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News Tip: Duke Experts Available to Comment for Earth Day

In the weeks leading up to Earth Day, April 22, Duke University experts are available to comment on environmental issues ranging from climate change to sustainable development, green jobs and the Obama Administration's stance on environmental issues.

William Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment, has spent more than 30 years in academia as a professor, researcher, teacher and mentor. His research focuses on the causes of and remedies for global, regional and urban climate change and identifying pathways toward a more sustainable future. He blogs on environmental issues at "The Green Grok" (www.thegreengrok.com) and The Huffington Post. Chameides recently recorded a YouTube video demonstrating how people can reduce their carbon footprints during a weekly trip to the supermarket. Watch the clip here: http://tinyurl.com/dxnd5u.

Contact Chameides at: (919) 613-8004; bill.chameides@duke.edu

Gary Gereffi, professor of sociology and director of Duke's Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness, is lead author of the new report "Manufacturing Climate Solutions." The report, online at: http://tinyurl.com/4l8fxf, provides a detailed look at manufacturing jobs that already exist and might be created when the U.S. takes action to limit global-warming pollution. Gereffi recently presented his findings at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs national conference in Washington, D.C. Watch a clip of Gereffi talking about his research here: http://tinyurl.com/d85x3p.

Contact Gereffi at: (919) 660-5611 or (919) 660-5614; ggere@soc.duke.edu

Tavey M. Capps, environmental sustainability director at Duke, says, "Living ‘green' is not something far-away or removed from our lives that we can choose to think about or not. Sustainability is the decisions we make on a daily basis." Duke's sustainability efforts include fleets of bicycles and zip cars for students and others to share; water conservation in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens; the construction of LEED-rated buildings such as the platinum-rated Home Depot Smart Home; and encouraging the entire Duke community to recycle and reduce their carbon footprints. Watch a video of a "garbology" event -- held last year during "Earth Month at Duke" -- during which Duke students and staff sorted through garbage to determine the percentage of trash that could have been recycled: http://tinyurl.com/c72eor.

Contact Capps at: (919) 660-1434; tavey.mcdaniel@duke.edu

Tim Profeta, director of Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, says the downturned economy presents an added incentive for lawmakers to pass a federal cap-and-trade program on carbon emissions. Revenues generated by the program could be used to create a fund that invests in energy solutions and provide a resource for low-interest loans to replace current power plants with low- or no- emission alternatives that would otherwise take decades to deploy. Revenues could also be used to avoid disproportionate impacts of cost increases on consumers. Profeta specializes in climate and energy legislation and policy. Prior to being appointed director of Duke's Nicholas Institute in 2005, he was senior environmental counsel to Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Contact Profeta at: (919) 613-8709 or tim.profeta@duke.edu.