As the seasons change to cooler weather, reverse your ceiling fan to the clockwise direction. This produces a gentle updraft which forces warm air near the ceiling down into the occupied space. Remember to adjust your thermostat when using your ceiling fan to save energy and money. Learn more »
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Mark Your Calendars for Campus Sustainability Day
Celebrate this year’s Campus Sustainability Day on Friday, October 26, from 1-4pm on Polk Place in front of Wilson Library. Bring a friend, play some games, grab some snacks, and learn about the University’s many programs, student groups, and departments that promote sustainability at this fall field day event! Take the Carolina Green Pledge in advance to pick up one of the coveted Carolina Green water bottles, while supplies last. Learn more »
Carolina Rises in Research Ranking
Carolina now holds fourth place among public universities and ninth place overall for the level of federal funding ($545.99 million) devoted to research and development during fiscal 2010. In addition to bolstering the university’s reputation, the rise in rank is expected to provide more opportunities for students and faculty to make major research breakthroughs and develop projects. Learn more »
AASHE STARS Public Comment Period Begins October 8
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) seeks feedback on proposed changes to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). 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. UNC-Chapel Hill earned a STARS Silver rating in 2011. The comment period is open until November 16. Remember that people attach importance to the things they measure. Learn more »
“Battle of the Brains” GoTriangle SmartCommute Challenge
Help UNC beat Duke, N.C. State, and other Triangle universities by tracking your commute. The SmartCommute Challenge is an annual campaign to encourage commuters to ride the bus, carpool, vanpool, telecommute, bike, or walk. Track your trips online through October 15. Learn more »
Chapel Hill Makes Top Ten for “Best Place to Live”
Money Magazine ranks Chapel Hill at 10th place in the top “100 Best Places to Live in America.” The survey compared housing affordability, education, arts and culture, safety, health care, and other attributes of U.S. towns with populations of 50,000 to 300,000. Learn more »
2012 State of the Community Report
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and the Foundation for a Sustainable Community tracks community progress using social, economic, and environmental indicators. A slide show presenting the State of the Community, with area demographics and local data, is available online. Learn more »
New Federal Fuel Efficiency Standards Double Current Fuel Economy
The White House announced final fuel-efficiency standards for new cars and light-duty trucks, requiring automakers to nearly double the average fuel economy by 2025 while cutting carbon emissions in half. Current rules for the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program mandate an average of 29 miles per gallon (mpg), with gradual increases to 35.5 mpg by 2016. The new standards — which mandate an average fuel economy of 54.5 mpg for the 2025 model year — will reduce U.S. use of and reliance on oil, create employment opportunities, and help consumers save thousands of dollars on gasoline over the life of the vehicle. Learn more »
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| Source: motorauthority.com |
NC Will Soon Have Its Own Source of Ethanol
Chemtex International received a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build the nation’s first commercial-scale, cellulosic biofuels facility in Sampson County. The facility aims to produce 20 million gallons of biofuels from non-food feedstocks each year. Investments in ethanol production provide jobs and economic opportunities for farmers, and increase energy security and independence. Learn more »
Register Your Local America Recycles Day Event
America Recycles Day, held annually on November 15, is an opportunity to educate the public about waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. Community organizers can schedule, plan, and host local events. Learn more »
Clean Our Watersheds with NC Big Sweep
Join NC Big Sweep events to remove litter and debris from our watersheds as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Join a local open event or contact the Town of Chapel Hill’s Stormwater Management Division to adopt a stream area throughout the year. Learn more »
Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass
The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass is a digital guide to local food systems and the U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that support them. Explore the food landscape of your community. Learn more »
EPA Environmental Education Grants
The EPA Office of Environmental Education funds projects that increase public awareness of environmental issues and provide skills training for informed decision making and responsible action. Submit grant proposal by November 21. Learn more »
Student Training for Environmental Protection (STEP) in Puerto Rico
Students learn essential skills in environmental advocacy and organization at the STEP program. Offered as an intensive 5-day course over winter break, January 7-12, 2013, participants will learn how to coordinate effective environmental campaigns. Applications will be accepted until program is full. Learn more »
C2C Fellows Climate Action Leadership Workshop
