Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Researchers study indoor air pollution
The National (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
If you think you can avoid air pollution by staying indoors, think again. ...“It is an effort to find out what is happening to the population in the last 40 years as urbanisation has increased,” said Dr Karin Yeatts, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr Yeatts is heading a team of 68 researchers who will work in collaboration with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and the UAE University’s department of community medicine.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091122/NATIONAL/711219876/1010

Town, UNC Seeking Bike Input
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Carolina North will be connected to UNC by a bicycle route, but the school and the town of Chapel Hill are first getting public opinion on where to place that route at an open workshop. Mary Jane Nirdlinger, special projects coordinator for the town of Chapel Hill, says the discussion will focus on an effective and easy location for the route.
http://wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12489

-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Kresge Foundation $43.7M aids groups helping poor
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
...The National Advising Corps at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill gets $1 million to place college graduates in underserved high schools and community colleges. The foundation has $2.8 billion in assets and made 342 grants totaling $181 million last year.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6257801/

Researchers make key step towards turning methane gas into liquid fuel
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Washington have taken an important step in converting methane gas to a liquid, potentially making it more useful as a fuel and as a source for making other chemicals. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is plentiful and is an attractive fuel and raw material because it is more efficient than oil, produces less pollution and could serve as a practical substitute for petroleum-based fuels until renewable fuels are widely useable and available.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3017/74/

UNC to celebrate Campus Sustainability Day Oct. 27 with food, activities, Segway rides
Prizes, pledges and a people mover promise to make 2009 Campus Sustainability Day on Tuesday (Oct. 27) a waste-free event to remember at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union Plaza includes free refreshments. If it rains, the event will move indoors to the union’s Great Hall.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3028/68/

Universities set goals, take small steps to sustainability
Triangle Business Journal
Going green is not easy, and it will take a long time and a lot of money. But the Triangle’s three research universities now have their goals for doing so. Duke University has committed to being climate neutral by 2024, while the University of North Carolina System has committed for all 17 of its institutions, including UNC in Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh, to reach that status by 2050.
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/10/26/story11.html

UNC To Celebrate Sustainability
WCHL 1360-AM
Next week, the UNC family will celebrate Campus Sustainability Day at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. Cindy Shea, director of the sustainability office at UNC, says this event will observe why UNC is one of the leaders in waste and energy management.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12175
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3028/1/

Energy policy changes the temperature at UNC
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
It might be cooler in buildings at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this winter, thanks to an energy-use policy adopted in July. ...Chris Martin, UNC's director of energy management, said the new policy puts everyone on the same page about saving energy. "We wanted a consistent approach across all of campus with an effort to reach out and educate people as to what actions they could take to save energy," Martin said.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+to+celebrate+Sustainability+Day%20&id=4141603-UNC+to+celebrate+Sustainability+Day

UNC to celebrate Sustainability Day
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Prizes, pledges and a people mover promise to make 2009 Campus Sustainability Day on Tuesday a waste-free event to remember at UNC. The celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union Plaza includes free refreshments. If it rains, the event will move indoors to the union’s Great Hall.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+to+celebrate+Sustainability+Day%20&id=4141603-UNC+to+celebrate+Sustainability+Day
UNC Release:
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/53130.html

IFC may delay new shelter
The Chapel Hill News
Inter-Faith Council director Chris Moran said the agency may delay its development permit application amid neighbors' opposition to a new men's homeless shelter on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Homestead Road. ..."We've looked at 14, 15, 17 different locations over the years," Moran said. Last year UNC offered 1.6 acres out of 13 it was buying near Homestead Park, meeting all IFC's criteria. "The university is making this extraordinary gift, which I don't think we can ever get again," Moran said.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/53130.html

Social activist Yonni Chapman dies
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Family, friends and fellow veterans of the civil rights movement on Friday remembered Mr. Yonni Chapman as an unyielding fighter for social justice and a skilled historian who embodied the very best spirit of Chapel Hill. ...Mr. Chapman asked the university to impose a moratorium on the award, which led then-UNC Chancellor James Moeser to hold a campus dialogue on the issue. UNC eventually canceled the Bell Award and replaced it with three awards that honor women’s advocacy at the university.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Social+activist+Yonni+Chapman+dies%20&id=4123791-Social+activist+Yonni+Chapman+dies&instance=main_article

Money Talks: African-American Economic Summit
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
This weekend, scholars from around the country will gather at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke universities to talk about the current recession and its impact on African-Americans. In advance of the summit, guest host Janet Babin unpacks why the current economic contraction has deepened long-standing racial gaps in income and wealth.
http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/african-american-economic-summit/view
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3011/73/

Institute receives award
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The service and outreach arm of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health has received an award in recognition of its "significant contributions" to public health in the state. The North Carolina Institute for Public Health was presented with the Partners in Public Health Distinguished Group Award at the N.C. Public Health Association's annual conference in Asheville earlier this month.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-BRIEFS%20&id=4150967-BRIEFS
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3013/107/

UNC wants more sustainability courses
The Chapel Hill Herald
Last spring, a team of students at UNC found more than 150 courses related to sustainability. On Tuesday, Chancellor Holden Thorp said he would like to see more such courses on campus to prepare students for the abundant opportunities efforts in sustainability will eventually bring.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+wants+more+sustainability+courses%20&id=4163785-UNC+wants+more+sustainability+courses

Poverty is bad; helping is hard
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
No lawmaker opposes the goal of reducing poverty, but a state legislative commission Tuesday was far from unified about how to do it. The group listened as leaders from UNC-Chapel Hill's Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity and the N.C. Justice Center, which advocates on behalf of low-income families, outlined four proposals the commission will consider turning into bills...Gene Nichol, who heads the poverty center, emphasized that 15 percent of North Carolina households and nearly 20 percent of children in the state live below the poverty level.
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/state/story/161245.html


-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Carolina in the New

We've got a lot of articles this week, not to mention an A- earned for UNC in its efforts to be green!!!
Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Carolina moving ahead on wind
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Virginia officials have long discussed placing wind turbines off the coast, but the first towers in the region are likely to appear farther south - in North Carolina's Pamlico Sound. Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently signed a contract to install one to three turbines in the sound west of Buxton and Avon as early as next year.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/10/carolina-moving-ahead-wind

NC Botanical Garden’s New Education Center Opens
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)
Frank Harmon Architect PA of Raleigh, NC, has completed the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s new and thoroughly “green” 29,656-square-foot Education Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Governor Beverly Perdue attended the dedication ceremony and praised the project for being slated as the first LEED Platinum certified building in the state.
http://orange.mync.com/site/orange/news|Sports|Lifestyles/story/43063/NC_Botanical_Garden_s_New_Education_Center_Opens
Related Link:
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12057
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2849/138/

