Posts tagged ‘synthetic turf’
Addressing urban heat and burn risk in Playgrounds
“Unshaded synthetic turf is not a safe material to use in playgrounds in hot climates”, claim urban heat researchers based in Sydney in a new peer reviewed study.
Public playgrounds are important for our children to play and exercise. Increasing temperatures with climate change poses a health risk and, in particular, a burn risk to children due to surfaces heating up during hot weather, according to new research.
Researchers Sebastian Pfautsch, Agnieszka Wujeska-Klause, Judi Walters based in University of Western Sydney released the peer reviewed study: Outdoor playgrounds and climate change: Importance of surface materials and shade to extend play time and prevent burn injuries, published in the September 2022 issue of Building and Environment.
The research focussed on impact of urban heat on playground surfaces, and potential for burn injuries. Synthetic turf and other rubber/plastic surfaces were considered as part of this research. It has implications for urban heat of synthetic turf and other rubber and plastics surfaces and prevention of burn injuries, especially to children. This research should also help to inform Moreland Council investigation into Making Sports Playing surfaces sustainable.
(more…)September 2, 2022 at 11:29 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Making Sports Playing surfaces sustainable
Moreland Council has ordered a report in the first stage of development of a policy on open space surfaces, and sports fields in particular. The report needs to consider in particular “consideration to our stance on the Climate Emergency, Integrated Water Management, Urban Heat Island Effect and our goal of zero waste by 2030.
At last Council is moving to incorporate triple bottom line principles of environmental, social and financial decision making as mandated under the Local Government Act with regards to sports surfaces decision making.
Brunswick Voice has an article on the debate in Council chambers on 10 August: Climate debate heats up over synthetic turf.
(more…)August 29, 2022 at 7:38 pm morelandclimategroup Leave a comment
Climate and sustainability Comment on Council agenda 10 August 2022
Our comment on Moreland (Merri-Bek) Council agenda for 10 August 2022, sent to all Councillors.
Dear Councillors,
There are a few agenda items of significance at Council meeting in August. Two deal with improving cycling infrastructure, one with advocacy for improving public transport (buses) as part of a northern region assessment. These three agenda items are important for addressing transport emissions in Moreland.
Transport is about 16 percent of Moreland’s community emissions profile, with automotive emissions being 12 percent. (Refer Snapshot July 2019-June 2020 https://snapshotclimate.com.au/locality/municipality/australia/victoria/moreland/2019/fy )
The Councillor NOM on a Council policy on surfaces for sportsfields and open spaces is also important for climate and sustainability considerations.
(more…)In the depth of winter an urban heat campaign on Fake Grass launches for Victoria
With an overcast sky and temperatures barely in the double digits a small crowd gathered beside the synthetic grass pitch at Clifton Park in Brunswick. This was the launch of the Campaign to Turf out Fake Grass in Victoria.
Climate NGO Sweltering Cities, which focusses on urban heat and solutions to mitigating and adapting to increasing urban heat, had initiated this campaign as a result of several meetings with residents in suburban Melbourne and a large heat survey that was conducted over the summer.
Sign the petition to Turf out Fake Grass addressed to Victorian Minister for Suburban Development Shaun Leane.
(more…)Moderating the urban heat of car parks in Moreland
As a highly built up municipality Moreland tends feel the heat of Summer and extreme heat events exacerbated by the urban heat island effect. The extensive car parks and roads around our municipality contribute to this amplification of high temperature effects.
New research from University of Western Sydney throws new light on the urban heat island effect on microclimates and especially the role of asphalt car parks. Asphalt is particularly bad for building up heat inertia to warm the micro climate during both the day and night. But the researchers also outlined solutions.
How does this apply in Moreland? Well Moreland Council should be implementing heat mitigation solutions for all Council car parks, and also advocating for these solutions when Businesses provide parking, or the State Government expands parking, such as at Merlynston Station. Moreland Council is expanding parking at Hosken Reserve as part of the Hosken Reserve Masterplan, but have paid little attention to limiting urban heat from car parking. When putting in new car parking is the ideal time to implement urban heat solutions.
(more…)Campaigners prevent Synthetic Pitch for Hosken Reserve
At Moreland Council meeting on 12 May 2021 a compromise motion was put forward which dumped the proposal for a synthetic soccer pitch for Hosken Reserve.
This is a substantial win against synthetic turf for Hosken Reserve. This issue was won by determined local residents. We are proud that our Climate Action Moreland submission highlighted real issues such as life-cycle carbon footprint and urban heat island impact with synthetic turf, and assisted arguments put forward by residents against the original proposal.
The Conversations Caravan Engagement report (Except of Hosken Reserve item and Engagement Report PDF) basically highlighted and validated the concerns of residents, particularly the inappropriateness of an expanding sports hub in the middle of a residential area.
