What Grows On in Rhode Island News

Film ~ A Sense of Wonder (about Rachel Carson) ~ November 20, 2009

The Women's Sustainability Series Committee invites you to experience
 
~   a sense of wonder   ~
 
a film about Rachel Carson's love for the natural world and her inspirational journey to protect it.
 
Date:    Friday, November 20th, 2009
Time:  5:30-8:00 p.m.
Place:  Metcalf Auditorium
RISD's Chace Center
20 North Main Street, Providence, RI
Ticket Price:  $35* per person, cash bar
R.S.V.P. Required:  Sharon Paul (401) 331-7110 ext.10
*Ticket Price is not tax deductible
 
Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served during the discussion following the film.  Please bring a friend.
 
The Women's Sustainability Series offers inspirational presentations on global and
local sustainability issues that affect our daily lives.
 
Women's Sustainability Committee
 
Dominique Browning, Linda Doberstein, Linda Green, Elizabeth Grumbach, Gail Ballard Hall,
Ann-Marie Ignasher, Marnie Lacouture, Sharon Linder, Janis Nepshinsky, Joanne Riccitelli,
Maura Sayre, Julie Sharpe, Linda Wood

Film Showing on Chinese Environment ~ November 12, 2009

Road Ahead: The First Green Long March
A film screening with award-winning documentary producer  
Michael Raisler, Creative Director, CINEREACH
In collaboration with the Golden Jasmine Chinese Film Festival and the Department of Science and Technology of Bryant University
November 12, 5-6:30 p.m.

Room 2AB, Bryant Center

A film screening and discussion will take place Thursday, November 12th at Bryant University. The Road Ahead: The First Green Long March, an official selection of the Hamptons and Cleveland International film festivals and winner of Best International Documentary at the Queens International Film Festival, is the hopeful story of a group of Chinese college students who mobilize to spark their own environmental movement in rural China in the months leading up to the nation's 2008 "green" Olympic games.

Apeiron Center Open House ~ October 3, 2009

From Apeiron Institute for Sustainability:

The Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living is pleased to open its award-winning Center for Sustainable Living in Coventry, RI as part of the National Solar Homes Tour. The center is a work in progress created by over 2,000 volunteers and 120 businesses. It features signed nature trails, edible landscapes, streams and meadows, and an ecological housing model that showcases over 50 green building systems, technologies and products. Click here for more information on the center. The center will be open Saturday, October 3, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and tours will be held at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm. Suggested donation is $5.00. For more information, please contact Apeiron at info@apeiron.org or 401-228-7930.

Green Buildings Open House ~ October 3, 2009

From NESEA:

Make your plans now to join us on October 3rd for the annual Green Buildings Open House (GBOH). It is the largest sustainable energy event in the Northeastern USA!

Rhode Island has seven site in Bristol, Tiverton, Coventry, Providence, and Jamestown Including:

Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living
451 Hammet Road
Coventry, RI

Island Solar
170 Walcott Ave.
Providence, RI

Wolcott St. Eco-Building
28 Wolcott Street
Providence, RI

17 Gordon Ave
Providence, RI

See the NESEA Green Buildings page for more details.

RI Sustainable Schools Summit ~ September 24, 2009

From Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living:

There is still room at the 2nd Annual RI Sustainable Schools Summit Thursday, September 24th 8:00am - 4:00pm at the URI Shepard Building at 80 Washington St., Providence, RI

 

Rhode Island Schools: Taking Strides to Sustainability
Attention Superintendents, Administrators, Teachers, Students, School Board Officials, Facilities Managers, Principals, Parents, School Green Teams and Community Members:
 
Join the Apeiron Institute for this FREE program as we take an in-depth look at some green initiatives in local schools and discuss ways to integrate environmental sustainability in school environments, school food systems, & curricula. 
Register for free at www.apeiron.org

Providence Sustainability Festival ~ September 26, 2009

From the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living:

The schedule for the first Providence Sustainability Festival has just been released, and it includes several interesting walking tours of Providence as well as informative workshops.

For instance, explore the Providence River banks, take an environmental justice walking tour, and/or take the Walk Downtown tour to experience the challenges pedestrians and bicyclists face and consider what can be done about traffic. There's also a tour of a green building.

Workshops of interest to homeowners include the pros and cons of replacement windows, "Simple Steps to a Green Home," LEED for homes, architects and sustainability, insulation, and composting.

