Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of February 1, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

February 5^th  - Neil Weinstein of The Low Impact Development Center Inc., Beltsville, MD.  "Green Highways and Green Infrastructure." Seminar will be held on Friday at 2 PM in the Technology Research Center, Room 206, on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Visitor parking passes for the TRC lot may be purchased for $4.00 in the CUERE office in TRC 102/105, on the UMBC campus shortly before seminar. 

February 11^th -  "Lunch and Learn on Civic Engagement in Our Courses: Civic Engagement and Sustainability." 12-1:30pm, Banneker Room, Stamp Student Union, on the University of Maryland, College Park campus. This event is hosted by the Coalition for Civic Engagement and Leadership (CCEL).

Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference, March 21-23, 2010 at The Inn and Conference Center, University of Maryland University College, adjacent to the University of Maryland, College Park campus  (Student Scholarship Applications Due February 19^th)

New toilets installed in dorms to conserve water: Project will soon extend to more buildings as part of ongoing sustainability effort (By Dana Cetrone, The Diamondback Online, 1/29/10)

If university purchases plant, Wooded Hillock may be safe: University in process of purchasing Washington Post plant in city (By Derby Cox, The Diamondback Online, 1/28/10)

Celebrating a true voice of the Bay (By Michael Buckley, The Annapolis Capital, 1/28/10) [Article quotes staff of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory]

Action urged on rising sea (By Amy Wold, The Louisiana Advocate, 1/28/10) [Article quotes Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

A matter of when not if (By Donald F. Boesch, The Washington Post - Planet Panel, 1/27/10) [Dr. Donald F. Boesch is President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Delta Panel swears to avoid politics: Scientists plan objective review of ailing estuary (By Alex Breitlet, The San Joaquin Record, 1/26/10)[Pat Gilbert and Tom Miller of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are serving on the Delta Panel]

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

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No way to avoid strip mining's dangers (The Virginian-Pilot Editorial, 1/25/10) [Editorial cites research by Margaret Palmer and Keith Eshelman, of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Clean energy legislation: Cut the red tape (By Matt Dernoga, The Diamondback Online, 1/25/10)

State of Maryland News

One Less Car holds annual bike symposium [on February 3, 2010 in Annapolis] (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 2/1/10)

City cleaning, greening one ticket at a time (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 1/29/10)

State gets $70 million in federal rail funds (By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun - Getting There Blog, 1/28/10)

GM to build electric motors in White Marsh: Expansion brings 180 jobs, needed boost to economy (By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun, 1/27/10)

National and International News

2010 Green Car Vision Award (Awarded at the 2010 Washington Auto Show, January 27-31, 2010 at the Washington E. Walter Convention Center, Washington, DC)

An Electric Boost for Bicyclists (By David Goodman, The New York Times, 1/31/10)

In Portland, Growing Vertical (By William Yardley, The New York Times, 1/30/10)

Obama sets targets on agencies' greenhouse-gas emissions (By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, 1/30/10)

China Leading Global Race to Make Clean Energy (By Keith Bradsher, The New York Times, 1/30/10)

Study finds white roofs may cool cities (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 1/29/10)

President Obama Sets Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target for Federal Operations: Target to Drive Energy Cost Reductions in Federal Operations, Creating Clean Energy Jobs (The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 1/29/10)

European Union Farmers Face Genetic Contamination of Seeds: Biodiversity, already decaying fast as a result of climate change and intensive farming, is under further threat by genetic modification (GM) of seeds, says a leading German ecological activist. (By Julio Godoy, IPS News, 1/29/10)

Obama announces $8 billion investment in high-speed train system (CNN Politics, 1/28/10)

Obama pitches clean energy in State of the Union (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 1/28/10)

New study says slowdown in global warming may be the result of less stratospheric water vapor (The Associated Press as reported by The Baltimore Sun, 1/28/10)

Environmentalists target Blanche Lincoln (By Lisa Lerer, Politico, 1/28/10)

Oil bigs to Obama: Get real (By Adam Lashinsky, CN Money, 1/28/10)

Is This Apple Green? (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 1/28/10)

SEC Sets Corporate Climate-Change Disclosure Standard (By Jim Efstathiou Jr., Bloomberg News, 1/27/10)

State of the Union: Obama Urges Clean Energy Economy, Plus Nuclear Plants and Offshore Drilling (By Larry West, About.com - Larry's Environmental Issues Blog, 1/27/10)

Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year (By Jad Mouawad, The New York Times, 1/26/10)

How stimulus saved renewable energy (By Steve Hargreaves, CNN Money, 1/26/10)

World's glaciers continue to melt at historic rates: Latest figures show the world's glaciers are continuing to melt so fast that many will disappear by the middle of this century (By Juliette Jowit, The [UK] Guardian, 1/25/10)

Dutch spending still rising...on bicycles (By Ben Berkowitz, Reuters, 1/25/10)

Sweet Idea: Coke Uses Sugar Cane for Bottles (By David Knowles, AOL News, 1/25/10)

Economic growth 'cannot continue': Continuing global economic growth "is not possible" if nations are to tackle climate change, a report by an environmental think-tank has warned.  (BBC News, 1/25/10)