Turf vs. Natural Grass: The Environmental Impact

By Nathan Barlow, University of Washington My presentation for the Communication 418 class (Communication and the Environment) is about the environmental impact of different athletic and public park playing surfaces, contrasting the commonly used materials like grass and turf. In addition to how both materials effect the environment, I show different reasons as to why businesses make the decisions they do, while showing what business should do in the future. I also show how this issue affects everyone in the audience, whether they are paying to visit an athletic stadium that uses turf (promoting through ticket sales), taking their family to the local public park (which is payed for by their tax dollars), or they know a friend or family member who participates in sports/recreation activities at a field using turf.