Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of October 24, 2011

News from Across the USM Campuses

Nov. 4^th - Dr. Susan Day -  "Urban soil management - Can it make a difference in tree canopy cover?" Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation and Department of ?Horticulture,?Virginia Tech University. This seminar, sponsored by the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education, will be held on Friday at 2:00pm in the Technology Research Center, Room 206, on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus, 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.

Nov. 4^th - Water is Rising: Music and Dance Amid Climate Change - What if your home and all its memories disappeared forever? The people of Kiribati, Tokelau and Tuvalu - Micronesian atolls that rise only three to five feet above sea level - may become permanent refugees, cut off from everything they have known, as the ocean rises and swallows their homelands due to climate change. An ensemble of musicians, dancers and storytellers from these three island nations share their cultural riches and affirm their love of village, community, family, church, the ocean and the lagoon. With joyful music and dance, illuminated by images from their homes, they express their hope for a future in the place they love. This event will be held at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in the Kay Theater at 8pm, on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Nov. 3^rd - B'More Green - Baltimore Sun correspondent Tim Wheeler reports on the environment and the Chesapeake Bay. A native of West Virginia, he has reported on Maryland's environment since moving here in 1983. Along the way, he's crewed aboard a skipjack in the bay, canoed under city streets up the Jones Falls from the Inner Harbor, and gone deep underground in a Western Maryland coal mine. A seafood lover and country rambler, he will share his good stories.  This event, sponsored by UM Go Green,  will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the SMC Campus Center Green Room on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, at 621 W. Lombard St., Baltimore, MD, 21201. Registration is required.

Staff editorial: Community sustainability (By the Diamondback Editorial Board, The Diamondback Online, 10/21/11)

Dining Services officials launch new sustainability initiative: Officials, student volunteers educate on food recycling (By Spencer Israel, The Diamondback Online, 10/20/11)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

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• Useful Links and References

Environmental education belongs in the classroom - Our view: Teaching public school students about the environment makes sense not only for Maryland but for the rest of the country (Editorial, The Baltimore Sun, 10/24/11)

Study finds MD lags in polluter penalties, permit fees (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 10/21/11)

Rural lawmakers push back against Bay cleanup, sprawl curbs (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 10/18/11)

National and International News

The heat is on: A new analysis of the temperature record leaves little room for the doubters. The world is warming (The Economist Magazine - Science and Technology, from the 10/22/11 print edition)

Climate study confirms what skeptics scoffed at: global warming is real - Koch, Gates charities pay for research backing earlier claims that came under fire (By Pete Spotts, The Christian Science Monitor as reported by MSNBC.com, 10/22/11)

Oil companies restarting operations in Libya (By Steven Mufson, The Wasington Post - Business, 10/21/11)

Anger over high energy bills is test of EU's commitment to renewables: The EU wants its countries to improve its energy security and reduce household demand, so higher bills are inevitable (By Michael Pollitt, The [UK] Guardian, 10/20/11)

Global warming study finds no grounds for climate sceptics' concerns: Independent investigation of the key issues sceptics claim can skew global warming figures reports that they have no real effect (By Ian Sample, The [UK] Guardian - Environment, 10/20/11)

Rick Perry, Ron Paul have mixed record on energy subsidies (By Paul Kane, The Washington Post, 10/19/11)

IEA Sees Dire Future For Climate, Energy Without New Technology (By Dow Jones Newswires as reported by Fox Business, 10/19/11)

Democratic lawmakers pressure Obama administration on both sides of Keystone pipeline issue (By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, 10/19/11)

Proposed Oil Pipeline From Canada (Reported by Diane Rehm, The Diane Rehm Show, 10/18/11)

Officials from Texas Spark Revolt After Perry Appointees Doctor Environmental Report: Scientists are asking for their names to be removed after mentions of climate change and sea-level rise were taken out by Texas officials. (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian as reported by Alernet.org - Environment, 10/18/11)

House GOP Pushes Through Anti-EPA Bills That Could Lead To 32,500 Premature Deaths From Pollution (By Marie Diamond, Think Progress - Green, 10/17/11)

West Village, Nation's Largest Zero Net Energy Community, Unveiled At UC Davis (PHOTOS, VIDEO) (By Robin Wilkey, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 10/17/11)