Coastal wind power (Editorial)
The Winston-Salem Journal
North Carolina is wisely dipping only its big toe into coastal wind power. The state, UNC and Duke Energy are planning to build as many as three enormous wind turbines in Pamlico Sound, between the mainland and the Outer Banks. If all goes well, the $36 million project could begin sending power into the electrical grid by this time next year.
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/oct/13/122215/coastal-wind-power/opinion/

UNC Recognized For Green Initiatives
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The Sustainable Endowments Institute has ranked UNC as one of the best colleges in the United States and Canada for their green initiatives. Cindy Shea, director of the Sustainability Office at UNC, says they have several programs that helped them earn this accolade.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12051

Warming is fact; denial is harmful (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The earth is cooling!" Actually it isn't, but we have all heard that so many times recently, we're starting to wonder. Globally, the last few years have indeed been cooler than 1998 and 2005. But this has no relevance for whether the planet's climate is changing or whether people are the cause. (John Bruno is an associate professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. Mark Sorensen is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columnists_blogs/story/134115.html

Geographer gets fellowship
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC geographer Martin Doyle has been named the inaugural recipient of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources' Frederick J. Clarke Fellowship. The institute created the fellowship to provide scholars with the opportunity to help advise the corps on policy issues related to its environmental mission.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+BRIEFS%20&id=3936459-UNC+BRIEFS&instance=main_article
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2965/74/

Reclaimed water system honored
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC recently received a national award for the reclaimed water system that began serving the main campus in April and for its innovative reuse of rainwater in a second project. The WateReuse Association gave the university its 2009 Institution of the Year award at the association's annual symposium in Seattle. The awards recognize projects and individuals that advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+BRIEFS%20&id=3936459-UNC+BRIEFS&instance=main_article
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2968/68/

UNC system aims for carbon neutrality (Blog)
The News & Record (Greensboro)
It's official: The 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system will pursue sustainability in eight categories, with the most ambitious goal being achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The Board of Governors approved the sustainability policy on Friday.
http://www.news-record.com/blog/52580/entry/72453

UNC and Duke Energy sign contract to develop coastal wind pilot project
In a pilot project designed to harness the power of the ocean breezes along North Carolina’s coast, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke Energy announced they have signed a contract to place up to three demonstration wind turbines in the Pamlico Sound.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Awarding-winning journalists to share reports on threats to global food supply Oct. 15
Three award-winning journalists will discuss mounting threats to the global food supply and the challenges of reporting them on Thursday, Oct. 15, at UNC-Chapel Hill. “Hungry? Frontline on the Threats to the Global Food Supply” will also feature new documentary footage reporting on the global food crisis from Africa, Asia and Central America.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2958/68/

University Day: Perdue speaks at convocation; garden dedicates center; Thorp gives online address
Monday (Oct. 12) is University Day (http://www.unc.edu/universityday/) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, marking the 216th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of Old East and the start of public higher education in the United States. The University will hold a traditional University Day convocation at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall. Gov. Bev Perdue is the featured speaker, and Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards will be presented. Later in the day, the North Carolina Botanical Garden will dedicate its new Education Center.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2960/68/

UNC receives Institution of the Year award for its reclaimed water system, rainwater reuse
UNC recently received a national award for the reclaimed water system that began serving the main campus in April and for its innovative reuse of rainwater in a second project. The WateReuse Association gave the University its 2009 Institution of the Year award at the association’s annual symposium in Sept. 14 in Seattle. The awards recognize projects and individuals that advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2968/68/

America's Greenest Colleges
Forbes
Everything under the sun is being sold as green nowadays, and colleges are no different. ... Twenty-six schools received the highest grade, an A-. Among them: Arizona State University, Middlebury College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Pennsylvania and Pomona College. The schools were graded on a variety of categories, including green building initiatives, transportation, climate-change policy, investment priorities and the administration's efforts on sustainability (a buzz word for green policies).
http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/07/greenest-colleges-harvard-business-energy-evergreen.html

$100,000 to go toward economic development in Franklin
The Macon County News (Franklin)
The Town of Franklin is set to proceed with plans to improve area economics and aesthetics. Available to the town is $100,000 in grant funding to implement a plan for economic development. ...Assistant Town Manager Mike Decker made a presentation to the board on suggested rules of procedure, adapted from rules outlined by the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://www.maconnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5650&Itemid=34

Duke Energy to fund offshore North Carolina wind project
Reuters (Wire Service)
Duke Energy Corp has agreed to fund a pilot study of commercial wind turbines in the waters offshore of North Carolina, the utility holding company said on Tuesday. The company had contracted with the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill to place up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. ...The pilot study would focus on Pamlico Sound, between North Carolina's Outer Banks and the mainland, rather than areas with more wind further offshore, because waters in the sound were under state control, University of North Carolina Vice Chancellor Carolyn Elfland said. She is project manager for the UNC Coastal Wind Study which was presented to the state legislature in June.
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5956SL20091006
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Duke Plans Offshore Wind Pilot Project
GreenTechMedia (Wire Service)
...Charlotte-based Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is funding a pilot project to erect up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound, the company said Tuesday. The project is taking shape as a result of a nine-month, 378-page study recently completed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ..."There aren't wind turbines installed elsewhere that could have endured conditions from a tropical storm - we want to know what will it do to the turbine blades or the foundation," said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services at the university.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/duke-plans-offshore-wind-pilot/
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Group sues to force greenhouse gas regulation
The Houston Chronicle
An environmental group is suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to force the agency to regulate emissions of gases blamed for global warming. ...Victor Flatt, a professor of environmental law at the University of North Carolina, said TCEQ has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide, but the question is whether the agency is required to act. Once the EPA finalizes its finding that carbon dioxide endangers public health and welfare, then TCEQ would be forced to regulate it, Flatt said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6654829.html

Despite Hard Times, Colleges Are Still Going Green (Blog)
The New York Times
Times may be tough, but colleges are not abandoning their efforts to be green, according to the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, released Wednesday morning by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. ...Twenty-six schools were recognized as Overall College Sustainability Leaders, having achieved grades of A-. They ranged from elite institutions like Brown, Harvard, Stanford, Wesleyan and Yale to public universities like Arizona State and the Universities of Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Vermont.
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/despite-hard-times-colleges-are-still-going-green/?scp=1&sq=%22university%20of%20north%20carolina%22&st=cse

