What Grows On in Rhode Island News

Rhode Island is 8th Best on Solutions to Oil Dependence ~ May 2011

... But More is Needed
 
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND -- Rising gas prices are hitting drivers across Rhode Island, but a new report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council with the Sierra Club demonstrates that Rhode Island is a leader in smart transportation policies that can help drivers feel less pain at the pump.  The 2011 edition of “Fighting Oil Addiction: Ranking States’ Gasoline Price Vulnerability and Solutions for Change”, analyzes state and federal policies to help drivers. According to the report, Rhode Island is among those states doing the most to get off oil, coming in at 8th nationally, due in part to its adoption of strong state vehicle emissions and clean fuel standards as well as its policies that prioritize more efficient, sustainable transportation systems.
 
"Our oil dependence costs us more each day, whether it’s the price at the pump, the dangerous pollution in our air, or the risks we take with our waterways that result in tragedies such as last year’s BP oil spill disaster.” said Nicholas Oliver, Conservation Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Rhode Island Chapter.  “Rhode Island has made great strides to move beyond oil, however we need the Obama Administration to step up and increase vehicle fuel efficiency standards to 60 miles per gallon by 2025.”
 
"There is no immediate solution to high gas prices, but smart transportation polices can reduce gas bills for all drivers, no matter where they live,” said Deron Lovaas, NRDC’s federal transportation policy director. “Better state policies that give residents transportation options, such as transit assistance and telecommuting options, can provide relief. Federal action -- such as increasing vehicle fuel efficiency standards to 60 miles per gallon -- would reduce oil price vulnerability across the board. We know we can’t drill our way toward lower gas prices, so policies like these deliver.”
 
On the federal level, in addition to calling for a 60 mpg standard, the new report recommends stronger investment in public transportation and in the maintenance and repair of decaying infrastructure, as well as the establishment of a national oil-savings objective. The report further recommends that states establish policies that reduce sprawl, reduce the number of miles that citizens need to travel in vehicles to get to work or school or other daily tasks, and promote accessible public transit systems.
 
“Rhode Island is already at work with good policies, but with the increasing consequences of our oil dependence, it’s clear we still need to push forward and Rhode Islanders need to urge President Obama and his administration to do its part,” said Nicholas Oliver. “Adopting a standard of at least 60 mpg for our cars and trucks would be the greatest step America has ever taken to reduce our oil dependency. That’s an opportunity we just can’t afford to pass up.”
 
The full report is available at: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/states/contents.asp. More information about adopting a minimum 60 mpg fuel efficiency standard is available at: http://www.go60mpg.org.
 
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The Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club is a grassroots environmental organization that represents over 2,000 Rhode Islanders and works to inspire the public to explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.

Press Release

Contact: Nicholas A. Oliver, Conservation Program Coordinator
Sierra Club - Rhode Island Chapter

P: 401-521-4734
F: 401-521-4001
[email protected]
www.go60mpg.org

Volunteer: Secret Garden Tour in Newport, RI ~ June 17-19, 2011

For over a quarter of a century, our Secret Garden Tour has provided more than 1.25 million dollars in support of art education in our public schools. An integral part of our great success has been the dedication and commitment of our wonderful, loyal volunteers.
 
The 2011 spring tour will take place on Friday, June 17, Saturday June 18, and Sunday, June 19, from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. each of the three days. Volunteers work in shifts, acting as ticket-takers, hosts and guides, providing general information to our visitors. In appreciation, you will receive a free ticket to tour all of the gardens.
 
To help us schedule over 170 volunteers, please contact us via phone or email and fill-out and return a volunteer form. Please check your personal calendar BEFORE completing the form so we can ACCOMMODATE your schedule. We are attempting to GREEN our process so please fill in the form and send to [email protected]. Or just send an email to [email protected] with you availability.
 
Thank you very much for your help and support.
 
Donna Maytum, Volunteer Coordinator, 401-439-7310

www.secretgardentours.org

Science Café: The Science of Waste ~ May 26, 2011

Please join us for the event, The Science of Waste on Thursday, May 26th, from 6-7 pm at  the Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House (209 Douglas Avenue, Providence, RI).  This will be a dynamic presentation and discussion about the consequences of trash in Rhode Island, and the possibilities for change.  The event will be led by Ellie Leonardsmith with the organization Clean Water Action, who will discuss the concept of "producer responsibility" and its political reality in Rhode Island.  All are welcome.

