Take Action

The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s proposal to build out its athletic campus — including a 2.5-acre plastic field — has been denied by the Oak Bluffs planning board. Despite this, the school committee voted 5-4 to sue the planning board and the Town of Oak Bluffs, the school’s host town. Based on their appeal, it appears the MVRHS is arguing that the town does not have the authority to protect its own water supply.

While we encourage you to write your own letter, this is a letter signed by Island environmental leaders and activists.

Individual letters should be sent to both planningboard@oakbluffsma.gov and elvin@mvcommission.org.

To see the MVRHS’ application, please click here. For more information about concerns about plastic fields, please visit our FAQ About Plastic Fields and Letters and Links pages.

To the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School leadership,

We, the undersigned, would like to express our concern regarding the proposed plastic field at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. As environmental advocates and climate activists, we understand that converting a natural grass field to a plastic one runs counter to our collective goals and sends the wrong message to our youth.

Now, more than ever, we understand that our planetary health depends on decisions large and small. We know we must break our addiction to the fossil fuel and chemical industries and instead invest in our soil to help it capture as much carbon as possible. We know we need avoid the use of materials that further contribute to global warming and instead use plants to lower surface temperatures. We understand that to adapt to stronger and more frequent storms and wildfires, we must avoid materials incompatible with these events and instead take preventative measures. And we realize that we should avoid materials that add to our waste stream and instead embrace those that are regenerative.

We ask that you please send a clear message to our youth that their future is our priority and stop trying to install a plastic playing field on Martha’s Vineyard. 

Sincerely,

To sign on, please fill in the form below to affirm that you would like your name and/or your organization to be included.