USM National Green Campus
News Archive

Week of April 11, 2011

News from Across the USM Campuses

Earth Month 2011 Events and Activities at Towson University - To celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd, the Department of Civic Engagement and the Division of Administration and Finance at Towson University have planned a month of activities in April. Programs include an environmentally related NY Times Talk lunch, a recycling drop-off for hard to recycle materials, and the annual Environmental Conference on April 18th. Other activities range from year to year and have included recycled art competitions, a sustainability music and arts festival, film screenings and more.

Kim building features new environmental display from state: One-room temporary exhibit created by Maryland Energy Administration (By Claire Saravia, The Diamondback Online, 4/8/11)

SU Earns WMDT/Mountaire Environmental Star Award (Salisbury University Press Release, 4/8/11)

UMD Solar Decathlon Team Unveils 'WaterShed' (UM Newsdesk - University of Maryland, College Park, 4/8/11)

New film: Scientists share blame for oysters' decline (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/8/11) [Filmmaker, Michael Fincham, is from the Maryland Sea Grant College at University of Maryland, College Park]

More trash talk about the harbor (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Green Blog, 4/7/11) [Article cites University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the University of Maryland]

State of Maryland News

Earth Day Events: A Listing of Environmental and Conservation Events in April 2010 (Earth Month) for Montgomery County, Maryland (BethesdaGreen.org)

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

Baltimore Green Week: April 16-23, 2011 (BaltimoreGreenWorks.com)

Green City: Sustainable Living in the Urban Ecosystem (Urbanite Magazine April 2011 "Green" issue)

Forum explores outlook for ‘smart growth' in Prince George's (By Ovetta Wiggins, The Washington Post, 4/8/11)

Lawmakers table offshore wind bill for further study: Opponents of O'Malley's legislation worried about costs to ratepayers (By Timothy B. Wheeler, Julie Bykowicz and Annie Linskey, The Baltimore Sun, 4/7/11)

The new corner store: Local-foods movement inspires a new breed of grocery (By Laura Vozzella, The Baltimore Sun, 4/5/11)

Five years later, Jacksonville still grapples with gas spill: Residents tell of short showers, bottled water; second civil trial under way (By Arthur Hirsch, The Baltimore Sun, 4/5/11)

Environmentalists want feds to study gas drilling's effect on bay (By Tim Stuhldreher, Central Penn Business Journal, 4/4/11)

National and International News

Debate stirred over 1st major US tar sands min (By Chi-Chi Zhang, The Associated Press as reported by Yahoo News, 4/10/11)

Japan to stop pumping radioactive water into sea: Thousands in Tokyo attend anti-nuclear demonstrations (By Reuters and The Associated Press as reported by MSNBC, 4/10/11)

Shell's outgoing UK boss has seen oil firm's role shift in a changing climate: Chairman James Smith says Shell has had to respond to the global warming challenge (By Fiona Harvey, The [UK] Guardian, 4/8/11)

Growing The Technology For Artificial Leaves (Reported by Ira Flatow, NPR - Science Friday, 4/8/11)

Libyan unrest sends oil prices soaring to $124 a barrel: Gold and silver prices also rally amid uncertainty caused by problems in the Middle East (By Tom Bawden, The [UK] Guardian, 4/8/11)

Senate rejects measure to stop EPA on climate (By Timothy Gardner, Reuters, 4/7/11)

G.E. Plans to Build Largest Solar Panel Plant in U.S. (By Todd Woody, The New York Times - Energy and Environment, 4/7/11)

Playground Concept Teaches Clean Energy (By Caleb Denison, Earth Techling, 4/7/11)

Wind farm efficiency queried by John Muir Trust study: Wind farms are much less efficient than claimed, producing below 10% of capacity for more than a third of the time, according to a new report. (BBC News - Scotland, 4/6/11)

How The Oil Lobby Greases Washington's Wheels (By Dan Froomkin, The Huffington Post Blog, 4/6/11)

Oklahoma Facing Drought Comparable To Dust Bowl Days (By Eyder Peralta, NPR/WYPR - The Two-Way Blog, 4/6/11)

High-Speed Rail Funds Sought By Twenty-Four States, Amtrak (By Joan Lowy, The Associated Press as reported by The Huffington Post Blog, 4/6/11)

Scientists concerned massive pool of fresh water in Arctic Ocean could alter Atlantic currents (The Associated Press as reported by The Washington Post, 4/5/11)

Ozone layer faces record loss over Arctic (By John Heilprin, The Associated Press as reported by Yahoo News, 4/5/11)

U.S. Interior Secretary: 'Absolutely' No BP Deal To Resume Deepwater Drilling (By Reuters as reported by The Huffington Post - Green Blog, 4/4/11)

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