New paints are now available with low or no VOC content.
Water is a vital natural resource, and everything must be done to use it efficiently.
PAINT Environmental Impact: Sports field paint historically been con-
sidered at least somewhat environmentally "safe" as these water- based paints break down relatively quickly. However, the colorant in these paints still holds VOC's (volatile organic compounds) that could be harmful for the environment. These VOC's are known pollutants to the environment that do not break down quickly. Evolution Potential for Maintenance Programs: A soccer field has nearly .50 mile of lines to be painted each week. A football field has over .75 miles of lines before numbers, hash marks, and logos. Because of this large volume of paint being used, it is im- portant to be mindful of the VOC content that is being added to the environment. New paints are now available with low or no VOC content. Your sales or paint manufacturer can give you the exact VOC content of the products you are using.
Carolina State University, well maintained turfgrass sequesters up to .45 tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year. So the turf- grass in a park or large sports facility has the ability to remove the carbon amount equivalent to the emissions of driving a car from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, CA 45 times. As maintenance programs continue to evolve to reduce carbon inputs, sports fields and parks will be able to improve the overall quality of the environment and save money. Certainly there are many more parts of a program where environmental protection can be found. But examining the standard approach in each of these five areas begins the journey toward long-term results for en- vironmental protection. In addition, facilities will save money along with providing a more quality experience for the visitors and players who frequent the fields and parks. Yet most impor- tantly, the environmental stewardship sets an example for the young patrons of the parks to follow. These young patrons are the sports field and park managers of the future that will carry on your example of environmental stewardship. ■
According to studies at Colorado State University and North
Foundation, Boyds, MD. He thanks Sarah Hardy for her helping ed- iting this article.
Jerad R. Minnick is sports turf manager for the Maryland Soccer
www.stma.org
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