Pesticides: The Birds & The Bees

We have touched on the subject of pesticides before in our artificial grass blog because of the potential hazard they pose to human health and the environment and there is no doubt that many people are now turning to artificial grass as a preferred alternative to real grass just so that they can avoid using pesticides on their lawn. That is great news ... but what about the birds and the bees? Yes, we mean that quite literally.

Recent reports suggest that both birds and bees are increasingly becoming unwitting victims of pesticide contamination and disastrous consequences loom on the horizon if the situation is not taken in hand with adequate counter measures.

Pesticides of course encompass many types of 'synthetic poisons' used in different applications - eg. insecticides (against insects), herbicides (against weeds), fungicides (against fungus) and so on. Using pesticide compounds releases chemiclas into the environment and with that is carried the inherent danger of harming 'innocent' inhabitants of gardens and farmland - hence the birds and bees reference.

Population declines in birds have been the subject of investigation for some time and detailed monitoring seems to indicate a strong connection between bird population crashes and pesticide contamination. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park has an excellent detailed web page entitled "When It Comes To Pesticides, Birds Are Sitting Ducks".

As for bees, there is growing global concern about the risks that pesticides pose to honey bees in particular. This summer honey bee keepers in southern Germany reported a wave of honey bee deaths linked to clothianidin (pesticide) and as a result the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in Germany went as far as suspending the registration of eight pesticide seed treatments (used in sweet corn and oilseed rape). A couple of months later, an environmental advocacy group in the USA filed a lawsuit against the Federal Environmental Protection Agency on the grounds of withholding information about the risks posed to honey bees by pesticides. Serious action on both counts - and for good reason.

The balance of the world's eco system is already fragile so with every new report of damage to wildlife by pesticides we need to press for greater openness on the subject and support ideas to help solve the problem.

After all, where we would be without the birds and the bees?

Photograph: European honey bee - courtesy of Wikipedia's honey bee page

International Interest For Grass Glee 2008

Artificial Grass Ltd recently made its second, consecutive appearance at Glee 2008, the major international trade show for gardens and leisure. Having enjoyed impressive results from Glee 2007 including a special feature for our artificial grass in a network TV Garden Makeover, we were keen to see what our experience would be a year on. We were not disappointed!

Many visitors to our stand, aware that we actually manufacture our own grass products, were keen to talk in depth about the benefits of artificial grass and the variety of applications to which it can be put. We talked to homeowners looking to install an artificial lawn or putting green in their back garden as well as to a wide range of companies - landscaping, construction, architects, driveway specialists, garden centre buyers, shop window dressers and product design and development companies.

Interest from the UK was every bit as good as last year but with one noticeable difference - a significantly higher proportion of 'key decision makers' were in attendance. It could be a coincidence but it is most probably simply an indication that product quality is coming under closer scrutiny before a decision to invest is made. If that is the case then it is good news ... for us at least, because as manufacturers of artificial grass we can speak with in-depth knowledge and confidence about our product.

Perhaps the most significant difference compared to Glee 2007 was the increase in international visitors who came to our stand - twice as many as last year. We had interest from buyers in a wide variety of countries including Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Austria and Finland. It seems that the issues of global warming, the need to reduce pesticides in the environment and the desire to save on water resonate around the world and we are delighted that artificial grass has a role to play in combating these issues.

The case for artificial grass as a global product has never looked better.

A Technical Textile: Artificial Grass

Technical textiles - one of the newer terms in the already wide vocabulary synonomous with artificial grass and astro turf type products. It's definitely not used by home owners nor by landscapers and sports pitch builders. So who might refer to artificial grass as a technical textile?

Well it seems to be popular with yarn manufacturers and tabloid financial editors when referring to companies that produce or deal in 'fibrous structures'. There is also the academic sector where people study technical textiles so they can work within or provide services to the international industrial textile community.

Artificial grass is only one of many, many types of technical textiles that might be studied - others include geosynthetics, composites and a whole range of industrial fabrics used in outdoor protective clothing, equipment and sportswear. And that's about as technical we're going to get on technical textiles! Our previous post on the vagaries of artificial grass terminology covers many of the other terms.

Anyone interested in a career in technical textiles might like to read the Centre For Technical Textiles in Leeds website.