Multimedia Reporting (Adler-Noland)

There is a reason why the green industry has that name. Besides the relation with the color of their product, the word "green" expresses the financial opportunities that come with the growth of turfgrass.

According to the most recent numbers by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Agriculture, the sales related to turfgrass sod production have gone from $471.6 million in 1992 to $1 billion in 2002. This growth has affected numerous segments. The estimate is that the green industry, which includes everything from small town landscape architects to mass merchandisers with lawn departments, contributes to the economy with $147.8 billion in output.

The Sports Turf Managers Association is a nonprofit association whose objective is to manage and research sports turf. The increased membership of the association, whose national headquarters are located in downtown Lawrence, is one of the indicators of growth in the industry.

"From 2005 to 2006 we’ve had about an 11% increase, and the 2007 numbers are tracking ahead at almost 15% of what we had last year," said Kim Heck, chief executive officer of STMA. "There are a lot more companies serving the sports filed market."

Another indicator of the growth is in the finances of the STMA. In 2005, the association was in the red, with a $1,400 deficit. This year the association estimated $200,000 profits.

"A lot of that has to do with management though," said Pat Allen, special projects manager for STMA,"the previous management wasn’t really financially responsible."

The STMA has approximately 2,800 members, including professional sports stadiums, college stadiums, and individuals such as Cal Ripken Jr. Twenty-five percent of those members are responsible for parks and recreation management. Together with management of athletic fields for schools, that sector is the driving force for the growth.

"There are more recreational leagues for adults, and as you build new schools you are going to build more athletic fields," said Heck.

The growth has also affected landscaping businesses in Lawrence.

"It’s been real good for us, we’ve grown quite a bit in the last five to ten years," said Daryl Webb, business manager for Lawrence Landscape.

Webb believes a lot of it has to do with the growth in the American economy, particularly the housing boom. Lawrence Landscape’s business is divided approximately in half between commercial and private landscaping, and both sides have seen substantial growth due to increased construction.

"More houses means more park spaces are required to support athletic endeavors for both children and adults," said Allen.

However, some issues could affect the green industry’s growth in the future.

Arthur Milberger, president of Turfgrass Producers International, expressed some concerns in a press release containing the 2007 industry’s perspective. The two main concerns were the crash of the housing bubble and water conservation.

"Water conservation is certainly an issue that turfgrass producers are very aware of and addressing based on their region," said Jim Novak, public relations manager for TPI.

Webb, however, thinks that predicting the future is difficult.

"It’s kind of like predicting the weather," said Webb, "we can just hope that growth continues like the previous years."

For the first time in its history, Lawrence is applying for the All-America City Award. The City Commission has been planning in applying to the award for the last couple of years. City officials are finalizing minor details before turning in the application, which is due on March 22.

The National Civic League created the All-America City Award in 1949. Ten communities receive it every year, and it is the most prestigious civic award a city can get.

“It honors community collaboration and problem solving. It especially looks for collaboration between public, private and nonprofit sectors,” said Jonathan Douglass, management analyst for the city of Lawrence. He is one of the people responsible for completing the application.

The application includes several parts, including population data, city infrastructure and history, and a detailed section on collaborative community projects.

The winners do not receive any monetary prize, but Lawrence could reap other benefits if it wins the award.

“Communities tend to market themselves having won the award,” said Mike McGrath, senior editor for the National Civic League publications. “There is some thought that this helps economic development, tourism and things like that.”

City officials expect the award to benefit the economy, and, if Lawrence wins it, plan to market it in every way possible.

“It would bring positive attention to the community as a whole,” Douglass said. “It can be advertised on the chamber of commerce Web site, our city website, and on welcome signs.”

Local businesses are also excited about the potential economic benefits that the award would bring.

“An award like that gets picked up by different news organizations,” said Rick Marquez, director for Downtown Lawrence Incorporated, an association created to promote the interests of downtown businesses. “It peaks the interest of those outside of the community and makes them plan a little trip here. Anything like that obviously is something good.”

Filling up the application has taken a considerate amount of time and effort. The application is 17 pages long, and asks for detailed examples of how the community has fostered and encouraged collaboration amongst its different segments.

“It took quite a bit of work. We had four different city staff people working on different sections,” Douglass said.

The most detailed section in the application asked the city to highlight collaborative community projects. The city met with and interviewed dozens of people to complete it. One of the projects highlighted was the strengthening of downtown Lawrence.

The project is an ongoing effort to enhance downtown so it can continue as an important economic center, and maintain its importance as a community resource and tourist destination. Changes include the expansion of the farmers’ market, and construction of a new arts center and parking garages.

