Facilities Services Named Clean Air Renewable Energy Award Winner

Facilities Services was named the winner of the 2010 NC Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) Award, Fleet Category. Organized by the NC Solar Center/NC State University and sponsored by the NC Dept. of Transportation, the Mobile CARE Awards honor outstanding individual and organizational achievements in reducing transportation-related emissions. Facilities Services was recognized for excellence in incorporating the use of alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies in its operations.

Nearly 30 nominations were judged in four categories – Individual, Fleet, Fuel/Tech Provider and Policy/Organization – for the fourth annual awards presentations. The award selection committee, consisting of representatives from the NC Energy Office, NC Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Air Quality and the NC Dept. of Transportation, was “especially impressed” by UNC’s petroleum displacement activities and accomplishments in displacing 133,000 gallons of petroleum in FY 2008-2009.

In addition, the award recognizes that over the past five years, the University has experienced a 7 percent decrease of gasoline or diesel fueled vehicles to its fleet and a 422 percent increase of alternative fueled vehicles (140 total).

These accomplishments are particularly noteworthy in that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large university with a wide range of activities and business that take place on campus and across the state; therefore, it would not be realistic to eliminate or radically reduce the number of vehicles on campus and still meet the myriad demands of the University. Instead, Facilities Services has developed innovative strategies and implemented a number of proactive measures to achieve significant petroleum reductions, including the use of electric vehicles, the conversion of gasoline pumps to dispense E-10 fuel and the installation of an 8,000-gallon tank and pump for dispensing E-85 fuel at the University Service Station. Today, pure gasoline is not dispensed at all on campus.

University Service Station Manager Mark Stark was presented the Mobile CARE award by NC Dept. of Transportation Secretary Gene Conti during the Mobilizing NC Conference on May 26.

For more information on the NC Solar Center’s projects and initiatives, visit www.ncsc.ncsu.edu.

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Gulf Oil Spill

Food for thought:

Does it take a crisis to get people to go along a new path or can they respond to a series of rational, incremental gains in knowledge?

Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, people at UNC:

Reports raise alarm over threat to oceans
The Vancouver Sun (Canada)
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster, but it may pale compared to what scientists say is brewing in the world's oceans due to everyday consumption of fossil fuels. ...And a third says humans, and their ever-increasing carbon emissions, are acidifying the ocean in a "grand planetary experiment" that could have devastating impacts. Marine scientists Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, at the University of Queensland in Australia, and John Bruno, at University of North Carolina, describe how the oceans act as a "heat sink" and are slowly heating up along with the atmosphere as greenhouse gas emissions climb.
Click here to read more.

While Oil Gushes, Invisible Ocean Impacts Build
The New York Times
One reason the public, and politicians, have been so focused on the unchecked environmental disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico is the vivid nature of the assault from gushing oil. ...A reminder of the less glaring, but still momentous, changes that are under way in the seas is provided by a new paper in the journal Science, by researchers at the University of Queensland and University of North Carolina. The authors survey the oceanic impacts of rising greenhouse-gas concentrations and reinforce what has become ever clearer in recent years: The ongoing buildup of carbon dioxide, both by warming the planet and changing ocean chemistry, is having large impacts on marine life and ocean dynamics, with substantial repercussions for human food supplies and health.
Click here to read more.

Public invited to Carolina North meeting
The Chapel Hill Herald
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites local residents, faculty, staff and students to attend a public meeting to explain the permitting process required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before development can go forward at Carolina North. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Monday in the theater room at the Seymour Senior Center, 2551 Homestead Road. Free parking is available, and Chapel Hill Transit serves the center via the A route.
Click here to 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

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, people at UNC:

Following the Plumes
"The Story" American Public Media
When marine sciences grad student Lisa Nigro got a call one Friday a few weeks back, she didn’t have time to think about being part of history. She had three days to prepare for a scientific expedition to help study the newly-discovered oil plumes drifting in the Gulf of Mexico. The plumes are a result of the gigantic BP spill. And while it was exciting to be in the Gulf, Lisa tells Dick that seeing first-hand the extent of the water contamination was devastating. (Lisa Nigro is a graduate student in the department of marine sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Click here to read more.


Buncombe County housing costs, commutes linked
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
Buncombe County's high housing costs are pushing low-wage workers to live farther from their jobs, adding to their transportation costs and to the area's air pollution problems. That's the conclusion of a study by UNC Chapel Hill's Center for Urban & Regional Studies released Tuesday. “There is a mismatch between where working families live … and where they work,” William Rohe, one of the study's authors, said at a press conference held at the Governor's Western Residence to release the study.
Click here to 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

UNC researchers to predict Southeastern states’ air quality

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers are collaborating on a new project to help predict levels of ozone, fine particles and regional haze in North Carolina and other Southeastern states in the coming decade.

The effort aims to protect public health and the environment effectively and efficiently without unnecessarily impairing economic development.

Using funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Southeastern States Air Resource Managers Inc. has awarded a $1.05 million contract to a collaborative group that includes the Center for Environmental Modeling for Policy Development at the UNC Institute for the Environment.

The project will aid in the development of state implementation plans required by the Clean Air Act and help states assess their compliance with the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The standards are designed to protect human health – especially among people suffering from respiratory illnesses, the elderly and children – and apply to critical air contaminants like ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and lead.

States not in compliance with the standards risk losing funds from the Federal Highway Administration. Several cities in North Carolina, including Charlotte, are either out of compliance or nearing it.

Along with North Carolina, the project will provide data for agencies in nine other states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The project group also includes researchers at Colorado State University and Georgia Tech, which will serve as the primary investigator. Zac Adelman is the principal investigator leading the UNC team.

For more information see http://www.ie.unc.edu/PDF/news_related/CEMPD_SESARM_release.pdf.

Institute for the Environment contact: Josh Meyer

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, people at UNC:

... our oil defenses (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...So now let's talk about man-made disaster. Specifically, in terms of a what-if, suppose there is a large oil spill from an offshore rig in the Gulf region, and oil from that spill drifts up to North Carolina. How would we respond? Which agencies of state government would be called together to coordinate that response? Who among our experts in residence (looking especially to our universities such as Duke, N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill) would know what to do?
Click here to read more.

Report finds some good news for Great Barrier Reef
"AM" Australian Broadcasting Corporation
After facing what appeared to be a gloomy outlook, there's finally some good news for the Great Barrier Reef. After a hot summer, and a series of heatwaves last year, scientists say late monsoonal conditions protected much of the coral from a major bleaching event. But a new study shows mortality in the world's tropical oceans is increasing, and as bleaching becomes more common, corals simply aren't getting enough time to recover. ...And a study by John Bruno from the University of North Carolina now shows between one and two per cent of the world's tropical corals are being lost each year.
Click here to read more.

On the hunt for life in oil spill
The Charlotte Observer
In the midst of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, scientists from UNC Chapel Hill are scouring the Gulf of Mexico for an almost invisible life-form that may be crucial to the cleanup. Marine microbiologist Andreas Teske and his team are hunting for a group of microbes that feed on oil, breaking down the hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide. ...Luke McKay, one of Teske's doctoral students, was aboard one of the first research vessels to reach the site, 35 miles off the coast of Louisiana. He said evidence of the spill was already clear.
Click here to read more.

