Week of July 20, 2009

News from Across the USM Campuses

Official: Coastal talks incomplete (By Amy Wold, The Baton Rouge Advocate, 7/17/09) [Article quotes Dr. Donald Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Around Annapolis: Group uses oysters to clean the Chesapeake Bay?(By Diane M. Rey, The Capital, 7/17/09) [Article quotes staff of the Horn Point Laboratory]

Treating Ballast Water Could Fight Invasive Species (By Jon Hamilton, National Public Radio - The Environment, 7/14/09) [Article quotes Mario Tamburri, of the University of Maryland and director of the state's Maritime Environmental Resource Center.]

State of Maryland News

O'Malley says Constellation must do more: Proposal would change delivery rate costs, timetable in exchange for blessing of its French deal (By Hanah Cho and Laura Smitherman, The Baltimore Sun, 7/18/09)

July 18th through 26th is Buy Local Week 2009 -  During this week, Governor O'Malley and First Lady Katie O'Malley challenge all Marylanders to eat at least one locally grown, produced, or harvested item each day.  Buying locally strengthens Maryland's economy by keeping money in our communities. Local food is fresh and more nutrient-rich when it reaches our plates and it is reassuring to know where our food comes from and how our farmers grow it.  This week-long celebration is the time to help ensure a smart, green and growing future for Maryland families. The "Maryland's Best" website is a great resource for finding local food including fruits & vegetables, dairy & eggs, meat, wine, seafood, and more.  Visit a farmer's market this weekend and see Maryland's pride!

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

July 2009 - Food, Inc. showing at The Charles Theater in Baltimore (Scroll down linked page to see Food, Inc. showtimes) and other Maryland theaters - Food, Inc. reveals surprising-and often shocking truths-about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

"Kitchen gardens" are having their moment in the sun. But eating your lawn takes some planning (By Scott Carlson, Urbanite Magazine, July 2009)

National and International News

Fresno County, left in the dust: Drought, water politics and tough economic times have turned a once-vibrant region into California's Detroit (By Rick Wartzman, The Los Angeles Times, Op-Ed, 7/19/09)

Trade and Climate (The New York Times Op-Ed, NT, 7/19/09)

Exxon Could Face $1 Billion In Fines For Sabotage-Texas Agency (By Angel Gonzalez, NASDAQ Stock Market News, 7/17/09)

Conservationists Stop Herbicide Spraying on 1.5 Million Acres of Public Land Bureau of Land Management Urged to End Its Addiction to Toxins (Center for Biological Diversity Press Release, 7/17/09)

Embattled organic sector worries about regulation  (By Mari Saito, Reuters, 7/17/09)

World's cheapest car hits Indian streets (By Phil Hazlewood, Yahoo News, 7/17/09)

Windscapes: American Vistas Where Energy Is in the Air (By Adam Goodheart, The New York Times, 7/16/09)

AAA Expands Roadside Assistance to Bicycles (By Josh Harkinson, Mother Jones, 7/16/09)

Supermarkets in Britain slash plastic bags (Yahoo News, 7/16/09)

Corporations co-opt "local": As the movement to buy local gains momentum, chains try to get in on the action and confuse consumers (By Stacey Mitchell, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, 7/15/09)

Village Aims to Kick Carbon Habit (By Sarah Mukherjee, The British Broadcasting Corporation, 7/15/09)

Farming Algae For Fuel: From Pond To Pump (By Laura Conaway, National Public Radio, 7/15/09)

Revisit Carter's energy speech (By Kevin Mattson, The Times Union, 7/14/09)

Paris Bike Rental Program Celebrates Second Birthday (The Huffington Post - video, 7/15/09)

Wal-Mart index to rate products' environmental impact (By Nicole Maestri, Reuters, 7/15/09)

Oil's Puzzling Spring Surge Reignites Debate About Speculators (By Steven Mufson, The Washington Post, 7/14/09)

The Summit of Green Futility (By Anne Applebaum, The Washington Post, 7/14/09)

The rich can relax. We just need the poor world to cut emissions. By 125%. British and G8 climate strategy just doesn't add up. As soon as serious curbs are needed it turns into impossible nonsense (By George Monbiot, The [UK] Guardian, 7/13/09)          

Dow Pitching New Pesticide That Doubles As an Extraordinarily Potent Greenhouse Gas:  Scientists and Advocates Organize to Block Sulfuryl Fluoride,  a Pesticide 4,780 Times More Potent Than Carbon Dioxide (Center for Biological Diversity Press Release, 7/13/09)

Students Build Hydrogen Vehicle That Gets 1,336 MPG (By Jerry James Stone, Gas 2.0, 7/13/09)

Green infrastructure in smart growth, beautifully illustrated (By Kaid Benfield, Natural Resources Defense Council, 7/13/09)

Electric cars could dominate U.S. roads in 2030 (By Reuters as reported by CNBC.com, 7/13/09)