“Collaboration has been the key success in the downtown enhancement,” said David Corliss, city manager. “Because there are dozens of businesses and property owners, nothing happens without cooperation among many different partners.”

Winning the All-America City award would recognize the people responsible for the efforts of improving downtown and reward their work.

“The All-America City award would bring greater credit to our downtown,” Corliss said.

Although completing the application has been hard work, it already brought some benefits, including an increase in the visibility of community cooperation.

“It allowed people to see what others in the community were doing, and how it fit into our greater community vision,” Douglass said.

Since the year 2000, the average number of competitors has been 56 communities. Previous winners include Wichita, Kan.; Des Moines, Iowa; and Kansas City, Mo.

Carrollton, Mo., won the award in 2005 and, as a result, the city has seen some economic benefits.

“We have got new industry popping all over the place. It has rewarded in many ways economic development,” said Kathy McGinness, administrative assistant for the town of Carrollton.

Other benefits include the strengthening of community ties and an increased interest in civic responsibilities and actions.

“It makes you ooze with civic pride. It empowered the people more and it made them just so proud of their community,” McGinness said.

Winning communities tend to have several things in common, most importantly the ability for citizens, community members, business leaders and city government to come up with solution to problems.

“You don’t just have one sector of the community leading the effort,” McGrath said.

The members of the National Civic League will announce 30 finalists on April 16. They will meet in Anaheim, Calif., from June 7-9, where after individual presentations a panel of judges will select the 10 winners.

“It is a life changing thing for a community and the people in it,” said Sharon Metz, mayor of Carrollton. She may serve as a judge for this year’s competition.

Ben Hadel is having a bad day. As soon as he woke up, he knew he was not going to make it to class. He is not hung over or tired from a night of study as some of his friends would be. If only it were that simple.

Ben suffers from cystic fibrosis, a fatal disease that causes the body to produce thicker mucus than usual. The mucus accumulates in his lungs making it difficult to breath and leading to lung infections.

“It’s hard to breath when the weather gets colder, it irritates my lungs,” Ben says. “The weather was great yesterday, but today it sucks.”

Ben is sitting on his couch with a laptop on his lap. His feet are embraced by pink wool socks that keep the cold away. He reaches for his nebulizer – a device that helps him clear his lungs of all the mucus and fight off any infections – and places it in his mouth. It gently hums as he inhales the misty air that will take the medicine to his lungs.

“You feel your lungs opening up as you do it,” says Ben. He then coughs out some mucus into a 7 Up can. “Nasty, huh?”

This process will continue for the next 45 minutes, and Ben needs to do it at least twice a day. He needs to use the nebulizer, do breathing exercises, and take antibiotics and insulin shots. He dedicates about two hours on good days to take care of his disease. It can be more than four hours on the bad days.

“It’s hard to maintain a normal schedule with all the treatment and cystic fibrosis acting up,” he says.

On average, Ben feels bad a couple of days a week. His lungs will behave erratically depending on the weather, stress, and exposure to diseases, thus making it hard to breath and tiring him. This makes it hard to predict how his day will go.

“I will have days that are pretty shitty, but it is the unpredictability what really frustrates me,” Ben says. “Things will be going great, and then all of the sudden go bad.”

Last year things went very bad for Ben. It was his first semester at the University of Kansas, and the stress of college life, allied with the diabetes he developed because of cystic fibrosis, kept him in the hospital for the final three weeks of college.

“I got incompletes in my classes, and am now working to complete them together with my 12 hour class load,” he says.

He turns off the nebulizer and coughs up some more mucus. His eyes water up from all the coughing.

Ben lives with his brother Andrew, a senior at KU, in a two-bedroom apartment. He had to move out of his fraternity because he needed a cleaner and quieter environment. Andrew, a big 5-foot-11-inch guy, looks like a giant compared to Ben’s tiny 5-foot-5-inch frame. Cystic fibrosis also affects the person’s growth.

“I think he’s incredible. He deals with his disease as if it wasn’t a big deal,” Andrew would later say. “I’m glad he got to move in with me, he is such great company.”

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the disease affects 30,000 people in the United States. Fifty percent of the people who have it are expected to die by the time they are 36.5 years old, but research revealed last month in England gives hope for a cure utilizing gene therapy.

Even though Ben, who will turn 19 in October, has statistically lived half of his life, he is optimistic about the future.

“I am sure I’ll live a lot longer than 30,” he says. “For a while the low life expectancy bothered me, but I figured it’s something that happens, and I think I can kick its ass. If I don’t, that’s just that.”

Ben does not want to just live a normal life; he has some impressive goals he hopes to reach.

