Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of April 26, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

April 27^th - CEO@Smith speaker series: Barbara Krumsiek, CEO and President, Calvert Group, Ltd. -  5:30pm-7:30pm, 1524 Van Munching Hall, University of Maryland, College Park Campus. Sponsor: Smith School of Business. Calvert is a leader in sustainable and responsible investing, managing over $14 billion in assets. In addition to strong performance in the marketplace, Calvert is recognized as a "Great Place to Work" and an "Eco Leader" by the Alliance for Workplace Excellence. Join the Smith School for April's CEO@Smith lecture to learn more about Barbara Krumsiek's leadership at the Bethesda-based Calvert Group.

April 27^th - Chesapeake Project Faculty Learning Community Gathering - 12-1pm, Symons 1110, University of Maryland, College Park campus. Sponsor: The Office of Sustainability. Join a discussion with your faculty colleagues about integrating sustainability across the curriculum. RSVP by April 21 to stewartm@umd.edu. Lunch will be provided.

April 28^th -  Salisbury University - Smart Growth Day - SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University's Department of Geography and Geosciences in the Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology holds "Smart Growth Day," a one-day conference on Wednesday, April 28. The event is a forum to engage communities, organizations, elected officials, environmentalists, planners, consulting firms and developers in constructive discussions about Maryland's future growth. For more information, visit the Salisbury University web site or call 410-543-6457.

April 29^th - Appalachia is Disappearing: A Panel on Mountain Top Removal Mining (Exact time and location to be announced). Sponsor: UMD for Clean Energy - Speakers from several non-profits talk about the harmful practice of mountain top removal coal mining and what can be done to put a stop to it.

April 30^th - Dr. Christopher Small?- Lamont Doherty-Earth Observatory, Columbia University.  "Is New York Greening?" Seminar will be held on Friday at 2pm in the Technology Research Center, Room 206, on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus. The seminar, which is a part of the CUERE Seminar Series, 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 the seminar.

April 30^th - Lecture on China's Environment - 12:15-1:45, School of Public Policy, 1113 Van Munching Hall, University of Maryland, College Park campus. Sponsor: Ecological Economics Student Groups (EESG). Join EESG to hear a lecture by Dr. Jennifer Turner, the Director of the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center. She will present on China's environment, discussing issues such as desertification and other environmental issues where economics play a significant role.

Maryland colleges make the green list (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/26/10)[Article cites USM universities on the "greenest colleges" list - Salisbury University; Towson University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and University of Maryland, College Park]

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

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• Climate Change Definitions
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• Useful Links and References

Become more earth-savvy at SU (By Calum McKinney, DelMarVaNow.com, 4/22/10)

O'Malley visits SU: Governor promotes greener society, government's role in protecting environment (By Deborah Gates, DelMarVaNow.com, 4/21/10)

UMBC Included in "Guide to 286 Green Colleges" by Princeton Review and U.S. Green Building Council (UMBC News, 4/21/10)

SALISBURY: SU named among nation's 'greenest' colleges (DelMarVaNow.com, 4/20/10)

Solar Decathlons and other sustainability news (By Daniel de Vise, The Washington Post - College, Inc. Blog, 4/20/10)

Energy Legislation: Time to Clean Up (By Matt Dernoga, The Diamondback Online, 4/20/10)

TU named to Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges: New guidebook profiles TU as one of most environmentally responsible U.S. colleges (Towson University News Room, 4/20/10)

SU Named Among Nation's 'Greenest' Colleges (Salisbury University Press Release, 4/19/10)

Registration ends soon for program at Horn Point: Summer center teaches kids environmental stewardship (By Calum McKinney, DelMarVaNow.com, 4/19/10)

"Branching Out" - Coppin State University Sustainability News, Volume I, Issue I: Cultivating Our World by Planting Seeds in Our Community, April 2010

State of Maryland News

Electric bills to decrease starting in June: Increased supply, lower demand means smaller power bills for residential customers (By Liz F. Kay, The Baltimore Sun, 4/22/10)

To save money, Ocean City drops recycling program: Budget troubles prompt cancellation (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun, 4/21/10)

Air pollution limits tightened on Baltimore incinerator: EPA says Maryland improperly relaxed permit on trash-to-energy plant (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 4/19/10)

Baltimore details progress in move toward sustainability (By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, 4/19/10)

A swimmable, fishable harbor? Local group proposes 10-year plan for cleaning harbor (By Edward Gunts, The Baltimore Sun, 4/17/10)

National and International News 

Oil rig spill off Louisiana could threaten coastline: There are fears of an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, as efforts to clear up an oil spill have been suspended because of bad weather. (BBC News, 4/26/10)

A National Network Of Bike Trails? It Could Happen (By NPR Staff, National Public Radio, 4/25/10)

California Cyclists Split On Two-Wheel Texting Ban (By Molly Samuel, National Public Radio, 4/25/10)

Climate bill placed on hold over Senate dispute (By Matthew Daly, The Associated Press as reported by Yahoo News, 4/25/10)

Thousands Gather on the Mall for Earth Day (By Janie Lorber, The New York Times - Green Blog, 4/25/10)

Cape Wind and Mr. Salazar (The New York Times - Editorial, 4/25/10)

Loaded With Concessions, Climate Bill Wins Backing of Oil Companies (By Aaron Wiener, The Washington Independent, 4/23/10)

Amtrak trials first cow-powered train: Biodiesel made from beef byproducts fuels rail operator's first green train, cutting carbon emissions and improving air quality (By Danny Bradbury, BusinessGreen.com, 4/23/10)

Bill Gates and Friends Make Case for Energy R&D (By Alixis Madrigal, Wired - Science, 4/23/10)

Windmill Boom Curbs Electric Power Prices for RWE (Update2) (By Jeremy van Loon, Bloomberg.com, 4/23/10)

Climate change legislation unlikely this year, say sources (By Dana Bash, CNN Politics, 4/23/10)

Greenpeace says no to energy bill (By Jeanne Cummings, Politico, 4/23/10)

BP pledges to clean up Gulf of Mexico spill (The Associated Press as reported by Yahoo News, 4/23/10)

CO₂ Emissions Causing Ocean Acidification to Progress at Unprecedented Rate (National Academy of Science Press Release, 4/22/10)

Senate Climate Bill: Five Hot Spots (Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones, 4/22/10)

Kerry: Three Big Oil Companies Likely to Back Climate Bill (Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones - Blue Marble, 4/22/10)

A New Climate Movement in Bolivia (By Naomi Klein, The Nation, 4/21/10)

Generating Electricity by Going With the Flow (The New York Times - The Business of Green, 4/21/10) [Video diagrams]

Earth Day at 40 - progress and pitfalls: Environmentalists see steps forward, backward on anniversary (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun, 4/21/10)

Aid for Sanitation and Water Projects Lags (By Andrew C. Revkin, The New York Times - Dot Earth Blog, 4/21/10)

Geologists Drill into Antarctica and Find Troubling Signs for Ice Sheets' Future: New sediment cores from an Antarctic research drilling program suggest that the southernmost continent has had a more dynamic history than previously suspected (By Clay Farris Naff, Scientific American, 4/19/10)

The Geological Society of America Statement on Climate Change (The Geological Society of America Position Statement, Adopted in October 2006; revised April 2010)