Oil spill puts N.C.'s coastal riches in new light
The News & Record (Greensboro)
Chances remain slim to none that oil or the now-familiar “tar balls” from the Deepwater Horizon disaster that killed 11 workers in the Gulf of Mexico will reach the North Carolina coast this summer, experts say. But it is in the blue water offshore — the same depths where the BP well continued to gush oil a mile below the ocean’s surface last week — that damage to Tar Heel marine life may lurk. ...Getting a first-hand look at the spill, the jointly operated Duke University/UNC-Chapel Hill research vessel Cape Hatteras rounded the Dry Tortugas and entered the Gulf late last week.
Click here to read more.

Researchers Sail to the Spill Site (Blog)
The New York Times
One journey I’ll be following closely over the next week is the voyage of the Cape Hatteras, a 135-foot research vessel operated by the Duke/University of North Carolina Oceanographic Consortium. As we reported here last week, scientists from these and other universities are sailing into the heart of the oil spill to study its environmental impact. After a stop in Gulfport, Miss., the crew departed Saturday for the spill site in the Gulf of Mexico and is blogging from the boat.
Click here to 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

Carolina graduate student to help with revitalizing Columbus County

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is helping to revitalize the economies of small communities across the state through its internship program, the Carolina Economic Revitalization Corps.

The program is sending Matthew Dudek, a rising third-year dual-degree graduate student in the department of city and regional planning and the public administration program at the School of Government, to work for 10 weeks with the Cape Fear Council of Governments. Dudek will provide research and grant-writing support for the commission as well as offer assistance for community and economic development projects.

“We are extremely blessed to have Matthew Dudek assisting us this summer,” said Chris May, executive director of the Cape Fear Council of Governments. “He immediately latched on to our work list for Columbus County with the fresh enthusiasm we needed to jump start initiatives designed to relieve the county’s economic woes.”

With a bachelor’s degree in political science from Gordon College in Massachusetts, Dudek currently serves as a co-leader of the Cleveland-Holloway Neighborhood Association in Durham and is also a part of Durham’s Inter-Neighborhood Council.

Dudek has also previously served as a policy analyst with the transportation and municipalities committees of the Massachusetts State Legislature as well as with the Massachusetts Municipal Association in Boston. This experience will enhance his work at the Cape Fear Council of Government.

“I feel honored to be selected to work with the Cape Fear Council of Government in Columbus County,” Dudek said. “I am hoping to gain a better understanding of how regional governments work. I am also hoping to put the skills I have learned in the UNC planning program and the public administration program to practical use.”

Dudek is one of six interns who will participate in the Revitalization Corps this summer. Started in 2009 as the Carolina Economic Recovery Corps to respond to communities that needed help applying for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, the university-wide program was created by the Office of Economic and Business Development and is administered by the School of Government. Funding comes from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, the Graduate School and the N.C. Rural Center. The program continues this summer as a way to give graduate students considerable on-the-job experience while helping municipalities with community and economic development planning.

The interns come from the departments of city and regional planning in the College of Arts and Sciences, public administration in the School of Government and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. They trained at the School of Government before taking a full-time position at a regional organization located in North Carolina. When they return to UNC for the fall semester, the interns will spend 12 hours per week working remotely during the school year. Interns receive a paid stipend, tuition support and graduate student health insurance.

In addition to the Cape Fear Council of Governments, interns this year have been assigned to work with North Carolina’s Northeast Commission office in Edenton, the Lumber River Council of Governments in Pembroke, the Land-of-Sky Council of Governments in Asheville, Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments in Henderson and the Bayboro Small Towns Economic Prosperity Committee in Bayboro.

Map showing corps member placements: http://bit.ly/aTTB9q

Photo: http://www.blogger.com/images/stories/news/students/2010/img_9815b.jpg

Office of Economic and Business Development contacts: Jesse White

Carolina graduate student to help with revitalizing the town of Bayboro

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is helping to revitalize the economies of small communities across the state through its internship program, the Carolina Economic Revitalization Corps.

The program is sending Suzanne Julian, a rising second-year graduate student in the public administration program at the School of Government, to work for 10 weeks with the Bayboro Small Towns Economic Prosperity (STEP) Committee in Bayboro. Julian will offer assistance for community and economic development projects as well as participate in other administrative tasks.

“We are thrilled to have Suzanne intern with us for the summer,” said Beth Bucksot, chairperson for the Business Entrepreneur Committee of the Bayboro STEP initiative. “Our organization is extremely grateful to have her help us to grow and link our community assets and resources.”

Previously, Julian served as the project manager of Hands On Gulf Coast, where she coordinated a multitude of disaster-relief projects following Hurricane Katrina. This experience built skills that Julian will rely upon while working with committee members as they finalize plans to be presented at the Bayboro Town Council.

Julian also gained additional experience over the past year, when she served as a research assistant at the Public Intersection Project at the School of Government and facilitated local government strategic planning sessions.

Originally from Texas, where she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in sociology, Julian is looking forward to becoming more familiar with the eastern part of the state and becoming a helpful resource for the community.

“I am excited to be part of the CERC program this year,” Julian said. “There are a lot of great community and economic development projects already in the works, and I am excited to help advance them.”

Julian is one of six interns who will participate in the Revitalization Corps this summer. Started in 2009 as the Carolina Economic Recovery Corps to respond to communities that needed help applying for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, the university-wide program was created by the Office of Economic and Business Development and is administered by the School of Government. Funding comes from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, the Graduate School and the N.C. Rural Center. The program continues this summer as a way to give graduate students considerable on-the-job experience while helping municipalities with community and economic development planning.

The interns come from the departments of city and regional planning in the College of Arts and Sciences, public administration in the School of Government and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. They trained at the School of Government before taking a full-time position at a regional organization located in North Carolina. When they return to UNC for the fall semester, the interns will spend 12 hours per week working remotely during the school year. Interns receive a paid stipend, tuition support and graduate student health insurance.

In addition to the Bayboro (STEP) Committee, interns this year have been assigned to work with the North Carolina’s Northeast Commission office in Edenton, Cape Fear Council of Governments in Wilmington, the Lumber River Council of Governments in Pembroke, the Land-of-Sky Council of Governments in Asheville, and the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments in Henderson.

Map showing corps member placements: http://bit.ly/aTTB9q

Photo: http://uncnews.unc.edu/images/stories/news/students/2010/cercjulian.jpg

Office of Economic and Business Development contacts: Jesse White

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, people at UNC:

Oysters will tell if oil reaches Georgia coast
The Atlanta Journal Constitutional (Georgia)
In the unlikely event that the BP oil slick sullies Georgia's coast, Jeb Byers will be ready. ...On June 1, Byers and colleagues at Florida State University in Tallahassee and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began a 3-year project to document the state of oyster reefs in a dozen estuaries from Virginia to the Florida Gulf coast. Byers is monitoring two Georgia sites, one off Sapelo Island and the other off Skidaway Island.
Click here to read more.

Study: Telecommuting can hurt your career
The Sacramento Business Journal (California)
...In the first-ever academic study of “passive” face time — when workers are seen in the office without any interaction — UC Davis professors Kimberly Elsbach and Jeffrey Sherman found that bosses think more favorably of employees who are present. ...Elsbach, of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, and Sherman, from the UC Davis Department of Psychology, worked with University of North Carolina professor Dan Cable on a pair of studies. Their findings were published in the June issue of the journal Human Relations.
Click here to 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

UNC researchers helping tackle the Gulf oil spill

As the massive oil spill off the Louisiana coast continues to threaten the environment and communities around the Gulf of Mexico, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are involved in frontline efforts to deal with the disaster.