Wind turbines to be installed in water
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill said Tuesday they have signed a contract to place one to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound, possibly paving the way for utility-scale wind farms on the N.C. coast. The demonstration project may be the first wind turbines placed in water in the United States.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/973933.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Duke Energy, UNC join forces to launch wind turbine pilot project
The Triangle Business Journal
Duke Energy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are partnering on a pilot project to install up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound that could become the first turbines placed in water in the country. The project follows a nine-month UNC study completed in June for the general assembly that concluded the state has the potential to develop utility-scale wind energy production. Duke will pay for the turbines and their installation. UNC will continue its wind energy research throughout the project.
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/10/05/daily21.html
Related Links:
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2009/10/05/daily19.html
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091006/ARTICLES/910069948?Title=UNC-Duke-Energy-will-team-up-to-construct-first-offshore-turbines
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/987770.html
http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/5021/123/
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=12013
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2946/68/

Time is right for Duke wind power project (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill have concluded what many North Carolinians have long surmised: Strong winds in the coastal region mean there's a potential for large-scale wind energy generators -- offshore and perhaps in part of eastern Pamlico Sound.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Researchers+at+UNC+Chapel+Hill+have+concluded+what+many+North+Carolinians+have+long+surmised-+Strong+winds+in+the+coastal+region+mean+there-s+a+potential+for+large-scale+wind+energy+generators+-+offshore+and+perhaps+in+part+of+eastern+Pamlico+Sound%20&id=3847345-Researchers+at+UNC+Chapel+Hill+have+concluded+what+many+North+Carolinians+have+long+surmised-+Strong+winds+in+the+coastal+region+mean+there-s+a+potential+for+large-scale+wind+energy+generators+-+offshore+and+perhaps+in+part+of+eastern+Pamlico+Sound
Related Links:
http://www.theherald-nc.com/opinion/story/11615.html
http://www.dailyadvance.com/opinion/wind-farms-better-than-offshore-rigs-880056.html

Study examining health issues in workplace
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A wellness study focusing on tobacco use cessation, healthy eating, increased physical activity and stress management is moving into a new phase by examining the issues in the workplace. ...Laura Linnan, a national expert on worksite wellness, and Michael Bowling, an expert in public health statistics and evaluation design, from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, are joining the study.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Study+examining+health+issues+in+workplace%20&id=3831113-Study+examining+health+issues+in+workplace

-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Alternative Fall Break: Become a Certified Interpretive Guide!

What are you doing for Fall Break this year?
-Communicate more effectively to give better presentations and tours!
-Earn nationally-recognized certification!
-Learn about sustainable practices and programs at UNC!

Interested?
October 21-25, UNC will be hosting an CIG Workshop for students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is co-sponsored by UNC’s Sustainability Office and American Studies Department, so the cost is significantly reduced. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants.

What is a CIG?
CIG stands for “Certified Interpretive Guide” – the entry-level professional certification for those who communicate with diverse audiences as educators, tour guides, and communications specialists. Successful interpretation incorporates elements of public speaking, storytelling, and psychology to communicate specific information and messages on a subject. Effective interpreters play an invaluable role at schools, parks, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, and commercial tour companies worldwide. For information on CIG, visit http://www.interpnet.com/certification/index.shtml

What is the workshop?
This 32-hour intensive workshop introduces participants to the basic principles of interpretation, and coaches them in the application of those principles. Examples will be drawn from UNC campus sustainability features and initiatives, though the principles are applicable to any subject. Upon completion of this workshop, participants will have satisfied all requirements for the national recognition as a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). This includes completion of an open book exam, preparation of a program outline, and delivery of a 10-minute interpretive presentation on the final day.

Learn more and enroll by reading the Program Details at:
http://tinyurl.com/ybsnchk

Please direct any questions or comments to:
Brian Cain, C.I.T., C.I.P.
Research & Outreach Manager
Sustainability Office
Email: Brian.Cain [at] fac.unc.edu
Web: http://sustainability.unc.edu

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Time right for Duke wind power project (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill have concluded what many North Carolinians have long surmised: Strong winds in the coastal region mean there's a potential for large-scale wind energy generators - offshore and perhaps in part of eastern Pamlico Sound. That's what researchers at Duke Energy think, too. The company is proposing a test project of one to three tall wind turbines in Pamlico Sound perhaps as early as next year.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/story/974274.html

Shoe Recycling Program Hits Stride
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Fair-Trade store Ten Thousand Villages is partnering with the UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling for the Nike shoe recycling program. Amy Preble, recycling and outreach coordinator for the UNC Recycling Office, says UNC became one of 10 campuses across the nation chosen by Nike for the pilot program last year. These bins were placed in residence halls as well as three gyms throughout campus.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11936

Three UNC-CH researchers snag big NIH awards (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Three UNC Chapel Hill scientists have received prestigious National Institutes of Health awards that target high-risk research and innovation. They are Joseph DeSimone, Klaus Hahn and Mark Zylka. DeSimone received one of 18 Pioneer awards, which honors a scientist's creative in proposing pioneering biomedical and behavioral research. The award is worth up to $500,000 a year for five years. ...Hahn and Zylka received the T-RO1, or "Transformative" awards, which free scientists from budget restraints and allow them to propose new, bold ideas that may require significant resources.
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/three-unc-ch-researchers-snag-big-nih-awards
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2898/71/

Roses and Raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Raspberries to UNC students and bicyclists who cross campus roads outside of crosswalks and against the light. ...So today UNC will again work to remind pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers about the importance of visibility and attentiveness as part of the Yield to Heels education campaign. Volunteers and the Department of Public Safety officers will distribute educational fliers, retro-reflective items and T-shirts to pedestrians at crosswalks across campus between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the following crosswalks...
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/52569.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2908/68/

Partnership works to preserve living laboratory of Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands are undoubtedly among the most famous places on Earth, thanks to Charles Darwin, giant tortoises and the archipelago’s dramatic land- and seascapes.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2921/75/

UNC wins $8.6 million NIH award for new psychiatric disorders, genomics center of excellence
Autism, depression, anxiety. Antipsychotic drug side effects. What are the genetic and environmental factors that underlie and contribute to these complex problems? And how do genes and environment interact to shape them?
http://www.unchealthcare.org/site/newsroom/news/2009/September/cisgen

