Re: your editorial in the Sept. 6-19 edition ("Fence It In"): We agree with your assessment that Williamsbridge Oval Park is a "most active and much loved green space" [emphasis added]. It is with much disappointment and dismay that we learn that the track and ball fields will be replaced by the most "ungreen" of materials in artificial turf and a rubberized running surface. There are no compelling reasons why these materials should ever be used in public green spaces. Artificial turf – plastic grass – is beset with a number of serious problems: poor water runoff; increased heat retention; increased risk of serious injuries from falling or sliding on the surface; not to mention studies that are currently under way identifying potential health risks from the chemical composition of the materials. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz even said to me at the Oval Park Festival last month that he "can’t stand the stuff." He requested more information about it. Green Party members from around the city are petitioning for a moratorium on the use of plastic grass. Bronx Greens will be actively involved in this effort also and we hope to organize a community meeting soon to educate the community on these problems.

It is certainly of benefit to everyone to have well maintained parks, but in this time of increasing awareness and understanding of what it means to be green, the use of artificial materials in what is sometimes the only connection to nature we have in our urban environment is a step backwards.

Carl Lundgren
The writer is chair of the Bronx Green Party.