The researchers listed can cover a wide range of topics, including projecting the oil spill’s spread; scientific efforts that may help lessen the impact of this or future catastrophes; and first-hand accounts from the Gulf. UNC experts can also provide knowledgeable commentary on other issues related to the disaster, such as legal ramifications of the spill.

Projecting the oil spill’s spread

Rick Luettich, Ph.D., is leading efforts to provide better predictions of where the oil spill will spread to in near shore areas using advanced computer models. A marine scientist and environmental engineer, Luettich studies physical processes in coastal systems, including the impact of hurricanes and storm surges.

• Is operating a high-powered computer model that will be run daily, with each run producing a forecast of the spill’s movement for the following 72 hours. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security.
• The model is highly detailed, with resolutions down to 50 to 40 yards, allowing it to represent near shore areas, estuaries and marshes more accurately than other models that are currently being used, therefore making it better suited to predicting how oil will impact these environmentally sensitive areas.
• The model can also run scenarios of what might happen if a hurricane or storm hits the area, such as how oil may be swept ashore and impact roads and other infrastructure, possibly affecting official evacuation plans, etc.
• As well as providing predictions to federal and state officials, the UNC team plan to make the data available to other scientists and agencies to mine for details and potentially come up with other uses and practical applications for responding to the disaster.

Luettich is director of UNC’s Institute for Marine Sciences located in Morehead City, N.C. (where he is primarily based) and UNC’s Center for the Study of Natural Hazards and Disasters in Chapel Hill. He is also a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Web page: http://marine.unc.edu/people/Faculty/luettich

John Bane, Ph.D., and Harvey Seim, Ph.D., are experts in ocean circulation and currents, including the Atlantic Gulf stream and the Gulf of Mexico’s Loop Current.

• Can comment on the possibility that oil from the spill will be carried further afield, such as up the east coast of the United States.

Bane and Seim are marine sciences professors in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Impact on the environment/marine ecology

Joel Fodrie, Ph.D., can address estuarine fisheries and habitats throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico. He currently has research projects going on in the Gulf, where he has studied the population dynamics of fishes since 2006.

• Fodrie’s research includes conducting large-scale, summer to fall fish surveys throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico, from the Florida panhandle to the Louisiana coast. He will be heading to the Gulf in mid-June and again in September to sample estuarine fisheries. He will be based at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab where he has conducted his research over the past four years.
• His study of fish and habitat data will be available as “baseline data” for examining the effects of the oil spill on fishery production in the Gulf. His research is scheduled to continue over the next two years and should provide information on the impact of the accident.
• In addition to these targeted experiments, he is beginning similar research in North Carolina.

Fodrie is a research assistant professor based at UNC’s Institute for Marine Sciences in Morehead City, N.C.
Web page: http://marine.unc.edu/people/Faculty/fjfodrie

Michael Piehler, Ph.D., studies marshes and has also worked on the impacts of petroleum products on near shore ecosystems. He has published several papers on the effects of refined petroleum on native microbial communities and their potential to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons. His research covers a broad range of microbial systems including algae and bacteria living in both the sediments and water column.

• Is currently working on a project to assess spill effects on shallow water estuarine communities.
• Will be conducting a comparative oyster reef study from Florida to Virginia, including at some sites in the Gulf of Mexico. Due to the possibility that the spill could affect those sites, he and other scientists are gathering pre-spill data to help understand the impact of the oil on those oyster reefs.

Piehler is an assistant professor based at UNC’s Institute for Marine Sciences in Morehead City, N.C.
Web page: http://marine.unc.edu/people/Faculty/piehler

Andreas Teske, Ph.D., can discuss how tiny microbes present in sea water and on the ocean floor may be able to help clean up the oil spill. A microbial ecologist, Teske is an expert in microorganisms that live in extreme marine environments.

• Using dozens of water and sediment samples taken in the Gulf in the wake of the BP spill, Teske and other researchers are conducting various experiments, such as identifying which microbes are present, how they are responding to the spill and other tests.
• By testing artificial oil spills in the lab, researchers may be able to help determine strategies for triggering increases in microbial blooms that “eat” the oil.
• Teske can talk about how hydrocarbon-eating microbes break down oil spills; their impact on previous spills; and the impact of other spills on marine environments.
• Has several graduate students working in the Gulf on research expeditions studying the spill and the surrounding area.
• Is collaborating with other researchers at UNC and elsewhere to propose various novel “rapid response” projects that could play a role in monitoring and tackling the Gulf disaster.

Teske is a professor of marine sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Web page: http://marine.unc.edu/people/Faculty/teske

Legal implications of the disaster

Victor Flatt, J.D., can address the legal liability of BP, Transocean and Halliburton for the damage caused by the blowout and oil spill, and other related issues including:

• Potential criminal charges under the Oil Pollution Prevention Act.

• Procedural issues, such as which courts will likely hear the cases.
• The regulatory process and failures that allowed the licensing of the Deepwater Horizon rig.
• The legal/policy proposed changes in offshore drilling and liability that have occurred in the wake of the oil spill.
• The impact of the spill on likelihood and type of climate change regulation that may be coming.
• How the proposed legal changes in offshore oil drilling could affect the North Carolina coast and economy.

Flatt is Thomas F. and Elizabeth Taft Distinguished Professor in Environmental Law in the UNC School of Law and director of the Center for Law, Environment, Adaptation and Resources.
Web page: http://www.law.unc.edu/faculty/directory/flattvictorb/default.aspx

Understanding underwater oil plumes

Fluid dynamics experts Richard McLaughlin, Ph.D., and Roberto Camassa, Ph.D., can explain why the oil spewing out of the BP spill is forming underwater plumes that are not rising to the surface.

• This video from an experiment conducted in their laboratory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cp6fHINQ94) shows how a leak from turbulent jet (such as with the Gulf spill) is trapped underwater when it reaches a level where water density changes; however, a leak from a less turbulent jet is not trapped, and the oil rises to the surface.
• Both researchers, along with students in their summer lab, have also analyzed video of the spill to estimate the amount of oil gushing into the Gulf.

McLaughlin and Camassa are mathematics professors in the College of Arts and Sciences. Camassa is also director of the Carolina Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics.
Web pages: http://amath.unc.edu/RMM/RMM (McLaughlin); http://amath.unc.edu/Faculty/CamassaProfile (Camassa)

First-hand accounts of research expeditions

Luke McKay, marine science graduate student, can provide a first-hand account of one of the first research expeditions to visit the spill site and surrounding waters shortly after the disaster began to unfold. McKay is a second-year master’s student in Andreas Teske’s laboratory in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.

• Spent several days aboard the RV Pelican in early May, helping gather water and sediment samples. McKay was called up at short notice while travelling across the country; he detoured to Louisiana and joined the expedition as a geochemistry/microbiology sampling expert and liaison to shore-based investigators.
• Can talk about the contamination he saw and the research carried out. McKay also took dozens of photographs during the expedition: samples are available at http://ar.gy/JT and http://ar.gy/JU; more are available upon request.
• He and other researchers, both faculty and students, are now analyzing and conducting various experiments on the samples. Their studies will help determine what is happening to the marine environment in the Gulf and offer possible clues to help tackle the disaster.
• Related website: http://sites.google.com/site/teskelab/Home/rapid-response-cruise-1

To find additional experts on related topics that are not included on this tip sheet, please go to our searchable experts database. https://s4.its.unc.edu/UNCExperts/uncexperts/expertsform

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, people at UNC:

Researching, acting on energy, environment (Column)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Energy and the environment are two of the toughest problems the world faces today. How do we use one without destroying the other? Carolina is a research university. It's our job to put the brilliant minds of our faculty and students to work coming up with solutions to these problems. And they are responding admirably.
Holden Thorp is chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Readers can contact him at holden_thorp@unc.edu.
Click here to read more.

