Petition for Real Grass, NOT Plastic, Athletic Fields for MCPS

Unless it is stopped, Montgomery County Public Schools is about to commit ALL MCPS high schools to many more acres of plastic carpet (aka artificial or synthetic turf) sports fields instead of real turf-grass. At an extravagant cost of more than $70 million — just in the next six years. And, MCPS will be locked in to continually replacing acres of plastic carpeting each year at $1 million per field.

“Synthetic turf” fields are costly plastic carpeted heat islands – each 2-acre plastic field generates 100s of tons of waste and sheds microplastics into air, soil, water AND field users over its 8-10 year life. The plastic carpet becomes hotter than asphalt in the sun when grass is always close to ambient air temperature (the plastic carpet routinely measuring as hot as 120 to 170 deg F when ambient air is over 80 deg F), and, according to MCPS, costs $2.5M to $3.5M per new plastic field, with plastic replacement carpets at over $1M each.

You can help rescue our kids - and the county budget - from the unhealthy extravagance of plastic surfaces while promoting cool, healthy, more durable grass fields.

Here’s what you need to know: (1) Yes, grass can work; (2) Plastic fields are costly toxic heat islands:

First: Real GRASS TURF FIELDS CAN be constructed and maintained to be high-performing, high-use and durable, while cooling and oxygenating the air around the players, filtering rain water and providing a firm but forgiving surface for play. They can do so at a fraction of the cost of plastic fields but grass fields have struggled because they’ve never been funded properly or given the appropriate expert attention that is provided to disposable, short-lived plastic fields. MCPS owes it to parents, students and taxpayers to create the safer, softer, cooler & cheaper grass surfaces that athletes from amateurs up to the NFL,NCAA, and FIFA all want.

Second: Plastic fields are losers on every angle:

  1. HEAT ISLANDS: Exertional heat stroke is the #1 cause of death in high school football. The plastic synthetic-turf carpet is 30 to 60 degrees hotter than ambient temperature, no matter the infill used between the blades, and hotter even than asphalt, on over more than 2 acres per field.
  2. HIGH INJURY: Plastic fields cause higher injury rates - especially severe abrasions and knee and ankle injuries, the top injuries for football.
  3. TOXIC STEW: Plastic fields mean our kids, whose bodies are still developing and so are more sensitive to environmental toxics, are playing on surfaces with a stew of toxic chemicals.
  4. COST: Plastic fields cost MORE than quality grass fields - MCPS pays $2.75 to $3.6M for each new plastic field and pays over $1M for each plastic replacement field.
  5. UNSUSTAINABLE PLASTIC WASTE: Used fields weigh 220+ tons; moving and disposing of them is costly. There is no real recycling for plastic carpets.

These plastic fields make a mockery of MCPS’ and the County’s sustainability and plastic reduction goals. Let’s hold these elected officials accountable. This is YOUR money down the literal drain with the disintegrating fibers from plastic fields. And they should do right for student health and safety, NOT for the arguable convenience of school administrators.

As concerned community members, students, teachers, parents, and scientists we urge the County Executive, the Montgomery County Council, Montgomery County Public Schools, and the Board of Education to direct MCPS to:
Stop allowing MCPS to install plastic synthetic turf at any and all Montgomery County school fields and to reprogram the requested CIP field funds to:
  • Prioritize investing in well-designed, correctly-installed and professionally-maintained natural grass in all stadium and practice fields at all new and existing schools
  • Return existing plastic carpeted fields to grass when they come up for their 8-10 year replacement
Take action today and use this Action Alert to reach out to your County Executive and Councilmembers to support natural grass fields at MCPS!

Make your voice heard, your opinion matters!


Here you can find more information on the science, providing studies and resources around the many problems artificial/plastic turf creates as well as why natural grass is the best solution - https://www.healthandenvironment.org/key-topics/turf
For more local information: See the MCPS Student Climate Action Council (SCAC) "Artificial Turfs Report" June 4, 2024 (Edited Jan.13, 2025).
Letter Campaign by
Elisabeth Fidler
Safe Healthy Playing Fields
Sponsored by
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Climate Coalition Montgomery County

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