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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Plastic turf can get 60 degrees gets hotter than natural grass in the summer sun, causing dehydration, heatstroke and burns for players and significantly heating up the surrounding neighborhood.

Boston’s moratorium on artificial turf fields: Why Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu decided to ban new plastic artificial turf fields, and what DC can learn from that.

How much exposure to PFAS is safe? Enough is enough. DC officially recognized the negative impacts of PFAS when Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against 25 PFAS polluters in July.

Why DC residents should care about what happens at the ECC field. PFAS in runoff from the ECC field would pollute the nearby Rock Creek watershed and flow into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. This article delves into the EPA’s recent standards limiting PFAS in drinking water.

As Maret moves forward with its plan to introduce nearly four acres of plastic turf at the ECC field, we offer this series of science-based articles about the hazards of artificial grass. This one focuses on PFAS, the toxic “forever chemicals” found in all artificial turf

For Earth Day we reflect on how precious and precarious our environment is and offer the poem Mother Earth's Gifts by Kelly Roper.

60 trees destroyed, support of the DC Office of Attorney General on key Friends of the Field’s concerns, and a Board of Zoning Adjustment decision to punt on the Attorney General's opinion. Friends of the Field continues to advocate for thoughtful use of our precious space space and transparent due process. Here’s an update on recent activities

The Philadelphia Inquirer just published a blockbuster investigation examining the possible connection between plastic turf and a suspicious cluster of 6 glioblastoma brain cancer deaths among former Phillies baseball players. They all played on plastic turf at Veterans Stadium. We're concerned about the toxic effects of plastic turf at the planned Maret sports complex in our neighborhood.

You may remember The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, a children’s book published in 1971 about a creature who stubbornly haunts a man for his wanton destruction of trees and the habitat they created. Well, meet the Lorax of Chevy Chase. Like the namesake, the Lorax says: “I speak for the trees. For the trees have no tongue.” You’ll find it on Twitter at @TheLoraxDC

Bruce Sherman, the neighborhood commissioner for ANC 3/4G-02 (location of the proposed field), wrote the following op-ed piece for the Washington Post. It was published on 2/13. In it, Sherman chides Maret for chopping down 66 trees BEFORE getting final Zoning Board approval and a construction permit. He also chides Mayor Bowser and city administrators for ignoring the concerns of over 900 residents who signed the petition opposing the premature denuding of the field.

This series of maps and images helps explain the size and scope of the planned sports complex

The trees at the field Maret has leased from the ECC will fall on Monday, Feb. 6th. We need your help to halt this imminent destruction. We ask that you take immediate action: - Call Mayor Bowser - Call Councilmember Lewis George Demand that this irreversible action be delayed!

We received over 1,000 signatures on our petition to Save the Trees. Maret and ANC Commissioner Zeldin continue to discount this overwhelming level of support, saying the trees are dying. But we analyzed Maret's official report on the trees and found 45 are in fair or good condition (including 30 in high fair to high good) and only 28 in dead to poor condition.

Friends of the Field attended a meeting with Councilmember Lewis George. She listened to our concerns, and for the first time, we felt heard by our representatives.

Friends of the Field steering committee member Tom Downs, former, former DC City Administrator and former Director of the District Department of Transportation, has sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser to request that she delay the start of tree work, or declare a moratorium until the BZA has issued its full order in case #20643.

Maret plans to destroy 60 trees at the Episcopal Center for Children (ECC) in January -- before getting final zoning approval and before any construction permits have been issued. Our petition asks Maret to hold off until the zoning board issues written approval and appeals have been resolved.

Trees help keep urban environments cool. Here's what happens when trees are removed.

Friends of the Field held our second Town Hall on plastic turf on June 8, 2022. The zoom meeting featured nationally known experts talking about PFAS and other toxic chemicals that are present in the plastic turf, and their effects on health. The timing was fortuitous: a week later EPA announced Health Advisories for PFAS and a program with $1 billion in funding to strengthen health protections.

Friends of the Field have offered an alternative to Maret's proposal: a single field, with a single user, and natural grass turf. Lot coverage would be reduced by 45%, many more trees would be retained, and much more of the naturally sloping site preserved. Only the field would be enclosed, and not the entire 5-acre site, greatly decreasing objectionable visual intrusion. This idea was originally prepared while working with the ANC in an attempted compromise with Maret.

The design of the multi-sport field at ECC proposed by Maret would extend activity to the property lines, with minimal to no buffers for sight, sound or privacy. There is NO FIELD in the city as tightly wedged into a residential neighborhood as this proposal. As stated in the zoning code, “The private school shall be located so that it is not likely to become objectionable to adjoining and nearby property because of noise, traffic, number of students, or otherwise objectionable conditions.” Here we illustrate some of the objectionable conditions that Maret’s plan would impose on the neighborhood.

The Zoning Board hearing on Maret's proposal lasted 8 hours. No decision was made. The ruling was postponed until March 30 and then postponed again until April 9. Hearing highlights included: a letter from the Attorney General in strong opposition to Maret's proposal and presentations by Friends of the Field's attorney and experts on the legal, noise, traffic and environmental concerns of the proposal. FoF presented an alternative -- a single multipurpose field with natural grass and no leasing that would fit better with the neighborhood.

On Feb 1, 2022 we presented our positions and concerns to the neighborhood council, including an alternate view of how to meet the needs of all parties -- ECC, Maret and the immediate neighbors.

This is an overview of our main concerns about Maret's plan to turn the ECC fields into a multi-sport complex. Issues include how the installation of artificial turf will affect the environment and stormwater runoff to safety and community quality of life.

Maret’s plan for the ECC field to strip away grass and topsoil to install 3.7 acres of plastic turf would have serious health and environmental consequences for the neighborhood. Here’s what you need to know about artificial turf.

We finalized our Position Statement and released it on January 13, 2022.

Our Councilmember, Janeese Lewis George, and her Chief of Staff, Lenace Edwards, toured the field on 1/04/2022

Good news! Friends of the Field has been granted Party Status in Board of Zoning Adjustment case #20643: Maret School

We continue to advocate on our behalf. Since Sept. 27, 2021, when Maret made its intentions to develop the ECC fields public, Friends of the Field has been busy. We’ve done house-to-house organizing, pressed Maret for answers to our ongoing questions, met with consultants, specialists and experts, wrote letters to city administrators, hired an attorney, and much more. See our latest actions.

Friends of the Field held a rally on 1-8-2022 to update community members about issues and concerns. About 50 people showed up to express support. Thank you! Here are some pictures from the event.

We spoke with Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Najouks about environmental issues related to stormwater runoff resulting from stripping the ECC field of trees, grass and topsoil and installing artificial turf. His comments were eye-opening. We had no idea stormwater runoff was such a serious pollution concern.