To the Editor:
It is my understanding that the members of the MVRHS school committee are about to make a decision about installing artificial turf on a two-acre playing field which sits on a Zone 2 wellhead protection area. I would ask them to carefully consider the environmental implications of installing 50,000 pounds of synthetic material on top of our fragile ecosystem.
A number of recent academic studies have shown that natural healthy soil and grass fields have a critical long-term natural cooling effect, sequester carbon, and filter pollutants. Moreover, there is evidence that the long-term boosting of soil carbon, will contribute to mitigate the effects of global warming.
We are at a critical tipping point in our efforts to build a sustainable future. Don’t endorse an outdated synthetic system over a natural (and healthy) long-term solution.
Wendy Jeffers
Chilmark