UNC gets award for diversity
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC was one of 53 colleges and universities nationwide that were honored recently for commitment to diversity. Minority Access Inc., a nonprofit education organization that supports academic institutions, government agencies and private businesses in improving the recruitment, retention and enhancement of minorities, presents the award. Archie Ervin, UNC's associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs, accepted the award for the university.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+BRIEFS%20&id=3786377-UNC+BRIEFS
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2894/68/

UNC Climate Action Plan: Netting out at zero by 2050
The Carrboro Citizen
Last month, UNC released its first Climate Action Plan, which sketched a roadmap to climate neutrality by mid-century. The plan is comprehensive and multi-faceted, but foremost among its objectives is improving energy efficiency in campus buildings. The impetus for the plan came in 2006, when then-Chancellor James Moeser signed onto the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging the university to achieve climate neutrality – meaning zero net greenhouse gas emissions – by 2050.
http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/10/02/unc-climate-action-plan-netting-out-at-zero-by-2050/
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2865/107/

The Senate Bill Tinkers With Touchy Issue -- Carbon Offsets
The New York Times
Major climate legislation introduced yesterday in the Senate makes significant changes from a House version of the bill on offsets, or clean-energy initiatives that businesses can use to meet emission cuts outside their own facilities. ...Victor Flatt, a University of North Carolina law professor who wrote a blog posting on the new offset language yesterday, noted in an interview that preliminary versions of the Senate bill emphasized the role of EPA, rather than the Agriculture Department. The "punt to the president" language popped up later.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/10/01/01climatewire-the-senate-bill-tinkers-with-touchy-issue----6788.html

Farming the wind (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
I was excited to read that Duke Energy and UNC-Chapel Hill are moving forward with placing a few wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. ...If we continue to use large amounts of electricity for our daily comforts, we need to actively pursue clean alternative energy sources. We are fortunate in North Carolina to have sufficient natural resources and dedicated researchers to explore and act on wind as an option to help meet our energy demands. (George Thompson, Durham)
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/123448.html
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/123450.html

Money Headed to Wind Power
North Carolina News Network
A report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says the best place to build a wind power farm would be 40 miles off the North Carolina coast.
http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/5011/26/


-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Coal on campus?

A couple good articles appeared today in the Daily Tar Heel that directly relate to two climate issues on campus - transportation and coal power. Check them out:

Coal-powered campus

The UNC Cogeneration Facility has been getting a lot more attention than usual.

Recent protests on campus against the use of coal have caused the public to turn its focus to the industrial site, which is on West Cameron Avenue.

Activists have been encouraging the University to reduce coal consumption at the facility, which produced 63 percent of campus greenhouse emissions in 2008. Plant managers said plans are already in place to do so.

Continue reading at: http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/coal-powered-campus


UNC grad hopes to offer affordable bike rentals

Hasan Abdullah’s bicycle was stolen on campus two years ago.

And now, he wants to ensure other local bicycle owners don’t suffer the same fate.

With WeCycles, the company he founded, Abdullah hopes to create a bike rental service on campus and around Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Abdullah said the program, if approved, would use 24-hour electronic kiosks where customers could swipe their One Cards or credit cards to rent bikes at an hourly fee. Yearly memberships would also be available.

Continue reading at: http://www.dailytarheel.com/content/unc-grad-hopes-offer-affordable-bike-rentals

STATEWIDE PLASTIC BOTTLE BAN TAKES EFFECT OCTOBER 1

Students hold up a sign during a smart flash mob to promote the plastic bottle recycling ban in the Pit on Oct. 1.

Starting Oct. 1, plastic bottles, oil filters and wooden pallets are banned from disposal in North Carolina’s landfills.

North Carolina recovers less than one out of every five plastic bottles generated in the state, despite hosting some of the largest processors of these materials. The new ban is intended to boost the recovery of bottles, in large part to meet the growing demand for these materials.
An example of the appetite for recovered plastic bottles is the Clear Path facility being built in Fayetteville, which will have the capacity to use 280 million pounds of polyethlene terephthalate (PET #1) bottles annually. Envision Plastics, the nation’s second largest recycler of high-density polyethlene (HDPE #2) bottles, also operates a facility in Reidsville. According to the National Association of PET Container Resources, end users of recycled PET in 11 southeastern states have the capacity for 1.439 billion pounds per year. HDPE reclaimers in the United States can use more than 1 billion pounds annually, but due to poor recovery rates are operating at 69 percent capacity.

“Widespread compliance with the plastic bottle disposal ban will ensure a flow of plastic bottles to meet market demand for the materials and will result in additional job creation through the expansion of recycling collection companies,” said Scott Mouw, environmental supervisor for the state Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. “The law represents a major growth opportunity for the state’s recycling businesses and for local government recycling collection programs as well.”

Moreover, such recycling programs are good for the environment. If all the plastic bottles generated in the state were recycled, more than 2.4 billion additional plastic bottles would be kept out of landfills annually.

The law, also known as House Bill 1465, joins other statewide and local bans, such as the statewide ban on disposal of aluminum cans in the landfill, which has been in effect since 1994. Since 2008, all ABC permit holders in North Carolina are required to recycle their beverage containers. Also banned from landfills statewide are: appliances (white goods), used motor oil, antifreeze, lead-acid batteries, scrap tires, oyster shells, and yard waste. Since 1996, it is a requirement to recycle corrugated cardboard in Orange County, and since 2002, under the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance, scrap metal and clean wood waste are also required to be recycled in Orange County.

Orange County has a comprehensive program and claims the top spot in the county-by-county rankings. With a recovery rate of more than 29 pounds of plastic bottles per person, Orange County recycled more than seven times the state average on a per capita basis. The average county per capita recovery is 3.81 pounds per person. UNC-Chapel Hill recycled 224.68 tons of containers in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the vast majority of those being plastic bottles.

How does this new law affect the University? UNC-Chapel Hill has plastic bottle recycling containers available indoors in every building, as well as outdoors. If you are interested in adding additional recycling containers, please call the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling at 962-1442 or email us at recycling@fac.unc.edu. The law does allow for accidental or occasional disposal of small amounts of banned materials, and materials that contain hazardous materials should still be dealt with through Environment, Health and Safety as they have been in the past.

To help publicize the ban, a group of students, organized by Bill Bobbitt, participated in a “smart flash mob” today at lunchtime in the Pit. The idea was sent out to local universities by Kelley Dennings of www.re3.org, a statewide recycling campaign run by the NC Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. Students froze with plastic bottles in their hands, while an a cappella group sang a modified version of the song “Battlefield,” by Jordin Sparks, substituting lyrics about throwing plastic bottles in the landfill. A similar flash mob occurred today in the brickyard at NC State.

