School of Natural Resources and Environment

Kevin Merrill's blog

Michigan Sea Grant awarded $1.5M to help restore Great Lakes

Michigan Sea Grant has been awarded more than $1.5 million from the federal government to lead two Great Lakes restoration projects that will restore native fish habitat and help clean up marinas across the region. It will also assist on five federally funded projects focused on issues including endangered fish, beach contamination, sound boating practices and marina operations, and water pollution.

SNRE, other U-M schools join new Peace Corps program

U-M and the Peace Corps announced a partnership to pair graduate studies in social work, Natural Resources and Environment, landscape architecture and a master's degree in education with Peace Corps volunteer service. The U-M School of Education, School of Natural Resources and Environment, and School of Social Work will offer selected students the opportunity to receive credit hours for their Peace Corps service through the Master's International program.

Nassauer on the ability of Iowa farmers to adopt new methods

SNRE Professor Joan Nassauer's research on Iowa farmers suggests that they support goals of crop diversity and healthy production methods, but that many are unsure of how to change their practices, information that help inform policy. Professor Nassauer presented her work at the Iowa Environmental Council conference this week, and she was quoted by Public News Service reporter Deb Courson in "A New Vision for Iowa's Corn Belt--Research Unveiled This Week."

Cardinale receives $2 million NSF biodiversity grant

Bradley J. Cardinale, who joins SNRE's faculty in January, has received a $2-million National Science Foundation grant as part of the agency's efforts to expand knowledge and understanding of Earth's biodiversity. Assistant Professor Cardinale is the principal investigator on a project titled, "Can evolutionary history predict how changes in biodiversity impact the productivity of ecosystems?" He and his colleagues will examine how evolutionary processes among algae generate and maintain the diversity of genes, and whether genetic diversity can explain the productivity of freshwater lakes.

FTC proposes new guidelines to stop greenwashing

Oct. 7, 2010

The Federal Trade Commission released proposed revisions to the Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, or Green Guide, to prevent companies from "greenwashing" products with misleading claims of environmental friendliness.The proposal calls for the elimination of vague claims that cannot be substantiated, like "green" and "eco-friendly;" for details and facts about degradable, compostable and recyclable materials; perimeters for labeling a product as made with renewable energy or materials, "non-toxic" or "free off" harmful substances.

Recommendations for federal action on climate-change adaptation from UCAR to the White House

The report on national climate-change adaptation that was delivered yesterday to the White House science adviser is now available to the public. Dean Rosina M. Bierbaum, who co-chaired the D.C. climate adaptation summit last spring held by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) that formed the basis of the report, was one of the committee that introduced the report to Dr. John Holdren, the President' Science and Technology Adviser. The report identifies seven priorities:

Dean Bierbaum presents a climate-change adaptation report to White House

Dean Rosina M. Bierbaum is joining science colleagues from around the nation today in delivering a National Climate Adaptation Summit Report to President Obama's science adviser. The report is based on last springí¢â‚¬â„¢s National Climate Adaptation Summit, of which Dean Bierbaum was co-chair. The report's release can be viewed as a live streamed webcast. The event begins at 3:30 p.m. EST, and takes places in the main auditorium of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Building in Washington, D.C. The report, as well as webcast instructions, can be found at http://www.joss.ucar.edu/events/2010/ncas/report_release_webcast.html.

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