USM National Green Campus
News Archive

Week of November 12, 2012

News from Across the USM Campuses

Nov. 12th - The University of Maryland's Council on the Environment launches its Distinguished Lecture Series with Dr. Lester Brown, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute and a world leader in environmental issues. His talk, "Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity," will discuss what the geopolitics of food could look like in a new era dominated by scarcity and food nationalism. The lecture will take place at 5pm, and is open to the public. It will be held at the University of Maryland, College Park, A.V. Williams Hall, (Bldg. 406), Computer Science Instructional Center, Rm. 1115. Reception in the Atrium at 4pm.

Nov. 14th - Chris Patrick (SERC) discusses "Land use, shoreline, and water-quality effects on SAV abundance in Chesapeake Bay subestuaries." The host of this Horn Point Laboratory Seminar is E. Koch. This event will be held on Wednesday at 11:00am in the Horn Point Laboratory auditorium (Coastal Science Bldg.).

Nov. 15th - America Recycles Day at University of Maryland, College Park - Join us for a FREE Film Festival at the Hoff Theater in the Stamp Student Union on the campus of University of Maryland, College Park, from 12:00-3:00pm celebrating America Recycles Day (http://americarecyclesday.org/). Come at any time, grab some free popcorn and watch: The Secret Life of Paper, Bag It, and Pixar's Wall-E.

Nov. 16th - Liz Barry of the Urban Environment, Public Laboratory, NY lectures on "Civic Science for Collaborative Cities." Seminar will be held on Friday at 2:00pm in the Technology Research Center, Room 206, on the campus of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 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 on the UMBC campus, in TRC 102/105 shortly before seminar.

USM Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Initiative

State of Maryland News

Nov. 30th - Deadline for Color Maryland Green Annual Art and Poetry Contest. Color Maryland Green is an art and poetry contest designed to inspire Maryland students to enjoy and respect the State's great outdoors and natural resources. Through the creative use of poetry, art and digital tools, students expressed their appreciation for the outdoors and Maryland's treasured natural resources. Entries may be submitted individually or in bundles through the classroom. For further information or to request COLOR MARYLAND GREEN instructional materials, contact La Von Boston at lboston@dnr.state.md.us or (410) 260-8009.

Transportation remains county's No. 1 issue: Council wants state lawmakers to fund projects (By Kate S. Alexander, Gazette.net, 11/6/12)

After Sandy, Thousands In Garrett County Still Without Power (Reported by Meymo Lyons, NPR/WAMU, 11/5/12)

National and International News

Coffee beans at risk of extinction: By the end of this century, climate change could wipe out nearly all the world's coffee (By Natasha Lennard, Salon.com, 11/12/12)

Giant pandas threatened by climate change: Global warming will wipe out much of the bamboo on which the bears rely for food, according to a new study (By the Press Association as reported by The [UK] Guardian - Environment Blog, 11/12/12)

Hurricane Sandy Damage Amplified By Breakneck Development Of Coast (By John Rudolf, Ben Hallman, Chris Kirkham, Saki Knafo and Matt Sledge, The Huffington Post - Greeen Blog, 11/11/12)

Real Adaptation Is As Politically Tough As Mitigation, But Much More Expensive And Less Effective At Reducing Future Misery (By Joe Romm, ThinkProgress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 11/11/12)

US elections: five climate hawks who will take office in 2013 - Climate-minded voters were pleased to hear President Obama call out "the destructive power of a warming planet" in his victory speech. But they also scored some notable wins in state houses and Congress this year (By Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones Magazine for the Guardian Environment Network, 11/9/12)

Rasmussen Poll: 68 Percent Of American Voters See Global Warming As A ‘Serious Problem' (By Stephen Lacey, Thinkprogress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 11/9/12)

Gas Rationing Begins In New York City With Odd-Even System While Power Outages From Hurricane Sandy Persist (By Tom Hays and Michael Gormley, The Huffington Post - New York Blog, 11/9/12)

After Sandy, thousands left to freeze in public housing: As winter approaches, city housing authorities in the Northeast scramble to fix damaged or faulty infrastructure (By Laura Gottesdiener, Alternet.org as reported by Salon.com, 11/9/12)

Worst Case Climate Projections Likely: Study - Global warming "likely to be on the high side of current projections," according to analysis from National Center for Atmospheric Research scientists (By Common Dreams staff, CommonDreams.org, 11/9/12)

Climate change, not the national debt, is the legacy we should care about: Worry about the grandchildren? Then stop global warming, but don't pretend deficit reduction by slashing pensions is for them (By Dean Baker, The [UK] Guardian, 11/8/12)

Climate Change's 'Terrifying Math' Coming to City Near You: 350.org launches national tour that takes direct aim at fossil fuel industry (By Common Dreams staff, CommonDreams.org, 11/8/12)

Warmer still: Extreme climate predictions appear most accurate, report says (By Brian Vastag, The Washington Post - Health and Science, 11/8/12)

For Champions of Degrowth, Less Is Much More (By Malgorzata Stawecka, CommonDreams.org, 11/8/12)

Obama to continue efforts to curb greenhouse gases, push energy efficiency (By Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson, The Washington Post - Health and Science, 11/7/12)

Study: We're Headed To 11°F Warming And Even 7°F Requires ‘Nearly Quadrupling The Current Rate Of Decarbonisation' (By Joe Romm, Thinkprogress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 11/6/12)

Obama Wins Reelection, Now Must Become A Climate Hawk To Avoid Dust-Bin Of History, Dust Bowl For America (By Joe Romm, Thinkprogress.org - Climate Progress Blog, 11/6/12)

Sandy's Blackouts Pressure Utilities to Bury Power Lines (By Julie Johnsson, Benjamin Haas and Mark Chediak, Bloomberg News, 11/6/12)

Romney's Global Warming Joke Should Haunt Him (By Dean Baker, CommonDreams.org, 11/6/12)

Obama and Romney remain silent on climate change, the biggest issue of all: Despite hurricane Sandy, neither Obama nor Romney will speak about global warming. The danger this poses is huge (By George Monbiot, The [UK] Guardian - Elections 2012, 11/5/12)

Study: Predicted 6ºC Rise by 2100 Should End "Business as Usual": 'This isn't about shock tactics, it's simple maths' says global accounting firm (By Common Dreams staff, CommonDreams.org, 11/5/12)

Seven reasons bikes are for everyone-not just "cyclists" (By Christine Grant, Transition Voice as reported by EnergyBulletin.net, 11/5/12)

New Yorkers told to stock up ahead of nor'easter as thousands wait for shelter: Thousands still lack power or heat after Sandy but elsewhere city's schools and subway lines are almost back to normal (By Matt Williams, The [UK] Guardian, 11/5/12)

How the Religious Right Is Fueling Climate Change Denial: Radical religious activists promote anti-science bills, in part, because they also seek to undermine the teaching of evolution. (By Katherine Stewart, The [UK] Guardian as reported by Alternet.org - Environment Blog, 11/5/12)

Now That Climate Silence Has Been Broken, How about a Carbon Tax? (By Mijin Cha, Policy Shop/Demos Blog as reported by CommonDreams.org, 11/5/12)

New Ads Launched: Romney Attacked Over Climate Change as Activists Tap Post-Sandy Concerns - Sandy finally made climate change an issue in the presidential elections -- after months with virtually no mention from Obama or Romney on the campaign trail. (By Suzanne Goldenberg, The [UK] Guardian as reported by Alternet.org, 11/5/12)

U.S. Urged to Step Up Research Linking Climate Change to National Security (By Paul Basken, The Chronicle of Higher Education - Government, 11/9/12)

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