Events:

Environment

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Eco-Warriors: Providing educational experiences in the natural world

Educational experiences that create awareness and connections between personal actions and the natural world are helping kids to develop perception and values regarding their environment. Schoolyard Habitats, the program that provides grants to create green spaces on school grounds, shows that when kids have informative experiences within the natural world, they begin to understand their own connection to nature. However, these experiences infrequently happen organically as kids stay […]

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Inspiring Environmental Stewardship: Educational opportunities make kids aware of the world around them

Note: This continues our series on environmental education. For part one in the series, go to motifri.com/a-new-generation-of-environmentalists As I begin to uncover what encourages environmental stewardship in young people, my first thought turns to one question: What’s being incorporated into education that inspires a sustainable mindset toward nature? The importance of this became clear to […]

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Unclogging the Drain: New project encourages local citizens to help keep trash out of the oceans

Some of the best benevolent ideas can come from unlikely and unexpected places. A few years ago, Bonnie Combs, marketing director for Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, was crossing a city intersection that was covered with litter. She took note of the quote stenciled on it: “Keep it Clean, Protect Your Water” and took […]

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Children

Pass it On!: Raising kids to be stewards of the Earth is no child’s play

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 […]

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New Wave Science: Local scientists study the ocean from the crest of a wave

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 […]

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Stop Being So Plastic: Single-use items threaten the environment — but we can stop the threat

For decades, Rhode Islanders have been working diligently to restore Narragansett Bay. By the 1980s, much of the bay’s waters had become fouled from more than a century of pollution by manufacturing waste and raw sewage. Since then, a focus on undoing this harmful legacy has brought back the health of the bay. Shellfishing beds and […]

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A Green New Deal: This people-first solution reflects RI’s roots

Rhode Island enjoys the unique advantage of having accessible natural resources. After work, I have the option of driving 30 minutes to stroll along the sea cliffs of Fort Wetherill or hiking one of the Big River trails. As a kid, my church’s outings took advantage of that accessibility, and my favorite summer activities included afternoons […]

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Get Growing!: Community gardens builds healthy bodies and resilient communities

“A few years ago, nobody knew about urban agriculture,” said Roberta Groch, a board member of the Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT) who also is an urban planner for the state. “But, slowly we started incorporating it into the zoning in Providence and in other communities. And now it’s up at the State House, it’s […]

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