of our Transition to a new kind of society that is sustainable and acts respectfully to each other and to our fellow creatures there are many ways we can use our gardens and yards. Play areas for children may be needed but should not be exclusive. Children too need to learn how to live with respect for nature. Many children are drawn to interactions with worms, slugs, snails, hedgehogs, sparrows, finches, spiders etc and love to sow seeds and water them. Flower pots and borders provide opportunities for growth and sharing. Lawns can become wildflower meadows and fruit bushes don’t need much annual maintenance to produce yearly fruit gluts to fill eager bellies and share with neighbours.

Please don’t cover up any more nature – let’s enjoy it and allow it to flourish wherever we can.