Where Is the Oil Headed?
Science Magazine
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) currently tracks wind and tidal data in the gulf. That data has helped offer an initial, course-grained look at the likely path of the oil. ...Last month, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security quickly backed a proposal to use highly detailed supercomputer models to forecast how the oil will affect coastal areas. Over the past decade, modelers led by Clint Dawson of the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas, Austin; Rick Luettich of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and Joannes Westerink of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana developed a model, known as ADCIRC, to predict hurricane storm surges throughout the gulf.
Click here to read more.

State awards nearly three-quarters of a million dollars for clean fuel car promotion (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The N.C. Solar Center is distributing $734,384 to 16 grant recipients throughout the state to promote clean fuel and electric vehicles. The money, courtesy of the N.C. Department of Transportation, will largely be used to offset the cost of purchasing electric cars. ...The N.C. Department of Administration, Town of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill and RTI International will buy "neighborhood electric vehicles," or NEVs, as the two-seater buggies are known.
Click here to read more.

UNC study: Women, minorities still rare on boards of N.C. public
The Triangle Business Journal
North Carolina’s largest public companies have made scant progress in diversifying their boards of directors over the past few years, a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s law school concludes. Just 12.3 percent of board members serving the state’s 50 largest public companies are female, and a mere 7.1 percent are minorities, according to the survey. ...“It’s awfully slow improvement, and it’s almost meaningless,” says Lissa Broome, a UNC law professor who worked on the survey. “We’re going in the right direction, but it’s going to take forever to get there I think.”
Click here to read more.

Green Gardeners seeks volunteers
The Chapel Hill Herald
Interested in talking to other gardeners about their gardening successes, failures, and questions? The N.C. Botanical Garden invites you to join The Green Gardeners — special volunteers who offer help and advice to visitors, callers, and e-mailers for a short shift each weekday.
Click here to read more.

N.C. coast not worried about Gulf oil ... yet
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Boaters, fishermen and tourists along the North Carolina coast said Friday that they remain hopeful that oil from the ongoing spill in the Gulf of Mexico doesn't stain the state's waters or beaches. ...The Duke Marine Laboratory and the Duke-University of North Carolina Oceanographic Consortium operate the Research Vessel Cape Hatteras, a 135-foot-long owned by the National Science Foundation.
Click here to read more.

The price of the pelican (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Boston Globe (Massachusetts)
...A study in the journal Science, conducted 14 years after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound in 1989 and fouled 1,300 miles of Alaskan coastline, found that pink salmon, sea otters, harlequin ducks were either still dying or not reproducing at “astounding’’ rates. Exxon settled with the federal government and the state of Alaska in 1991 for $1 billion for environmental restoration, but lead researcher Charles Peterson of the University of North Carolina said toxic levels of oil from the disaster continued to contaminate the food chain for wildlife in “surprisingly large’’ hidden pools in sediment and underneath boulders.
Click here to read more.

UNC Researcher Uses Software To Track Oil Spill
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Computer models designed to track the movement of water and hurricanes are now being used to chart the oil spill along the Gulf Coast. Director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences Rick Luettich worked with other researchers to create the hurricane charting technology to find out about their effects in areas like estuaries and sounds. Luettich says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses models designed for scenarios taking place on the open ocean and are less suited for areas like the Gulf Coast.
Click here to 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/

UNC Community-Campus Partnership to bring HOPE programs to Lenoir County

The Community-Campus Partnership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has awarded a $20,000 grant to the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) to support public health and poverty alleviation programs in Lenoir County through its Health, Opportunity, Partnerships and Empowerment (HOPE) projects. The projects aim to improve health outcomes for low-income women by providing support and financial incentives to make healthy choices.

The Community-Campus Partnership is a campus-wide initiative to forge effective partnerships with economically distressed communities in North Carolina. It offers small grants ranging from $500 to $20,000 to full-time faculty, staff or students of UNC-Chapel Hill to support projects that align with local priorities in Caswell or Lenoir counties, the locations chosen for the partnership’s initial focus. Projects must build local capacity, skills or knowledge to address current and future challenges in the areas of community and economic development, education, infrastructure or public health or improve the livability and viability of local communities.

This grant will aid in the recruitment of up to 80 women from Lenoir County for HOPE projects. Participants in the project will open individual development accounts and receive matching funds that can be applied toward furthering their education, learning new skills or creating a business. Local partners include the Partnership for Children of Lenoir and Greene Counties and the Lenoir Community College Small Business Center. The HOPE projects are also funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health Challenge Award program.

“We've been impressed with the energy and commitment to community improvement in Kinston and Lenoir County, and I believe the HOPE projects will make a significant difference there,” said Dr. Marci Campbell, principal investigator for the HOPE project.

To learn more about Community-Campus Partnership or additional funding opportunities, visit http://www.sog.unc.edu/programs/ccp/ or contact Kendra Cotton, project director.

Carolina in the News

Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, people at UNC:

UNC researchers say much of oil spill floating under Gulf
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers say the amount of oil spewing from a wellhead beneath the Gulf of Mexico is much more than official estimates, and much of the oil is trapped undersea. Richard McLaughlin, a mathematics professor, said he and his colleagues estimated the British Petroleum well is spilling about 56,000 barrels of oil a day into the sea, which is more than 10 times BP's estimate of 5,000 barrels a day. The UNC estimate is based on the geometry of the broken drilling pipe and the speed of the oil flow seen in underwater video, McLaughlin said.
Click here to read more.

Duke, NCSU, UNC get Hughes millions for research
The Triangle Business Journal
Researchers at Duke University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are among recipients of the 2010 Howard Hughes Medical Institute grants. ...And UNC got $1.3 million to encourage Carolina Covenant Scholars to pursue biomedical research. The scholars program guarantees that selected low-income students graduate from UNC debt free.
Click here to 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

PAID Summer Sustainability Internship

Today's UNC Sustainability Update includes the following headlines:

• PAID Summer Sustainability Outreach Internship - Apply Now!

Click here to read the full UNC Sustainability Update.

Click here to join the UNC Sustainability Listserv.

PAID Summer Internship - Sustainability Outreach

The Sustainability Office at UNC Chapel Hill works with students, staff, faculty, administrators, and community members to catalyze the development and implementation of sustainable policies, practices, and curricula. Interns will become familiar with the many sustainability practices, policies, and curricula at UNC, while receiving hands-on experience developing communication tools, supporting Sustainability Office initiatives, and assessing sustainable practices at UNC Chapel Hill. All internships are competitive and require an in-person interview.

Internship: Campus Community Outreach Internship

This intern will primarily serve as a representative of the UNC Sustainability Office at campus community events during the summer. Outreach events may include “tabling” at information fairs, hosting sessions at new student orientation events, or responding to questions. This intern will also help develop and update various outreach materials that document sustainability on campus, such as website content, activity calendar, newsletter, email updates, case studies, and more. Excellent public speaking skills are required. Interns must also be self-motivated, able to work independently, and possess strong interpersonal skills. Familiarity with existing sustainability programs on campus is a BIG advantage. Proficiency with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint is necessary. Proficiency with basic HTML and websites is an advantage.

