10A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
CAMPUS
Rain garden may save water
Marla Keown/KANSAN
Rain gardens provide a place for rainwater to permeate into the ground as opposed to Lawrence's sewer system. A rain garden was proposed for the north side of the Student Fitness Education Center.
BY MARY SORRICK
msorrick@kansan.com
A proposed garden of natural flowers and grasses on campus could ensure that next fall, rains like those experienced last week wouldn't be flushed down the drain.
The rain garden will provide a place for rainwater to infiltrate into the ground rather than running into Lawrence's sewer system.
Studie Red Corn, Shawnee senior, initiated and designed the rain garden project as another link in the chain of student-initiated environmental endeavors on campus.
Students will install the 5,480 square feet of plants and limestone on the north side of the Student Recreation Fitness Center early next semester when the building's extension has been completed.
"This would probably be the largest student-designed project that ever happened on campus." Red Corn said.
Plants in the garden will range from goldenrods and geraniums to Indian and Little bluestem grasses - all of which occur naturally in Kansas.
Rainwater can sweep across parking lots, walkways and rooftops, picking up pollutants such as oil, grease, chemicals, and metals and deposit them into nearby rivers and lakes. The Environmental Protection Agency cites this as one of the leading sources of pollution in water bodies in the U.S.
Red Corn said the colorful array of native vegetation would be highly visible on campus. It would also help diminish some of the water pollution caused by rainwater runoff on the paved areas surrounding the recreation center.
The rain garden project will lessen the water pollution by catching rainwater where it falls and infiltrating it deep into the soil by way of the plants' roots.
The environmental benefit of rain gardens has led to development of larger movements, such as the 10,000 Rain Gardens initiative in Kansas City, Mo.
Lynn Hinkle, project manager of 10,000 Rain Gardens, said the project began three years ago when research showed that rain gardens scattered across the city helped alleviate overflow problems in Kansas City's sewer system.
Hinkle said the project, paid for by the Water Services Department of Kansas City, Mo., has helped raise awareness for ways to reduce pollution related to storm water runoff.
"By virtue of what KU is doing, we're really seeing it take off," Hinkle said. "Three years ago, nobody knew what a rain garden was. Now they're
familiar with it."
The garden will cost about $37,600, the bulk of which will come from grant money, Student Senate and the recreation center.
Though there isn't specific data on the effect of rain gardens, Red Corn said he was confident the garden would make a difference on campus.
"The University is at a point where it has a lot to gain with sustainability." Red Corn said. "And students, including myself, are learning a lot in the process."
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
Merger may dismay passengers
AIRLINES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Northwest plane is seen parked as travelers wait for their flight Tuesday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Getting hitched may be the right move for Delta and Northwest. But for beleaguered air travelers, it could usher in an era of fewer flights, more confusion at the airport and even more crowded planes.
BY CHRIS KAHN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX — Getting hitched may be the right move for Delta and Northwest. But for beleaguered air travelers, it could usher in an era of higher fares, fewer flights, more confusion at the airport and even more crowded planes.
The merger could kick off a wave of airline consolidation. And while the effects would not be immediate because the combinations could take months to get regulatory approval, industry observers say get ready anyway for fewer carriers in the sky.
Mergers, combined with a recent spate of airline bankruptcies, mean passengers in many cities can expect fewer flights to choose from, and they'll be packed even fuller than they are now.
Greater demand for remaining seats translates into higher ticket prices.
"There's no doubt in my mind fares are going to go up," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com, which tracks
changes in airline ticket prices. "Consumers are deluding themselves if they think that's not the case."
Peter Schiff, president of brokerage firm Euro Pacific Capital, said the changes could put air travel out of reach for Americans of modest means.
"Although manny Americans have come to regard affordable air travel as a birthright, from a global perspective it remains the province of the wealthy," Schiff said.
Delta Air Lines Inc., which would create the world's largest airline, has already ignited talks among other airlines as they seek to bulk up to combat rising fuel prices in a slowing economy.
"There's not doubt in my mind fares are going to go up. Consumers are deluding themselves if they think that's not the case."
Continental Airlines Inc. executives told employees Tuesday that the
RICK SEANEY Chief executive of FareCompare.com
The merger announcement by Northwest Airlines Corp. and
That could mean more headaches for travelers already reeling from a string of cancellations due to stepped-up scrutiny of safety regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration.
airline wants to remain independent — but warned "the landscape is changing" and said it would consider its "strategic alternatives."
The executives did not say what they might consider,
but Continental has held talks with United Airlines in the past.
United CEO Glenn Tilton issued his own statement to employees Tuesday in which he called industry consolidation "one of the changes necessary" for the industry to get to sustained profits.
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