Events for the Week of April 23
Monday, April 23
***Video Presentation About Recycling at WCL***: R..m. 501, 12:15 p.m.-12:45 p.m. ~ Join the Environmental Law Society for a very short video presentation shot by an AU grad student about the facility WCL uses to recycle. Learn about how items are sorted and what CAN and CAN NOT be recycled. Mark Feist from AU Buildings and Grounds will also be there to answer any questions students may have about the recycling process. Please e-mail els@wcl.american.edu with questions. Please circulate to all those who may have questions about recycling at WCL!!!
ELI Congressional Briefing: Will Mercury Cap and Trade Crash and Burn?: 3:00 ? 4:00 p.m., 122 Cannon House Office Building, Independence & First Streets, SE ~ Join ELI for a panel discussion moderated by ELI President Leslie Carothers that examines the state of current airborne mercury regulation. Panelists are distinguished attorneys from environmental organizations, power companies, and private law firms with expertise in mercury emissions issues. For the past two years, the EPA and states have been in a tug-of-war over how best to regulate mercury emissions from power plants. The federal EPA recently issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule which provides for a mercury emission trading system. Many states are adopting more stringent regulations of their own, threatening to undermine the federal system. Meanwhile, up to 30% of airborne mercury in the US is blown across the Pacific Ocean from Chinese coal-burning power plants. All of these concerns raise important questions for lawmakers. PLEASE NOTE ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED. You must RSVP in order to attend this event. Those placed on the wait list will be notified the day prior to the event whether or not space has become available. To reserve, e-mail mcmurrin@eli.org.
Film The Scrap House: 7:00 8:30 pm, National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW ~ The Scrap House (46 min., 2006) documents the nearly impossible challenge of constructing a house using only scrap and salvaged materials in anticipation of World Environment Day 2005. A team of San Francisco architects, artists, contractors, city officials, and engineers had one month to build this extraordinary work of green architecture in front of the San Francisco city hall. Following the screening, there will be a discussion with architect, John Peterson, San Francisco?s chief building inspector, Laurence Kornfield, and filmmaker, Anna Fitch. This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition The Green House, which will be open for viewing.
Tuesday, April 24
Investment and Trade in Latin America: The Chilean Experience: 8:15 a.m.- 6:00 p.m., rm. 603 ~ The conference will address a number of issues including the legal framework for investment in Chile; investing in Chile - the corporate perspective; the Free Trade Agreement between Chile and the U.S. - environment and labor issues; and the settlement of disputes. General Registration is free and open to the public. Cosponsored with the Embassy of Chile , Chilean American Chamber of Commerce ( Washington , DC ), the American Chamber of Commerce ( Santiago ) and the Chilean Foreign Investment Committee.
Thursday, April 26
Greening the River-Panel Discussion: 6:30-8:00 p.m., National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW ~ The Four Mile Run Restoration Plan provides a bold framework to revitalize and restore the lower portion of the beleaguered waterway that forms the boundary between the city of Alexandria and Arlington County. The plan?s initiative includes stream bank restoration to restore wildlife habitats and improve water quality. A panel discussion will be held with Elliot Rhodeside, ASLA, and Deana Rhodeside, ASLA, principals of the Alexandria-based landscape architecture firm Rhodeside & Harwell, Inc., and Bill Hicks with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. They will discuss the master plan and the cross-jurisdictional cooperation that made it possible. This program is organized in celebration of National Landscape Architecture Month. $12 Museum, ASLA members, and students. Register at http://www.nbm.org/Exhibits/greenHouse2/events/greenEvents.html.
Saturday, April 28
Rock Creek Park Fieldtrip: 3 p.m., Rock Creek Park Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW ~ Join the National Audobon Society at the Rock Creek Park Nature Center. The walk will take about an hour and will be conducted rain or shine. As one of the first sites in the world where scientists began banding birds over a century ago, and as the site of decades worth of research on migratory birds, Rock Creek Park has contributed to our understanding about the threats facing migratory birds. Although these walks will be leisurely, please wear sturdy shoes, clothing appropriate to the weather and bring your binoculars and bird identification guide if you have them. A drink and bug repellent may also be advisable.
