Summer heat wilting your plants? The next time you take a shower, use a bucket to collect clean excess water instead of letting it go down the drain. Water your plants with it later. For more water-saving tips, visit http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve.
Friday, June 29, 2012
“Coal: A Love Story” Team Wins Award for Environmental Reporting
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication team received a $5,000 Grantham Award of Special Merit. The environmental interactive series explores the role of coal-based power in America and its impact on society. Read more »
Professor Develops Same-Day Water-Quality Test
The test created by Rachel Noble, professor at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, dramatically reduces the time needed to detect E. coli in water samples. The DNA-based test allows for same-day recreational water management decisions which protect public health and safety. Read more »
North Carolina Senate-Approved Fracking Bill Sent to Gov. Bev Perdue
Fracking, short for “hydraulic fracturing,” is a natural gas extraction process that involves injecting chemical fluids at high velocity into wells to release pockets of natural gas. Environmental groups are concerned that fracking processes could contaminate water supply, contribute to land degradation, and decrease air quality. The governor has 10 days to consider a veto from the time she receives a formalized version of the bill. Read more »
Berkeley Leads the Way in Reducing Plastics Waste
The University of California at Berkeley recently became the first university to join the Plastic Disclosure Project (PDP). Berkeley will calculate its “plastic footprint,” identifying and tracing plastics in the waste stream. The project will help students and staff identify strategies to reduce plastic waste. Read more »
Local Car Center Earns First Triangle Hybrid Certification
Also Green Plus Certified, the Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center is the first certified Hybrid/Electric Vehicle repair shop in the Triangle. Read more »
Carolina in the News
Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, and people at UNC:
North Carolina to Sea Level Rise: Go Away
Discovery News
...The problem with all of this, of course, is that predictions of future sea-level rise are neither linear nor consistent with historic trends, as John Bruno of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill points out in a post on his blog, Sea Monster. Bruno notes that "sea level fluctuates naturally by 10s to 100s of meters but has been relatively stable for the last few thousand years," that "greenhouse gas emissions are causing sea level to rise via 'thermal expansion' (warming a liquid increases its volume) and by melting mountain glaciers," and that "the rate of sea level rise appears to be accelerating, i.e., non-linear." Read more »
Smart People Discover Water, and That Could Kick-Start the Blue Revolution
National Geographic
Across the U.S., three major research universities have decided that we need big leaps of progress in water — in water technology, water access, and water management. Those three universities — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cal State Fresno, and Michigan State — think they can make a difference. Carolina is about to embark on a two-year campus-wide focus on water issues. The intent is for every school and department to focus on water issues — undergraduates, medical and public health researchers, environmental scientists, law school and public policy folks. Read more »
Orange County Calls Transit-Tax Referendum
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Orange County Commissioners on a divided vote recently agreed to call a November referendum to decide on a half-percent sales-tax surcharge to support public transit. Critics of the rail plan said it’s geared toward Chapel Hill and even more specifically to the needs of people who need to travel between UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. Read more »
UNC System Wins $28.6 Million Grant
Triangle Business Journal
The University of North Carolina system has received a $28.6-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The money will be used to prepare students for post-secondary education. The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) targets low-income communities and will help prepare some 22,000 for college. Read more »
A New Leaf: New Catalyst Boosts Artificial Photosynthesis as a Solar Alternative to Fossil Fuel
Scientific American
Scientists have found a single catalyst for artificial photosynthesis that could create storable solar energy in a liquid or gaseous form that replaces or supplements fossil fuels for transportation or electricity generation. Thomas Meyer, a chemist at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of its Energy Frontier Research Center in solar fuels, led this potentially big practical breakthrough by finding the first artificial photosynthesis process with a single catalyst. Read more »
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.
