To: The UMBC Community

From: President Freeman Hrabowski

I am delighted to announce that the France-Merrick Foundation has made a $1 million gift to UMBC to fund the transformation of our Administration Building's rooftop into a "green roof." We are grateful for France-Merrick's support of our commitment to sustainability on campus.

The green roof will be an important symbol demonstrating UMBC's campus-wide dedication to sustainability practices. In addition to helping to insulate and reduce heat loss, the green roof will provide protection that extends the life of the roof.

France-Merrick's gift includes support for annual France-Merrick Sustainability Interns, who will serve as liaisons for environmental sustainability and climate change educational and awareness programs across campus. We look forward to exploring possibilities for future teaching and research opportunities reflecting UMBC's commitment to sustainability.

Our inaugural France-Merrick Sustainability Interns are Andrew Brow '16, mechanical engineering, and Devaughn Jones '18.

The following members of the campus community serve important roles as advisors for the green roof project: Joe Rexing, director, planning and construction services; John Zahor, project manager, planning and construction services; Claire Welty, director and professor, Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education; Andrew Miller, professor, geography and environmental systems; Elyse Ashburn, chief of staff, president's office; David Gleason, general counsel; and Tanvi Gadhia, environmental sustainability coordinator.

We are now in the project's design phase. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2015 and should be completed by fall 2015. We will keep the campus informed as the project develops.

For more information, please contact Greg Simmons at gsimmons@umbc.edu.

"Eco-Ambassadors" are a new team of 10 students who work with the UMBC Climate Action Steering Committee to offer the support, tools and resources to help connect and empower students to campus sustainability!

Eco-Ambassadors make it easy to figure out how to recycle/compost, find ways to drive less, easily conserve energy, and integrate sustainability in your service, learning, teaching or research. 

UMBC is constantly improving and updating our campus on everything from greener transportation to improved energy and recycling efficiency. We want to help keep you informed on green choices, remind you that you're not alone, and encourage everyone to have a greener impact! 

Sign up for an Eco-Ambassador program at this link!

What Eco-Ambassadors can do for you:

• Serve as guest speakers for groups and events such as:
• Courses 
• Student orgs
• Residential community groups
• Athletic groups
• Greek groups

• We work with your needs to bring fun ways to spread our message such as: 
• Campus green tours
• Fun games
• Guided round-table discussions/debates 
• Tabling for fairs
• Green pledge photo booth 
• Short presentations 

We are excited to work with you to strengthen and support everyone across campus to build a more compassionate, connected, healthy and engaged campus community!

We are always looking for your contributions, suggestions, questions on how we can  improve! Email sustainability@umbc.edu 

Eric Zeemering, Public Policy, to Present Talk on Sustainability in Baltimore (7/15)

Definitions of sustainability can vary, sometimes focusing on urban revitalization, rehabilitating vacant housing, social health and civic well-being.

A new book out by Eric Zeemering, an assistant professor of public policy, examines what Baltimore can do to become a more sustainable city. The book, titled, “Collaborative Strategies for Sustainable Cities: Economy, Environment and Community in Baltimore” (Routledge Studies in Public Administration and Environmental Sustainability) was published on May 28, 2014. In the above video, Zeemering shares his research on how sustainability is defined in Baltimore, and how city government officials, community organizations and state and federal agencies have taken a collaborative approach to sustainability policies.

Zeemering’s teaching and research interests focus on public management, intergovernmental relations and urban policy. He is presenting a talk on his new book at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch on Tuesday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m. For more information on the event, click here.

How do you define sustainability?