"A big difference from the first Earth Day in 1970? Activists see business as a partner.
There are entire industries today making use of things that were formerly dumped in the river or thrown in the landfill. That type of thinking wasn't there in the 1970s. Lesson learned."

-Paul Wozniak, environmental historian, UW-Green Bay alumnus and
volunteer supporter of Earth Day 2009 activities on April 22

Ward, Chicago Fed official to speak on 'Changing Economy'
Our Changing Economy: Strategies for Moving Forward in an Uncertain Economic Environment" is the title of a breakfast symposium scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, at the KI Convention Center in downtown Green Bay. Speakers will include UW-Green Bay Interim Chancellor David Ward, president of NorthStar Economics, Inc; Wade Rousse, an economic outreach specialist for the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago; and John Koskinen, a chief economist for the state of Wisconsin. A registration fee is required. Information is online at www.uwgb.edu/outreach/govt

Spring Founders event is April 28
The annual spring reception of the UW-Green Bay Founders Association is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the foyer of the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. Hors d oeuvres, refreshments and good company will be offered along with the chance to mix and mingle with award-winning students involved in this year's campus Common Theme of "Waging War, Waging Peace." Director of Development, Shane Kohl, has more info at (920) 465-2018.

Touting 'Eco U 2009' and Earth Day events on April 22

Hitting mailboxes next week, the newest Inside UW-Green Bay magazine takes readers inside efforts to sharpen the University's brand as a leading promoter of environmental awareness and eco-friendly initiatives.

The issue is headlined "Eco U 2009." It introduces the new Environmental Management and Business Institute, or EMBI, and the Institute's new slant on bringing science, policy and business together to focus on environmental and economic issues. Foremost will be exploring opportunities for businesses to reduce environmental impacts while at the same time increasing profitability.

The new UW-Green Bay venture will have its public launch on April 22 with a major symposium, "Green Innovations 2009."

"The Green Innovations 2009 event is about informing people that we are still that innovative, environmentally focused university," says Prof. John Stoll, an economist and EMBI co-director. "It is not just in the past. At no time in history has it been more important that it be our future."

Stoll (at right, in photo above, with co-director Prof. Kevin Fermanich) says EMBI has already earned nearly a quarter of a million dollars in grants for faculty research on renewable energy - for a study of mixed perennial grasses as bio-fuel, and for a study of pelletized fuels. Plans also have been developed for a 22-credit EMBI certificate program available to undergraduates beginning in fall 2009.

Community support of the April 22 symposium is evident with involvement of the New North regional economic development consortium and sponsorships by Foth, Baylake Bank, Wisconsin Public Service, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Schreiber Foods, ENCAP, and FEECO International. For info on the symposium's green business showcase and the lineup of guest speakers (including Larry Weyers of Integrys), see the web at www.uwgb.edu/embi/.