The statutory reference for the disposal ban can be found at: http://www.p2pays.org/ref/38/37984.pdf

For information about where recycling bins are located in campus buildings, please visit the website for the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling here: http://portal.facilities.unc.edu/webrequestsystem/RecyclingIndoorPickups.aspx

Please also refer to our Quick Recycling Guide: http://www.fac.unc.edu/wastereduction/signs/New%20Image.JPG

Contact:
Amy Preble, UNC OWRR (919) 962-5169, apreble@fac.unc.edu

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:


How hard should we try to clean Houston’s smog? The TCEQ is, like, Dude! Relax! (Editorial)
The Houston Chronicle
How clean is Houston's air? To most people, the answer is a no-brainer: Not clean enough. ...A University of North Carolina study found that just one of those radical precursors — the formaldehyde released from flares — may contribute as much as 30 parts per billion to Houston's ozone problem. In other words, that single pollutant may account for as much as a quarter of the ozone in the air on our worst bad-air days. The TCEQ is wrong: Our air isn't clean enough. It's time for action — not time to breathe easy.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/6639208.html

Students Hold Toothbrush Drive for Malawi
The Gouverneur Times (New York)
...The toothbrush drive is an offshoot of the University of North Carolina Malawi Dental Project, the brainchild of Dr. Ronald Strauss, former chair of the dental school at UNC-Chapel Hill, who is now the UNC System provost. The Malawi Project is a student-driven initiative that deploys select students from the UNC School of Dentistry to provide free oral healthcare services and oral HIV/AIDS education to the people of Malawi.
http://www.gouverneurtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6468:students-hold-toothbrush-drive-for-malawi&catid=60:st-lawrence-news&Itemid=175

Study to focus on work sites
The Chapel Hill Herald
NC Prevention Partners is launching the next phase of an innovative comprehensive work site wellness study with the N.C. Department of Transportation that integrates the assessment of policies and environments with individually targeted wellness campaigns. ..."We are excited to have Dr. Laura Linnan, a national expert on worksite wellness, and Dr. Michael Bowling, an expert in public health statistics and evaluation design, from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health join the study. They bring a level of scientific rigor that will benefit NCDOT and its employees, and will allow us to think about implications for employers throughout the state."
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-ORANGE+BRIEFS%20&id=3627192-ORANGE+BRIEFS&instance=main_article2

Drought returns, but worries don’t
The Carrboro Citizen
...But the key reason the utility is more comfortable heading into this drought is an impressive drop in water use by the University of North Carolina. “University consumption is down across the board,” Holland said. UNC is using about the same amount of water it used 10 years ago, he said. Ray DuBose, UNC’s director of Energy Services, said even though he’s been focused on the campus-wide efforts aimed at saving water, the numbers are still pretty jaw dropping, especially considering the school’s rapid growth over the past decade.
http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/09/17/drought-returns-but-worries-don%E2%80%99t/comment-page-1/

Wind farm deemed practical in waters off Southport
The Star-News (Wilmington)
Renewable energy, in the form of wind-generated electricity, could be flowing through Southport in as little as five years, according to UNC Chapel Hill professor John Bane Jr. He’s also the principal scientific adviser at Outer Banks Offshore Energy, a privately funded company created a year and a half ago to tap the wind energy in federal waters off the North Carolina coast. ...Commercially viable wind resources are about 40 miles south of Southport and 50 miles east of Pleasure Island, according to Coastal Wind, a nine-month study of the feasibility of wind resources off the N.C. coast by colleagues of Bane at UNC.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090918/ARTICLES/909189991/1004?Title=Wind-farm-deemed-practical-in-waters-off-Southport
Related Link:
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090918/ARTICLES/909189986/1004?Title=Offshore-energy-to-be-subject-of-public-meeting

Sierra Club Helps Organize Protests Against Coal-Fired Plants on Campuses (Blog)
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Sierra Club and student activists have generated news lately through their protests against coal power on campuses. ...The article says a Sierra Club report has identified more than 60 institutions that have their own coal-burning plants or that rely heavily on coal, like Indiana University, Pennsylvania State University's main campus, Oregon State University, the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Virginia.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/6639208.html

North Carolina N.C. officials pitch wind farm plan
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Gov. Beverly Perdue, state Sen. Marc Basnight and state Rep. Tim Spear on Friday gave local residents their first opportunity to learn more about a proposal that would put up to three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound. ...The University of North Carolina is expected to sign a contract with Duke Energy Carolinas by Thursday to install one to three turbines seven to 10 miles from shore in the sound between Avon and Buxton. ...Harvey Seim, a UNC-Chapel Hill marine sciences professor who worked on a wind energy feasibility study, said in the presentation that turbines would be able to be seen in the distance from the beach.
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/north-carolina-nc-officials-pitch-wind-farm-plan

Why UNC has (cling, clang, sss) steam heat (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
The neighbors closest to our campus have been incredibly patient as Carolina has undertaken projects to improve our energy infrastructure, including repairs to the steam tunnel that connects our cogeneration facility on Cameron Avenue to the rest of the campus. At the university, we are well aware of how important steam and our cogeneration plant are to our operations, but I'm not sure if that knowledge extends beyond campus. So let me tell you the basics of how we generate energy at the UNC cogeneration facility and how we plan to do that even more sustainably in the future. (Holden Thorp is chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/chh_holden_thorp

N.C. puts test fingers in the wind
The Charlotte Observer
After lagging behind other East coast states in developing wind as an energy source, North Carolina is preparing to plunge in with a test involving one to three wind towers in Pamlico Sound. Charlotte-based Duke Energy and UNC Chapel Hill are finishing the details of a contract that would have the company build the towers as early as next year. UNC researchers would monitor the towers to answer questions about environmental impacts, maintenance and other issues.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/969759.html
Related Link:
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/basnight-offshore-wind-farms-needed-859822.html

UNC alums pitch bike rental kiosks
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Imagine stepping off one of Chapel Hill’s free public buses, swiping a card at a smartly placed kiosk loaded with bikes, grabbing one and riding off into the sunset. It could happen. Two recent UNC graduates are pitching a proposal for a subscription-based and pay-per-use bike rental program called WeCycles that would provide bicycle rentals throughout the town of Chapel Hill and the UNC campus. Hasan Abdullah and Ibraheem Khalifa said UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp already has expressed interest in the program, for which market research shows 60 percent of UNC’s students willing to pay an annual $40 membership to use.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+alums+pitch+bike+rental+kiosks%20&id=3666363-UNC+alums+pitch+bike+rental+kiosks

