The marine geophysicist who has served as director of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory for the past decade has been named to a new post. G. Michael Purdy will become Columbia’s executive vice president for research effective Feb. 1, the university said Friday. Purdy will be replaced on an interim basis by Lamont-Doherty’s associate director, [...]

The Rockland Sierra Club will hold its program, “The Facts on Indian Point: Relicensing, Climate Change and Radionuclides in Our River,” Feb. 8 instead of today due to the snowstorm. Marilyn Elie, a co-founder of Westchester Citizens Awareness Network, will speak. Elie has been working to shut down Indian Point for 17 years and has [...]

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the gift of land and money that led to the creation of Bear Mountain and Harriman state parks, and that ignited the national land preservation movement. Without the gift, a new prison may have been built at Bear Mountain, something Mary Averell Harriman and her husband, Edward H. Harriman, [...]

From the New York state Public Service Commission: The New York state Public Service Commission wants to help people reduce their energy waste and lower their utility bills through a new program, “Jumpstart NY.” The PSC, which oversees utilities in New York, is looking for a select group of households to participate. Energy monitors will [...]

Keep Rockland Beautiful will hold its 2010 awards gala from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 6 at the historic bath house at the foot of Hook Mountain at Nyack Beach State Park in Upper Nyack. Among its many activities, KRB annually organizes roadside and waterside cleanups, offers environmental programs at local schools, encourages beautification [...]

A conference, “ Advancing Our Regional Foodshed: The Role of Higher Education,” will be held from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Rockland Community College in Ramapo. The event is part of the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities’ seventh annual conference. Highlights include [...]

Supporters of efforts to fight global climate change plan to participate in a “Global Work Party” at sites around the world Sunday. Locally, supporters will staff an information booth from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Nyack Street Fair. Information about the issue will be available and adults and children can write letters and [...]

The County Legislature will hold public hearings on two proposed amendments to the Rockland County Sewer law when it convenes at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Allison-Parris County Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road in New City. The first amendment, sponsored by Legislator Ilan Schoenberger, D-Wesley Hills, would charge single-family homes one fee even if [...]

The theme of this year’s open house at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is “Earth on Alert.” The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Route 9W campus in Palisades. Here’s some information from the LDEO press release: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a global leader in studying the natural world, opens its [...]

The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association will hold its national conference at Threefold Educational Center, 260 Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge, from Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. The keynote speakers include Fred Kirschemann, president of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Westchester County, and Sister Miriam MacGillis, co-founder of Genesis Farm [...]