USM National Green Campus
News Archive

Week of September 27, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

Sept. 30th - "Cities for Cycling" at University of Baltimore - How are city planners in major metropolitan areas like New York, Washington and Portland overcoming obstacles when it comes to integrating bicycling into community infrastructure? How can a city's "car culture" be adjusted to better accommodate bicyclists? Find the answers to these questions and more when the University of Baltimore and UBgreen host the National Association for City Transportation Officials' Cities for Cycling event on Thursday, Sept. 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Langsdale Library Auditorium, 1420 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, MD.

Oct. 1st - Dr. Allen Klaiber? Pennsylvania State University - "Is All Space Created Equal? Uncovering the Relationship Between Competing Land Uses in Subdivisions." This seminar, sponsored by the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education, will be held on Friday at 2:00pm in the Technology Research Center, Room 206, on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus, and is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Visitor parking passes for the TRC lot may be purchased for $4.00 in the CUERE office in TRC 102/105 on the UMBC campus shortly before seminar.

Algae eyed to clean Chesapeake Bay: Scientists say 'scrubbers' can reduce pollution, produce fuel (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 9/26/10) [Article quotes Walter Boynton of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Jellyfish in Inner Harbor a sign of drought: Stinging nettles swim north as dry conditions make upper bay saltier (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 9/23/10) [Article quotes Raleigh Hood of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Keeper wants state sanctioned for withholding farm data (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, B'More Green Blog, 9/23/10) [Article cites the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic]

Going for gold: The challenge of building green (By Matt Demoga, The Diamondback Online, 9/20/10)

Guest column: Green living is apolitical (By Matthew Popkin, The Diamondback Online, 9/20/10)

$3.6 million buys bigger, environmentally friendly DOTS buses: Four of eight new Shuttle-UM buses are costly hybrids (By Alicia McCarthy, The Diamondback Online, 9/20/10)

Growing grub: Activist shares garden's bounty (By Claire Saravia, The Diamondback Online, 9/20/10)

University works to reduce stormwater runoff pollution (By Yasmeen Abutaleb, The Diamondback Online, 9/20/10)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

State of Maryland News

EPA calls for pollution limits to clean Chesapeake: Plan targets runoff, from farms to suburbs (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 9/24/10)

Environment to be added to state curriculum: But state board puts off making it a graduation requirement (By Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun, 9/21/10)

Keeping secrets on the farm - Our view: Issue of polluting runoff from farms tests a state agency's loyalties and an administration's resolve for a cleaner Chesapeake Bay (The Baltimore Sun - Our View, 9/20/10)

$90 million proposed for new light rail lines: Transit money stands out in flat spending plan (By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun, 9/20/10)

National and International News

Halliburton slams "erroneous" BP rig blast report (By Tom Bergin, Reuters as reported by Yahoo News, 9/26/10)

Corporate lobbying is blocking food reforms, senior UN official warns: Farming summit told of delaying tactics by large agri-business and food producers on decisions that would improve human health and the environment (By Juliette Jowit, The [UK] Guardian, 9/26/10)

BP fund czar promises bigger, faster claims (By Harry R. Weber, The Associated Press as reported by The Washington Post, 9/26/10)

Experts question BP's take on Gulf oil spill (By Dina Cappiello, The Associated Press as reported by The Washington Post, 9/26/10)

NASA Maps Global Air Pollution (By Wired UK, Wired Magazine, 9/24/10)

UN warned of major new food crisis at emergency meeting in Rome: Environmental disasters and speculative investors are to blame for volatile food commodities markets, says UN's special adviser (By John Vidal and agencies, The [UK] Guardian, 9/24/10)

Magnitude of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak (By Timothy J. Crone and Maya Tolstoy, Science Magazine, 9/23/10)

UK winning fight to soften international scrutiny of offshore drilling: Attempt by Germany to introduce independent reviewing of 15 countries' drilling practices appears to be quashed (By Terry Macalister. The [UK] Guardian, 9/23/10)

Gulf Seafood Poses Long-Term Health Risks, Experts Say (Current TV, 9/23/10)

Risk insurance costs to soar for deepwater oil rigs (By Julia Kollewe, The Sydney [Australia] Morning Herald, 9/22/10)

UPDATE 2 - Mexico oil panel: Chicontpec project still flawed (By Reuters - Africa, 9/21/10)

Machu Picchu train halted over water protests: Authorities suspend tourist route to ancient ruins amid protests over irrigation scheme that could leave town without water (By Rory Carroll, The [UK] Guardian, 9/21/10)

NZ climate change warning (By Kent Atkinson, NZPA [New Zealand] Stuff, 9/21/10)

Weather disasters mirror climate models: NOAA Chief (AFP as reported by Yahoo News, 9/21/10)

Extreme Heat Bleaches Coral, and Threat Is Seen (By Justin Gillis, The New York Times, 9/20/10)

Climate change enlightenment was fun while it lasted. But now it's dead: The collapse of the talks at Copenhagen took away all momentum for change and the lobbyists are back in control. So what next? (By George Monbiot, The [UK] Guardian, 9/20/10)

A new front (The Washington Post - Editorial, 9/20/10)

Arctic Ice in Death Spiral (By Stephen Leahy, IPS News, 9/20/10)

Bike Sharing Expands in Washington (By J. David Goodman, The Washington Post - Green Blog, 9/20/10)

Please send your ideas and comments regarding campus sustainability to green@usmd.edu