Loren Byrne is a professor of biology and environmental science at Roger Williams University, and he digs dirt. His expertise is in the ways in which urbanization affects soil health, particularly when it comes to lawn and garden management. He argues that the manicured, pesticide-laden monoculture that is a typical lawn negatively impacts soil health. […]
A lack of urgency and a deference to business interests by Rhode Island officials have allowed these three high-profile pollution problems to fester for more than a decade. Truk-Away Landfill. The Warwick landfill closed in 1978 and operated before strict regulations were in place. No one knows for sure what is buried beneath its 36 […]
Road to Renewables or Dead End? “The Road to 100% Renewable Electricity by 2030 in Rhode Island” outlines how established incentives and power mandates can achieve the target through a mix of programs and energy sources, such as offshore wind and small solar arrays. The report, authored by The Brattle Group for the Rhode Island […]
Providence’s 2021 Climate Resolutions The Office of Sustainability and the Environmental Sustainability Task Force are launching major environmental initiatives for the new year. Compost. The city is making another push for residential compost collection. A pilot program launched in 2013 had mixed results. The neighborhood drop-off service was funded by the city’s share of sales […]
Art has always been an important tool of the environmental movement. For decades, music and imagery have been used to highlight the beauty of nature, to inspire concern and motivate the need for environmental protection. And more recently, groups like the Sunrise Movement and 350.org have used consistent, striking and recognizable art across all platforms […]
Hack For Global Good, the annual student-led hackathon produced by Rocky Hill Country Day School in East Greenwich, returned for its third year this fall, reimagining what a two-day face-to-face, high-energy event could look like as a fully virtual event. Established by students determined to create real-world solutions to UN Global Challenges, this year’s summit […]
When the Wind Blows … Local demand for offshore wind power continues to grow, as Rhode Island recently announced plans to buy up to 600 megawatts of new offshore wind energy to meet its renewable-energy targets. The offshore power grab aligns with Gov. Gina Raimondo’s goal to source 100 percent of the state’s energy from […]
Toxic Dirt Pile-up at 6-10 Connector Site in Olneyville The primary developer of the 6-10 Connector highway project, Barletta, must remove a pile of fill and all other soil tainted with hazardous waste within the extensive construction site. The recent directive came after heavy-equipment operators complained of excessive dust at worksites for the $410 million […]
Farming While Black (in Rhode Island)In 2017, there were just nine black farmers in Rhode Island. Frustrated with that statistic, Quatia “Q” Osorio became a farmer herself, and single-handedly brought the number into the double digits. Since 2018, she has been farming two pieces of property she owns in Providence. The story of farming in […]
New Report Inundates Old Flood Maps Think you’re safe from rising waters in Pascoag? Think again. Many people who live inland believe that the risks of flooding from hurricanes, sea-level rise and coastal storms don’t apply to them. But a new report by the First Street Foundation finds there is a much higher risk of […]