Week of April 8, 2013

News from Across the USM Campuses

April 10^th - The Hoop House: Urban Farming in Baltimore - What is sustainable agriculture? How can you farm in the city? Civic Works' Real Food Farm is doing it all and delivering fresh produce all over Baltimore City. This event will be held from 12 - 1pm, Room 351, SMC Campus Center, at University of Maryland, Baltimore.

April 15^th & 16^th - Smart and Sustainable Campus Conference - Colleges and universities are incubators of innovation, tackling the biggest challenges of society through creative means. The 2013 Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference provides the setting to learn, share and explore how campuses are using their passion for innovation to develop technologies, infrastructure, programs and curricula that address the world's most pressing sustainability challenges. For 2013, there is a NEW conference - The DoubleTree by Hilton, in downtown Bethesda. This venue is walking distance to two subway stations and nearly 200 restaurants. Hop on the Bethesda Circulator for a free and convenient ride to any downtown destination. For more information about the conference, contact Aynsley Toews at atoews@umd.edu.

April 27^th - The 5th Annual Towson University Environmental Conference will be held from 10am - 5pm at the University Union, on the campus of Towson University. The annual conference is designed to raise awareness among students, faculty and staff about environmental topics, issues and solutions. Each year members of the campus community gather to hear presentations from faculty, students and environmental leaders in the Baltimore region. The conference addresses the impact of individuals and communities on the environment and actions that individuals and communities can take to positively impact the environment and create a more sustainable world.

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

April 12^th - Deadline for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's "Save the Bay" Photo Contest - The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers. We are seeking photographs that illustrate the positive aspects of the Bay and its rivers and streams. We want to see your vision of the Bay region-from Pennsylvania to Virginia, from the Shenandoah Mountains to the Eastern Shore. Images depicting people, wildlife, recreation, and farms within the watershed will all be considered. All photos must include water from the Chesapeake Bay or a river, stream, creek, or other body of water inside the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

April 13^th - Howard County GreenFest 2013 - Green Communities: Get Up. Get Out. Get Green. For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov. This event will be held from 10 am - 4 pm at Burrill Galleria and Quad, on the campus of Howard Community College.

April 16^th - Baltimore County's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee Seeks Community Input on Prioritizing Projects - County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced that Baltimore County's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) is seeking community input as they begin to move forward on implementing a number projects identified in the recently adopted Eastern and Western Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Plans. Members of the public are invited to voice their preferences on which projects to fund first at a Citizen Input Meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at 5 p.m. in the Jefferson Building Hearing Room (Room 104), 105 West Chesapeake Avenue, Towson, MD, 21204. For more information, contact Kathy Schlabach, Department of Planning. [Scroll down linked page to view information]

April is Environmental Education Month in Maryland (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Press Release, 4/1/13)

Climate Change to Bring 'Superstorm Sandys' to Europe: Hurricanes and extratropical storms will bring 'far reaching consequences' (By Andrea Germanos, CommonDreams.org, 4/8/13)

Climate Change in the Southeastern U.S. Could Mean Endless Severe Thunderstorms (By John Metcalfe, The Atlantic Cities Blog, 4/8/13)

Arkansas town in lockdown after oil spill nightmare (By Suzi Parker, Grist.org, 4/5/13)

Air pollution-caused deaths total over one million per year in China (By Allison Winter, Environmental News Network, 4/5/13)

Keystone XL Stirs Montana Farmer's Climate Change And Crop Concerns (By Lynne Peebles, The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 4/4/13)

Climate Change Will Double Area Burned In U.S. Wildfires By 2050, Report Warns (By Katie Valentine, ThinkProgress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 4/4/13)

Monsanto Protection Act put GM companies above the federal courts: Campaigners say that not even the US government can now stop the sale, planting, harvest or distribution of any GM seed (By John Vidal, The [UK] Guardian - Environment Blog, 4/4/13)

Exxon's Unfriendly Skies: Why Does Exxon Control the No-Fly Zone Over Arkansas Tar Sands Spill? (By Steve Horn, DeSmog Blog as reported by CommonDreams.org, 4/4/13)

Arkansas Attorney General opens probe for Pegasus pipeline spill (By Richard Mccallum, Digital Journal - Environment, 4/2/13)

Invention of the day: A bladeless wind turbine (By Henry Grabar, Grist.org, 4/1/13)