Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of September 10, 2012

News from Across the USM Campuses

Sept. 27^th - The Sustainable Event - Are you planning an event on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus? Want to make it environmentally friendly? Nancy Gordon, senior director of University Events has the lowdown! Learn more helpful tips with the University's Green Guide. The Sustainable Event will be held from12-1pm at the SMC Campus Center, Room 351 at University of Maryland, Baltimore, located at 621 W. Lombard St. Baltimore, MD.

Oct. 11^th - Rain Barrels 101: Saving for a Sunny Day - Interested in installing rain barrels at your home or just want to learn how to conserve water? Come to this workshop by Blue Water Baltimore to learn how easy it is to set up your own rain barrels! This event will be held from 12-1pm at the SMC Campus Center, Green Room, at University of Maryland, Baltimore, located at 621 W. Lombard St. Baltimore, MD  

At Salisbury University, envisioning pathways to a bay about which we can feel optimistic (By Tom Horton, The Baltimore Sun, 9/10/12)

State of Maryland News

A bid to keep fracking on hold (By Alexander Pyles, The Daily Record, 9/9/12)

State launches rebate program for some wood, pellet stoves (The Cumberland Times-News, 9/7/12)

School system to seek newly allocated state energy efficiency funds (By Alisha George, The Carroll County Times, 9/7/12)

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

You Think 2012 Is Hot? Wait Until 2013: Barring a volcanic eruption, next year will set records. But don't blame El Niño. (By Stefan Rahmstorf, Slate.com, 9/9/12)

As Gas Prices Rise, Republicans Once Again Propose Big Oil ‘Solutions' That Don't Solve The Problem (By Rebecca Leber, ThinkProgress.org, 9/6/12)

Caribbean Coral Reefs Mostly Dead, IUCN Says (By Christine Dell'Amore, National Geographic News, 9/6/12)

Saudi oil well dries up (By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The [UK] Telegraph, 9/5/12)

Team Romney: Top Response To Climate Change Should Be More Defense Spending! Romney Calls For More Scientific ‘Debate' On Climate Change, But Opposes Any Serious Effort To Cut Carbon Pollution (By Joe Romm, ThinkProgress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 9/5/12)

Shifting Views on Climate Change (By John M. Broder, The New York Times - Green Blog, 9/5/12)

A Summer of Extremes Signifies the New Normal: This summer has seen record heat waves and wildfires in the U.S, the worst flooding in Beijing's modern history, and droughts that devastated the U.S. corn crop and led India to set up "refugee camps" for livestock. These extreme events were not freak occurrences - this is how the earth works now. (By Bill McKibben, Yale Environment 360 - Opinion, 9/4/12)

Permission to Pollute: A Green Light for the First Tar Sands Mine in the US? (By Melanie Jae Martin, CommonDreams.org, 9/4/12)

The Six Stages of Climate Grief: I have discovered a new sixth stage, beyond acceptance of the truly depressing climate science: doing The Work. (By Daphne Wysham, OtherWords as reported by CommonDreams.org, 9/4/12)

Obama, Democrats will stress administration's track record on energy, environment (By Steven Mufson, The Washington Post - Energy and Environment, 9/4/12)