Application Deadline: ASAP for interviews May 24-28
Wage: $10/hr
Hours: 15 hours/week
Term: June 1 - August 20, potential for extension into fall semester
Schedule: Based on event schedule, though mostly Tuesday & Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: Start at Giles Horney Building (103 Airport Drive), end at Carolina Union on campus

Required qualifications:

• Undergraduate or graduate student of UNC Chapel Hill in good academic standing, or a recent UNC graduate
  
• Availability to intern 15 hours per week reflecting event schedule.
  
• Legible handwriting for making posters and signs
  
• Demonstrated understanding and interest in sustainability
  
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information such that it is personal and relevant to audiences
  
• Willingness to assist with special projects and department events as needed (e.g. hosting table at special event, distributing light bulbs, etc.)
  
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
  
• Experience with HTML, Facebook, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Google Analytics, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and/or basic video editing is beneficial.

All internships are competitive and require an in-person interview May 24-28.

To apply, please email a cover letter* and resume to:
Brian Cain, Research & Outreach Manager, UNC Sustainability Office
E-mail: Brian.Cain [at] fac.unc.edu

*Be sure your cover letter explains your interest in sustainability and what makes you the best candidate for this internship! Participation in student organizations, artistic or technical skills, website or programming experience, and your academic concentration are just a few examples of qualities you may wish to highlight.

Carolina in the News

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

Atlantic states keep wary eye on spill
USA Today
Communities as far north as North Carolina are preparing to deal with potential oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill as it drifts into an ocean current that could take it around Florida and up the Atlantic coast. ...Harvey Seim, a marine sciences professor at the University of North Carolina, said federal officials may be underestimating the risk. He said a recent scientific study showed that water from the mouth of the Mississippi River often reaches South Carolina waters "in reasonably undiluted form" because of the Loop Current. "That shows that water from that area gets to our region," Seim said.
Click here to read more.

CRC hears report on North Carolina's offshore energy options
The Star News (Wilmington)
It's rare that a chunk of a legislative report is found to be outdated - by the authors, no less - even before it's handed over to the General Assembly. But members of a special commission looking into options for energy production off the North Carolina coast find themselves in that position. ...And the 24-member group spent substantial time looking into offshore wind production, with a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill report finding several areas where it's probably feasible and economically viable.
Click here to 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

Carolina in the News

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

Oil spill to hit North Carolina's coast?
WTVD-TV (ABC/Raleigh)
New concerns are emerging from the Gulf coast oil spill centering around tar balls. ... However, a leading expert on ocean currents says it may take a long time and it may not wash up on the sand, but the oil, in some form, is likely drifting North Carolina's way. "Out over a year, I would say there's almost a 100 percent chance that some part of the oil will show up off-shore in North Carolina," UNC Chapel Hill's Marine Sciences Program Professor Harvey Siem said.
Click here to read more.

Garden has plenty to beauty of celebrate (Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
It's the time of year when entering a garden, the woods, or an abandoned meadow is a feast for the eyes. ...At the N.C. Botanical Garden, the last six weeks have been a headlong rush through a familiar sequence of blooming species. We are all about biological diversity here, and spring is the perfect time to show off the incredible diversity of the flora of the southeastern U.S. (Botanist Laura Cotterman works as publications and publicity coordinator at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. )
Click here to 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

UNC Sustainability Update - Upcoming Events

Today's UNC Sustainability Update includes the following headlines:

• UNC & Local Events


• Regional & National Events


• Workshops & Classes

Click here to read the full UNC Sustainability Update.

Click here to join the UNC Sustainability Listserv.

UNC Sustainability Update - Grants for Energy & Climate Research, Bike Discounts, and more!

Today's UNC Sustainability Update includes the following headlines:

• May is Bike Month!
  
• Endeavors' Article on NC Climate Change
  
• Get involved with the Community Nutrition Partnership
  
• "Getting Ready for Capital" Workshop with the Center for Sustainable Enterprise
  
• School of Government Publishes Bulletin on Benefits and Costs of Economic Development Projects
  
• Science Documentary TV courses for Fall
  
• Department of the Interior Regional Climate Science Centers
  
• Green Your Campus Contest
  
• 2010 ACEEE Student Scholarship to Learn about Energy Efficiency
  
• And more!

Click here to read the full UNC Sustainability Update.

Click here to join the UNC Sustainability Listserv.

Carolina in the News

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

Institute studies children, poverty
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The FPG Child Development Institute is launching a new initiative to lay the groundwork for the next generation of care and interventions for infants and toddlers living in poverty and their families. The institute, based at UNC, is hosting a series of working meetings this week with national experts in child health and development.
Click here to read more.

Grad students bike to NFTE HQ
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Three graduate students from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC bicycled to the New York City headquarters of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). This nonprofit organization empowers children from low-income communities by building skills and unlocking their entrepreneurial creativity. The students -- Michael Yehle, Kai Zeng and Andrew Fu -- are members of the school's Entrepreneurship Club and the master of business administration Class of 2011.
Click here to 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

Carolina in the News

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

Signs of oil spill pollution might be hiding underwater
The Los Angeles Times
...More than three weeks after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, resulting in a leak spewing 210,000 gallons of crude per day into the gulf, the fouled beaches and dead seabirds that are the hallmarks of catastrophic spills have yet to materialize. ..."This is such sticky oil in its emulsified and dispersed form that there are mechanisms of harm that we don't usually look at," said Charles Peterson, a professor of marine sciences at the University of North Carolina who studied the effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill on Alaska's Prince William Sound. The oil might clog the feeding organs of species such as jellyfish, he speculated.
Click here to 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

Carolina in the News

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

Calories, carbon footprint: Do we get too much information about food we order?
The Canadian Press (Wire Service)
Walk into a restaurant these days and you might be able to check the calorie count of your enchilada, the salt content of your fries, the "heart healthy" status of your Asiago peppercorn steak and — in at least one pioneering place — the carbon footprint of your vegetable lasagna. ..."At some point, having too much information might actually hurt, because it may start to confuse," says Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Click here to 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

Pardon our dust!

Aloha, loyal Sustaina-Blog readers!

After months of hard work, the UNC Sustainability Office is preparing to debut a completely new website! Beyond just having a whole new look, the website will feature updated information, new graphics, and enhanced integration of social media sites and interactive features.

In anticipation of these changes, you will notice significant changes to the existing UNC Sustaina-Blog content and appearance. We apologize for this temporary disruption, but hope you will continue to follow our regular blog posts here.

Thank you, in advance, for your patience. Check back to this blog frequently in the coming week and you'll be the first to know when our new website is up and running!

Mahalo,
Brian Cain, C.I.T., C.I.P.
Research & Outreach Manager
UNC Sustainability Office

Seven honored for furthering diversity

Diversity honors have been awarded to seven people and groups at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The 2010 University Diversity Awards recognize significant contributions to the enhancement, support and furthering of diversity on campus and in the community. The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and Student Government sponsor the awards.

Carla White-Harris, director of recruitment and diversity in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, received the faculty award for efforts to champion diversity –
in the pharmacy school and throughout the University. She advises a group of more than 100 students who work to recruit a diverse student body.

Brenda Siler, office administrator for the Equal Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act Office, received the staff award for supporting equal opportunity and diversity at Carolina. She helps monitor the composition of search committees for diversity and advises campus departments about the recruitment or application process.

