ESGP newsletter: September 8, 2014
News, News, News
Important form information at the OSU GradForms website.
Graduate school website gradforms.osu.edu has the information of the most important forms in your graduate studies, including the application for candidacy exam, application for graduation, application for final examination, minor specialization, as well as petition forms. These forms will be filled and submitted via this website. This website also provides instruction of the forms and information about the next steps after you submit those forms. The links to the relevant sections of the graduate student handbook are provided as well, allowing you to easily find more detailed information from the handbook. At the bottom of the page, you will find the contact information of the staff who can help you with further questions.
Jobs and Internships
The Greater Cleveland Partnership is hiring an Energy Auditor in Cleveland.
The National Park Service is hiring an FMSS Specialist in Brecksville.
Goodyear is hiring an Environmental Sustainability Intern in Akron.
Tesla Motors is hiring an Asset Lite in Cleveland.
Ecolibrium Solar is hiring a Supply Chain Manager in Athens.
First Solar is hiring a Program Manager - Systems Development II in Perrysburg.
Workshops and Conferences
Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center
"Global Climate Change is Changing Us"
Friday, September 26, 2014 - 7:00 PM through Sunday, September 28, 2014 - 1:00 PM
Natural warming and cooling of Earth is a sacred evolutionary process that continues as part of the dynamic of the universe. However, 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change over the past century is very likely due to human activities. With extremes taking place so rapidly, our life source systems are impacted in dramatic ways and we are entering a new era some have called the Anthropocene.
This weekend retreat integrates scientific insights with spiritual wisdom based on Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching and the mission of the Catholic Climate Covenant. Input, conversation, contemplation, creativity and ritual allow time to reflect and discern personal choices and communal actions needed for a sustainable future.
Dan Misleh is the Executive Director of the Catholic Climate Covenant. Dan served eleven years at the USCCB both as a policy advisor and as Director of Diocesan Relations for the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development. He holds a degree in Business Management from Xavier University, Cincinnati and a Masters in Theology from Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley.
Barbara O’Donnell, HM is a staff member of VMESC and an educator with youth and adults focusing on spirituality and ecological sustainability. She serves as an Ambassador with the Catholic Climate Covenant. She is a member of Sisters of Earth and other Eco networks. Barbara holds Master Degrees in Religious Education from LaSalle University, Philadelphia and in Earth Literacy from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, Terra Haute, IN.
For more information contact Sr. Barbara O’Donnell at 724-964-8920 x3350.
Cost: $175.00 (Includes: Retreat, Lodging, Meals & Refreshments from Pizza Supper on Friday to Lunch on Sunday)
Commuter Rate: $125.00 (Includes: Retreat, Lunch/Dinner Meals & Refreshments)
Saturday only cost: $55.00 (Includes: Saturday program with lunch and dinner meal)
Registration appreciated by Sept. 10, 2014.
Natural Areas Conference
Help students find a career in natural resources! Please forward this email to all students and faculty who may be interested in discovering how land managers are dealing with current environmental challenges, and how they can get involved.
Student Benefits
Find a career in Natural Resources Management by attending the 41st Natural Areas Conference! Join Five Rivers MetroParks and the Natural Areas Association October 15-17, 2014 for a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to start a career in conservation. You won't want to miss this event!
- Low-cost student registration, plus discounted membership to the Natural Areas Association
- Speed-Networking: Enjoy pizza and refreshments while making connections with professionals in the field at this fun luncheon!
- Keys to Conservation Careers: Take this opportunity to see inside the careers of professionals in both the public and private sectors, as well as hear advice on making a career in conservation
- Job Board: Professionals from around the country will be posting job openings at the conference - don't miss this opportunity to find a career!
- Updates on current research through student paper and poster session social
- Field trips to hike, bike, kayak, and canoe local habitats
- Limited student scholarships and discounted housing are available, so register early!
Professional Benefits
- Stay updated on the latest land management research
- Attend sessions on wetland restoration, forest regeneration, creative land protection solutions, urban ecology, adaptive management plans, and GIS application
- Advertise your research, and post job opportunities for research assistants and internships
- Be a mentor - sign up to attend the student-professional networking session to share your experiences and make lasting connections
- Field trips to hike, bike, kayak, and canoe local habitats
Wednesday Social and Puffin Movies with a Mission
Better Earth Monthly Meetup/Social @the North Market
Wednesday, September 10, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Meet Dareen Wearstler, a founding member of Simply Living and an eco-pioneer who started the first Better Earth Ecology Store in Clintonville in 1991, later moving to the North Market. Dareen has been hand selecting organic and sustainable products from the beginning so she can tell you details on hundreds of products carried in her "general store" from toilet paper and shower heads to artisan gifts and greeting cards. We'll gather at 6 pm and then meet on the veranda outside for Dareen's talk and Q&A. Better Earth is located at 59 Spruce St. in the North Market. Contact the store at 614-224-6196 or visit the Better Earth Products website.
Contact: chuck.lynd@gmail.com or call 614-354-6172.
Puffin Collaborative Film Festival
September 21-25
Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. High St., Columbus 43201
Festival features films from 8 nonprofit organizations, including Simply Living. Awesome films, free popcorn, and a FUNdraiser too!
The more tickets we sell in advance, the more likely we will be moved to larger theaters and that means we will receive even more funds!
Miscellaneous
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep At Risk
For bighorn sheep who make their home in the mountains running through Idaho and Montana, transmission of diseases from domestic sheep are a deadly problem.