“I hope to complete an Ironman triathlon by the time I am 25,” he says. “I hope it inspires other people with cystic fibrosis.”

Ben is currently practicing for a half-marathon in July. He runs every other day for at least three miles. He did not practice today since he was not feeling well.

“It doesn’t really matter, my real training only starts next month,” he says.

Ben opens up a Website that has his training calendar in it. By mid-July, he will be running 35 miles a week. He feels good when he is running. It helps him with his breathing and makes it easier to expel the mucus.

He has it all planned out. He will complete two half marathons, two marathons, a half Ironman and then attempt the full Ironman.

“I definitely think he has the will power and strength to do that,” Andrew would later say.

The physical accomplishments are a way to prove to himself that he is healthy enough to accomplish other stuff. Stuff that is common in other people’s lives but hard to deal with when you have cystic fibrosis.

“I really want to have kids, and if I complete something like that I think I’ll be healthy enough to raise them,” Ben says. “I only want to have them if I figure I’ll be around.”

Ben is infertile because of cystic fibrosis, so he will have to resort to some artificial form of reproduction.

“At least for now I don’t have to worry about getting a girl pregnant,” he says wittily, “I was going to call my parents on April Fools to tell them I got this girl pregnant, I guess I didn’t really think that through.”

Humor is characteristic of Ben’s speech and he can make a joke out of anything, even his disease.

“He is one the funniest guys I know. From the second we would wake up he was already cracking jokes,” Chris Towel, Ben’s friend and old roommate, would later say. “He
doesn’t see himself as different than anyone else, it’s as if he weren’t sick.”

“I just make sure I do what I have to do, even if I’m feeling bad,” Ben says.

The Kansas Biological Survey is developing data models to help understand what conditions cause algal blooms, a common problem in Kansas’ lakes. The algae produce geosmin, a substance that causes the water to taste and smell bad. Researchers hope the models will establish a correlation between increased levels of geosmin and other factors.

“The problem with geosmin is that it is really expensive to measure,” said Andrew Dzialowski, a research associate at the Kansas Biological Survey. “We need to find some other variable we could measure.”

Researchers at the Kansas Biological Survey have been collecting samples from lakes since May 2006. They will analyze the data from these samples and have results by the end of the summer. The researchers’ goal is to develop simple ways to predict when increases of geosmin levels are likely to happen.

“We are trying to do this to help the water plant managers, so they can be alerted that they are going to have a taste and odor problem,” said Paul Liechti, assistant director of the Kansas Biological Survey. “It is a heads up methodology.”

One major problem researchers have faced is the high amount of variables that influence algal blooms. Because of that, they have had to monitor each lake individually. Lakes sampled so far include Clinton Lake, Big Hill Lake, Gardner City Lake, Cheney Reservoir and Marion Reservoir.

“The lakes are individual themselves, so they have different characteristics that accentuate the problems,” Liechti said.

Jason Beury, a chemistry lab assistant at the Kansas Biological Survey, goes to Clinton Lake at least once every two weeks to gather data samples. Temperature, acidity level and oxygen dissolution in the water are some of the measurements gathered.

“You can tell if there is an algal bloom in the lake from a green or blue-green water color, but you can still have algal blooms that are not visually noticeable,” Beury said. “You can also tell from the smell. It’s either a fishy or a musty, earthy smell.”

Humans can detect geosmin at levels as low as five parts per trillion, and all five lakes tested have showed samples with higher levels than that.

Making the water taste bad is not the only problem that algal blooms cause; some algae can be hazardous to the environment and human health.

“You can have low oxygen in the water, which results in fish killed, and some species of algae produce algotoxins that can harm humans and animals,” Dzialowski said.

On June 2003, an outbreak of a toxic form of blue-green algae in Marion Reservoir forced Hillsboro, Kan., to suspend water pumping from the reservoir.

“Ultimately we would like to prevent the algal blooms, but that is a really hard task because you would have to change a lot of best management practices,” Dzialowski said.

Best management practices are ways to decrease the impact that storm water runoff have on the environment. When it rains, the nutrients from fertilizers are washed away and deposited in the lake. The algae feed off these nutrients and grow excessively – a process called eutrophication.

“What bothers me is that we are so entrained in this system of commercialized agriculture that it is hurting our lakes,” Beury said.

Naima Omar, a professor of Arabic at the University of Kansas, stands in front of a packed class of 16 students. Every seat is taken. Omar must stand. The students separate into two groups and take turns asking and answering question in Arabic. Crystal Hainstock, a small blonde student, answers a question from the other group. Omar keeps tally of the score.

