Lindsey Nelson Stadium

During all of the planning of this marvelous playground the University of Tennessee decided to use our popular playground product called Playground Grass™ from ForeverLawn®.  With the use of our Playground Grass Discovery product and the professional installation of the ForeverLawn team in Tennessee, the University of Tennessee is very pleased with the results.

If you are thinking about using artificial grass for your playground take a closer look at our Playground Grass.  Our Playground Grass system has many turf surface options including no infill products and our latest addition called XStatic™.  Playground Grass is not like typical, messier high infill sports field products often found at some playgrounds.  Unlike wood chips or chunk rubber, Playground Grass is safe, soft, clean and ADA compliant.  Playground Grass is also specified by architects and contractors nationwide.  To see examples of our work view the attached video below and contact us with any questions at 866.369.4727 or info@FieldofGreen.com.

Typically most of the plastic bottles that are recycled nowadays are shipped off overseas where they are refurbished into new plastic bottles and sent back.  This new initiative is going to help create and keep American jobs as well as reduce the number of plastic bottles ending up in landfills.

Field of Green™ provides a variety of green solutions and recycled content in their synthetic grass systems.  Our variety of turf options include ForeverLawn products that include recycled plastic bottles in their premium backing.  The premium backing is made of a very durable polyurethane backing.

If you would like to read the full press release we have provided the link below!

http://bit.ly/s4TaZ2

With a keen eye for aesthetics matched by a strong concern for the environment, garden expert Stephen Orr has developed a sense of what a modern garden should be: small, visually pleasing, and responsible. In Tomorrow’s Garden, he presents gardens in 14 American cities that have been scaled back and simplified without sacrificing beauty or innovative design.

A devoted supporter of the organic gardening movement, Orr advises gardeners to think about their gardens as part of an interconnected whole with the surrounding environment—with an eye to water usage, local ecology, and preservation of resources. However, for those who are afraid that a sustainable garden means a lack of flora and fauna, Orr believes that a garden, first and foremost, should be a thing of beauty. He encourages flower lovers to plant flowers, and he showcases gardens filled with traditional and exotic plants that are designed with both visual appeal and the environment in mind.

With detailed case studies, stunning photographs, and an appendix of resources and information to help gardeners achieve their ecological best, Tomorrow’s Garden will teach you the true definition of sustainability and show you how to create beauty without excess in the 21st century and beyond.

• View the ForeverLawn excerpt from Tomorrow’s Garden.
• Watch The Gardening Show by Martha Stewart for more about ForeverLawn and Tomorrow’s Garden.

March 2, 2011 (Albuquerque, NM) — The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival opens today at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.  The spring special event offers many surprises for visitors such as Disney character topiaries, a colorful array of flowers, and live music events, but guests may be most surprised to learn that the lush, green grass beneath their feet may be fake.

The Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden features a gorgeous green lawn, but like most attractions at the theme park, this grass is not what it seems. The turf is an incredibly realistic synthetic grass offering from ForeverLawn and DuPont that is not only accessible to wheelchairs and braces, but is also a beautiful, durable landscaping solution that can withstand the festival’s heavy foot traffic.

If walking on the turf isn’t enough, the park also offers a playground where guests can roll, tumble, and play on it.  Part of an overall safety system called Playground Grass, the grass is safe for children to play on and safety rated to fall heights of 12 feet, so children lucky enough to visit the park can play safely.

ForeverLawn calls their Playground Grass product “the new generation of playground safety surfacing.”  A soft, accessible surface, Playground Grass provides children of all abilities the opportunity to play.  Even children with allergies can romp on the grass, since the non-organic surface does not harbor allergens or insects.

This marks the fifth year that ForeverLawn synthetic grass has been part of the festival. The turf originally appeared in a DuPont display in 2007, and continues to draw amazement and attention from guests. “People ask us all the time if the grass is real,” said Jim Davis, product portfolio manager, DuPont Landscape Systems.  According to Davis, visitors at the display would bend down to touch the grass to make sure it is, in fact, artificial.  “They don’t believe us when we tell them it’s artificial,” he said.

More information about Playground Grass can be found at playgroundgrass.com.  Visitors to the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival can experience the unique grass for themselves from March 2 through May 15, 2011.

About ForeverLawn
ForeverLawn provides innovative synthetic grass products to create better landscapes worldwide. In areas where real grass is difficult to grow or maintain—due to high traffic or poor conditions—ForeverLawn offers a realistic alternative that is beautiful, functional, and durable.  In addition to its landscape lines, ForeverLawn also offers specialty products including K9Grass, SportsGrass, Playground Grass, GolfGreens, and SplashGrass.

Who says grass has to be green? Not park developers for the City of Lakeland, Fl. The city recently opened a playground featuring multi-colored grass. The orange, blue, and yellow grass not only looks incredible, but also provides a safety-rated surface for children that will last for years.

