How you personally can keep dangerous chemicals out of the water supply

This Saturday, April 26, there is a national drive to collect unwanted prescription drugs for proper disposal.  You can find the drop-off spot closest to you by going here.

EARTH WEEK 2014 at WWU

Lots happening this week, and not just on Earth Day (4/22). Just a few reminders about some of the things coming up THIS WEEK!

And don't miss the Students for Sustainable Water Water Bottle Ban Celebration tomorrow from 5 to 6 at the VU MPR. You may just see some of us from the library there celebrating the installation of the new water-bottle refilling station in Wilson Library (with the "sustainability resource wall coming soon!)

I don't think we have mentioned that among the 300+ databases available through Western Libraries is one specifically to help you find articles about the environment.  Give GreenFILE a try.

Climate Change Event Happening THIS WEEK: Thursday, April 17th

WESTERN READS presents Dr. Naomi Oreskes, who will be talking about the scientific consensus on climate change, this coming Thursday, April 17th at 4pm in the VU Multipurpose Room as part of the Western Reads Speaker Series.

Oreskes is co-author of the book Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. For more information about this event, visit www.wwu.edu/westernreads/ .

America's Trashiest Humor

Way back in 1970 the brand-new Environmental Protection Agency put out a collection of cartoons about pollution called America The Beautiful: The Nation's Trashiest Humor.  The whole book is available at their website, although it is a bit slow to get through.  (Skip the even numbered pages, which just list the author.)


One of the interesting things about it, is the way some attitudes and vocabulary have changed over the last forty years.  I am not used to hearing the term "ground pollution," for example.  Take a look at the funnies your parents or grandparents were reading...

Check out This Week's Huxley Speaker!

On Thursday, April 10th at 4pm, James Meadow will be discussing architectural design and indoor microbiology as part of the Huxley Speaker Series. In his talk "Can We Design Buildings Towards a Healthier Indoor Microbiome?" Meadows will consider recent revelations from microbiology and discuss some of the ways architectural design influences indoor microbes.

This talk will be held in the Environmental Studies building, room 100, and it is free and open to the public.For more detailed information, check out this piece that was posted to Western Today.

A timely message

Funny video; clever message.

Thirty Days of Biking

Here's an organization asking people to get on their bikes every day in April.  Why not?  Thanks to Ryer Banta for the tip.