“W Soccer Sep 1-15”, Photographed by Ben Ludeman, Flickr
Why is this important?
This is a map of the four synthetic fields in the Madison Borough, which are made of man-made synthetic fibers created to mimic grass. It is important to map the locations of these fields, especially concerning researching the local environment, as they are harmful to the Madison ecosystem for a variety of reasons.
During a Madison Council meeting in May 2011, some controversy about the fields was brought up regarding the potential of chemicals in the turf harming athletes, but the council failed to address any environmental concerns about the synthetic microplastics present in the fields. Three of the four fields present in the map can be reserved through the Recreational Department in Madison, and consequently, this department should be aware of the harmful effects of these fields, especially when the imminent time comes to reinstall new turf. In regards to equity, Madison should spend the approximately 3.5 million dollars (based on the initial installment price of the fields) that it would take to reinstall new turf towards affordable housing or other efforts to increase affordability.
How are synthetic fields harmful to the environment?
According to an article by the University of Plymouth, artificial grass hurts living creatures by eliminating natural grass that can provide food for above-land animals and valuable soil for worms. Additionally, synthetic fields can contribute to global warming, as they absorb more radiation than natural grass and do not undergo the essential photosynthesis process that removes carbon dioxide from the air. Synthetic fields are made from polyethylene, which contains fragments of microplastics that can migrate into nearby soil and waterways and ultimately pollute the local environment.
Synthetic fields are also unsustainable by principle. Another article by Jack Wellington explains that the turf needs to be replaced every 5-10 years, but the plastic used for fields cannot be recycled. The Guardian explains that turf advertisers mislead consumers by claiming their fields to be “eco-friendly”, but that by the time they are to be replaced, the fields have already been contaminated with outside debris, making them impossible to be directly recycled. At this point in the process, the fields need to be sent to a specialist to be prepared for recycling. Few of these facilities actually exist, and if they do, they are often far away and require extensive transportation efforts (and consequently carbon dioxide emission) to get there.
About the Data:
The locations of these fields were determined by a process of georeferencing using Google Earth and researching local press releases and information about the fields to determine if they were turf. Then, a sketch layer was added to the basemap of the Madison Borough on ArcGIS Online and points were added (denoted by soccer balls) to indicate the locations of the four turf fields. Note that this map contains a fifth field and data point just outside of the Madison Borough boundary. This data point is included because of its extremely close proximity to Madison. See more information about each field or complex of fields below:
Drew University Rangers Stadium: Home to Drew University’s men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and field hockey. The turf field was installed in 2011 and constructed with the help of the U.S. Olympic Foundation and the U.S. Field Hockey Association.
Madison Complex Turf: The Complex is made up of 2 full-sized multipurpose turf fields as well as a track equipped with a center turf field. The turf fields are lined for baseball, softball, football, field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse.
Robert T. Shields Turf FDU: Multipurpose facility at the center of the FDU Florham Campus. The field went through renovation in June of 2015 which was reinstalled with turf.
Conclusion
Although these fields are aesthetically pleasing, easier to maintain short-term, and ultimately safer for athletes to play on during inclement weather conditions, they are not something that Drew University and the City of Madison should continue to invest in considering their potential to harm the local environment. Environmental researchers in the area can utilize these maps to conduct comparative analyses in soil and water quality based on proximity to these synthetic fields.
