Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of March 8, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

March 8^th - "Warmer, wetter, and more crowded: Penguin population dynamics on the Antarctic Peninsula," Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park (Hosted by Bill Fagan). Seminar will be held on Monday from 12:00-1:00pm in Room 1103 Bioscience Research Building (BRB), on the University of Maryland, College Park campus. Join us before the seminar for coffee, tea and cookies in 1103 BRB. Please bring your own cup.

March 12^th -  Dr. Glenn Moglen, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech - "Projecting Future Growth in Maryland and its Consequences on Nutrient Loadings to Maryland Streams and to the Chesapeake Bay."  Seminar will be held on Friday at 2pm in the Technology Research Center, Room 206, on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus. The seminar 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 the seminar.

March 21^st - 23^rd - Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference. Conference will be held at The Inn & Conference Center, University of Maryland University College. Colleges and universities have a significant impact on the built and natural environment and are under increasing pressure from governments, students, and community members to carefully mitigate their environmental footprint. This comprehensive symposium features sessions and workshops on smart growth and sustainable practices that serve the economy, the community, and the environment. Topics include institutionalizing sustainability, operational solutions, smart growth and campus planning, and assessment and

Manure becomes pollutant as its volume grows unmanageable (By David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post, 3/1/10) [Article quotes Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Manure a growing pollution problem (By UPI - Science News, 3/1/10) [Article quotes Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

State of Maryland News

Bag the bag ban in B'more (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 3/5/10)

Step lightly on Earth with biodegradable shoes (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 3/5/10)

ExxonMobil should continue contamination monitoring in Jacksonville (The Baltimore Sun - Op Ed, 3/4/10)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

• Practices
• Programs
• Policies

• Presentations
• Climate Change Definitions
• Facilities Master Planning
• Statewide Sustainability Efforts
• ACUPCC National Benchmarking
• Useful Links and References

O'Malley wants MDE to reconsider Exxon decision: Two parts of post-spill remediation discontinued (By Nick Madigan, The Baltimore Sun, 3/3/10)

Perdue, Maryland chicken farm sued: Environmental groups say poultry giant and Eastern Shore farm are polluting waters that flow into the Chesapeake Bay (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 3/3/10)

National and International News

March 16^th  - 28^th - 18^th Annual Washington, DC Environmental Film Festival (Various locations around the Washington, DC metro area)

Look Ma, No Car (By Kyle Boelte, Sierra, March/April 2010)

Growing low-oxygen zones in oceans worry scientists (By Les Blumenthal, McClatchy Newspapers as reported by Yahoo News, 3/7/10)

All Fish in U.S. Streams Found Contaminated with Mercury (By David Gutierrez, Organic Consumers Association as reported by Environmental News Network, 3/5/10)

Claim: San Francisco giving gardeners toxic sludge (By Evelyn Nieves, The Associated Press as reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, 3/5/10)

Siberian Methane Could Fast-Track Global Warming (By Nicole Allan, The Atlantic, 3/5/10)

Oil rises to seven-week high above $81 (Reuters, 3/5/10)

EU considers general carbon tax: The European Commission is planning an EU-wide minimum tax on carbon as part of the EU's green energy agenda - but the UK opposes such a move. (BBC News, 3/5/10)

Humans must be to blame for climate change, say scientists: No possible natural phenomenon could have caused the huge rise in temperatures experienced in last half-century (By Steve Connor, The [UK] Independent, 3/5/10)

Questions and Answers on Potentially Large Methane Releases From Arctic, and Climate Change (National Science Foundation Press Release, 3/4/10)

U.S. Postal Service to test a repurposed electric vehicle fleet (By Nicole Norfleet, The Washington Post, 3/4/10)

Four Democratic senators aim to halt stimulus wind project (By Dan Eggen, The Washington Post, 3/4/10)

Katrina victims seek to sue greenhouse gas emitters (From AFP as reported by Yahoo News, 3/4/10)

The Newest Hybrid Model (By Jad Mouawad, The New York Times, 3/4/10)

Iraq Opens Up to Foreign Oil Majors: Western producers like BP, Exxon Mobil, and Shell are enjoying their best access to Iraq's southern oil fields since 1972, but a weaker government could be on the way (By Anthony DiPaola and Daniel Williams, Business Week, 3/4/10)

Study Says Undersea Release of Methane Is Under Way (By Cornelia Dean, The New York Times, 3/4/10)

Eight steps to a more eco-friendly kitchen (By Domenica Marchett, The Washington Post, 3/4/10)

Rockefeller pushes to rein in EPA (By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post - Planet Panel - Post Carbon Blog, 3/4/10)

Murkowski wants ANWR ‘on the table' (By Ben German, The Hill, 3/3/10)

Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets (By Leslie Kaufman, The New York Times, 3/3/10)

Freakout-nomics (By Paul Krugman, Th New York Times - Op Ed, 3/2/10)

Contaminated Well Water (Reported by Dick Gordon, NPR/ American Public Media - The Story, 3/2/10)

Editorial: Program to equip those in need with bikes (The Oshkosh Northwestern - Op Ed, 3/1/10)

Folks, a rusty steed is a friend indeed - even in winter (By Marcus Gee, The [Toronto] Globe and Mail, 3/1/10)

Gay, Shellenberger and Nordhaus: Closing the clean energy gap with Asia (Charlie Gay, Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, Special Contributors; The [Austin] Statesmen, 3/1/10)

Airlines ranked by consumer groups for recycling (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 3/1/10)

Suit seeks to bar genetically modified sugar beets (By Jeff Barnard, The Associated Press as reported by The Washington Post, 3/1/10)

Ducks deaths case at Syncrude tailing pond goes to court: As Syncrude case goes to court, scrutiny of Alberta's oilsands has never been more intense (By Darcy Henton, Edmonton [Alberta, Canada] Journal, 3/1/10)