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Sierra Club asks Sunnyvale commission to encourage officials to visit drought‑tolerant natural sports fields
Summary
A Sierra Club representative asked the commission to invite Sunnyvale officials and staff to visit sustainably managed, drought‑tolerant natural grass sports fields as an alternative to artificial turf.
Susan Hinton, chair of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter’s Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee, asked the Sunnyvale Sustainability Commission during public comment to encourage city officials and staff to view drought‑tolerant, sustainably managed natural grass sports fields in the Bay Area.
Hinton said the project organizers invited city councilors, county supervisors and staff from nearby jurisdictions — including Sunnyvale, San Jose, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and others — to observe fields that demonstrate different, lower‑plastic approaches to sports turf.
Why it matters: The comment came while the commission and staff are preparing a study to compare artificial turf to natural grass for Sunnyvale fields. Hinton said the field visit is meant to show practical examples “of successfully installed and managed natural grass fields, especially sports fields,” and to inform the city’s decision‑making.
What the speaker said
"I would like to ask the Sustainability Commission to encourage Sunnyvale elected officials and staff to see for themselves how drought tolerant sports fields can be sustainably managed and to accept our invitation," Hinton said.
What happened next
Commission staff recorded the request during oral communications. Commissioners thanked the speaker and closed public comment; the commission did not take any formal action on the request during the meeting.
Context
Hinton cited an example field — McKeagney Green in Tiburon, installed in 2018 — as one model the group proposes to show visiting officials. The Sierra Club presentation framed the visit as a way to complement an RFP the city has issued to study artificial turf versus natural grass.
Ending
The commission did not make a formal referral or vote on the invitation at the meeting. The request is on record in the meeting minutes for council and staff to consider when planning study or outreach activities.