The event sponsored by the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, Clean Water Action, the Brown University Superfund Research Program, and the Brown University Children's Environmental Health Initiative, and is part of the monthly Science Café series. The event is free and coffee and snacks will be provided.  We hope that you can make it!  Please see the attached flyer for more information. If you have questions, please contact David Ciplet: [email protected].

Press Release

Memorial Tree Planting ~ June 4, 2011

Honor our troops this year by planting trees with us at the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery on June 4th.   

Attention Tree Stewards, Volunteers and Members of RITree,
 
The Rhode Island Tree Council is planting twenty tuliptrees, Liriodendron tulipifera at the RI Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Exeter, RI on Saturday, June 4, 2011.
 
The 2 diameter inch saplings will be installed along a section of Main Street from the Memorial Chapel behind the Administration Building to the north entrance gate leading to Route 2.  Main Street is a long, circular road that connects the front to the back of the cemetery.
 
This planting is the first of many whose ultimate goal is to line the entire length of this major cemetery travel lane with tall, wide-spreading trees.  
 
We will not be able to plant these magnificent trees without your help.
 
Anyone interested in helping is asked to contact RITree by Wednesday, June 1st.  We will meet at the parking lot in front of the Administration Building on June 4th around 9:15 AM. The Main Street planting will start promptly at 9:30 AM. 

Memorial Tree Planting ~ June 4, 2011

Memorial Planting
Tree Stewards, Volunteers and Members of RITree,
 
The Rhode Island Tree Council is planting twenty tuliptrees, Liriodendron tulipifera at the RI Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Exeter, RI on Saturday, June 4, 2011.
 
The 2 diameter inch saplings will be installed along a section of Main Street from the Memorial Chapel behind the Administration Building to the north entrance gate leading to Route 2.  Main Street is a long, circular road that connects the front to the back of the cemetery.
 
This planting is the first of many whose ultimate goal is to line the entire length of this major cemetery travel lane with tall, wide-spreading trees.  
 
We will not be able to plant these magnificent trees without your help.
 
Anyone interested in helping is asked to contact RITree by Wednesday, June 1st.  We will meet at the parking lot in front of the Administration Building on June 4th around 9:15 AM. The Main Street planting will start promptly at 9:30 AM. 

Oceans and the World's Climate: How They Are Interdependent ~ June 4, 2011

The scientific case for the impact of human behavior on the complex, delicate, worldwide ocean system, as it in turn influences climate change and other factors that directly affect our lives, will be the topic addressed by prominent oceanographer and inventor Dr. Kenneth Johnson.

Rhode Island is the Ocean State. We live our lives in close proximity to the ocean, and our state’s economy is inextricably linked to it. Yet how much do most of us know about the world’s oceans? Most importantly, do we understand the great impact that ever-rising levels of atmospheric CO2 are having on oceans, including our own?

The melting of the polar ice caps, reversed ocean currents, changing chemical compositions, effects on marine ecosystems and fisheries—it all sounds very scientific and esoteric. What could it possibly have to do with our daily lives? But climate change will certainly impact humanity—and it will hit us coastal dwellers especially close to home. Learning and understanding the facts, and taking a realistic look at the future, is in our own best interests. 

Dr. Johnson will review the results of his lifetime of work, touring and analyzing waters in Darwin-like journeys throughout the 70% of the earth’s surface comprising oceans. He has worked at the URI's Graduate School of Oceanography, the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, the Institute for Sea Research in Germany, and Sweden's University of Gothenburg, developing techniques used by oceanographers to measure the concentration and the change in the concentration of dissolved CO2 throughout the world's oceans.

Saturday June 4  Rochambeau Library  Hope St  Providence   3 PM

RI Farm Scavenger Hunt & Pick Your Own ~ May thru October 2011

It's time for the farm stands and more farmers' markets to open, which are enjoyable by themselves. But the RI Fruit Growers Association has created a scavenger hunt to juice things up even more. There's a gameboard with photos to identify. Some special prizes will be awarded to the first people who enter their completed boards. And while you are out at the farm stands, you can pick your own strawberries or other fruit as they ripen. The strawberry plants in my yard are now setting yellowish fruits, and soon they'll be ready for munching. I'm sure the farmers will have fresh strawberries soon.