The Department of Housing and Residential Education in the Division of Student Affairs was recognized for advancing principles of multiculturalism and appreciation of differences among people and cultures. The department’s contributions include diversity training for students and staff and living-learning programs such as Unitas, in which students are assigned roommates of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Awards also went to:

• Rose Brannon, a doctoral student in biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine, for work to enhance diversity in the school’s graduate programs and basic science departments as well as the broader University community;
• Matthew Stevens, a junior who has worked extensively with the Interfaith Council, Multicultural Affairs Committee, Connected Learning Program and Muslim Students Association, for challenging students to question stereotypes regarding ethnicity and religion;
• Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, for efforts to recruit students from diverse backgrounds concerning race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, political views, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation.
• Peter Kramer, an alumnus of the School of Social Work and longtime clinical social worker for children and families at a community health clinic in Hillsborough, for his work, both professionally and through volunteering, to bring diverse people together and foster understanding among different populations.

Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs contact: Miki Kersgard

Community invited to claim Tar Heel Treasure at giant yard sale Saturday

You don’t need a pirate ship or a special map to claim the Tar Heel Treasure left behind by departing students, but a big truck might come in handy. Tar Heel Treasure is a giant community yard sale being held from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday (May 15) at the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Now in its second year, Tar Heel Treasure is a campus initiative that has changed UNC’s end-of-year move-out waste practices. Through the program, goods that might otherwise have been discarded when students leave residence halls are collected and offered for sale to the campus and community.

Last spring, more than eight tons of abandoned furniture and almost four tons of discarded shoes and clothing were part of the bounty salvaged after students moved out of residence halls. Among the things to look for at this year’s sale are bedding, clothing, carpets, toys, equipment, computers, printers, fans, fixtures, appliances, electronics, furniture, food and cleaning supplies. Any remaining items will be donated to local charities.

Tar Heel Treasure not only reduces landfill waste and provides access to items at bargain prices, but also raises money for charitable causes. The first Tar Heel Treasure sale, held last spring, raised about $7,000 for the Eve Marie Carson Memorial Junior-Year Merit Scholarship. Proceeds from this year’s sale will benefit Build a Block, the campus partnership with Habitat for Humanity that aims to build 10 homes for UNC and hospital employees in Phoenix Place, an affordable green-certified subdivision under construction in Chapel Hill.

For more information on the event, visit the Tar Heel Treasure website at http://www.tarheeltreasure.unc.edu/.

Tar Heel Treasure contact: Larry Hicks

Carolina in the News

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

Did a single week reverse energy fortunes forever? (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Houston Chronicle (Texas)
The week following April 20 will go down as one of the most pivotal and important weeks in the history of energy in this country. Two defining events, from different parts of the energy world, indicate that we may have reached a sea change in how we get and use energy. First was the tragic explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, with its toll in human life and the continued upward revision of environmental impacts.(Victor Flatt is the Taft Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)
Click here to read more.

Coal cutoff victory for activists
The Chapel Hill News
A UNC decision to phase out coal use by 2020 is a victory for a group of student activists. For the members of the local chapter of the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign, last week's announcement was the happy ending to several months of news conferences, campus events and badgering of campus officials. At a news conference to discuss the plan, Chancellor Holden Thorp said the students "pushed us to take another look at how we do things."
Click here to read more.

Taking the long view (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
The university took a bold and welcome step last Tuesday, making public its intention to phase out its use of coal within 10 years. Although there are a number of issues to be worked out before that commitment can become reality, the public pledge puts UNC's goal on record and places the university among those at forefront of such efforts in academia.
Click here to read more.

Saving the Earth, or hurting it?
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Geoengineering most often refers to deliberately altering Earth's atmosphere to slow or halt the climate-changing effects of greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide. Most geoengineering schemes actually do little or nothing to reduce these emissions. ...Jose Rial, a geophysicist and climatologist at UNC-Chapel Hill who studies abrupt climate change, said most geoengineering projects "rank from craziness to lunacy." They also detract research dollars and attention from renewable energy technologies with scalable potential - like geothermal, wind, and biomass - and improving efficiencies in buildings and transportation, he said.
Click here to read more.

Vanishing coral reefs hinder biodiversity
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Efforts to protect the Earth's diverse plant and animal populations are failing, as evidenced by disappearing coral reefs and other ecological markers, according to a report in the journal Science. Marine scientist John Bruno, from UNC-Chapel Hill, was among a group of international researchers who contributed to the paper. The report represents the first global assessment of targets made by world leaders through the 2002 Convention on Biological Diversity.
Click here to read more.

Women make strides, but diversity goals largely unmet
The Triangle Business Journal
The prolonged economic slump has set back a long-term effort in the Triangle and nationwide to attract and retain more women and minorities into the legal profession. ...“Getting into the profession is easier,” says Paul Meggett, associate general counsel for UNC Health Care and adjunct professor at the UNC School of Law who leads a diversity task force for the North Carolina Bar Association. “Getting positions of leadership is still hard. Our profession still looks like old white males, and to some extent that is hard to crack.”
Click here to 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

UNC Sustainability - Summer Internships, Commute Prizes, Transition Carrboro-Chapel Hill, and more!

Today's UNC Sustainability Update includes the following headlines:

• Staying in Chapel Hill This Summer? Apply Now for the Summer Sustainability Outreach Internship!
  
• Help UNC Win the SmartCommute Challenge
  
• Transition Carrboro-Chapel Hill's Big Unleashing
  
• Sustainable Vocations Training Program
  
• UVM's Campus Sustainability Leadership Program
  
• Jobs and Internships
  
• And more!

Click here to read the full UNC Sustainability Update.

Click here to join the UNC Sustainability Listserv.

Carolina in the News

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

UNC commits to end coal use by 2020
The Carrboro Citizen
Flanked by representatives of the Sierra Club and North Carolina Energy Policy Council chair Tim Toben, Chancellor Holden Thorp announced Tuesday that the university intends to end its use of coal at the Cameron Avenue co-generation plant in 10 years. Starting with tests this spring with wood pellets, the university will gradually shift away from coal, phasing it our entirely by 2020. The plan was put together over the past six months by a university task force comprised of students, faculty, energy-systems managers and Sierra Club representatives.
Click here to read more.

Bingham 'impacts' wetlands, stream
The Chapel Hill Herald
UNC's Bingham Facility was hit with three notices of violations last month for unauthorized "impacts" to wetlands and a stream at the facility located on Clover Garden Church Road. ...(UNC Associate Vice Chancellor Dwayne) Pinkney said the recent notices stem from management issues at the animal holding facility prior to UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp's reorganization in February to establish a clear chain of command, which was thought to be a major source of the facility's problems. "Now what we're seeing is how those issues are going to be resolved," Pinkney said.
Click here to 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

Carolina in the News

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

Scientists say oil spill could make it up Atlantic coast
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Scientists are increasingly worried that spilled oil from the Gulf of Mexico may get sucked into the Gulf Stream and make its way up the Atlantic coast to Virginia and North Carolina, perhaps within two or three weeks. ..."We are concerned, definitely concerned," said Harvey Seim, a marine science professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He and other scientists have been briefing emergency management coordinators along the Atlantic coast for several days.
Click here to read more.