(more…)Synthetic Turf and the Tragedy of the Commons in Moreland
Climate Action Moreland has done a literature review to highlight the general environmental, social and health issues with synthetic turf, and specific issues around a proposal to convert unfenced grass sporting fields at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North to a fenced synthetic soccer pitch. This is the text of our submission to the Moreland Council engagement consultants employed for public consultation to inform the Hosken Reserve Refresh project for Moreland Council.
We have also reported on our blog separately on synthetic turf carbon footprint and total life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, and on the impact synthetic turf will likely have on the urban heat island effect on local residents.
Conversion of natural grass to Synthetic turf at Hosken Reserve should be considered as a catalyst issue for opposing increasing synthetic turf generally in our municipality. We are also very concerned with increasing State Government funding of school oval conversions increasing heat stress risk for children and heating the local microclimate affecting both children and local residents, against expert advice. (See Madden, et al, 2018 (Cool Schools), Pfautsch et al, Sept 2020 (School Microclimates))
We acknowledge the work done by local Merlynston residents on this issue to Help Keep Hosken a place for Community in defence of their grassed open space which they have been quite willing to share the use of with Sporting Clubs as Commons space.
(more…)How will Synthetic turf impact urban heat island and microclimate around Hosken Reserve?
Synthetic turf surface temp heat profile compared to natural grass (Hong Kong) – Alm 2016
Adding a synthetic pitch to Hosken Reserve will increase the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE), reduce the Cool Park effect, and be felt mostly strongly by local residents. Artificial turf elevated temperatures will affect playability and heat stress to players, and not only in Summer but also for warm days in both Spring and Autumn when the temperature is elevated. Our Melbourne summers are getting longer.
For the most part it is local residents that would need to live with this permanent impact on increased microclimate temperatures over summer months and during warmer days in Spring and Autumn. Urban Heat island effect is more prominent during the night than during the day. This will likely increase evening energy use from air conditioners of local residents which will have a feedback of putting more heat back into the local environment.
Our temperature research at Hosken Reserve natural grass oval and Clifton Park synthetic pitch shows on a warm day (around 30C as per BOM records) the surface temperatures on the synthetic pitch are regularly 80-90 percent greater than natural grass, and may on occasion reach double the temperature of grass.
Moreland’s heat vulnerability is already at a high level, synthetic turf will contribute more heat when we need to be trying to cool our suburbs through green infrastructure. Moreland Council needs to find cooling solutions not exacerbate the problem with converting a much loved community shared grass oval to a fenced synthetic pitch.
Climate Action Moreland has had an interest for several years in urban heat island effect and how it is magnified by the rising temperatures of climate change and urban densification and development. This post draws upon past literature reviews and a recent science literature survey associated with artificial surfaces and the urban heat island effect that formed part of our submission on the Hosken Refresh consultation.
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Natural grass or Synthetic turf? What are the total life cycle emission profiles
Total life cycle analysis of synthetic turf GHG emissions
A local residents campaign in Moreland over conversion of a sporting oval in Hosken Reserve from natural grass to synthetic turf has stimulated debate on the impacts of supporting a fossil-fuel/plastics industry product for organised Sport and Recreation. Although there are many impacts of an oval conversion, the issue that concerns us greatly in Climate Action Moreland are the greenhouse gas emissions. We do have a climate emergency, which has been declared by Council in 2018.
A 2006 Canadian total life cycle emissions study found that a 9000m2 grass pitch would have a 10 year baseline carbon negative impact of minus 16.9 tonnes CO2e while the synthetic turf would generate 55.6 tonnes CO2e (Note: this study assumed -53t Co2e saving at end of life with full recycling – this would not occurr in Australia with most materials going to landfill). A 2017 Swedish total life cycle emissions study on a modelled 7881m2 synthetic field concluded GHG emissions would be 527 ton CO2e for a ten year period.
Update: A deeper reading of the 2017 consultants report to FIFA revealed that total life cycle emissions for a standard FIFA sized pitch may be up to 1500 tonnes CO2e. This comes from examining a graph of total life cycle green house gas emissions for synthetic turf with various infill and various end of life disposal in the report.
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Taking the temperature of Moreland Playgrounds and surfaces
Hot seat, hot synthetic surface. CB Smith Reserve
Summer is fast approaching and already we have had days with temperatures reaching into the low 30s Celsius degree level. Surfaces in Moreland heat up much more than the ambient temperatures.
This build up of heat in surfaces such as footpaths, roads, buildings, playground equipment and synthetic turf, contributes to the urban heat island effect, which tends to be much more pronounced in highly built up urban areas such as in Moreland.
Particularly notable is that synthetic surfaces have higher spot temperatures than either asphalt or concrete surfaces when all are in full sun.
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Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 