Many institutions and communities are engaged in decision-making about athletic fields and playground surfacing. Building professionals, planners, and designers often need to assess competing proposals for infrastructure. With increasing awareness of the need to reduce plastic use and pollution globally, it is important to consider the role of the built environment in contributing to the total burden of plastics.
In this webinar, Ryan Johnson provided an overview of the contribution that buildings and construction make to global plastic consumption. He highlighted the ways in which plastic building materials have been found to affect health and environment throughout their life cycle. Ryan highlighted artificial turf as a case study and presented information from Habitable’s Turf Product Guidance. This guidance provides information for building professionals and others. Dr. Winnie Courtene-Jones discussed the health and environmental implications of macro- and micro-plastics.