May 14 2008

National Children’s Study: Exploring Environmental Impacts on Children’s Health and Development

Michael Dellarco from NICHD will discuss the National Children’s Study. The National Children’s Study examines the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the study is to improve the health and well-being of children.

April 16 2008

Conserving Mother Nature's Chemistry Set for Tomorrow's Cures: The Medical Value of Biodiversity

Did you know that the Earth's biological diversity includes almost 350,000 species of plants and at least one million species of fungi and that many of these could be sources of cures for today's devastating diseases? Dr. David Newman, Chief of NCI's Natural Products Branch, will discuss how the 60,000 plant samples and 15,000 marine samples that his team has collected worldwide have led to drug discoveries, including medications to treat HIV and tumors. Come learn about the importance of protecting the world's biodiversity.

March 19 2008

The Future of Biofuels

Are you confused about how we are going to address our future transportation energy needs? How big a role will biofuels have? What feedstocks, beyond corn, can contribute to tomorrow's biofuel economy? Grass? Wood waste? What barriers need to be addressed and how will we overcome them? Come hear Shabnam Fardanesh, Outreach and Infrastructure Manager, Office of the Biomass Program of the Department of Energy, discuss the future of renewable energy sources.

Feb 20 2008

Green Office Renovations: Lessons Learned

Kenny Floyd, NIH's Director for the Division of Environmental Protection, will discuss the lessons learned from green renovations of office space at the Bethesda Campus.

Nov 14 2007

Recycling and Composting at NIH

Do you ever wonder where cafeteria food waste goes? What about animal bedding from laboratories? This month we discussed NIH’s recycling and composting program and how you can compost your organic waste to create an excellent source of nutrients for your garden at home! Guest speaker was NIH’s own Recycling Coordinator, Gareth Buckland.

Oct 17 2007

Energy Awareness

Did you know that October is Energy Awareness Month? This month we viewed the remarkable film, Kilowatt Ours, that was followed by a lively discussion with guest speaker Clark Reed, EPA’s ENERGY STAR Program.

Sep 19 2007

How Stormwater Affects the Chesapeake Bay

Forests and no-mow zones along stream banks at the Bethesda campus improve stormwater quality by filtering out contaminants. This presentation focused on what NIH is doing to protect the Chesapeake Bay and what you can do in your own home, such as rain barrels and rainscapes to keep harmful chemicals out of the Bay. Remember – nothing in the drain but rain! Guest speaker was Pam Rowe, Rainscapes Program Coordinator, Montgomery County DEP.

Jun 20 2007

Green Roofs

This presentation focused on green roofs, how they work, and their benefits to water quality and energy conservation. The presentation was followed by a walk to view the newly finished green roof on the NIH Visitor's Center.

May 16 2007

NIH Forest Restoration

Office of Research Facilities (ORF) staff described the wonderful forest restoration efforts going on at NIH.

Mar 21 2007

Sustainability Series VI

The final episode, "Deeper Shades of Green," presents some of the most remarkable visionaries who are changing the face of architecture and environmentalism.

Jan 17 2007

Sustainability Series IV

This fourth episode of the series takes the notion of the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) to grand proportions by turning Boston's "Big Dig" waste into spectacular residential design.