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 […]
Racist Remarks Sink Raimondo’s DEM Nominee Gov. Gina Raimondo’s nominee for an important post that offers a $130,692 salary for settling disputed permits and penalties had little environmental law experience to recommend him for a job, but Thomas A. DiLuglio’s nomination was yanked only after it was discovered that had posted racist content on his […]
Environmental education in Rhode Island schools is proving to be an effective way of inspiring stewardship in young people, as seen through the efforts of schoolyard green spaces and gardens, and adding climate change in the curriculum. However, there are still boundaries being faced by those trying to provide access to environmental education to all […]
The World Is Not Their Oyster Right NowWith restaurants shuttered because of the COVID-19 crisis, Rhode Island’s oyster farmers are facing market collapse. “We sell 98% of our oysters to restaurants in Rhode Island and New York, and when they closed, our sales dropped by 98%. That was certainly eye-opening,” said Jules Opton-Himmel, co-founder and […]
Whatever Happened to the Climate Crisis?Back in early February — can you remember that far back? — the climate crisis was drawing public (and mainstream media) attention, and environmental activists were planning for the 50th Earth Day celebration scheduled for April 22. Then came COVID-19, and the global pandemic took up all the oxygen in […]
Medical Waste Cooked 24/7 in West Warwick A proposed medical-waste-to-energy processing facility in West Warwick would operate around the clock, heating human blood, pathological waste and syringes to 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit (using a process called pyrolysis) to generate electricity. The net power generated would be sold to the regional power grid. Blood-powered Netflix, anyone? The […]
These days it is hard to avoid thinking about the COVID-19 outbreak. I am mostly working on climate issues, and I am sure there are conspiracy theories about how they are linked. Conspiracies aside, there is one way that the virus and our climate are definitely linked, and that is through deforestation. Let me explain. […]