USM National Green Campus
News Archive

Week of May 17, 2010

News from Across the USM Campuses

UMCP Office of Sustainability - Tip of the Week - Ride a Bike - The bicycle remains the most efficient form of personal transportation ever invented and, of course, it uses no fossil fuels!  By the way, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association is sponsoring their annual Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 21, with a welcome in College Park at City Hall (4500 Knox Road at Route 1), 6:30 to 8:30am.    

Another look at oyster restoration (By Jim Heim, The News-Post, 5/16/10) [Article quotes staff of the UMCES's Horn Point Laboratory]

Louisiana oil spill: toxic chemical fear over BP's clean-up efforts: Officials, scientists and fishermen warn of threat to sealife in the Gulf of Mexico (By Peter Beaumont, The [UK] Guardian, 5/16/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

Less Toxic Dispersants Lose Out in BP Oil Spill Cleanup (By Paul Quinlan, Greenwire as reported by the New York Times, 5/13/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

After slow start, Mote helped drive university's sustainability efforts: Officials, students praise outgoing president's improved environmental focus (By Dana Cetrone, The Diamondback Online, 5/13/10)

The science of dispersants: Massive use of surfactant chemicals turns Gulf of Mexico into a giant experiment. (By Daniel Cressey, Nature, 5/12/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

Expert: Dispersants don't solve problem (UPI Science News, 5/12/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

Oil Spill: Senators concerned about dispersants (By Bart Jansen, Pensacola News Journal, 5/11/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

EPA: Dispersants' impact not known (By Diana Carlton, The Houston Chronicle - Energy Blog, 5/11/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

 Tough call for scientists on safety of oil ‘dispersants' (By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post as reported by DelawareOnline, 5/10/10) [Article quotes Carys Mitchelmore of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ]

Frostburg State University Listed in Princeton Review "Guide to 286 Green Colleges" (Frostburg State University, Press Release 5/10/2010)

University Initiatives - Small Cans Can Make a Big Difference (By Stacy Jones, Between the Columns, May 2010)

State of Maryland News

Baltimore left out of Bay cleanup deal? (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 5/14/10)

Schools are honored for going green (By Christy Zucarrini, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 5/14/10)

Senators introduce new climate/energy bill (By Meredith Cohn, The Baltimore Sun, 5/12/10)  

Bay foundation settles lawsuit with EPA: New measures, timetable aim to speed Chesapeake cleanup (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 5/11/10)

National and International News

May 21st - Bike to Work Day - Join thousands of area commuters for a celebration of bicycling as a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work!  Meet up with your neighbors at one of 35 regional pit stops, ride into the city with experienced commuter convoys and meet your fellow cyclists at Freedom Plaza. Washington Area Bicyclist Association and Commuter Connections invite you to try bicycling to work as an alternative to solo driving. Help the Washington region become a better place to ride.  Bike to Work Day is a FREE event and open to all area commuters.  There will be a raffle, prizes, food, drink and more at all pit stops throughout the region. (The Washington Area Bicyclist Association).

BP: Tube is siphoning oil from leak: 'So far it's working extremely well,' company VP says of strategy (MSNBC.com News Services, 5/16/10)

BP Reports Some Success in Capturing Leaking Oil (By Shaila Dewan, The New York Times, 5/16/10)

Giant Oil Plumes Found In Gulf Depths (By Jeffery Collins, The Huffington Post, 5/16/10)

Obama Vows End to ‘Cozy' Oversight of Oil Industry (John M. Broder and Helene Cooper, The New York Times, 5/14/10)

U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits (By Ian Urbina, The New York Times, 5/13/10)

Size of Oil Spill Underestimated, Scientists Say (By Justin Gillis, The New York Times, 5/13/10)

New climate bill has drilling veto: States could block neighbors; Obama backs, but how much? (MSNBC.com News Services, Reuters and The Associated Press; 5/12/10)

Moving our nation beyond petroleum (By Daphne Wysham, The Associated Press as reported by The Charleston Gazette, 5/12/10)

Canada's tar sands: a dangerous solution to offshore oil: Alberta is the 'safe' option for US oil needs - but its tar sands are far more environmentally damaging than Deep Horizon (By Heather McRobie, The [UK] Guardian, 5/11/10)

Obama Seeks to Split Agency That Monitors Oil Drilling (By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and John M. Broder, The New York Times, 5/11/10)

World is failing to preserve biodiversity, UN report says: Human activity continues to threaten plants and animals; consequences will be 'severe for us all' (By Janet Lawrence, Reuters as reported by The Vancouver Sun, 5/11/10)

BP shareholder sues company executives over Gulf oil spill: A BP shareholder from the United States is suing company executives over ignoring safety issues prior to the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon and subsequent Gulf oil spill. (By Kevin McGill, The Associated Press as reported by The Christian Science Monitor, 5/10/10)

Oil leak is 5 times greater than reported by officials (From Staff Reports, PNJ.com, 5/10/10)

Report: Climate change could render much of world uninhabitable (By Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5/10/10)

EPA still working on Barnett Shale air pollution problem, agency says (By Mike Lee, The Star-Telegram, 5/10/10)

Separate Oversight for Offshore Safety? (By Tom Zeller, Jr., The New York Times, Green Blog, 5/10/10)

Battle for climate wages on in California: As Schwarzenegger sidelines offshore drilling he is left fighting for climate laws to break California's oil dependency (By Vincent Bevins, The [UK] Guardian, 5/10/10)

U.S. agency let oil industry write offshore drilling rules (By Les Blumenthal and Erika Bolstad, McClatchy Newspapers, 5/10/10) [VIDEO]

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