Earth Talk | Facts on rain forests

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: Do you have current facts and figures about how much rainforest is being destroyed each day around the world, and for what purpose(s)? – Teri, via e-mail Pinning down exact numbers is nearly impossible, but most experts agree that we are losing upwards of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest daily, and significantly degrading…

Stimulus to aid school-construction bond pool

Chris Graham

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced the availability of $119 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act bond authorizations for local school divisions to finance energy-efficiency improvements and renovations, as well as renewable-energy projects for public-school buildings. Projects will be financed through the Qualified School Construction Bond program, and will be selected through a competitive…

Earth Talk | The gophers

Roddy Scheer

Dear EarthTalk: What would you recommend as a non-toxic/non-lethal way to keep squirrels, gophers and groundhogs away? – Faye Gillette, Coarsegold, Calif. Keeping unwanted critters away can be tricky business, and options are somewhat limited. For starters, make sure exterior garbage, recycling and compost containers are shut tight, and pick up and remove any fallen…

Webb pushes preservation funding

Contributors

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., this week sent a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations requesting that the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program be funded at the House-supported level of $9 million in the FY 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill.

JMU forms institute with green focus

Contributors

Enhancing its commitment to environmental stewardship, James Madison University has formed the Institute for Energy and Environmental Sustainability. The new institute will coordinate the university’s current stewardship efforts while seeking opportunities to expand its research in environmental stewardship areas. “JMU is taking an important step toward solidifying our statewide energy and environmental leadership role by…

Stimulus dollars to go to conservation efforts

Contributors

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine today announced the allocation of $40 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to implement the Virginia State Energy Plan (SEP), a blueprint for funding energy-related initiatives throughout Virginia. The funding will help create jobs, encourage energy conservation, and promote alternative energy generation through rebates to residential and commercial…

JMU calendar for Oct. 2-11

Contributors

Oct. 2-Dec. 15: PRISM Gallery Exhibition, open during normal building hours, lower level of Festival Conference and Student Center: “Looking Out – Thirty Years of Study Abroad at JMU, 1979-2009” traces the development of JMU’s study abroad program since its beginnings in London; the program continues to flourish and now sends more than 1,000 students…