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American Morning

New Plastic Lawn Leaves Homeowners Green with Delight

Aired May 01, 2001 - 09:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The grass really is greener on the other side if it is plastic.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Now, if it's a lawn that you love, you know that you hate the hard work it takes to keep it up. Or if you don't have a green thumb, you don't have to worry about it this time around.

Reporter Jessica Yellin of our Tampa affiliate WTVT has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, WTVT REPORTER (voice-over): The great American lawn. It's an old-fashioned symbol of a happy home -- a thing of pride and a real pain in the...

This South Tampa family decided they're done with the hassle. They won't fight the drought and they won't pull the weeds a day longer. They found a better way.

DAVID SHEFFER, PERSONAL GREENS: Www.justlikegrass.com.

YELLIN: David and Neil (ph) sell this. Call it outdoor carpet.

SHEFFER: Looks like grass, feels like grass and plays like grass.

YELLIN: It's maintenance-free, bug-free and guaranteed for seven years of wear-and-tear. Now, we know what you're thinking. Synthetic grass is...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fake...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cheap and...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like, artificial.

YELLIN: We won't argue. We'll let you listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a lot softer than you would think.

YELLIN: This is Conchita Root's (ph) lawn. She says it beats the alternative. Check it out: old lawn, new lawn, old, new, real, fake.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody has liked it. What do you think?

YELLIN: The grass is made out of a polyurethane/polypropylene blend, otherwise known as plastic. And they say it's built to withstand torrential downpours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see we have a geotextile membrane down on top of the bare soil, and then a crust limestone base underneath.

YELLIN: That helps it drain, along with this mixture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's silica sand and ground rubber.

YELLIN: Which also holds it down and holds it in place, making it sturdy enough to golf on.

YELLIN (on-camera): This lawn costs around $7,000. It is a hefty price tag. But the homeowners say they'll save on gardener's fees and time spent tending to the grass. Plus, with the plastic version, they're guaranteed to get that they want.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Seven grand.

KAGAN: Yes.

HARRIS: All right, thanks to reporter Jessica Yellin of our Tampa affiliate WTVT for that one.

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