Show The desert needn't bloom bloom- I Jeff Dixon Opinion Editor r i I July 24 is a special day for Utah years ago on n that date Brigham Young proclaimed I this valley to be the place where he and his followers would settle On that summer day 0 the air was clean the water yater was pure and the vegetation was its typical hue nue here in the arid Great Basin light brown Fast forward to 2006 and these characteristics have changed Yea Year Year- round air pollution eraser of clear morning skies and amplifier of winter gloom settles at the valley floor and creeps up the canyons a palpable more concrete consequence of our outdated dependence on fossil fuels Parts of many canyon streams are sequestered underground the Jordan River is a litter-filled litter stream cess-stream and tap water is laden with chlorine and sediment And the vegetation well its it's lush its it's well watered and its it's green This wouldn't be a problem in one of the 48 states which are wetter than Utah but here in inthe inthe inthe the parched drought- drought prone West where water is a valuable even profitable commodity we would do well to get over our infatuation with Kentucky Bluegrass And soon Whether or not to conserve conserve water isn't such a controversy but butto butto butto to what extent we do is Evidence of this is that political leaders and advocates talk about it but their proposals rarely entail a change in the way we think of water and what we use it on Rather the the- proposed changes are determined by how much inconvenience they might cause to usand us us' usand usand and our nearly engrained habits need to seek alternatives to lawns They're not natural here Maintenance of lawns unused lawns is a waste of water New growth along the Wasatch Front must be designed with this ethic in mind Old growth where applicable and practical must adapt can and should be beat beat beat at the forefront of this Heres Here's why I know people keep lawns for various reasons Some of them such as playing laying and running are justifiable More often than not a manicured lawn is a status symbol something to have for appearances in inthe inthe inthe the same vein as other used once ue- ue moon possessions such as a hot tub or workout apparatus Now Im I'm not ragging on peo people le with stuff they dont don't need Im I'm one of them But when we soak a patch of land for purely aesthetic reasons or to fit in with the neighborhood we waste A common locally used strain is Kentucky Bluegrass which for example requires 39 inches of water per yeara year- year a relatively low figure on the annual grass- grass thirst scale The Salt Lake Valley according to the National Weather Service receives less than half of that amount amoun t at inches per year State and local governments and institutions including dont don't do enough to promote a shift away from the unnecessary use of water The best way to do so would be to lead by example First for those who wonder why the grass grassis is sometimes watered during traditionally watering non hours the school must use the water when they receive it That according to Redwood Facilities Manager Kathy Shipley can occur at any time Nonetheless this 1 school simply does not I Ido do enough to conserve water Yes Redwood Campus has saved annually by using nearby canal water for landscaping rather than culinary water a slap in the face to us sprinkler water drinkers and now spends on water annually A mid-afternoon mid stroll around Redwood Campus will provide one with a chance to see the schools school's lowered water bill evaporate into the air as oft-mis- oft pointed sprinklers douse our many unused lawns Why is this Actually when will this change When will commit to water conservation and convert all these silly sentimental lawns into something that resembles the region in which we live The solution is to which is a form of landscaping that needs little water or maintenance and provides an opportunity to experience diverse plant life such as grasses trees flowers and shrubs that are native to the Great Basin Doing as much will not only save money on water it will introduce the concept to students faculty and visitors and set an example for other institutional facilities and residences alike that not only is smart but visually appealing The cost for implementing and md maintaining sli such slash sucha h a 1 system must must k be examined of course If f long term estimates turn out to be more expensive the aesthetic and educational value of such a beautification and naturalization of off campus must be taken into account I for one would rather see my fees and tax dollars dollars go toward attending a campus which practices sustainability rather than toward funding student socials such as Stupid Cupid and other sparsely attended I challenge President Bioteau Facilities Director Bob Askerlund and the recently formed Sustainability ty Committee to convert to toa toa toa a any patch of grass that isn't regularly being used for sitting or playing school Doing so would h help lp create a source of pride for us all and would make a leader in the very reasonable shift toward real water wafer conservation |