Global health a boon for economy
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
...The forum also served to announce the launching of a new global health partnership. The Triangle Global Health Consortium, which groups Duke, UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. State universities, along with prominent local nongovernmental groups Family Health International, Research Triangle Institute and IntraHealth International, is designed to promote collaborative research on global health and attract new scientists and others involved in similar activities to the state.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Global+health+a+boon+for+economy%20&id=3672548-Global+health+a+boon+for+economy

NC wants more information on drilling proposal
The Associated Press
...The governor plans to travel to the Outer Banks this week and attend a public meeting Friday in Buxton on the potential for coastal wind energy. It's expected to include researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who released a study last month showing potential for utility-scale production of wind energy off the North Carolina coast and possibly in eastern portions of Pamlico Sound.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090922/NEWS/909220335

OBX residents learn about offshore wind power
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and other state leaders are on hand as an Outer Banks community is introduced to the idea of massive offshore wind farms. ...Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are expected to describe a new study that found parts of the coast and Pamlico Sound could generate industrial-scale wind energy. UNC researchers are expected to discuss the potential impacts of a wind farm on the coast's economy, quality of life, and environment.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6074632/

Awards will fuel scientists' work
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Three Triangle scientists have won prestigious awards to further their research. Tannishtha Reya, an associate professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University, and Joseph DeSimone, a chemistry professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State, both have received this year's National Institutes of Health Director's Pioneer award. The award comes with a five-year, $2.5 million grant.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/technology/story/114994.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2898/107/

Author to speak at N.C. Garden
The Chapel Hill Herald
Author Doug Tallamy will speak at the N.C. Botanical Garden's new Education Center at 2 p.m. Oct. 11 on the theme "Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens."
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-ORANGE+BRIEFS%20&id=3703855-ORANGE+BRIEFS

UNC research scientists honored
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Three scientists from UNC Chapel Hill have received prestigious awards from the National Institutes of Health aimed at encouraging “high-risk” research and innovation. Joseph DeSimone has been selected for a Pioneer Award, one of only 18 such honors handed out this year, while Klaus Hahn and Mark Zylka are both receiving Transformative RO1 Awards.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+research+scientists+honored%20&id=3698447-UNC+research+scientists+honored
Related Links:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/business/triangle-scientists-win-nih-awards
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/09/21/daily49.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2898/1/

State to residents: recycle, pretty please
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Public service announcements, fliers, and in Raleigh's case, corporate-sponsored gift cards, are all aimed at getting North Carolina households to do their part in complying with a state law kicking in Oct. 1 that bans plastic bottles from landfills. ...Katie Burdett, who wrote about plastics recycling as a requirement for her master's in public administration from UNC-Chapel Hill this year, said the state would need to require recycling and develop an enforcement strategy to maximize the ban's impact.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/113648.html

-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:

http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Are you Carolina Green?

“Green” has come to represent a worldwide movement towards creating a more sustainable future. With dozens of ground-breaking programs in academics, research, engagement, and campus operations, Carolina is at the forefront of that movement. Carolina Green is an inter-departmental campaign to identify and promote university programs that support a healthy and responsible approach to the “green” issues of environmental integrity, economic prosperity and social equity.

Carolina Green offers an online directory of university resources, a range of committees working to improve campus practices, and resources to help individuals and departments have a “greener” impact on their world.

Also now available is the "Carolina Green Commitment" - a campus-wide pledge drive that encourages sustainable practices and choices. Are you Carolina Green?

Log on to http://carolinagreen.unc.edu/ to get informed and involved with all things green at UNC Chapel Hill !

Energy Conservation in Facilities

With the recently implemented Energy Usage Policy at UNC, energy conservation has taken a front seat in the Facilities Services Department. The September edition of the Facilities Services News is now available online, and includes information on the energy-saving performance contracting initiative that is being undertaken by the University, and the latest energy conservation update.

Did you know that energy conservation practices have now been installed in 54 buildings. These buildings have already shown reductions in energy use. For example, cooling requirements decreased by 28% in buildings scheduled for setbacks during unoccupied periods, resulting in more than $100,000 of savings in just 10 weeks.

Learn more by reading the Facilities Services News online at:
http://www.fac.unc.edu/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6Zqg7oZKSBc%3d&tabid=165&mid=671

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Education Center blossoms at Garden
The Chapel Hill News
Knock another jewel in our local crown. The new Education Center at the North Carolina Botanical Garden is finished. ...In addition to the founding donor, students donated through UNC's Renewable Energy Special Projects Funds, and more than 400 individuals gave to cover the $12 million budget. The 31,2000-square foot building center, located at 100 Old Mason Farm Road, was designed by architect Frank Harmon of Raleigh. It is a green building, designed to receive a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/features/story/51981.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2849/68/

N.C. Botanical Garden inaugurates new “green” education center with fall events
Expected to be the first public building in North Carolina securing the highest level of certification for green architecture, the new Education Center for the North Carolina Botanical Garden will open later this month. The center’s dedication is scheduled for Oct. 12, University Day, which celebrates the laying of the cornerstone of Old East, the first building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2849/68/

Offshore winds promise power
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Wind energy is not science fiction, already having been developed in Europe for years, with at least 13 countries operating or developing their own projects. ...A UNC study commissioned by the legislature and issued in June found 2,800 square miles suitable for wind development off North Carolina. It said tapping 15 percent of the state's offshore wind reserves could provide 20 percent of North Carolina's energy needs.
http://www.newsobserver.com/126/story/1677218.html

Hurricane Floyd’s Floodwaters Fueled Changes that Could Save Lives
WNCT-TV (CBS/Greenville)
We often learn valuable lessons in the wake of disaster and Hurricane Floyd is no different. The storm and its flooding spurred policy changes that could one day prove life-saving. ...But experts such as UNC-Chapel Hill associate geography professor Chip Konrad say even that may not capture the ferocity of the flood that forever changed the landscape of eastern North Carolina.
http://www2.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/hurricane_floyds_floodwaters_fueled_changes_that_could_save_lives/52256/

Recycling Program A Success At UNC
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
With the help of the Orange County Solid Waste and the UNC Department of Waste Reduction, students were able to recycle a large amount of plastic wraps and bags during move-in weekend last month. Amy Prebble, recycling and outreach coordinator for UNC Waste Reduction, says the event was a success by all accounts.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11843