“I am taking Arabic because I am in the army,” Hainstock said before class started.

Omar has a wide range of students. Most are interested in international studies. Some are in the military, but others see themselves working in the Middle East, as diplomats, journalists or anthropologists.

Interest in Arabic at the University of Kansas is booming, as it is on college campuses nationwide. At KU, enrollment in Arabic has increased 350 percent, from 15 in the spring of 2001 to 68 today. This spring the university offered two sections of beginner’s Arabic for the first time.

“We definitely do not have enough people (teachers) to support the student demand,” said Omar, who is also the language coordinator for the African and African-American Studies department at the University of Kansas. “Last semester I had to close down classes because they were full.”

Georgetown University, with the largest Arabic program in the United States, has also watched its enrollment rise, from 222 in the fall of 2002 to 415 today.

“We used to have three sections of first year Arabic and now we have 10,” said Hanah Zabarah, the undergraduate language coordinator for the Arabic department at Georgetown.

Arabic is the fourth most spoken language in the world, with approximately 422 million speakers worldwide.

The growth in the number of college students taking Arabic is a nationwide trend, beginning in the early 1990’s and accelerating with the United States’ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It is pretty obvious. 9-11 and the War on Iraq,” said John Eisele, executive director of the American Association of Teachers of Arabic professor at William and Mary. “People are interested because of the political instabilities and the war in the area.”

According to a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the number of students enrolled in Arabic has quadrupled, from 5,505 in 1998 to an estimated 21,168 in 2006.

“There has been a tremendous increase in student interest, which has led to colleges expanding and opening new programs and hiring more people,” Eisele said.

KU only offers a minor in Arabic, but the increased interest is encouraging an expansion of the program. “We are actually working towards a major right now,” Omar said.

Students are taking Arabic for a variety of reasons. Research released in 2006 by Kirk Belnap, director of the National Middle East Language Resource Center and an Arabic professor at Brigham Young University, showed that the majority of students are taking Arabic so they can talk with people who speak the language, travel to the Arab world, and better understand Arab culture and media.

“The largest number of people are interested in working at NGOs,” Belnap later said.

The government is also searching for Arabic speakers. The America Association of Teachers of Arabic Web site features job advertisements from the Department of State, Air Force, Army, CIA and NSA. The Department of State currently employs over 270 people with professional Arabic skills, but it is still looking for more.

“We are committed to increasing the number of Arabic speakers at the Department of State,” said Brenda Greenberg, a spokesperson for the department. “State department recruiters specifically target schools and organization with language programs to increase the recruitment of Arabic speakers.

There are plenty of other job opportunities available outside of the government.

“There are so many openings not necessarily related to the military,” Omar said. “There are organizations like the U.N., and even businesses in the Arab world.”

According to a ranking compiled by the World Economic Forum, from 2005 to 2007 five Arab nations – Qatar, Kuwait, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco – have gone up in global competitiveness ranking. In contrast, three Arab nations have gone down in the ranking: Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt.

“Today, the Arab world is at a critical juncture,” Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, said in a 2007 press release. “Although the region’s economies are currently very dynamic and offer tremendous business opportunities, there is no doubt that improvements to national competitiveness and closer integration with the global economy and within the region are necessary if this growth momentum is to be sustained.”

Even with the economic instabilities in the Arab world, business students are not shying away from Arabic classes.

“I think that there is a big movement towards learning Chinese and Arabic because that is where a lot of business is going to be going, and I am a business major, so I think it will definitely help me,” said Audrey Stucky, a student in Omar’s class.

The increased interest in Arabic, however, is causing trouble to the universities. They are having difficulties hiring professors and teacher assistants, since the demand for Arabic professionals is higher than the supply.

“Many of the spots are being filled by people with degrees that are not necessarily on Arabic speaking,” Eisele said.

In the foreign language edition of the Modern Language Association job information list, the number of advertisements offering Arabic positions in universities has gone from 17 in 2000-01 to 30 in 2003-04.

“There has been a real jump on the number of positions advertised,” Belnap said. “There is certainly a very strong demand for people who are well trained and have credentials to run a strong Arabic program.”

At KU, an increased curiosity towards Muslim and Middle Eastern culture has accompanied the interest in Arabic.

“Throughout the years more and more people have come to the events that we held pertaining to Islam and the Middle East,” said Fadlullah Firman, president of the Muslim Student Association.

In the last week of April, the Islamic Center and the Muslim Student Association held their annual Muslim Awareness Week.

Back at Omar’s class, the bell rings and students shuffle their books into their bags. Omar bids them goodbye. “Ma’assalama,” she says as the students walk by.