The grass is a revolutionary artificial grass product called Playground Grass. This playground surfacing product provides a natural grass texture and appearance, as well as a cushioned safety surface that is ASTM safety rated for fall heights up to 12 feet and ADA accessible.
Playground Grass is made by ForeverLawn, a company that specializes in innovative synthetic turf products that meet unique needs (playgroundgrass.com).

Sunflower Preschool Playground is located inside Barnett Family Park in Lakeland, Fl. Since its grand opening in December, the park has seen a steady flow of visitors from local areas as well as children being transported from surrounding communities. The playground was designed to provide maximum early childhood developmental play opportunities for children aged three to five, and the texture and color of the Playground Grass was the perfect fit for the project.

“When we came up with the sunflower garden design for the surface, we thought that a pour-in-place surface was our only option,” said Bill Tinsley, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We’ve had great success with Playground Grass in the past, and were thrilled to hear that
ForeverLawn was up to the challenge of creating our vision using their grass.”

The City of Lakeland had worked with ForeverLawn on another park project just months earlier called Common Ground Park. That park was created to provide play opportunity for all children, including over 17,000 children with physical and cognitive challenges in the Lakeland
community. The award-winning park, which was recognized by the Synthetic Turf Council as a “Field of Dreams” award winner in 2010, features over 25,000 square feet of Playground Grass.

Sunflower Preschool Playground was built in memory of a little boy named John Kyle Vreeland, Jr., who died in 2008. The boy’s grandmother, Weezie Vreeland, spearheaded the fund raising
to build the park.

ForeverLawn Arizona and ForeverLawn Austin (listed as Elite Turf Care) are now official members of the STC.

ForeverLawn Arizona offers quality synthetic turf to Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. With water conservation as a top priority, ForeverLawn Arizona provides lush, green lawns that require no water to their customers in this arid southwest region. The company specializes in lawns, putting greens, K9Grass and playgrounds.

ForeverLawn Austin is the exclusive dealer serving Austin, Texas. Owners Vicki and Mike Harkrider provide innovative, environmentally friendly synthetic grass solutions that require little maintenance and no water. The Harkriders, who also own a landscaping company called Elite Turf Care, became ForeverLawn dealers for the high-quality, low-maintenance features of ForeverLawn artificial grass products. With their landscaping expertise, the Harkriders offer ForeverLawn products to Austin residents who desire beautiful, low-maintenance lawns.

ForeverLawn is an active participant in the Synthetic Turf Council at the corporate level, and is pleased to announce the expansion of membership to these fine dealers.

While millions of people, businesses, schools and homeowners use synthetic turf for landscape and play, one of its major beneficiaries is the environment. As of 2011, the estimated total amount of synthetic turf installed in North America annually conserves more than three billion gallons of water, significantly reduces smog emissions and eliminates close to a billion pounds of harmful fertilizers and pesticides. The industry has also recycled more than 105 million used tires.

“Synthetic turf has made a very positive impact on the environment,” said Rick Doyle, President of the Synthetic Turf Council. “The synthetic turf industry continues to innovate to enhance synthetic turf’s numerous eco-friendly benefits that empower users to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Significant Environmental Impact

• Conserves over three billion gallons of water. Water is one of our most precious resources. More than 6,000 synthetic turf fields are currently being used in the United States, with each full-sized field saving between 500,000 to 1,000,000 gallons plus of water each year. During 2010, that meant at least three billion gallons of water, and perhaps as much as six billion or more, was saved through the use of synthetic turf fields.
• Eliminates the need to water lawns. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over one-third of residential water is used for lawn irrigation nationwide, totaling more than 4 billion gallons of water a day. The Southern Nevada Water Authority also estimates that every square foot of grass replaced with synthetic grass saves an additional 55 gallons of water per year. Therefore, an average lawn of 1,800 square feet will save 99,000 gallons of water a year if landscaped with synthetic turf – about 70% of a homeowner’s water bill, or up to $500.
• Eradicates the use of almost a billion pounds of pesticides and fertilizers. The EPA has identified runoff of toxic pesticides and fertilizers as a principal cause of water pollution. In Florida alone, the EPA estimates that about 1,000 miles of rivers and streams, 350,000 acres of lakes and 900 square miles of estuaries are impaired by runoff of pesticides and fertilizers. Artificial turf eliminates the need for nearly a billion pounds of harmful pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides and herbicides which are used to maintain grass.
• Keeps more than 105 million used tires out of landfills. Most of the synthetic turf sports fields and landscape applications in use incorporate crumb rubber infill recycled from used tires, keeping more than 105 million used tires out of landfills.
• Depending on field usage, synthetic turf can lower consumption of energy, raw materials and solid waste generation. BASF Corporation performed an Eco-Efficiency Analysis measuring environmental and economical impacts of synthetic turf athletic fields with professionally installed and maintained grass alternatives. According to BASF, among the major findings of the study was that the average life cycle costs over 20 years of a natural grass field are 15 percent higher than the synthetic turf alternatives, even when factoring in a replacement artificial turf field during that time. Released in November 2010, the life cycle assessment found that with typical field usage, synthetic turf had a lower consumption of energy, raw materials and solid waste generation than natural grass fields. BASF’s eco-efficiency analysis is an award-winning and strategic tool, based on the ISO 14040 standard for lifecycle analysis, which quantifies the sustainability of products or processes.
• Prevents smog and noxious emissions. According to the EPA, lawn mowers are a significant source of pollution that impairs lung function, inhibits plant growth, and is a key ingredient of smog. A gas-powered push mower emits as much hourly pollution as 11 cars, and a riding mower emits as much as 34 cars. In addition, the EPA estimates that over 17 million gallons of gas and oil are spilled each year from refueling lawn equipment; that is more oil than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.
• Reduces grass clippings. The EPA estimated in 2002 that 12% of what goes into landfills is yard waste. During the summer months, clippings can account for nearly half of a community’s waste. Switching to synthetic turf reduces this significant source of environmental pollution.

