An Interview with Rajvarun and Arijeet Grewal of Saving California Farms One Drop at a Time

If passed, the bill would grant a subsidy to those who replace their natural grass lawns with artificial turf. The bill, was introduced by Bakersfield assembly member Rudy Salas in February, aB 603. CA, rajvarun Grewal and Brothers Arijeet, students in Hanford, helped forward a bill that would subsidize fake turf in California.

Along the same lines, we strongly believe that the artificial grass industry will also contribute in creating jobs (ie. E-commerce, and now we can see how many jobs it has created in terms of software, of people were against Internet or online shopping, transportation) jobs and and logistics (warehouse, ari: In the beginning lot. Manufacturing, installation, and maintenance).

Where did the idea come from?.

You are interested in pursuing a career in politics because of this experience, according to a report, raj. Is there a specific area of politics you are interested in?.

Ari: Our community has instilled in us the will power to give back to our community. we have learned that the sky has no limit in defining our own destiny. , proposing this bill has given us the opportunity to help our neighborhoods Also.

How does this experience fit into both of your long-term goals?.

Ari: It was an amazing experience. We were honored and delighted to be invited by Mr. But being there on, a visitor you are just allowed to be in the gallery, the assembly floor, just feels great!. Salas to be a part of history in the making. We all the same have goose bumps from being on the assembly floor submitting AB 603 and seeing "Grewal Family" name on the notice board in the assembly hall As.

What has it been like working with Bakersfield assembly member Rudy Salas? Are there any lessons you can impart to us that you learned from working with him?.

A division of California has been proposed, different times in the past. There is zero water allocation from the Sacramento--San Joaquin River Delta due to smelt fish, recently. Control of the flow of water and influence, hence, the majority of Central Valley residents believe that Big Brothers on both sides (North and South) control most of the legislative processes due to their population and. Raj: It is a politically hot subject. More than any other political reason, water was the main issue.

Therefore, we wanted to do our part to conserve fresh water. Ari: Living in the Central Valley, one cannot escape drought news. We learned that more than 60% of fresh water is wasted on lawn care in California.

Which will help conserve fresh water, my brother and I became interested in finding out if we could install synthetic grass. And he further explained that we could go for it if it was subsidized like solar panels, my father explained that synthetic grass is pricy. Decided to redo our landscape, raj: Last summer we. This encouraged us to propose legislation.

and Mr. Raj: We exceedingly appreciate you reaching out to us. Salas) and support our bill. We strongly request your company's leadership team to engage law makers in California (especially Mr Ting, once again.

Raj agreed to speak with us in this interview and Ari, and Global Syn-Turf is honored to have them .

Phil Ting?. Mr, taxation and Did you have a specific strategy for pitching the Bill to the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Revenue.

What was the experience like traveling to Sacramento to introduce AB 603? Did anything occur that was unexpected? What was the most surprising thing you learned about during your trip introducing the bill?.

It would also decrease the chances of another severe drought to occur in California. Ari: Primarily, the adoption of artificial turf in residential areas would help conserve a lot of fresh water that can be used for our Central Valley agriculture.

Phil Ting and asking for his support in person. We believe we have already reached the masses via TV and newspapers. We also encourage the industry (including your company) to support and lobby our bill. Ting in our bill's support. We have also requested the local city council and county Board of supervisors to write to Mr. Ari: It was a great pleasure to meet Mr.

Whatever job I do take, i would love to give back to my community, raj: I have not fully chosen my field; all the same. Going through this adventure has definitely opened my eyes to the infinite career paths from which I could choose.

We proposed a portion of incentives to train them in artificial grass installation, therefore. Ari: We wanted to make sure that our proposal does not negatively impact anyone, especially hardworking Californians in the landscape industry.

MrThe brothers created a Facebook page for their project called Saving California Farms One Drop at a Time. Salas liked the idea, now it's being put into motion and. Students in Hantford at Pioneer Middle School and Sierra Pacific High School, raj and Ari, suggested it to Mr and thought of the idea. Salas via a letter.

On the other hand, xeriscaping, takes away that naturalness. Turf is a part of our natural lives, however. Raj: Synthetic grass and drought- tolerant alternatives both have benefits. They both help cut back the wastage of fresh water.

On your Facebook page you say that popular adoption of artificial turf will "bring economic prosperity to the state of California". Could you explain this a bit further?.

Water may lead to the division of California", on your Facebook page you say that "One day. Could you expound on that?.

What do you think will be some of the long term effects of the popular adoption of synthetic grass in residential areas?.

We learned that there was not a state-wide program that provided state-wide incentives, counties do not generate much tax revenue and given that some of the cities and cannot afford to provide incentives to its residents, nevertheless. Businesses that purchased and installed synthetic turf and we learned that many cities in California did supply rebates for homeowners, raj: After researching extensively on this topic.

When did you realize that the prospective of artificial grass as a drought-tolerant choice wasn't being fully utilized?.

We have learned more about the other projects and bills that are being proposed in the Assembly Session. We have learned to become more active in our community. Raj: It was a wonderful experience.

On your Facebook page you say that you "would like to propose a clause in the bill allocating a percent of subsidy to supply vocational and trade education for those who may get negatively impacted so they can rebuild a improve and brighter future for themselves and their families". Could you expound on this idea?.

What motivated you to pursue this endeavor so seriously?.

Do you think synthetic grass has any benefits over other drought-tolerant alternatives such, as xeriscaping?.

Is there anything else either of you would like to talk about?.