AvTurf Feature: Orlando Sanford International Airport
Orlando-Sanford International Airport (SFB) is one of the top 30 airports in the world and dominates south-eastern regional travel to and from the Orlando area. Annual traffic through SFB is increasing each year with almost 3 million passengers in 2017.
For some time, Orlando Sanford was seeing an ongoing presence of burrowing gopher tortoises, a threatened species that is protected under Florida state law. The regulation associated with both the tortoise and its burrow meant that relocation and excavation were time-consuming and expensive with the added clause of getting special permission from the state to do so. After closing 875 burrows located next to SFB’s runway which totaled close to $400,000 in costs, the airport made the decision to address the root issue in a way that would keep the tortoises from coming back.
In 2014 SFB installed AcTurf on a 3.5-acre plot around the perimeter of a runway blast pad and conducted a year-long study to analyze the effectiveness of replacing natural grass with the synthetic turf system. At the end of the testing period, the airport detected no burrowing activity. The transition to artificial grass completely mitigated possible encounters between tortoises and aircraft during take-off and landings and provided a non-lethal and cost-effective, long-term solution for SFB.
AvTurf is proven to aid in reducing wildlife interactions near sensitive areas by removing food, water, and shelter near runways, taxiways, and infield islands.
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Shelby Becker is a creative content creator and marketing specialist at Act Global. She’s an animal rights activist, avid concert-goer, and scary movie enthusiast. Follow her on LinkedIn .
For more information, contact marketing at sbecker@actglobal.com
More and more schools across the globe are making the transition to synthetic turf fields because they recognize the long-term value and the benefits artificial grass poses. In an 
The Education Ministry has also found that synthetic turf fields are much less expensive to maintain on an annual basis. Sports fields used for primary and secondary schools are used at multiple times for multiple teams every day which can be damaging to a natural grass field’s integrity and be the cause of the increased need for upkeep. The durability of turf fields minimizes this need.
Just over a week into the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and competition is fierce between each of the countries’ national teams. This morning was kicked off with a match between Brazil and Costa Rica where Brazil secured the win in the 90th minute of the game. Brazil’s next match will be Wednesday, June 25th against Serbia.
Act Global is honored to have such an esteemed team practice on our Xtreme Turf system. Xtreme Turf is utilized around the world in facilities ranging from elite professional stadiums to local community-centric training centers. Act Global’s commitment to engineering synthetic turf systems that meet natural grass benchmarks gives athletes a reliable sports surface that allows them to transition between different field surfaces without interference.
As a major airline hub serving the Great Lakes region of the United States, Detroit Metro Wayne Airport (DTW) is one of the busiest airports in the nation. With a total of almost 35 million passengers in 2017, DTW’s operational efficiency is vital to helping almost 100,000 people get to their destination each day. However, for years Detroit Metro Wayne Airport faced ongoing complications on its main carrier runway and runway thresholds from standing water and jet blast foreign object debris (FOD). Conventional methods of resolution including hydroseeding and installing topsoil were unsuccessful and proved to be only short-term solutions.
In 2002, DTW made the decision to switch from natural grass to synthetic turf to stabilize the airport’s groundcover, enhance visual delineation for its pilots, and reduce maintenance time and costs. The artificial grass from AvTurf eliminated the drainage issues causing water to pool on the main carrier runway and confirmed to DTW that AvTurf was a turn-key solution for future projects as well. In 2010 the airport took the initiative to install AvTurf to eradicate FOD issues near the main takeoff runway. AvTurf’s system aids in reducing flights delays from runway closures due to safety hazardous debris and is durable to withstand powerful jet blasts.
Located in sunny Oviedo, Florida is the Pre-K-12th-grade private school, The Master’s Academy. The school has grown over the past 30 years to be highly successful by mentoring young students to strive for excellence. In addition to a robust academics department, the athletics program at TMA is seen as a tool to further its mission of fostering personal growth and leadership within its students.