Schools, parks, businesses, municipalities, homeowners, golf courses and others using synthetic turf can receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits for Water Efficient Landscaping, Stormwater Design, Recycled Content and Rapidly Renewable Materials from the U.S. Green Building Council. Many synthetic turf companies have also created products that are 100% recyclable. ‘Green’ options also exist for recycling, reusing and disposing of infill and the synthetic turf itself. The industry is working hard to develop further eco-friendly end-of-life disposal solutions.

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.

The New American Home, a project that is constructed annually in conjunction with the NAHB International Builders’ Show, was recently unveiled in Orlando, Fl., and some are calling it the “home of the future”.

Currently in its 28th year, The New American Home is designed each year to showcase innovative building technologies and the latest building products.

ForeverLawn was honored to be chosen as the landscaping product of choice for the project. The New American Home features DuPont™ ForeverLawn^® Select Synthetic Grass in several areas throughout the grounds, including the backyard, around the pool, and in an areas called “the secret garden.” ForeverLawn was chosen for a number of reasons, including beauty, functionality, water efficiency, resistance to insects, and its recycled and renewable components.

In keeping with increasing demand for energy- and resource-efficiency, TNAH 2011 is being built to attain “Emerald” status of the National Green Building Standard (NGBS, ICC 700). The development of the standard was a collaborative effort of NAHB and the International Code Council (ICC). The NGBS is approved by ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, as an American National Standard. “Emerald” is the highest of the four levels of achievement in resource efficiency that the Standard recognizes. In addition to state-of-the-art green building technology, it features dynamic aesthetic design, including fountains, pools and solar elements.

Energy Certifications:

• National Green Building Standard, Emerald
• Energy Star certification
• FGBC (Florida Green Building Coalition) Platinum certification
• Florida Yards and Neighborhoods designation
• Florida Water Star designation
• Progress Energy Home Advantage Program

TNAH 2011 also will showcase the latest breakthroughs in green building and construction technology and will utilize a state-of-the-art energy efficiency package.

The home is currently open for viewing to attendees of the 2011 International Builders’ Show through Saturday, January 17, 2011.

Synthetic turf is a popular alternative for many resorts. It is used for general use, play areas, and countless other areas. Despite its cost effectiveness and beauty, buying artificial grass may not have been what some resort developers considered in the past because of the allure of natural grass.

Understanding the benefits and features of artificial turf is important to making an informed decision. Here are three of many factors to consider when looking to add synthetic turf that improves the value – and lowers the cost – of maintaining a resort property.

1. Research the Product

   A main priority for owners is finding an attractive grass. To begin the research process, ask for samples and compare them. Find products that use natural colors with the appearance of real grass blades such as the Artificial Grass – Select Series or the Synthetic Turf – Endura Series, offered by ForeverLawn. It is essential that any option resembles the many layers of natural grass.

   The more dense the product is, the better. Most synthetic grass products use some form of infill to help support the blades. Infill is made of fine particles of rubber, sand, or a combination of the two. The denser the grass structure, the less need for the infill – and the more lush the appearance. A thick, premium backing is necessary to protect from the abrasiveness of the stone layer below and prohibits blade breakdown below the surface.

2. Ask the Right Questions

   It’s important to know the right questions to ask when it comes to buying artificial grass. A comprehensive system for installing the product is necessary so the installation can then be tailored to the specific needs of your property. Ask questions about what is used for base materials, seaming, and grass attachment methods. Every property is unique and offers a multitude of solutions. Initial installation is only the beginning. Selecting the right synthetic turf is a partnership, and asking the right questions helps build trust.

3. Understand the Benefits

   Synthetic grass means:

   • no more weeds
   • no worn paths where people walk
   • no mud when the weather is uncooperative
   • no more difficult places to mow

   Choosing synthetic grass can enhance design and positively impact a resort’s bottom line, all while remaining lush and colorful all year–round.

About ForeverLawn
ForeverLawn provides innovative synthetic grass products to create better landscapes worldwide. In areas where real grass is difficult to grow or maintain due to high traffic or poor conditions, ForeverLawn offers a natural–looking alternative that is beautiful, functional, and durable.

Jim Karmie is director of sales with ForeverLawn Inc. Contact Jim Karmie at Foreverlawn.com.