Roses and Raspberries (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Roses to the North Carolina Botanical Garden, whose new Education Center is expected to be the first public building in North Carolina to earn the highest level of certification for green architecture. The Education Center, a new gateway to the garden's nature trails and display gardens, was designed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/opinion/story/52259.html
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2849/68/

Consider the (energy) source (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Electric cars cause more pollution than cars powered by gasoline. This doesn't have to be the case, but it will remain true unless we make major changes in our system of producing electricity. The problem is that electric cars run on batteries, and batteries have to be recharged. And the recharge -- people tend to overlook this -- comes from plugging the batteries into the electric power grid. (John J. W. Rogers is retired as the William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/columns/story/1691164.html

UNC honored for commitment to diversity
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was one of 53 colleges and universities nationwide that were honored recently for commitment to diversity. Dr. Archie Ervin, UNC’s associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs, accepted the award for the University recently from Minority Access Inc., a nonprofit education organization that supports academic institutions, government agencies and private businesses in improving the recruitment, retention and enhancement of minorities.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2895/75/

Colleges Map Hazy Routes to Limiting Emissions
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Nearly 400 colleges are expected to submit their climate action plans this week, a major step in the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment. The heavily detailed reports, which took colleges many months to produce, map out strategies for limiting emissions for decades to come. But the hard work has just started. From here, institutions have to figure out how to transfer theory into action, which will present a whole new set of challenges. Chief among them: How to tackle ambitious projects when money is tight.
http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Map-Hazy-Routes-to/48378/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2865/68/

UNC submits Climate Action Plan as part of commitment to carbon neutrality
As the latest step in its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today (Sept. 15) submitted its Climate Action Plan to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. In 2007, Carolina was one of the first universities to make this commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its campus and offset all its greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge now has 650 signatories.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2865/68/


-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

UNC submits Climate Action Plan as part of commitment to carbon neutrality

As the latest step in its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today (Sept. 15) submitted its Climate Action Plan to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. In 2007, Carolina was one of the first universities to make this commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its campus and offset all its greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge now has 650 signatories.

Carolina has already adopted 60 percent of the tangible actions specified in the commitment by establishing a policy that all new campus construction be built to at least the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard or equivalent; requiring purchase of Energy Star-certified products in all areas for which these ratings exist; and encouraging the use of and providing access to public transportation.

The ACUPCC also requires regular reports from all its signatories. Last year, Carolina completed and published a comprehensive inventory of its 2007 greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s Climate Action Plan updates this emissions inventory and uses that data, along with development plans and growth estimates, to project the carbon footprint of the campus under current practices. The document then presents a comprehensive plan for achieving the goal of climate neutrality by mid-century.

“The Climate Action Plan represents a set of tangible actions that help manage the invisible contributors to global climate change,” said Daniel Arneman, Ph.D., the UNC greenhouse gas emissions specialist who prepared the plan with input and feedback from across campus. “Only the highest impact solutions are described in this Climate Action Plan, but scores of others will allow for continuous improvement in a variety of UNC’s business processes.”

Near-term alternatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions include increasing the efficiency of chiller plants, managing computer sleep and standby modes and improving teleconferencing facilities to reduce the need for air travel. The capture and destruction of methane gas from the Orange County landfill, slated to close in 2011, and the replacement of 20 percent of the coal with torrefied wood (a charcoal-like substance) at the University’s cogeneration plant are other strategies to decrease emissions by 2025. In the mid- to long-term, solar thermal panels, heat recovery chillers and a biomass gasification plant could provide additional carbon abatement, according to the plan.

UNC’s 2009 Climate Action Plan: http://www.climate.unc.edu/portfolio/
UNC’s 2007 Greenhouse Gas Inventory: http://sustainability.unc.edu/Portals/0/Documents/UNC_Chapel_Hill_GHG_Inventory.pdf

Energy Services contact: Daniel Arneman
News Services contact: Susan Houston

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

UNC recycling effort keeps 300 pounds of plastic out of landfill
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Call it the case of the incredibly shrinking waste stream. Make that shrink-wrap waste stream. During fall semester move-in weekend, Aug. 22-23, the UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling partnered with the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department, the Harris Teeter grocery store chain and American Chemistry Council to recycle almost 300 pounds of plastic bags and shrink wrap from incoming students, saving almost 10 cubic yards of landfill space.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-UNC+recycling+effort+keeps+300+pounds+of+plastic+out+of+landfill%20&id=3593403-UNC+recycling+effort+keeps+300+pounds+of+plastic+out+of+landfill

UNC Kenan-Flagler event to explore sustainability with Wal-Mart executive Sept. 25
A discussion of Wal-Mart’s approach to sustainability will be hosted Sept. 25 by the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2863/67/

UNC’s hurricane experts can help media coverage before, during and after storms
As the hurricane season reaches its traditional peak, faculty experts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill can provide knowledgeable commentary on topics ranging from the current storm outlook to emergency response efforts. UNC researchers often are on the frontlines of such efforts when storms strike, and the University is a major center of hurricane-related research.
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2859/74/


-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/

Quantitative proof that a 4-day work week is possible!

Last summer when gas prices were on the rise, everyone was talking about implementing a 4-day work week. Even here at the University, several departments introduced new schedules to lessen the financial burden on employees. However, few large-scale, public organizations made the 4-day work week a core part of their scheduling and operations - except Utah!

That's right - for the past year Utah has had 70% of executive branch employees working 4/10 schedules (4 days/week, 10 hours/day). Does it work? YES! What are the benefits?

• Energy use has been cut by 13%, and working towards 20%
• $1.8 million was saved in operational costs in 9 the first 9 months, with expectations to increase
• Carbon footprint has been reduced by approximately 6,000 metric tons, not including the savings from fewer commuter drivers on the road
• Traffic has decreased, which has related health and environmental benefits
• 82% of employees prefer the change, with decreased health complaints, less stress, and fewer sick days taken
• It saves employees money on commuting, which leaves more money in the local economy

Wow! So what are your thoughts? Would you like to work a 4/10 schedule? Could a large, public university operate efficiently with a 4-day work week?

A First -- UNC Recycles Plastic Bags and Shrink Wrap at Student Move-In

CHAPEL HILL – During fall semester move-in weekend August 22-23, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling partnered with the Orange County Solid Waste Management Department, the Harris Teeter grocery store chain and American Chemistry Council to recycle almost 300 pounds of plastic bags and shrink wrap from incoming students, saving almost 10 cubic yards of landfill space. This recycling collection event was a first, complementing the annual mandatory effort at UNC student move-in to divert corrugated cardboard for recycling.