C2C Fellows is a national network for students and recent graduates aspiring to sustainability leadership in politics and business. C2C stands for Campus to Congress. Weekend training workshops support the path to skills development and leadership. The interactive workshop covers communication, entrepreneurship, environmental and climate science, media, and other topics. Apply now for the Southeast Regional Workshop, October 26-28, at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Learn more »
Conservation Innovation Grants
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) provides Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to projects that develop innovative conservation and management strategies. CIGs promote collaboration and resource sharing among communities, government, and private institutions. Apply by October 15. Learn more »
Bryan Social Innovation Fellowship
The APPLES Service Learning Program’s Robert E. Bryan Social Innovation Fellowship supports aspiring social change-making students with community project ideas. Fellows receive enrollment in a Public Policy course, up to $1500 to fund their project, and leadership training. Individuals and teams of up to four students may apply until October 19. Learn more »
Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition
Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition
Students interested in developing commercial strategies to reduce poverty and affect positive social change are encouraged to enter the Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition. Over $30K in prizes will be awarded to student teams. Apply by November 8. Learn more »
Carolina in the News
UNC Dietician Argues Benefits of Organic Produce
The News and Observer (Raleigh)
By Suzanne Havala Hobbs, a registered dietitian and a clinical associate professor in the department of health policy and administration in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Despite nutritional similarities in organic and conventionally grown produce, it is often better to buy organic. This is due to environmental contaminants such as pesticide residues found on conventional produce and unknown effects of low-dose, long-term pesticide exposure. Many nutrition advocates also see commitment to organic growing techniques as part of a broader stance favoring local and sustainable farming practices. Learn more »
UNC Professor Argues for Fewer Fossil Fuels
The News and Observer (Raleigh)
By John J.W. Rogers, retired William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Fossil fuel production should not play a significant part in the state’s energy future. Several geological features make North Carolina an unlikely site for offshore oil development, natural gas extraction, or coal mining. Learn more »
Pollution will feed lake algae for years
The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
The toxic algae problems that Lake Erie and Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio face are mirrored in lakes in Florida, China and New Zealand. In 2007, algae in Lake Taihu in China grew so dense that the problem overwhelmed city drinking-water-treatment systems and green-stained water came out of faucets in thousands of homes. Efforts to fight the Lake Taihu algae include tracking the phosphorus to its sources — sewage plants and farms — and a new forecasting system to warn cities when a new bloom might form, said Hans Paerl, a University of North Carolina professor of Marine and Environmental Sciences. Learn more »
Taking the lead on the environment at UNC-Chapel Hill
The Triangle Business Journal
The Institute for the Environment at UNC-Chapel Hill received a 10-year pledge of $285,000 from the parents of a recent graduate, now doing graduate work in Florida on turtles, who credits the institute with changing her life. Formed in 1998 as the Carolina Environmental Program, the institute is counting on its impact in experiential field programs for students, support for students and teachers in the North Carolina public schools, and environmental research to help raise its profile as part of a longer-term fundraising effort. Learn more »
Great Barrier Reef coral seeing 'major decline,' scientists report
"World News" NBC News
A study released by the Australian Institute of Marine Science shows that the Great Barrier Reef — a Heritage Site frequently held up as one of the world’s most striking coral conservation successes — has experienced considerable decline since 1985. Without intervention, live coral cover is projected to decrease another 5 to 10 percent over the next 10 years. John Bruno, a coral expert who was not part of the study, called the findings "really grim" and reflecting loss even higher than deforestation in the tropics. "In 2007, we first sounded the alarm that the Great Barrier Reef, and Pacific reefs in general, were not as pristine and resilient as a lot of people wanted to believe," Bruno, a marine biology professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, told NBC News. Learn more »
UNC students shape businesses to fill social needs
The Associated Press
Student-led business plans for enterprises that would both generate profits and provide social services were competitively evaluated at the first North Carolina Social Business Conference, held by North Carolina's public university system. College students are interested in social businesses because their generation is uniquely steeped in the self-branding and freelance culture of today's business world and also possesses the can-do optimism of youth, said Prof. James Johnson Jr., who teaches social entrepreneurship at the UNC-Chapel Hill business school. Learn more »
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