Week of April 23, 2012

News from Across the USM Campuses

April 26^th - The Clark School Engineering Sustainability Workshop 2012 - Focus 2012: Solar Energy. Come to the Clark School Engineering Sustainability Workshop 2012 and learn how sustainability must be engineered. This event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Kay Boardrooms and Rotunda,?Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, on the University of Maryland, College Park campus.?Co-sponsored by the University of Maryland Energy Research Center and the University of Maryland Office of Sustainability.

April 28^th - Maryland Day 2012 at University of Maryland, College Park. This community event will take place on the campus of University of Maryland, College Park from 10am - 4pm. Program [PDF] of events and activities.

Deep-water drilling remains a risky business: Donald Boesch argues that the lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill should be enshrined in legislation before they fade from memory. (By Donald Boesch, The Journal Nature, 4/19/12) [Dr. Donald F. Boesch is the President of University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

SU Again Named Among Nation's Greenest Colleges (Salisbury University Press Release, 4/18/12)

Chesapeake Bay gets D+ in U-Md. Report Card [Video] (The Washington Post, 4/17/12) [Report issued by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

• Practices
• Programs
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• Presentations
• Climate Change Definitions
• Facilities Master Planning
• Statewide Sustainability Efforts
• ACUPCC National Benchmarking
• Useful Links and References

Obama Administration Names 78 Schools in 29 States and D.C. as First-Ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools: Winners Represent a Diverse Portfolio of Schools, Includes 66 Public and 12 Private Schools in Urban and Rural Communities (U.S. Department of Education Press Release, 4/23/12) [4 Maryland schools were named "Green Ribbon" Schools - The schools are: Dunloggin Middle School?(Ellicott City), Francis Scott Key Middle School?(Silver Spring), Folger McKinsey Elementary School?(Severna Park), and Lucy School?(Middletown)]

Environmental groups seek Bay lawsuit dismissal: Farmers, home builders challenge EPA cleanup order (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/23/12)

BWI powers up, saves money with new solar panels: Rooftop array, other measures will save airport $2 million annually on energy costs (By Candus Thomson, The Baltimore Sun, 4/19/12)

National and International News

UPDATE 2 - Egypt cancels gas deal with Israel: Israel relies on Egypt for 40 percent of gas supply; Egyptian denies decision is political (By Ari Rabinovitch, Reuters, 4/22/12)

Feeling peaky: The economic impact of high oil prices (The Economist Magazine - Buttonwood's Notebook, 4/21/12)

Occupy Earth Day (By Peter Rugh, CommonDreams.org, 4/21/12)

It's Easy Being Green: Sundance Earth Day Selections (Sundance.org, 4/19/12)

Oil Spill Commission Action Group Gives Congress Low Grades For Regulatory Reform On Drilling (By Tom Zeller, Jr., The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 4/17/12)

Why The Huffington Post Doesn't Equivocate On Issues Like Global Warming (By Justin Ellis, Nieman Journalism Lab as reported by ThinkProgress.org - Climate Progress, 4/17/12)

Share and share a bike: A fresh way to find a rental cycle (By Andrew Zaleski, Grist.org, 4/17/12)

Big Oil Outspends Obama Ten to One on Energy Ads (By Alyssa Battistoni, Mother Jones - Blue Marble Blog, 4/16/12)

Just a Fraction More White Roofs Could Have a Huge Global Impact (By Nate Berg, The Atlantic Cities Blog, 4/16/12)

As ice cap melts, militaries vie for Arctic edge (By Eric Talmadge, The Associated Press as reported by PostBulletin.com, 4/16/12)

What You Should Know About Exxon-Mobil's Hypocritical Science Education Ad Campaign (By Dominique Browning, Time Ideas as reported by ThinkProgress.org - Climate Blog, 4/16/12)

Two Simple Ideas for Solving Our Addiction to Card (By Greg Rucks and Jessie Morris, Rocky Mountain Institute as reported by ThinkProgress.org - Climate Progress, 4/16/12)