We’re almost at the end of fall with the Winter Solstice due to arrive December 21 at 4:19 AM so it’s usually not the time we think about turf, but actually it is. For years used tired piled up at landfills; now they are shredded, colored, and used as artificial turf. It seems to be the perfect solution, but it isn’t.
It is an impervious surface that blocks the ability of the earth to breathe, raising ambient air temperatures, aggravating climate change. Thought to be the solution for surfaces from playgrounds to football fields, it’s hard when you fall on it, like falling on a floor with short shredded spikes resembling grass.
Worse yet, the backing contains PFAS, that forever chemical deemed harmful to human health. And, pieces of the turf have been found in our waterways. Touted as a solution to ground maintenance, especially for school playgrounds, we should think twice before using it. Just like us, the earth needs to breathe.
Prayer for the Day
Now as we look out in the early morning fog,
The trees stand stark, almost naked without leaves;
Taking shelter in pines and ivy against walls and fences,
The winter birds look for sustenance here.
You, O Lord, hold us all in your hand as fall begins to depart,
And the morning fog struggles to keep the cold out.
In the name of the One who is with us in all seasons,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched dancing on a windy day.
Shira Tamir, Israeli-American peace activist
There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been.
Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet (1792-1822)
These all look to you to give them their food in due season,
When you give it to them, they gather it up,
When you open your hands, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed,
When you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
When you send forth your sprit, they are created,
And you renew the face of the earth.
Psalm 104: 27-30