Greetings webinar registrants,
Zero Waste Ithaca’s webinar recording, “The True Costs of Artificial Turf: Experts Discuss Cornell University’s New ‘PFAS-Free’ Project,” is now available! Watch here.
Presenter slides and resources: Available here.
55-page partially annotated bibliography: Read here.
Also, here are some Q&A answers: View here.
We hope these resources will be useful in your local battle against artificial turf.
Exciting News!
We received fantastic news from Kevin Spitler in Wisconsin. After viewing our webinar recording, the Middleton City Council unanimously voted down a school district proposal to install two new sports fields with artificial turf. They indicated that a natural turf proposal would be much more favorably received. Congratulations to Kevin and his activist peers!
Please share if our webinar has helped change the tide in your area. In turn, we hope to use these stories to convince Cornell to change their course.
For those who missed the webinar, we hope you find these resources informative.
Please take a moment to sign the petition opposing Cornell University’s plan to install more artificial turf fields: Sign here
Why This Matters:
We believe that halting the misguided plans of our local, Ivy League Cornell University may have significant implications both locally and nationwide for universities, school districts, and city and town parks. We hope Cornell will follow the example of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and opt for natural grass over artificial turf, paving the way for other universities to follow suit.
Please sign the petition and share it widely. We aim to reach 1,000 signatures by May 28, when the City of Ithaca Planning Board will meet and Cornell will present its plan. We can easily achieve this goal if each newsletter subscriber finds two more friends and family members to sign the petition. Please support our effort.
Additionally, please send comments in opposition to the City Planning Board at pbstaff@cityofithaca.org before 5/28, and attend the public hearing on 6/25 if you are in Ithaca. In the July or August city planning board meeting, please support us in rallying to urge the board to issue a positive declaration for the environmental impact assessment. We have more information on our webpage. Please get in touch if you are interested in supporting the effort at info@zerowasteithaca.org.
The Cornell University administration has a “Long Range Vision” to develop a sports complex in the Eastern fringe of campus the Game Farm Road and Ellis Hollow Road area, covering the ground with even more plastic fields. To justify artificial turf, they hired a consulting agency with ties to BP and Boeing. Please support us in opposing their anti-sustainability plan by signing the petition here and Pass It On!
Thank You!
As an all-volunteer, grassroots organization, we were thrilled by the high level of interest in this topic, with over 320 registrants. We received many requests for the recording. We want to thank everyone involved in the fight against plastics, solid waste, and climate false solutions.
Special thanks to all the expert presenters who donated their time freely for the cause. You are our HEROES! And a huge thank you to Safe Healthy Playing Fields, as well as the staff members of Beyond Plastics for patiently handling multiple requests for our recording, and to the Plastic Pollution Coalition for sharing our petition. Thank you to GreenEducation.us for the webinar support and Tracy Frisch for so many insights and wisdom. Thank you to Ryan Blakeley for his incredible support in building bibliography. Also, a huge shoutout goes to the brave Cornell University and Ithaca College students who support our efforts.
Thank you all, and please keep in touch. Onwards toward a toxics-free, just, zero waste world!
