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Edward James Olmos Applauds Artificial Turf04-17-15 | News

Edward James Olmos Applauds Artificial Turf

With the Southern California drought much in evidence at a recent press conference, actor Edward James Olmos fervently addressed the need for water conservation efforts in the region.

As Santa Ana winds, the hot dry gusts that rage out of the desert through the Los Angeles basin, threatened to blow away the canopy that shaded the attendees of a drought awareness event in Fullerton, Calif., actor Edward James Olmos spoke about the results of a recent change in his lifestyle.

"I will not put one drop of water on grass again, especially when it is drinking water," he declared.

Olmos and local civic dignitaries were on hand at the Hotel Fullerton to commend the business for replacing its lawns and green belts with artificial turf, and to acknowledge the company that handled the installation, Five Star Turf.

The Oscar-nominated actor had his home's landscape recently converted by the same company and in addition to wanting to thank them for the wonderful job he says they did, Olmos chose to appear at the event to speak about the importance of water conservation.

"I'm here as a humanist trying to bring awareness to one of the most difficult understandings that we have in this state, especially in Southern California," he said.

Fearing that it might take home faucets running dry every other day to really drive home the necessity of preserving the vital resource, Olmos passionately appealed for the adoption of all types of conservation methods in the region, stating, "Use whatever you want but stop putting water on the ground."

Robert Groot, the general manager of Five Star Turf, helped put water usage in perspective.

"As much as 80 percent of non-agricultural water is used for outdoor landscaping. And of that, the majority is used for lawn irrigation," he revealed, adding that, "Lawns use 40 to 60 gallons of water per square foot per year."

Addressing the upshots of the hotel's conversion, Groot said that the approximately 22,000 square feet of artificial grass manufactured by TigerTurf will conserve nearly 1.3 million gallons of water per year and will save the business more than $25,000 dollars a year in maintenance costs.

He also disclosed, "The Hotel Fullerton was able to take advantage of the turf replacement rebate program now available through the water district and received a check for over $42,000 dollars. It went a long way in funding the turf conversion."

Jennifer Fitzgerald, the mayor pro tem of Fullerton, spoke of the efforts by the municipality to reduce water consumption.

"Currently in our city, our water usage is down 10 percent from 2013 levels but we've been saving water for a long time," she stated. "Since 2008, water usage on city owned or maintained property is down an average of 20 percent."

Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, who previously represented Fullerton at the Orange County Water District, noted that, "This is not a new problem for the region but interestingly enough, technology has put us in a position that the products being offered really are finally providing a viable alternative."

Olmos told Landscape Online that water conservation has long held much importance to him. When asked about rainwater capture he replied, "We need it badly. When it does rain we cannot allow it to just go to the ocean. Two things happen – one we lose the water, second we pollute the ocean."

And what has happened since he changed the landscape at his home?

"My water bill came in a couple of days ago and it's down 50 percent," he said. "People might say "you can afford to do this.' I can't afford not to do this."