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(02/21/10 9:29pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Denmark’s reputation as a leader in sustainability was at an all-time high after December’s U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. A new study, however, reveals the country might not live up to its idyllic green image.Denmark ranked No. 32 with only average scores in the recent Environmental Performance Index released by researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities. Especially surprising was that Denmark was positioned in the same category as the United States, typically thought of as somewhat negligent in environmental conservation efforts.However, Ida Søndergaard, head of the Environmental Technological Department of Denmark’s Environmental Performance Agency, questions the study’s results.“We do not think the index shows a realistic picture of how Denmark deals with environmental issues. Denmark is and has always been one of the most progressive countries when dealing with the environment,” Søndergaard said in an e-mail.The third edition of the EPI was released Jan. 27 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The EPI ranks 163 countries according to their performance in 10 categories, including environmental health, air pollution, water quality, biodiversity and habitat, forestry, fisheries, agriculture and climate change.“One objective of the EPI is to highlight environmental issues as national priorities and show where there are leaders and laggards,” Christine Kim, a Yale research associate for Environmental Law and Policy and EPI project director, said in an e-mail.But Søndergaard said the results of the study are suspect. She noted several examples of suspicious data, such as when the study reported air pollution in Denmark is worse now than in 2008. She said this is strange considering their CO2 emissions — which have a big impact on the air pollution score — have been reduced in the last two years.Researchers developed a chart to display countries’ rankings. It divides EPI scores into 15-point ranges so the top-ranked countries fall into the 85-to-100 segment, followed by 70-85, and so on. Denmark and the United States both fell into the 55-70 EPI score range with Denmark at 69.2 and the United States at 63.5. The 55-70 EPI score range was the biggest category, including 73 of the study’s 163 countries.“According to our results, Denmark’s scores are lagging in greenhouse gas emissions per capita, carbon efficiency of its power generation and harsh use of dredging and trawling in its national fishing practices,” Kim said.The United States ranked 61 overall compared to Denmark’s 32. Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland all placed in the top 12, with Iceland at number one and Sweden at number four.Søndergaard, however, said the study does not account for factors such as population density.“In Denmark, there live more people per square mile than in those countries. Furthermore, Denmark is a nation with a large farming industry which is another disadvantage in the Environmental Performance Index,” she said.Denmark is the leader in energy efficiency with 19 percent of its energy coming from wind turbines. The country has also taken the initiative in many other areas to conserve energy, including car-free Sundays, turning off lights during closing store hours and creating higher taxes for energy use.“Denmark is still strong on environmental services for humans, although its environmental burden of disease is slightly behind that of its peers,” Kim said.While Denmark has taken more steps in energy conservation than any other country, according to the EPI, it is lacking in other areas of environmental protection. Denmark scored less than 50 (with 100 being the best and 0 the worst) in the categories of water quality in nature, fisheries and climate change.Søndergaard said Denmark has already taken the initiative in implementing environmental protection policies in these areas.It is obvious there is room for improvement across the globe in sustainability efforts. Kim said the solution starts with addressing the problem.“Not prioritizing environment, in other words not caring, is the worst a country can do to negatively affect its environment,” Kim said.
(04/17/09 2:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>My Sister’s Closet is tailoring to the needs of many local women entering the working world by providing gently used, professional-style clothing to low-income women in the Monroe and Owen county area.The nonprofit organization will have its second annual Spring Tea event Sunday to raise funds for its Bloomington store. The event includes a tea, luncheon, guest speaker, fashion show and silent auction from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Bloomington Country Club.One of the highlights of the Spring Tea event is the keynote speaker, Michael Maurer, a philanthropist and author of “19 Stars of Indiana: Exceptional Hoosier Women.”The law school was named in his honor this year after he made a donation.“We were enamored with the book that he wrote,” said Sandy Keller, board president and executive director of My Sister’s Closet. “My Sister’s Closet is all about these kinds of amazing women.”A majority of the 19 women from the book are expected to attend.Following Maurer will be the “Classic Looks from My Sister’s Closet” fashion show and the silent auction sponsored by more than 30 local businesses. The silent auction will offer about 45 items, including restaurant gift certificates, a Vera Bradley purse, one-month gym memberships and a blue fox-fur coat.“We worked really hard to get a whole range of items so everyone can bid and participate,” said Jennifer Stuart, My Sister’s Closet IU volunteer coordinator.Everyone who attends will go home with at least one gift. There will be gift bags filled with gift certificates for each guest as well as ceramic teabag holders and more. There will also be a number of door prizes.All proceeds from the auction and ticket sales go toward the management and development of the organization. One of the major goals of My Sister’s Closet is to open another store location, those involved said.Stuart said the hope for the Spring Tea event is to draw more attention to My Sister’s Closet. She added that the board would also like to attract more volunteers to the organization.“We really want to raise awareness of our organization in the community,” she said.Sophomore Meghan Janotka has been volunteering with My Sister’s Closet for a year. “I think it’s a wonderful cause,” she said. “I’ve seen women directly benefitted by the clothes there.”
