The 'Green' Green Grass Of Home - For Chickens

Two of the benefits of artificial grass that we have talked about before are how it can help us care for the environment (saving on water and pesticides) and how it can be good for animals (dog runs and kennels).

Well it seems that one large scale industry will soon be adopting new production methods that include artificial grass when it has to meet new EU regulations aimed at protecting the environment and improving animal welfare. The industry .... chicken farming!

In 2012 the EU will require that industrial chicken farms provide enough space for the chickens to move around freely with access to natural light and fresh air and also that their cages are better equipped with a type of bed for each bird to rest on and with sand, grass or artificial grass in their base. Interesting to note that the worth of artificial grass has been recognised by the EU within these new requirements. Some might think this all sounds a little unrealistic but that’s not the case.

One company has already designed a new henhouse that will not only meet the new EU requirements but possibly surpass them. Agrotop’s new industrial henhouse is, they claim, completely 'green'. The coop is designed to blend in with its surroundings so as not to compromise the natural landscape and its roof houses wind turbines and photovoltaic cells so that it can produce its own wind and solar power for electricity generation. Not only that but there is recycling of wastewater and the chicken waste can be processed to produce biofuels, thus offering the chicken farmer a possible additional source of revenue. Read more about this henhouse of the future.

You can find more information about the environmental benefits of artificial grass on our website.

Mowing The Grass - A Dangerous Pursuit?

Even though it's still winter here in the UK with heavy snow in most areas, it won't be long before people start thinking of getting out the old lawn mower ready for that first cut of the Spring. Before you so, however, this might be a good time to reflect on whether you should have an artificial grass lawn installed.

”Why?” you might ask. Well, apart from the most obvious benefits of artificial grass such as saving on water, helping to reduce air and river pollution and avoiding grass allergies, mowing natural grass can lead to accidents and injuries.

According to a BBC report carried out over a period of 5 years in the USA, well over 60,000 Americans were admitted to hospital A&E because of lawn mower accidents. The most common injuries were cuts and bruises but there were cases of bone fractures, limb amputations and even a number of deaths. Admittedly, it was the ride-on type of lawn mower that was involved in the majority of these accidents and in the UK, of course, only a fraction of households can afford that type of mower. However, you should not rest on your laurels if you use a push-type mower because according to reports, over 6,000 people are injured every single year in the UK by lawn mowers of all types - a staggering statistic. Most of these injuries appear to be because the users either did not follow the mower manufacturer's instructions correctly or they misused the mower in some way.

So what's the solution? Well, you can start reading up on how to avoid lawn mower injuries OR you can decide to install artificial grass. Long term you are likely to reap far greater benefits than just avoiding lawn mower accidents – you’ll be helping the environment, saving on needless lawn watering and of course spending more time in your garden at leisure because you don't have to spend countless hours mowing the grass and emptying the grass clippings!