The pilot project was aimed at increasing recycling on campus and decreasing the amount of waste entering the landfill. It was targeted at south campus dormitories. These dorms have the highest concentration of incoming first-year students, who typically arrive with a large amount of packing material from furniture, including a significant volume of shrink wrap.

Because the Orange County Landfill is projected to reach capacity in mid-2012 and because UNC is aggressively pursuing waste reduction, UNC feels it is important to expand recycling efforts in this area. Further, this represented an opportunity to explore the feasibility of expanding collection of bags and shrink wrap campus-wide. It has already sparked interest from Carolina Dining Services in recycling the shrink-wrap surrounding their incoming food packaging.

The amount of plastic bags recycled at UNC over the weekend was 252 cubic feet, totaling an estimated 265 pounds. Staffers at the waste collection sites at dorms reported no problems in getting students to separate the plastic bags and shrink wrap along with their cardboard. Office of Waste Reduction Recycling/Outreach Coordinator, Amy Preble said, “We were pleasantly surprised at how well this worked and look forward to integrating it into move-in every year. While the weight isn’t much, volume is significant. Now all that’s left to tackle is block packing foam for us to achieve a close-to-zero waste move-in”.

At the end of the weekend, UNC staff dropped off the plastic bags and shrink wrap at a Harris Teeter grocery store. They were baled along with other shrink wrap and bags from the grocery chain and shipped to Trex, a company in Winchester Virginia specializing in composite lumber for use in decks, playground equipment and other products.

For more information about plastic bag recycling, visit www.plasticbagrecycling.org


Contact:
Amy Preble, UNC OWRR, apreble [at] fac.unc.edu

E-Readers vs. Books

About this time each year, we hear a lot of grumbling from students about the burden of having to buy so many expensive, heavy books that, in some cases, will never be read. The common argument goes: "Why can't we just get digital or online books? It would be less expensive, easier to update, and have less of an environmental impact."

While we might not be able to move to all-digital course readings in the near future, it is important to discuss the value and environmental footprint of printed books vs. digital books. A recent study by Cleantech Group made a compelling case in favor of e-readers.

According to CleanTech's website: "The new study finds that e-readers could have a major impact on improving the sustainability and environmental impact on the publishing industry.....On average, the carbon emitted in the lifecycle of a Kindle is fully offset after the first year of use.....E-readers purchased from 2009 to 2012 could prevent 5.3 billion kg of carbon dioxide in 2012, or 9.9 billion kg during the four-year time period."

E-readers of course are not entirely blameless. They consume energy and often contain a number of nonrenewable and/or potentially toxic materials. Like many aspects of sustainability, it is a balancing act.

Read about the CleanTech report at:
http://cleantech.com/news/4867/cleantech-group-finds-positive-envi

Read the NY Times excellent coverage of this issue:
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/are-e-readers-greener-than-books/

So what do you think? Would you rather have a paper book or an e-reader?

Carolina Green Commitment

Are you Carolina Green?

That's the question we'll be asking students, faculty, and staff all year long! If you think you’re Carolina Green, look out for special opportunities to make the Carolina Green Commitment both online and at "pledge tables" at select special events on campus. Everyone who makes the Commitment will receive a BPA-free, reusable Nalgene water bottle with the Carolina Green logo.* Check http://carolinagreen.unc.edu often for a schedule of upcoming events!

What is the Carolina Green Commitment?
“I pledge to make UNC and the world better for myself and future generations by living more sustainably. In my daily actions, I will strive to support environmental integrity, social justice, and sustainable economic prosperity.
I will reduce my energy and water use by: ____
I will reduce the waste I produce by: ____
I will share my commitment with others by: ____"

Pledge opportunities:

Thursday, September 24: 11:00 AM @ "Fit Wellness Into Your Day: Health, Fitness, and Academic Success Fair" in the Carolina Union's Great Hall

Tuesday, October 27: 11:15 AM @ "Campus Sustainability Day Celebration" in the Carolina Union Courtyard

*While supplies last. Must be a student or employee of UNC Chapel Hill.

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:

Next-Generation Reporters Innovate on the Web
Reuters (Wire Service)
News 21, the national investigative reporting project with leading journalism schools, is making available a record amount of content - more than 60 multimedia stories and projects - to Web sites, broadcasters and newspapers around the country…Schools involved in the project included ASU, the University of California at Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, Northwestern University, the University of Southern California and Syracuse University.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS188208+01-Sep-2009+PRN20090901

UNC planner becomes town's planner
The Chapel Hill News
Mary Jane Nirdlinger worked for UNC, helping to craft a plan for Carolina North. Now she's working for the Town of Chapel Hill, helping to make sure her old and new employers live up to the development agreement she helped to write.
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/51887.html

Non-Profit Fair On UNC Campus
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The 10th annual public service fair next week is a collaboration of the UNC Center for Public Service and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce… The event will take place next Friday from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the pit on the campus of UNC.
http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11647

Walking and biking raise health and fitness levels
The Medical News
Incorporating even relatively short bouts of exercise into a daily commute appears to deliver significant rewards, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill…And men who walk or bike have lower obesity rates as well as healthier triglyceride levels, blood pressure and insulin levels, said study author Penny Gordon-Larsen, Ph.D., nutrition associate professor in UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20090902/Walking-and-biking-raise-health-and-fitness-levels.aspx

Bus route gets warm reception
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Chapel Hill Transit officials don’t have hard numbers yet, but say the new public bus route from Pittsboro to Chapel Hill has been well-received. The “Chatham County Express,” as the new route has been dubbed, began Aug. 24 and was created to reduce the need for residents of Pittsboro and other parts of Chatham County to have to drive their cars into parking-challenged Chapel Hill. ...Chatham residents who work at UNC and UNC Hospitals are expected to be the primary beneficiaries of the new services. About 30 percent of the university’s and hospital’s employees live in Chatham and Alamance counties.
http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Bus+route+gets+warm+reception%20&id=3487588-Bus+route+gets+warm+reception

UNC study: Rogers Road wells tainted
The Carrboro Citizen
Just weeks after being told their neighborhood wouldn’t qualify for a federal improvement grant, the Rogers-Eubanks community has learned from a new UNC study the extent of its well and septic tank failures. ...Preliminary findings from the study conducted this summer through a partnership of UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA) indicate failing wells and septic tanks throughout the community.
http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2009/08/28/unc-study-rogers-rd-wells-tainted/#more-6859


-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/category/8/34/103/