In Malawi, a boy named William Kamkwamba powers his village by hooking a windmill that he built up to a generator. In Ethiopia, a woman named Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu runs a business making “SoleRebel” shoes, an answer to Nike and Adidas that produces zero emissions.

In August, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, a national organization to evaluate and assure quality of engineering programs, accredited Cornell’s environmental engineering program for the first time. The specialized accreditation allows C.U. graduates to take exams that certify them as licensed professional engineers.

The environmental engineering degree, a joint program between the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering, was created in 2002. Although the program had not been accredited, students could still receive a diploma from the program. The program was not accredited because the accrediting board only considers programs that have graduates.

In an continued effort to develop energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly innovation, Ithaca is set to launch a multitude of new programs this summer directed at training workers in the local community.

According to Julia Mattick, director of the Tompkins County Workforce Investment Board, the Board will invest approximately $120,000 in 2009 to fund various programs meant to create and sustain green-collar jobs for Ithacans under the age of 24. The funding comes primarily from the federal government's workforce investment act and stimulus bill, according to Mattick.

For almost a week, Prof. Bruce Lewenstein, communication, tantalized his class, Communication 2850: Communication in the Life Sciences, with only the vaguest of details about a “super secret mystery guest.” Lewenstein would only say that the “mystery guest” was tall, thin and a Cornell alumnus.

“While I heard the gossip about his potential appearance, when he actually walked into the room I was so surprised,” Josh Helfgott ’11 stated in an e-mail. “He walked in wearing his trademark bow tie and smiled at the class. All I could do was smile. He looked just like he does on TV.” The Science Guy: Bill Nye ’77 speaks to Communication 2850: Communication in the Life Sciences yesterday in Warren Hall.

I’m sure that everyone has some mention of environmental rights in recent years. With growing concern for environmental protection, many have begun to adapt their lifestyles to limit damage to the earth. From hybrid vehicles to wind power, there is an ever-increasing focus on protecting the environment and limiting the pollution emitted by humankind. Our own Cornell University Sustainability Coordinator is in the process of developing initiatives to make the campus environmentally friendly.

Nancy Sutley ’84 has a passion for the environment honed far above Cayuga’s waters. Now, the current deputy mayor of Los Angeles for energy and the environment is bringing her political acumen and progressive mindset to the executive office as President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Last night, over 20 Cornell students gathered around a dinner table to participate in a conversation that extended beyond typical dining hall chatter. Art Purcell Ph.D ’66, an environmental policy and sustainability expert, hosted the dialogue “What an Obama Administration Might Mean for Environmental Policy and Sustainability,” provoking many students to think about the importance of the integration of environmental and economic policy.

“We’re in an era where there’s hope again,” Purcell began. He continued to say that it is a matter of “timing and an efficient use of resources” to push the country towards a more sustainable and green future.

It was the summer of ’69. In the midst of free love, hits of LSD and political activism across the U.S., Cornell University hosted a historic exhibit that transformed the perception of art. Curated by Willoughby Sharp at the A.D. White House, Earth Art broke out of museums and galleries and into the rough-and-tumble of the wilderness. The show was the introduction to the Land Art movement, including works like Walter de Maria's “Lightning Farm,” which harnessed the power of nature for aesthetic pleasure.

In the midst of the distressing news this past week, Good Magazine recently published an inspiring video article about someone who has made the world a better place.

The story concerns Manuel de Arriba Ares, a retired gym teacher in the village of Valdespino de Somoza in the city of Leon, Spain. Ares has built an "ecological gym" for the village--an outdoor gym that uses no electricity and that is made entirely from recycled materials!

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election.

Republicans have made lifting the ban a key campaign issue after gasoline prices spiked this summer and public opinion turned in favor of more drilling. President Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling in July.