*Sustainable Sandhills Sustainability Manager* Job- NC
Sustainable Sandhills is hiring a recent graduate for its Sustainability Manager position. Read more »
City of Charlotte Engineering Project Manager Job- NC
The City of Charlotte is seeking an Engineering Project Manager for its Storm Water Services Team. Read more »
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Internship- DC
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is seeking a Food for Life Marketing Intern. Read more »
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
UNC SOG Project Director Job- NC
The School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill is hiring a Project Director for its Development Finance Initiative. Read more »
Duke Nicholas School Program Assistant Job- NC
The Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University is recruiting a Program Assistant for the Duke Environmental Leadership Program.
Carolina in the News
Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, and people at UNC:
The Huffington Post
I admit it, I was doubtful at first — college students providing quality training and financing services to under-served small businesses surrounding their campus communities? Groups led by students from Yale, Rutgers, Brown and UNC-Chapel Hill were quickly learning the ropes, and providing some innovative services and financial products. Read more »
Watching Our Wasteline: Get Ready for Spring Cleaning
The Chapel Hill Herald
Amy Preble of the UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling reports a successful end-of-year student move out. Carolina partnered with Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers (TROSA), based in Durham, to recover the housewares, furniture, clothing, carpeting, and other usable discards from students moving out of dormitories and other on-campus facilities like the graduate student housing at Odom Village. Read more »
Second Phase of Carolina North Ductbank Project Begins
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Construction began June 5 on the second phase of the utility ductbank that will eventually provide service to the complex of UNC-Chapel Hill buildings along Airport Drive. Over the next six months, Carolina Conduit Systems construction crews will install the ductbank in the cleared corridor on UNC's Carolina North property. Read more »
UNC Professor Gets Grants to Study Poverty Relief Policies
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
UNC-Chapel Hill public policy professor Ashu Handa has won two research grants, each worth $634,000 over two years, to evaluate social cash transfer programs in Malawi and Zimbabwe. The grants were awarded by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, an organization devoted to improving lives in low- and middle-income countries through better policies, programs, and projects based on results from impact studies. Read more »
Improved but Not Always Safe: Despite Global Efforts, More Than 1 Billion People Likely at Risk for Lack of Clean Water
Scientific American
The United Nations recently reached an important goal to provide improved drinking water to two billion more people by 2015 than had access to it in 1990. However, a group of researchers at the Gillings School of Global Public Health's Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that significantly more work is required to provide safe water access to those in need. Read more »
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.
Lincoln Harris Sustainability Manager Job- NC
Lincoln Harris is hiring a Sustainability Manager. Read more »
Environment NC Field Associate Job- NC
Environment North Carolina is hiring recent graduates to serve as Field Associates. Read more »
NC AIDS Action Network Communications Job- NC
The North Carolina AIDS Action Network is looking for a Communications Program Coordinator. Read more »
EDF Program Associate Job- NC
The Environmental Defense Fund is hiring a Program Associate for its Energy Efficiency Program. Read more »
Argand Energy Solar Sales Job- NC
Argand Energy is hiring a Solar Energy Sales Professional. Read more »
Ameresco Engineering Assistant Job- NC
Ameresco, an energy efficiency and renewable energy company, is hiring an Engineering Assistant. Read more »
GWU Sustainability Director Job- DC
George Washington University is hiring an Executive Director for Sustainability. Read more »
Ursinus Sustainability Coordinator Job- PA
Ursinus College is looking for a Sustainability Program Coordinator. Read more »
Prairie State College Sustainability Coordinator Job- IL
Prairie State College is seeking a Sustainability Coordinator. Read more »
Augustana Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Job- IL
Augustana College is looking for a Director of the Upper Mississippi River Center and Assistant/Associate Professor of Environmental Studies. Read more »
DePauw U. Assistant Director of Sustainability Job- IN
DePauw University is looking for an Assistant Director of Sustainability. Read more »
Walmart Sustainability Manager Job- AR
Walmart is hiring two Senior Sustainability Managers. Read more »
Colorado State Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Job- CO
Colorado State University is hiring an Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. Read more »