Gulf Stream has swept goo to N.C. coast in the past
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
It would take a rare combination of currents, winds and timing to wash leaking oil from the Gulf of Mexico ashore anywhere above South Florida, scientists say. ...The Outer Banks would likely form a protective shield around the rich nursery grounds of North Carolina's Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, said Richard Luettich, director of UNC's Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. The barrier islands are broken only by narrow inlets. Still, Luettich added, "The thing people don't realize is just how long this oil is going to be around, maybe a year or more. We may be dealing with this next fall, we could be dealing with this next spring."
Click here to 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

Carolina in the News

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

U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to Stop Burning Coal in 10 Years
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will spend the next decade weaning its cogeneration plant off coal, the university's chancellor, Holden Thorp, said Tuesday morning. He spoke at a campus event attended by Bruce Nilles, head of a Sierra Club campaign that has challenged colleges and universities to abandon coal. Universities "must lead the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy," which in Chapel Hill's case could be a mix of biomass and other fuels, Mr. Thorp said.
Click here to read more.

UNC plans to go coal-free, via 'woody biomass,' by 2020
The Chapel Hill Herald
In a major environmental decision Tuesday, UNC officials announced that the university plans to wean itself off of coal by spring of 2020. The university's goal is to replace coal with a "woody biomass" in the form of "dried wood pellets" and "torrefied wood," a product that is similar to charcoal. ..."Universities must lead the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy," Thorp said, noting that the transition won't be easy. "Today Carolina takes another big step in that direction."
Click here to read more.

UNC to boot Old King Coal (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
In the environmental equivalent of the biblical David v. Goliath showdown, it appears that David won. Again. UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp made, what had to be for many green believers, a stunning announcement on Tuesday that the university was going to take an ecologically ethical lead in ending its use of coal as a fuel source by the year 2020.
Click here to 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

Breaking News: UNC-Chapel Hill to end campus coal use by 2020

Today's UNC Sustainability Update includes the following headlines:

• Breaking News: UNC-Chapel Hill to end campus coal use by 2020

Click here to read the full UNC Sustainability Update.

Click here to join the UNC Sustainability Listserv.

UNC-Chapel Hill to end campus coal use by May 2020

With the national director of the Sierra Club’s coal campaign on hand to endorse the decision, Chancellor Holden Thorp today (May 4) announced that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will end its use of coal in the next decade.

Watch the announcement

“Universities must lead the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy,” Thorp said. “Today, Carolina takes another big step in that direction.” The chancellor spoke from the green rooftop of the Rams Head Plaza, within sight of the solar panel array on the Morrison Residence Hall roof.

“Carolina is proud to be a national leader in sustainability in American higher education,” Thorp said. “Our systems for energy efficiency, cogeneration of electricity and steam, waste recycling, green building, mass transit and water conservation are models.”

Thorp said he expected Carolina’s decision to help guide other campuses. “We are in an unusual position because our cogeneration plant has a useful life of another 30 to 40 years,” he said. “It’s not going to be easy to make this transition. We have challenges in making sure biomass will work in our existing boilers and challenges on the supply side as well. But we are confident we can achieve our goal in 10 years.”

As a step toward ending coal use, the cogeneration facility will test co-firing coal with biomass in the form of dried wood pellets later this spring and torrefied wood – a product similar to charcoal – this fall or winter. The University plans to replace 20 percent of its coal with biomass no later than 2015, and perhaps by 2012.

The 2020 date for ending coal usage was one of six interim recommendations submitted to Thorp April 29 by the Energy Task Force he appointed in January to study energy issues on campus. The chancellor accepted all of the group’s recommendations:

1. End all use of coal on campus by May 1, 2020;
2. Accelerate conversion from coal to a cleaner fuel or fuel mix;
3. Source biomass, if used, from certified “sustainably managed” forests, as determined by third-party verification;
4. Make best efforts to identify and secure coal that is certified by a third party and sourced from deep mines only;
5. Optimize use of natural gas as supplies and costs warrant; and
6. Undertake periodic reviews of the potential for solar thermal and solar photovoltaic system installations.

“UNC has made a decision today to lead by example,” said Bruce Nilles, who oversees the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “College campuses cannot responsibly teach the science of climate change and sustainability in classrooms powered by coal. Although we’d love to see coal use end today, we applaud UNC for agreeing to a firm deadline.”

Last year, the Sierra Club’s Coal-Free Campus Campaign targeted 60 U.S. campuses that are still burning coal, including UNC and its coal-burning cogeneration facility. The Sierra Club urged these campuses to lead by example, cut their pollution, and end burning coal as soon as possible.

In response, Thorp appointed 10 students, faculty and community members to a task force to make recommendations before year’s end to reduce Carolina’s carbon footprint. One task force member is Molly Diggins, the state director of the Sierra Club. The task force is led by Tim Toben, who is also chair of the N.C. Energy Policy Council.

“Carolina’s cogeneration facility is one of the cleanest-burning, most efficient coal plants in the country and has won national awards for efficiency from the Environmental Protection Agency,” Toben said. “But it still burns coal, and that must end to avoid contributing to the worst effects of global climate change. And unless you set a deadline for ending coal usage, you’re not going to get to it.”

Toben said the University’s coal decision already is generating positive reaction. He has heard from James Hansen, the internationally recognized global climate change expert at the National Aeronauticsand Space Administration, who visited and spoke on campus in February.

Hansen wrote in an e-mail to Toben, “UNC-Chapel Hill is a model for how students and a university can work together with a civil constructive approach to ending our national addiction to coal. It is good to see a university demonstrating the rational approach to problem solving. We need to somehow overcome the uncivil discourse that has infected current politics.”

Stewart Boss, coordinator for the Coal-Free UNC Campaign and co-chair for the UNC chapter of the Sierra Student Coalition, commended Thorp and other UNC administrators for listening to the students’ concerns. “We have been fortunate to work with a university that has been responsive, open-minded and willing to hear our story,” Boss said. “Our universities should be at the forefront of developing clean energy technologies and preparing students to be clean energy leaders. I hope other universities will soon follow UNC’s lead in moving beyond coal.”

The Energy Task Force’s interim recommendations deal with UNC’s energy supply. The group will next turn its attention to improving energy efficiency in buildings, making its final recommendations in September.

Energy Task Force website: http://www.unc.edu/chan/chancellors/thorp_holden/energytaskforce.php
Sustainability website: http://sustainability.unc.edu/

News Services contact: Susan Houston

Carolina in the News

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

Students Pressure University of North Carolina to Abandon Coal
Bloomberg News
Student environmental activists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won a commitment from administrators to stop using coal for campus heat and power within a decade. The university will begin testing alternative fuels such as biomass to help switch away from coal by May 1, 2020, Chancellor Holden Thorp announced today. The campus generator is among the most efficient in the country and could run for an additional 30 years to 40 years, Thorp said.
Click here to read more.

Biodiversity Loss Continues Unabated Despite International Efforts
The Huffington Post
Betting on biodiversity loss is a pretty sure thing. The earth's plant and animal species are disappearing at a sobering rate due to pressures including habitat loss, climate change, pollution and over-harvesting. Despite a few success stories and steps in the right direction, we are falling far short of stemming these losses. (John F. Bruno, marine ecologist; associate professor, UNC Chapel Hill)
Click here to read more.

UNC to phase out coal
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill today announced plans to phase out the use of coal by 2020. As a first step, the university’s cogeneration plant will soon start testing the co-firing of coal with biomass in the form of dried wood pellets. The university hopes to replace 20 percent of its coal with biomass by 2015. “Universities must lead the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy,” said Chancellor Holden Thorp. “Today, Carolina takes another big step in that direction.”
Click here to read more.

