Maret School Has Big Plans for Our Community.
As a Neighbor, Are You Ready to Be Heard?
This Site is our opportunity to unify our voices by providing:
- a common forum of information exchange
- a place to unravel the impacts of Maret’s proposals
- a collection of critical resources and references
- a guide to the review and regulatory processes
- a calendar of updates and action items
ACTIONS TO TAKE NOW
Review: Strong letter in OPPOSITION to Maret, and in support of Friends of the Field, from the office of DC Attorney General Karl Racine. See the OAG letter .
Watch: Turf Town Hall #2, where nationally known experts talk about PFAS in plastic turf and how to create a safer natural grass field.
Watch: Video of our Town Hall on Transportation from Feb. 23 (Access Passcode 9$h!9kSN) in Key Documents.
Watch: The RECORDED March 9 BZA hearing online. Friends of the Field’s presentation begins at 4:21:15. For technical reasons, embedded videos of our neighbors could not be played. We’re disappointed we couldn’t share these intimate glimpses of our community.
Visit: All documents are publicly available in the record of BZA Case #20643, including the latest request from the ANC to reopen the record (Exhibit # 288), and responses from Maret (Exhibit #290), and Friends of the Field (Exhibit #289). All can be found at: Exhibits (dc.gov)
Support: To help guide Friends of the Field through the zoning process at BZA and other agencies, we hired the firm of Attorney Ed Donohue. Your support for this professional help has been vital to our work together. Please contact Friends of the Field to contribute toward our legal fees.
Review:
1. Notice of April 6 Decision meeting. See BZA notice.
2. Strong letter in OPPOSITION to Maret, and in support of FoF from the Office of DC Attorney General Karl Racine. See the OAG letter.
3. Video of our Town Hall on Transportation, 2/23/22 (Access Passcode: 9$h!9kSN)
We thank you for your ongoing financial support, which has enabled us to exercise our legal rights. Here's an update on our active legal cases in the DC Court of Appeals and the DC Superior Court.
Continue reading →Did you know that plastic turf wears down and must be replaced every 8-10 years? And that despite supporters’ claims, it cannot be recycled. With nearly 4 acres of plastic turf at Maret’s ECC field, that’s 80,000 pounds of plastic carpet going to landfills every decade. In addition, with exposure to sun, rain and use, the carpet continuously sheds infill and microplastic particles, contributing to the toxic load in the neighborhood and watershed.
Continue reading →Forget about Carbon Neutral. Plastic turf fields are Carbon Intense. The plastic carpet releases methane and ethylene day and night. Then there are the greenhouse gases generated during manufacturing and transportation. With nearly 4 acres of plastic turf at ECC, Maret would be is adding massive amounts of carbon into the environment. Compare that to natural grass, which draws carbon in from the atmosphere (called a carbon sink) and stores it in the soil.
Continue reading →Some argue that plastic turf is better than natural grass because it does not need fertilizer and watering. But did you know that plastic turf requires significantly more chemicals to maintain play-abliity: regular application of pesticides to keep insects out of the infill, herbicides to kill weeds (because it cannot be mowed), and disinfectants to remove animal waste and bacteria that builds up in the carpet? And yes, plastic turf does need to be watered to keep it cool during hot days.
Continue reading →Athletes and kids who play on plastic turf have a higher incidence of injuries -- and they are more severe -- than on natural grass. This is particularly the case for non-contact foot and ankle injuries, but also for upper extremity and torso injuries. That's why so many pro-sports teams refuse to play on plastic turf.
Continue reading →