Rubber Bark™ by the pool

It's beginning to look (and feel!) a lot like summer, which means picnics, parties, and especially pool days. To reconfigure your backyard pool into something inviting (a garden oasis? a serene pool space?) some Rubber Bark™ is surely a necessary ingredient.

Not only does Rubber Bark™ easy to maintain, it is nontoxic, durable, and eco-friendly. Outline the yard with Rubber Bark™ in one of the various vibrant colors available, and it will surely add that boost and charm needed for those lazy summer days with friends.

No pool? No problem. Rubber Bark™ can act as your water oasis replacement with its ocean blue option! Many an outdoor space has been transformed by creating the illusion of the wet stuff with some strategically placed mulch. Check out a few of the photos below to get the idea!

Scrap Tire News on Synthetic Turf Fields

A new edition of Scrap Tire News indicates that, using CalRecycle data, there are virtually no health risks for outdoor fields made of artificial turf. Check out a piece of the article below, and support companies, such as Rubber Bark™, that make products that are not only eco-friendly, but also completely safe.

Playgrounds and Synthetic Turf Fields There have been concerns about the health implications of the use of recycled tire crumb in playgrounds and in synthetic turf athletic fields. In response to these concerns, EPA conducted a Scoping Level Field Monitoring Study of Synthetic Turf Fields and Playgrounds. The final report was issued in 2009 and concluded that on average, concentrations of components monitored in this study were below levels of concern. To supplement this study’s limited data, EPA met with state and local representatives in 2010 to review other available field monitoring studies including a 2010 study conducted by the state of Connecticut which concluded that exposures and risks were not elevated (relative to what is commonly found in outdoor air) for either children or adults using the fields. A 2010 report by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery examined the possible human health risks of outdoor athletic fields made from artificial turf containing recycled crumb rubber with respect to skin abrasions, bacteria harbored by the turf, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. The report concluded these fields do not pose a serious public concern, with the possible exception of an increased skin abrasion rate on artificial turf relative to natural turf. At this point, EPA does not believe that the field monitoring data collected provides evidence of an elevated health risk resulting from the use of recycled tire crumb in playgrounds or in synthetic turf athletic fields. Ultimately, he use of recycled tire crumb or any other playground materials is a state and local decision.

Head's Up! CalRecycle TDP (tire-derived product) Grant Workshop Soon

This is just a head's up from the buzz concerning a few workshops in California about TDP (tire-derived product) grants from CalRecycle.


According to a CalRecycle news spot, CalRecycle will be hosting two workshops concerning the development of the report to the Legislature required by AB 341 (Chesbro) "...that provides strategies to achieve the state's policy goal that not less than 75 percent of solid waste generated be source reduced, recycled, or composted by the year 2020..."


This is a big deal for Rubber Bark™ because it means that more people and public entities will be getting involved in redistributing landfill junk tires into recycled products such as Rubber Bark™! 


Here are the details for the locations of the workshops! 

Northern California:
May 14, 2012, 1:00PM to 4:00PM
Cal/EPA Building Byron Sher Conference Room 2nd Floor
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Southern California:
May 21, 2012 from 1:00PM to 4:00PM
South Coast Air Quality Management District Auditorium
21865 Copley Drive
Diamond Bar, CA 91765

New Before & After Project Using Rubber Bark™

Rubber Bark™ just received word from one of our great customers about a months-long backyard project that included putting in some Rubber Bark™ around the yard. Customer Isabella had this to say about her three super sacks of bark she used for the project: 

"We are extremely satisfied with the Rubber Bark. Nothing to maintain and it always looks very nice and clean. We are looking forward to have some more Rubber Bark projects done in the future at the other side of the house and behind the wood fence next to our vegetable garden and even perhaps in the front of the house." 


She also hinted that she wanted to put some colorful sculptures on the Rubber Bark™ to enhance the garden feel, such as a rock river with a wooden bridge or rock/ceramic turtles hanging out on the colorful bark. 

Check out some of the photos below to see the transformation, which started last fall, and was finished up just a couple of weeks ago! 

For more photos of the transformation, go to Rubber Bark's Flickr page!