I watched my father turn from a marathon runner and 11-time elected public official into a shrunken, lost soul, as transparent as wax. At the assisted living home where he finally landed, he believed he was in a hotel and getting ready to move on to the next destination. His vacant eyes, and the total […]
As a lifelong Rhode Islander, I’m ashamed to admit how few times I had been inside our State House prior to 2016. Maybe a school field trip or two? Maybe? But on that fateful election night more than two years ago, the world turned upside down and I, along with millions of other devastated and […]
It is quite damning that in 2019, the Narragansett people of Rhode Island still face hardships and discrimination on the very land they have called home for thousands of years. But despite their difficulties, this is not a community without spirit, nor is it a community that lacks voices. One of loudest and most recognized […]
To safeguard the clean and affordable water that the Providence Water Supply Board (PWSB) delivers to more than 60% of Rhode Islanders, our legislators should reject two bills that enable Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza to monetize the public water utility. Treating water as an asset for profit places its cleanliness, affordability and accessibility at risk and […]
The Sunrise Movement is a national organization made up of young people between the ages of 18 and 35 fighting to stop climate change and create new jobs in the process. I recently spoke with a member of RI’s local chapter, Lauren Maunus, about the organization and its goals. “We are trying to both change the […]
Parenting in the age of climate change can be overwhelming. As I try to raise my young children to be environmentally conscious citizens, I use the theory of environmental education David Sobel writes about in his book Beyond Ecophobia– we must first teach children to love the earth, then we can teach them to protect […]
I got off the plane in Ushuaia, Argentina, located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America nicknamed the “End of the World.” My journey to Antarctica began there as I boarded my next mode of transportation, an expedition ship named the Ocean Endeavour run by Quark Expeditions. Yes, this was […]
There is something inherently flawed about the notion that actions speak louder than words. The creation of words is an action, and in a world where matters so often get out of hand, a lot can be said for the idea that the pen is mightier than the sword. Armchair activism, as it is sometimes […]
PD Ouspensky once wrote that man could be classified as “an animal that lies.” This is most certainly true. Much of the time, it can be a harmless feelings-sparing, or time-buying, act, but sometimes it can be dangerous. According to a recent study published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), 60% to 80% […]
The sands of time are shifting in Rhode Island, and not just metaphorically. Coastal erosion is a problem in the Ocean State, with the impact of climate change and the lack of replenishment of lost materials making for an uncertain future. Brian Caccioppoli is a researcher in marine geology and coastal geology at the University […]