(04/13/09 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Juniors Mara Weiss and Tom Rosenbaum are exposing an issue they said often seems to go unaddressed: mental health.“People don’t want to talk about it,” Weiss said.Together, the two established IU’s Active Minds chapter in late December. Weiss is now the chapter’s president, and Rosenbaum is the treasurer.The group will work to spread mental health awareness at IU through educational campaigns and events. So far they have plans to celebrate National Stress Out Day, which runs Monday through Friday, during which they will offer relaxing activities such as massages and games. They will also provide information about mental health and where to seek help if someone is struggling emotionally.The group is collaborating with the Division of Recreational Sports, the Residence Halls Association, Revitalizing Animal Well-Being and IU’s Counseling and Psychological Services to broaden the variety of the week’s events.Newly organized, the group is still small and looking for members. If students missed the call-out meeting, there is still time to get involved. Weiss and Rosenbaum said they need more people to get the organization running strong and to make a real impact on campus.“It’s for people who want to reach out,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s a way for students to help other students.”Weiss said she started Active Minds because she wants to get the message out that there is help for students facing emotional issues. She said mental health is an important matter that tends to be ignored, and she wants to bring it out in the open.“It’s something I think needs to be there for students,” Rosenbaum said. “I feel it’s important to have something like this on campus.”Active Minds serves as a liaison between students and mental health counselors. If someone is experiencing an emotional issue, the organization will offer helpful information and refer them to Counseling and Psychological Services at the IU Health Center.The ultimate goal of Active Minds is to remove the stigma around mental health and establish a clear environment for discussion of mental health issues.Counseling and Psychological Services Director Nancy Stockton said she believes the stigma has been lessening in the past few years, but there is still much need for improvement.“The more people talk about their emotional problems and the more they are brought out in the open, the more we can break down the stigma,” Stockton said.Stockton said she thinks Active Minds has the potential to have a very positive effect on students. Because Active Minds is a student-run organization, she said students will have an easier time relating to one another.“Students tend to listen to their peers,” she said. “It’s easier for students to get messages out to other students.”
(03/10/09 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With tornado season approaching, out-of-state IU students might be left in the dark about what to do if Bloomington were hit by a severe storm.Because Indiana is sitting on the edge of what is known as “Tornado Alley,” Midwesterners are generally aware of the dangers of thunderstorms.While there is no concrete geographical definition, most meteorologists agree “Tornado Alley” is the stretch of flat land between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains, where there is a high frequency of tornados.For students from the coasts or outside the United States, however, the threat of tornados can be understated.Senior Yeongu Shin has been living in the United States for the last 10 months after moving from South Korea. In the summer months, he said he remembers tornado warnings on the news but never worried about them.“I wouldn’t know what to do,” Shin said.Still, he said he is not threatened by the potential threat of tornados. Shin also said he does not think the University needs to take any precautions to protect or warn students about severe weather.Larry Stephens, IU director of risk management, disagrees. He said he believes tornados present a significant possible crisis.Stephens recalled two catastrophic tornados in Ellettsville, Ind., less than 10 miles northwest of Bloomington, since 2002.Combined, the two storms caused more than $10.25 million in damages, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.“We are very concerned about them,” Stephens said.In the last 59 years, 16 tornados were reported in Monroe County, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The two most recent, in May and August of 2004, were both in Bloomington.In case of a tornado, the risk management office has taken several precautions. There are six outdoor sirens around campus to warn students of severe weather, an emergency alert system conducted through IU-Notify and emergency action plans posted throughout all of IU’s buildings.Stephens encourages students to visit OneStart and update their personal contact information for IU-Notify.In an emergency, students who have signed up for IU-Notify will receive critical phone or text messages warning them of the situation.Ken Long, manager of emergency management at IU, emphasized the importance of emergency action plan awareness. These plans, posted around all IU buildings, provide safety route information in case of severe weather or fire.“We continually prepare for these kinds of disasters and take an all-hazards approach to emergencies,” Long said.At first notice of a tornado warning, students should retreat to safety immediately, according to the Office of Risk Management’s Web site. The most secure place for refuge is on the lowest level of a building or home, under solid cover and away from windows and exterior doors. If shelter is not an option, a ground cavity such as a ditch or ravine is the next-best choice.“When students hear the siren, they should seek shelter,” Stephens said. “Most students don’t do that.”