Week of June 22, 2009

News From Across the USM Campuses

US report: climate changing here now (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 6/16/09) [Article quotes Donald Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

James D. Watkins and Donald F. Boesch: Battling for our coastal economy (By James D. Watkins and Donald F. Boesch, The Gazette.Net, 6/19/09) [Dr. Donald Boesch is President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

University of Maryland, Eastern Shore eyes solar farm (By Liz Holland and Deborah Gates, DelMarVaNow.com, 6/17/09)  

University of Maryland students build system to reduce Anacostia River pollution and flooding (KABC - Los Angeles/Channel 7 News, 6/16/09)

Art of the Western World to 1300 (ARTH 200). In this course, instructor Lyrica Taylor, of the Department of Art History & Archeology, at University of Maryland, College Park, will focus on sustainability in the history of art and culture. This is a Summer Session 2 course, and the class meets 7/13 to 8/23, Monday through Friday at 2:00-3:20pm, and satisfies the HA CORE requirement.  For more information, see the course listing on Testudo or contact Lyrica Taylor at letaylor@umd.edu

University of Maryland, College Park Sustainability Office - TIP OF THE WEEK - Air Condition Wisely - Only run your air conditioner when heat and humidity is too much to be handled through natural ventilation and the use of fans.  Set the temperature to 78°F and close all windows and doors.  If some rooms get cooler than others, close the vents in the cool rooms and open the vents in the warmer rooms.  Or, if you use window A/C, use fans to help distribute the cooler air.  Always turn the A/C off or set the temperature higher when you leave the house.  When you need a new air conditioner, buy one that is Energy Star certified.

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

The Week Ahead: Smart Growth, Cousteau (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 6/21/09)

Septic, sewage cleanups on tap (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 6/20/09)

MICA students grow food, connect with community (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun, 6/19/09)

Investors back green rehabs: More businesses believe that ecological consciousness can pay (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun, 6/19/09)

25¢ fee for most plastic, paper bags opposed: Merchants, city residents call surcharge unfair to poor, elderly (By Sarah Fisher, The Baltimore Sun, 6/17/09)

The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investment Across America - PDF (Pew Trust Clean Energy Report, 6/10/09) [Maryland Clean Energy Fact Sheet - PDF] 

National and International News

American shoppers misled by greenwash, Congress told: 98% of supposedly environmentally friendly products in US supermarkets make false or confusing claims, campaigners say (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian, 6/21/09)

Greener diet reduces dairy cows' methane burps (By Lisa Rathke, The Associated Press as reported on Yahoo News, 6/21/09)

Lettuce From the Garden, With Worms (By Nicholas D. Kristoff, Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times, 6/20/09)

A Move to Put the Union Label on Solar Power Plants (By Todd Woody, The New York Times, 6/19/09)

Dell Calls ‘Green' MacBook Ads Misleading (By Azadeh Ensha, The New York Times - Green, Inc. Blog, 6/19/09)

Living on Canada's Oil: Must we really choose between energy security and a climate disaster? (By Michael A. Levi, Slate.com, 6/19/09)

Dodge Roadster: ‘Least Green' Car in Britain (ByJames Kanter, The New York Times - Green, Inc. Blog, 6/19/09)

Turning Human Organic Waste Into Energy (By John Lorinc, The New York Times - Green, Inc. Blog, 6/19/09)

The Pacific isn't the only ocean collecting plastic trash: A swirling 'soup' of tiny pieces of plastic has been found in the Atlantic Ocean, and something similar may be present in other ocean areas as well (By Kristen Chick, The Christian Science Monitor, 6/18/09)

Artificial Sweeteners May Contaminate Water Downstream Of Sewage Treatment Plants And Even Drinking Water (Science Daily, 6/18/09)

House Rejects California lawmaker's water amendment (By Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers, 6/18/09)

Obama administration criticised over failure to disclose coal dump locations: Administration turns down senator's request to make public the list of 44 dumps, which contain arsenic and metals (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian, 6/18/09)

Climate impact report says 800,000 homes will be at risk of flooding (By Francis Elliott and Robin Pagnamenta, The [UK] Times Online, 6/18/09)

White House Releases Report On Climate Change: Findings address current and projected impacts across the United States (By Sid Perkins, U.S. News and World Report, 6/17/09)

Serious effects of global warming worsening, White House report warns (By The Associated Press as reported in the Dallas Morning News, 6/17/09)

Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S - Report (United States Global Change Research Program, 6/16/09)

Water risks ripple through the beverage industry (Martinne Geller, Reuters, 6/16/09)

Climate change divides the Alps down the middle: Global warming is already causing flooding in the north and water shortages in south, report says (By Michael Day, The [UK] Independent, 6/16/09)

New Federal Climate Report Underscores Need for Emissions Reductions, Green Groups Say (Union for Concerned Scientists, New Center, 6/16/09)

Germans plan solar power project in Africa: report (Reuters, 6/16/09)

Urban Farming, a Bit Closer to the Sun (By Marian Burros, The New York Times, 6/16/09)

Smart Grid vs. Renewable Energy: Where Should We Invest? (By Jennifer Lance, Reuters, 6/15/09)

The Arctic Thaw Could Make Global Warming Worse: The melting Arctic is releasing vast quantities of methane. How big is this greenhouse threat? What can be done? (By Sarah Simpson, Scientific American, June 2009)