Montana State Sustainability Energy Instructor Job- MT
Montana State University at Billings is looking for a Sustainable Energy Technician Instructor. Read more »
Appalachian State Earns Gold STARS in National Sustainability Assessment
Appalachian State University earned a Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting tool for colleges and universities to measure sustainability progress in education and research, operations, and planning, administration, and engagement. Appalachian State received points for water conservation initiatives, integrating a commitment to sustainability within the school’s strategic plan, and facilitating socially and environmentally-responsible investments. Appalachian State joins three other University of North Carolina institutions participating in STARS, including UNC-Chapel Hill, which earned a Silver rating in 2011. Read more »
Marymount U. Sustainability Director Job- CA
Marymount University is hiring a Director of Sustainability. Read more »
Atmospheric CO2 Levels Reach 400ppm
The world's air has reached what scientists call a troubling new milestone for carbon dioxide (CO2), the main global warming pollutant. The concentration of CO2 in the arctic reached 400 parts per million (ppm) this spring, according to NOAA measurements, the first time a monthly average measurement for the greenhouse gas attained the 400 ppm mark in a remote location. CO2, emitted by fossil fuel combustion and other human activities, is the most significant greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Read more »
EDF Climate Internship- NC
The Environmental Defense Fund is looking for a Utility Initiative Intern for its Climate and Air Program. Read more »
Medication Drop-Off at University Mall, Wednesday, June 13, 3-7 PM
The Chapel Hill Police Department, University Mall, Home Instead Senior Care, Senior Care Management Associates, and the UNC Public Safety Department will sponsor a drop-off program for unused medication in the parking lot on the South Estes Drive side of University Mall. The purpose of the drop-off program is to keep medicines out of the hands of children and water supplies. Medications should not be flushed down the toilet. Read more »
UNC CEE Internship- NC
UNC Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology graduate student Chris Payne is looking for a field assistant to work on a tree growth study in Duke Forest.
Carolina Allocates 107 Acres to Bio Reserve
Most of the environmentally-sensitive Parker Property has been given to the Mason Farm Biological Reserve. The North Carolina Botanical Garden will administer and maintain the newly-added land just south of the Garden to protect natural areas and support academic research and public education. Read more »
Cross-Country Cyclists Stop in Chapel Hill to Build Affordable Housing
Nineteen college students are biking from the North Carolina Outer Banks to San Diego, California…and building affordable homes along the way. Bike and Build cyclists are responsible for raising $4500 in donations for affordable housing, working on Habitat for Humanity homes across the nation, and biking an average of 65 miles per day. The cyclists stopped in Chapel Hill in mid-May and worked with UNC Habitat for Humanity. Read more »
Chapel Hill Provides New Space to Grow New Businesses
The Chapel Hill Town Council recently approved plans for a new town-sponsored small-business incubator at 321 W. Rosemary Street. The town will partner with 3 Birds Marketing, Orange County, and UNC-Chapel Hill to develop the space for new small businesses, particularly those started by recent graduates of the university. Business incubators typically offer less expensive rent and internet access to allow business owners to invest in operations. Read more »
U. of Saskatchewan Sustainability Post-Doc- SK
The University of Saskatchewan is hiring a Post-Doctoral Sustainability Fellow. Read more »
Local Government Officials Tour Rogers Road Community
The official visit marks an important step toward reaching an understanding between decision-makers and residents. The Rogers Road community is the site of a long-standing controversy – in exchange for accommodating the municipal landfill, residents expected sanitation improvements from the town, including access to OWASA water and sewer services. Read more »
Marine Sciences Scholarship Deadline Approaches
The deadline to apply for a $2500 scholarship sponsored by the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America is June 22. Undergraduate and graduate students studying marine sciences are encouraged to apply. Read more »
Upcoming Conference Discusses Urban Wood Products
The North Carolina Urban Forest Council will host a conference on sustainable use of urban forest wood. The conference will be held at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on June 28. Read more »
How does your garden grow? It’s not too late to plant seed for the summer. Visit this regional gardening guide to learn when to plant and harvest a variety of vegetables!
Carrboro Recreation and Parks July 4 Volunteers- NC
The Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department is seeking volunteers for July 4 festivities. Read more »
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