Wondering how to find out when fruit is available for picking? The RI Fruit Growers Association website has a list of the fruit-growing farms with detailed info about what's grown where and when it's ripe. Click on the links to the fruit growers' own websites for more details. Call ahead if in doubt about open hours and what's in season.

Farm Fresh RI also has an updated list of what is in season and where you can Pick Your Own fruit as well as vegetables. The RI Harvest Calendar is a good place to begin, and you can find more details through the links on the great Farm Fresh RI website.

For instance, today, May 20, on the Farm Fresh RI home page, the following are "What's in Season:"

Edible flowers • Lavender • Lemon Verbena • Sliced + Diced Veggies • Sprouts • full Harvest Calendar...

For details about the Scavenger Hunt, see the Providence Journal 7 to 7 blog post of May 13: Game boards available for scavenger hunt at RI fruit farms. Especially note:

"Organizers urge that families check a farm's operating hours before visiting. Addresses, phone numbers and websites of participating farms are listed on the brochure and in the list of farm stands on the Fruit Growers Association website."

Gently Used Garden Trays, Tools, Etc., Needed at Providence VA Hospital ~ May 18, 2011

The VA Hospital in Providence has a fledgling greenhouse therapy program.  They are in dire need of growing containers 4 to 8 inches, plant trays, and misc garden tools.  Any donations would be greatly appreciated even if they have been gently used. The program runs weekdays until noon and visitors are welcome and encouraged to drop in to see the gardens and greenhouse.  Please contact Peter Gauthier at 273-7100 extension 4276 to donate.
 
Thanks to all.

ecoRI Reuse Sale ~ June 4-5, 2011

ecoRI News Looks to Save Unwanted Items

In an effort to find homes for some of Rhode Island’s unwanted items, ecoRI News will be hosting its inaugural Reuse Sale the weekend of June 4 and 5 at 111 Hope St. from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

This consumer-friendly fundraiser will feature antiques, books and magazines, sports collectibles and memorabilia, photographs, movies, CDs, kids and adult clothing, gardening supplies, make-it-yourself rain barrels, countertop compost bins, household items, computer accessories and tools.

Stop by and enjoy a cup of coffee with the ecoRI News staff, snack on some delicious baked goods and check out the nonprofit’s news office.

If you would like to donate items to this fundraiser, there are several ways to do so:

Starting May 4, ecoRI News staffers will be collecting items for the Reuse Sale at the Wednesday (4-7 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) farmers’ markets at Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St. in Pawtucket. The same location we have been collecting compost since November.

Make an appointment to drop off donated items at ecoRI’s worldwide headquarters, 111 Hope St. in Providence. Contact ecoRI News executive director Frank Carini at 401-678-0206 or via e-mail at [email protected] to set up a time.

Schedule a pickup. The ecoRI News staff will pick up, on a limited basis and depending on the item(s), donations. To schedule a possible pickup, contact ecoRI News executive director Frank Carini at 401-678-0206 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Warwick Comprehensive Plan Public Meetings ~ May 25 - July 27, 2011

The City of Warwick is seeking public input for help in updating the City's Comprehensive Plan. Public meetings will be held throughout the City starting on May 25 through July 27. Please visit the City's web site for more information, meeting dates and locations, as well as detailed information on the updating process. This is an opportunity to assist the Warwick Planning Department and provide input and vision in shaping the City's future.  

From the Plan Calendar:

Wednesday, May 25  

6:00pm   Ward 2 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

6:00pm   Ward 6 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

Wednesday, June 15

6:00pm    Ward 5 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

6:00pm    Ward 8 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

Thursday, June 16

6:00pm    Ward 3 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

Wednesday, June 22

6:00pm    Ward 4 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

6:00pm    Ward 7 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

Wednesday, July 27

6:00pm    Ward 1 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"

6:00pm    Ward 9 Public Meeting: "Communities of Place"