Planning for a more urban Raleigh
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Last year, Raleigh adopted a new Comprehensive Plan to guide planning decisions through 2030. This year, the city is in the midst of drafting a new code, known as the Uniform Development Ordinance or UDO. ...Like so many other reasons for the region's success, the answer lies with our human capital. It includes enlightened local developers, intensely engaged neighborhood groups and many talented professionals who came out of N.C. State's Design and Engineering Colleges and UNC-Chapel Hill's Department of City and Regional Planning.
Click here to 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

Morrison Residence Hall to vie in the EPA National Building Competition

Morrison Residence Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was selected for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first national competition among buildings to save energy and fight climate change.

In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, Morrison will compete against 13 other buildings nationwide to “work off the waste” through improvements in energy efficiency with help from the EPA’s Energy Star program. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be recognized as the winner of the EPA’s National Building Competition in late October.

“We want to make significant and sustainable improvements in how we occupy, maintain and operate Morrison Residence Hall,” said Chris M. Martin Jr., director of UNC Energy Management.

As it turns out, Carolina will be engaging in a backyard battle of sorts with North Carolina State University, whose Tucker Residence Hall is also part of the EPA competition.

Nearly 200 buildings applied to participate in the National Building Competition, which will judge the energy performance of the 14 finalists from Sept. 1, 2009, to Aug. 31, 2010. The energy use of each building is being monitored with the EPA’s online measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. Contestants will receive technical assistance from the EPA, as well as energy fitness advice from celebrity trainer Bob Harper. Each building will participate in a mid-point weigh-in and post their results online at the competition Web site. Twitter updates by contestants will also be available at http://twitter.com/EnergyStarBldgs/contestants.

“Buildings of all shapes and sizes are saving money and energy with help from EPA and Energy Star,” said Jean Lupinacci, director of the EPA’s Energy Star Commercial Buildings Program. “We applaud the contestants of EPA’s National Building Competition for taking action to protect the environment and fight climate change.”

According to the EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with the EPA’s Energy Star program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.

Morrison Residence Hall, whose renovation was completed in the fall of 2007, uses a centralized chilled water system and a new heating system. Energy-efficient windows were installed and the common areas on every floor are now well lit. Solar thermal panels mounted on the building’s roof create a source of heating and domestic hot water. These panels were partially funded by the $4 per semester Green Energy Campaign fee UNC students imposed on themselves starting in 2004-2005. This fund is managed by the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee, which also provides funding for lighting upgrades, mechanical system upgrades and promotional materials in support of this competition. UNC’s first energy dashboard presents energy use information about Morrison on site.

Morrison is also home to the sustainability-themed housing community on campus. Students living there participate in programs on energy and sustainability.

Photo: http://urxserve.ur.unc.edu/netpub/server.np?find&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=8467&site=Luminosity. Caption: UNC greenhouse gas specialist Daniel Arneman with solar panels on Morrison Residence Hall.
National Building Competition Web site: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus_building_competition
Energy Star Web site: www.energystar.gov/buildings
UNC Energy Management Web site: www.save-energy.unc.edu
Morrison Residence Hall Web site: http://buildingdashboard.com/clients/unc/morrison/
Media contact: Jessica O’Hara
News Services contact: Susan Houston

Carolina in the News

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

Threats to Wildlife Often Linger Long After Accidents
The Wall Street Journal
Driven deep into Gulf Coast waterways by wind and seasonally high tides, the spreading oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon accident could cause serious ecological and wildlife-health consequences long after signs of surface damage have been erased. ...But the concentrated spillage from the Deepwater Horizon well overwhelms the natural background levels, researchers said, and the oil will be carried into more vulnerable intertidal zones. "The oil will come in on the tide and penetrate as far as the tide penetrates," said marine ecologist Charles Peterson at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703871904575216521020249694.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6

Study on nuke plants, cancer planned
The Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pa.)
Two decades after it last did so, the federal government is taking a new look at whether people who live near nuclear plants have a higher risk of getting cancer. ...Dr. Steven Wing, a University of North Carolina professor of epidemiology, said he and assistants found lung cancer and leukemia rates five to 10 times higher downwind of TMI than upwind. Wing was forbidden by a judge in 1996 from presenting his findings in court on behalf of 2,000 residents who sued TMI owners and others for alleged personal injuries stemming from the accident.
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/252748

UNC students on bike trip to raise awareness
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Three students from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill have embarked on a 700-mile bike trip. Their mission: To bring attention to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit organization that empowers children from low-income communities by building their entrepreneurial skills. The three Kenan-Flagler students, Michael Yehle, Kai Zeng and Andrew Fu, departed from UNC on Friday with a delegation of other bikers who joined them for the first day of their journey.
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/7278356/article-UNC-students-on-bike-trip-to-raise-awareness?instance=homefifthleft

Moving beyond crude oil (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The bad news is that crude oil now costs more than $80 a barrel. The good news is that crude oil now costs more than $80 a barrel. The news is bad in the short term because the price of everything we use will increase. Gas at the pump. Manufactured goods that use oil during manufacturing and shipment to consumers. Even food, which depends heavily on oil for planting, harvesting and transportation. (John J. W. Rogers is retired as the William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/02/461474/moving-beyond-crude-oil.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:

Carolina in the News

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

Threats to Wildlife Often Linger Long After Accidents
The Wall Street Journal
Driven deep into Gulf Coast waterways by wind and seasonally high tides, the spreading oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon accident could cause serious ecological and wildlife-health consequences long after signs of surface damage have been erased. ...But the concentrated spillage from the Deepwater Horizon well overwhelms the natural background levels, researchers said, and the oil will be carried into more vulnerable intertidal zones. "The oil will come in on the tide and penetrate as far as the tide penetrates," said marine ecologist Charles Peterson at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Click here to read more.

Study on nuke plants, cancer planned
The Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pa.)
Two decades after it last did so, the federal government is taking a new look at whether people who live near nuclear plants have a higher risk of getting cancer. ...Dr. Steven Wing, a University of North Carolina professor of epidemiology, said he and assistants found lung cancer and leukemia rates five to 10 times higher downwind of TMI than upwind. Wing was forbidden by a judge in 1996 from presenting his findings in court on behalf of 2,000 residents who sued TMI owners and others for alleged personal injuries stemming from the accident.Click here to read more.

UNC students on bike trip to raise awareness
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Three students from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill have embarked on a 700-mile bike trip. Their mission: To bring attention to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit organization that empowers children from low-income communities by building their entrepreneurial skills. The three Kenan-Flagler students, Michael Yehle, Kai Zeng and Andrew Fu, departed from UNC on Friday with a delegation of other bikers who joined them for the first day of their journey.
Click here to read more.

Moving beyond crude oil (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The bad news is that crude oil now costs more than $80 a barrel. The good news is that crude oil now costs more than $80 a barrel. The news is bad in the short term because the price of everything we use will increase. Gas at the pump. Manufactured goods that use oil during manufacturing and shipment to consumers. Even food, which depends heavily on oil for planting, harvesting and transportation. (John J. W. Rogers is retired as the William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Click here to 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

UNC Sustainability - 286 Green Colleges, Capstone Presentations, and more!

Today's UNC Sustainability Update includes the following headlines:

• Sustainability Capstone Presentations
  
• UNC Profiled Among 286 Green Colleges
  
• Extended Disaster Relief's Summer Trip
  
• Community-Campus Partnership Offers Grants
  
• School of Government Bulletin on Financing for Private Energy Efficiency Projects
  
• New Online Materials Exchange for NC
  
• And more!

Click here to read the full UNC Sustainability Update.

Click here to join the UNC Sustainability Listserv.