Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of December 16, 2013

News from Across the USM Campuses

Share the Ride with Other Terms - What is UMD Zimride? Zimride is a fun and easy way to share the seats in your car or catch a ride. With Zimride, you can find friends, classmates, and coworkers at University of Maryland, College Park who are going the same way you are. Have a car? Need a ride? UMD Zimride helps you offer or request rides for commutes, road trips, and popular events. If you have a car, split costs by offering rides. If you don't have a car, find rides where you need to go. Who can use this site? You need a UMD Directory ID to access this program. Zimride is a private ridesharing network of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Feb. 10^th - What Can DPW Do For You? Learn about Baltimore City's recycling program and other initiatives such as trash clean-up and tap water quality from the Department of Public Works. Sponsored by UM Go Green and the Wellness Hub. This event will be held from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm at the SMC Campus Center Green Room, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 621 W. Lombard St. Baltimore, MD 21201. Register now!

Feb. 25^th - Green Your Commute. More than 10,000 faculty, staff, and students park at the University. Most of us drive alone. Luckily, the University has a number of programs that encourage sustainable transportation. Which program suits you? Sponsored by UM Go Green and the Wellness Hub. This event will be held from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm at the SMC Campus Center Green Room, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 621 W. Lombard St. Baltimore, MD 21201. Register now!

State of Maryland News

Maryland needs to be a leader in Bay's restoration (By Robert Summers, Cecil Daily - Opinion, 12/13/13)

Sea Level & Risk of Flooding Rising Rapidly in Mid-Atlantic (By Andrew Freedman, ClimateCentral.org, 12/12/13)

Maryland among Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states seeking to curb air pollution from upwind states: Eight states file petition to require upwind states to take action; move would require upwind states to reduce air pollution, protecting Marylanders' health (Maryland Department of the Environment - Clean Air, Press Release, 12/9/13)

National and International News

The U.S. Is A Gas-Guzzling Horror Show, In 1 Chart (By Maxwell Strachan, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 12/16/13)

Small Town Declares All-Out Offensive Against Tar Sands Port: Despite threats of legal action, South Portland, Maine vows to continue their fight against Big Oil in pipeline fight (By Lauren McCauley, CommonDreams.org, 12/16/13)

Fracking Hell: What It's Really Like to Live Next to a Shale Gas Well: Nausea, headaches and nosebleeds, invasive chemical smells, constant drilling, slumping property prices - welcome to Ponder, Texas, where fracking has overtaken the town. (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian as reported by Alternet.org - Environment Blog, 12/16/13)

These Are The Most Water-Stressed Countries In The World (By Matt Ferner, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 12/13/13)

Activists urge White House to let Podesta weigh in on Keystone: The president's new advisor said he'll be recusing himself from the pipeline decision (By Lindsay Abrams, Salon.com, 12/12/13)

Why Is the US Getting in the Way of International Efforts to Make Clean Water a Basic Human Right? The United States is the only country marring the good works of a UN resolution on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation. (By Shiney Varghese, Alternet.org - Environment Blog, 12/12/13)

The billionaire boys' club: How college students and Wall Street are thinking alike (By Heather Smith, Grist.org, 12/11/13)

John Podesta, climate hawk and Keystone opponent, joins Obama team (By Lisa Hymas, Grist.org, 12/10/13)

Newly discovered greenhouse gas '7,000 times more powerful than CO2': Perfluorotributylamine is an unregulated, long-living industrial chemical that breaks all records for potential climate impacts (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian, 12/10/13)

We are deluding ourselves: The apocalypse is coming - and technology can't save us: Long-term human survival is at risk, and some are convinced technology will somehow save us. Here's the hard truth (By Tim Donovan, Salon.com, 12/9/13)