Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of April 12, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

April 12^th  - "The Garden" - 7-9 pm, 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, University of Maryland, College Park campus. Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Feature in 2009, the Garden has been hailed by critics as the most astute and powerful political film of the year. Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy brilliantly captures, in a series of explosive and wrenching turn of events, the way greedy developers, inept politicians, and self-serving "community" leaders can run roughshod over the lives of working-class families fighting to save the largest urban farm in America - a 14-acre oasis in South Central Los Angeles that was created in the wake of the 1992 L.A. riots. The Garden raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable. Sponsored by Beyond the Classroom.

April 16^th - Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, University of New Hampshire?- "Green Roof Stormwater Runoff Mitigation: Observations and Models." 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, which is a part of the CUERE Seminar Series, 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.  ?

April 19^th - 23^rd - EcoFest - Celebrate Earth Week with a variety of events on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus.

April 21^st - Focus Frostburg is FSU's annual Day of Learning on sustainability and climate awareness that is open to FSU students, faculty, staff, and the community.  On April 21, 2010, dozens of 50-minute presentations will be scheduled throughout the day on campus, along with visual displays and outdoor activities. 

April 22^nd - Sustainability: Your Action, Your Impact - 2nd Annual Environmental Conference, Towson University campus, Towson, MD. Towson University's second annual Environmental Conference will take place on Earth Day, Thursday April 22, 2010. The conference will be held in the University Union. The conference is designed to raise awareness among students, faculty and staff about environmental topics, issues and solutions. This year's conference theme is sustainability, the impact of individuals and communities on the environment and actions that individuals and communities can take to positively impact the environment and create a more sustainable world. Conference program and registration.

Earth Month Events - April 2010 - Celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day with events all month at University of Maryland, College Park. View calendar of events for the month, and the UMCP EcoHouse calendar of events for the month.

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White House Honors SU Faculty For Green Earth Book Awards Service (Salisbury University Press Release, 4/9/10)

Cyclists say bike safety week just first step: DOTS hosts week of events but lags on bike-friendly campus improvements (By Leyla Korkut, The Diamondback Online, 4/9/10)

A global pour: Event panelists want you to think beyond your kitchen table when drinking your a.m. coffee (By Alissa Gulin, The Diamondback Online, 4/9/10)

An oyster plan Maryland needs: DNR proposal's mix of aquaculture and public fishery would bring state's practices into line with rest of the world (By Vic Kennedy and Roger Newell, The Baltimore Sun - Commentary, 4/8/10)[Article is by Vic Kennedy and Roger Newell of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Study Shows Rising Water Temperatures In U.S. Streams And Rivers: Twenty major U.S. streams and rivers have shown statistically significant long-term warming (U.S. News and World Report - content provided by the National Science Foundation, 4/8/10) [Article quotes Sujay Kaushal and Dave Secor of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Stream and river temperatures increasing (United Press International, 4/8/10) [Article quotes Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

'Bard of the Chesapeake' dies: Wisner was 79 (By Laura Buck, SoMdNews.com, 4/7/10) [Article quotes the staff of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory]

East by Eco-Friendly: Students aim to make campus' major development greener (By Dana Cetrone and Amy Hemmati, The Diamondback Online, 4/6/10)

River temperatures are on the rise, study shows (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/6/10) [Article quotes Sujay Kaushal and Dave Secor of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Study Says U.S. Waterways Are Warming (By Sindya A. Bhanoo, The New York Times - Green, Inc., 4/6/10) [Article quotes Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

EPA: Reaching the Mountaintop (By Matt Dernoga, The Diamondback Online, 4/5/10) [Article quotes Margaret Palmer of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

TU exceeds 2010 RecycleMania goals: Nearly 140 tons of material recycled by campus community over nine weeks (Towson University Newsroom, 4/5/10)

Federal cash will expand university program: $951K earmark for Federal Semester program may help students get government jobs (By Alissa Gulin, The Diamondback Online, 4/5/10)

Life After Congress: Gilchrest Teaches a Love of Outdoors (By Tricia Miller, Roll Call, 4/5/10) [Article cites Salisbury University]

Two New Environmental Communications Classes at University of Maryland, College Park are being offered in May and June 2010 - Social Marketing for Sustainability: Influencing Greener Behaviors through Research-Based Messaging [PDF] and Environmental Communications

State of Maryland News

Maryland legislators' unsavory threat (The Washington Post Editorial, 4/9/10)

Committee reaches tentative deal on $13.2 billion budget: $13.2 billion plan restores bay cleanup money, idles shifting of teacher pensions to local government (By Annie Linskey, The Baltimore Sun, 4/8/10)

Funding restored to law clinic: Lawmakers reverse decision targeting school that launched lawsuit (By Annie Linskey, The Baltimore Sun, 4/7/10)

Measure hastens adoption of solar: O'Malley priority that would target Md. utilities draws Republican criticism over costs (By Julie Bykowicz, The Baltimore Sun, 4/6/10)

Storm-water showdown looms (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/5/10)

National and International News

Climate aid threat to countries that refuse to back Copenhagen accord: Developing nations claim they are being offered cash to sign up to climate change deal (By John Vidal, The [UK] Guardian, 4/11/10)

UN climate talks wrap up after fresh rows (By Jerome Cartillier, AFP as reported by Google.com, 4/11/10)

Building a Green Economy (By Paul Krugman, The New York Times Magazine, 4/11/10)

Nobel Prize Winner's Must Read ... with a significant omission (Get Energy Smart Now Blog, 4/10/10)

Cows absolved of causing global warming with nitrous oxide: Livestock could actually be good for the environment according to a new study that found grazing cows or sheep can cut emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas. (By Louise Gray, The [UK] Telegraph, 4/8/10)

2 more glaciers gone from Glacier National Park (By Matthew Brown, The Associated Press as reported by Yahoo News, 4/7/10)

Scientists' use of computer models to predict climate change is under attack (By David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post, 4/6/10)

NASA Slated To Receive Billions To Study Earth (By Jon Hamilton, National Public Radio, 4/5/10)