Pneumonia can be passed to bighorns from domestic sheep and goats, and the outcome can be deadly to entire populations. In fact, over the last 25 years, bighorn sheep populations in Idaho have declined by nearly 50%.
Right now, bighorn sheep are at risk to disease transmission from grazing domestic sheep at a U.S. Department of Agriculture research facility in Idaho.
The Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Sheep Experiment Station, located near the Montana border in Idaho, conducts research in the middle of a crucial wildlife migration corridor. Unfortunately, domestic sheep from the experimental station graze on lands that are also vital habitat for bighorn.
If bighorn sheep contract pneumonia at the experiment station from domestic sheep, an outbreak would exact a heavy toll on bighorn herds, with mortality commonly running 50 percent or more — sometimes reaching 100 percent of a herd.
Department of Agriculture officials have called for closure of the Sheep Experiment Station for budgetary reasons. They say the research can be conducted more effectively in an area that is less remote and closer to a university. Conservationists have also called for closure of the station for more than a decade, because of concerns involving not only bighorn sheep, but grizzly bears and wolves as well.
The Department of Agriculture’s recommendation to close the Experimental Sheep Station has been at least temporarily rebuffed by a budget committee of the U.S. Congress, at the urging of the Idaho Congressional delegation. But the Department of Agriculture has now asked for public comment and if there is sufficient support, may still move forward on closure of the station.
It’s important that wildlife advocates send a clear message to stop the practice of grazing domestic sheep in core bighorn sheep habitat!
A Toxic Threat to Brown Bears and Wild Salmon
A brown bear in Bristol Bay, Alaska, can consume as much as 90 pounds of wild salmon in a single day in preparation for hibernation. And these salmon are caught as they course through a spectacular network of pristine waterways to spawn.
But this vital habitat for brown bears and wild salmon could be destroyed forever by the proposed Pebble Mine.
The Bristol Bay watershed provides vast connected habitats—from headwaters to ocean—where wild Pacific salmon that are the mainstay of the brown bear’s diet flourish. This is the last untouched habitat of its size and kind in North America and supports the largest runs of wild salmon in the world.
If built, the massive Pebble Mine, almost a mile deep, would carve out a swath of the brown bear’s Bristol Bay habitat and churn out over a billion tons of mining waste. What was once a wildlife paradise would be transformed into an industrial wasteland, with toxic chemicals from mining copper killing off the bears’ critical food source and poisoning waterways.
The Environmental Protection Agency took a justified step in February to start the process of restricting or denying any large-scale mining permits in the Bristol Bay watershed. Now the agency is inviting the public to weigh in on this step before making a final decision about protecting the waterways where the brown bear fish for wild salmon and make their home.
With support from from wildlife advocates like you, we can push hard on the Environmental Protection Agency to stop the Pebble Mine once and for all. Over the critical next few weeks, we’ll rally people from every state to speak out against toxic mining in Bristol Bay. And in the face of the mining industry’s lobbying machine, we’ll deploy authentic, American voices in support of protecting Alaska’s wildlife.
Pristine Habitat for Brown Bears at Risk
The vast, pristine waters and abundant wild salmon of Bristol Bay, Alaska that brown bears depend on could soon be devastated.
Thousands of acres of brown bear and salmon habitat will be hollowed out and billions of tons of mining waste will transform the region into a toxic wasteland if the the massive Pebble Mine is allowed to be built.
Spectacular gatherings of brown bears can be seen on the rivers and streams that flow into Bristol Bay as they feed on spawning salmon during summer months. The bears converge on the waterways to consume the nutrient-rich salmon that are essential for sustaining them through the long winter ahead.
Thanks to support from wildlife advocates like you, the battle to stop Pebble Mine from devastating this vital habitat has been tirelessly waged over the past several years. And now the Environmental Protection Agency is within months of making final decisions on the massive open pit mine—this may be our last chance to save the vast, untouched wildlife habitat of Bristol Bay.
The Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to protect wildlife habitat and clean water in Bristol Bay. And right now, they are gathering public input about Pebble Mine.
We are working around the clock to deliver resounding support for stopping this proposed toxic mining project once and for all. We’re doubling down efforts to reach wildlife advocates across the nation who care deeply about protecting healthy habitats and will weigh in with the Environmental Protection Agency during this critical commenting period. On the ground in Alaska, National Wildlife Federation's state affiliate, the Renewable Resources Coalition and Foundation, is working in the Bristol Bay region and statewide to stop Pebble Mine—including building support for a statewide initiative.
Your support today can help make a difference to tip the balance in favor of Alaska’s brown bears and wild salmon.
Natural gas takes off in Denver
A new generation of airports has arrived, and Denver International Airport (DIA) shows how natural gas can be used to fuel a cleaner, more sustainable travel experience.
At the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the airport seeks to be a "green gateway" to the rest of the world. With a compressed natural gas bus fleet, and heating for more than 5.5 million square feet of buildings, natural gas is helping DIA deliver on that goal.
For airport CEO Kim Day, "Natural gas is a key part of our energy portfolio, as it provides a lower-cost and more environmentally friendly solution for many of our operations."
Tell Ohio EPA our health & environment are more important than coal & fracking special interests
The Ohio EPA (OEPA) is proposing to slash important protections for wetlands and streams threatened by oil and gas pipelines and coal mining sites.
OEPA is counting on this special favor for fossil-fuel interests to go unnoticed by the public. Act now and tell OEPA that you are watching and that gutting clean water protections is unacceptable!
We want OEPA to know that the public is aware of its cynical proposal and that we won't stand by and let it happen.