Other workshops announced today address Rhode Island's food system, local food, what is a sustainable economy, 21st century entrepreneurial opportunities, green jobs, transportation and the environment.

If you don't want to do any of the above, there are bike rides (bring your own bike), alternative energy vehicles on display, a healing tent, the GEM energy pavillion, and an Open Skate (bring your own skates or skateboard). And Miss Earth United States 2009 is showing up.

The music lineup at the moment (September 11) with more to be added soon will be Mi Son Gaitero, Sol 18, Tim Taylor Blues Band, Santa Mamba,  Reasmey Kampuchea Music Group, and The Kris Hansen Kollective.

Thank you, Apeiron, for organizing this festival!

Green Drinks Newport ~ September 3, 2009

Isoude Boutique to Host September’s Gathering of “Green Drinks Newport”
 
WHO:   Isoude Boutique, a chic shop in Newport offering sustainable, designer clothing, known for its exceptional luxurious fabrics and detailing.
 
WHAT:  Monthly gathering of Green Drinks Newport
 
WHERE:  142 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI
 
WHEN:   Thursday, September 3, 2009 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
 
DETAILS:  Join us for complimentary drinks and appetizers, provided by owner and designer Katie Brierly.
 
Green Drinks is an international organization that allows people in the “green” and environmental community to come together. Through this network people have made friends, found jobs, exchanged information, developed new ideas and have helped others in the field with special projects. Most of all, people have fun!
 
MORE INFO: Visit: www.greendrinks.org or contact Green Drinks Organizer, Kara DiCamillo.
 

Providence Sustainability Festival ~ September 26, 2009

Apeiron Announces Providence Sustainability Festival

VOLUNTEERS AND VENDORS SOUGHT!

September 26th - Downtown Providence

Sustainability Workshops, Music, Vendors, & More. In Providence. And it's FREE!

After eight successful years of Sustainability festivals in Coventry, the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living will hold our first Providence festival, a free event that will use several downtown venues, including Kennedy Plaza, on September 26.

The Providence Sustainability Festival will include many of the features of the Coventry festival, providing numerous resources through its participating vendors, workshops and exhibits.       

Working with the City of Providence, the festival will also highlight “green job” opportunities.

We are seeking significant community input and welcome businesses and organizations with a green presence in Providence to participate in the festival, either as exhibitors, presenters, or organizers. For more information, contact Apeiron at info@apeiron.org or call 401-228-7930.

Volunteers and Vendors Wanted!  Register at www.livingfest.org.
Details Coming Soon!  Check for updates to festival happenings at www.livingfest.org.   

NFW Foundation Celebrates the Great Outdoors ! September 20, 2008

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Fifth Annual Celebrating the Great Outdoors Event

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's fifth annual Celebrating the Great Outdoors benefit will be heldin Greenwich, Connecticut on Saturday, September 20 from 6:00pm - 9:30pm. Celebrating the Great Outdoors is a truly unique evening. This year, over 600 guests may participate in a ropes challenge course, zip line, and our very own "leap of faith" in addition to fly-casting, archery, the Big Air Dogs, an ATV obstacle course, and other exciting outdoor activities along with top competitors from ESPN's Great Outdoors Games. Afterwards, guests will enjoy cocktails, delicious BBQ, and a live auction of adventure travel packages. The evening will end with a bang - a fabulous fireworks display set to music.

Contact Michelle Houston, Director of Special Events at (202) 857-5679, or via email: michelle.houston@nfwf.org.

Bioneers by the Bay Conference ~ Connecting for Change ~ October 23-26, 2008

Fourth Annual Bioneers by the Bay Conference Tackles Environmental Sustainability Crisis with Global and Local Solutions

• Northeast's Premier Environmental Conference Grows into New Location, Larger Venue
• "Green Collar" Job Advocate Van Jones and Other Leading Eco-Experts Connect for Change

New Bedford, Mass. – In a season where politicians, leading scientists and average citizens are discussing the impending urgency of our climate crisis, an important conference is bringing together speakers from multiple disciplines to showcase and discuss global and local solutions to inspire change.

The Fourth Annual Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change, hosted and produced by the Marion Institute, will be held in historic Downtown New Bedford, MA from October 23-26. The conference uses the ideas of international and national environment and social justice experts to inspire individuals and groups in local communities into action. Featured speakers include Van Jones and Majora Carter of Green For All and many others listed below.

Explains Marion Institute Executive Director Desa Van Laarhoven, "A lot of the rhetoric this election season about a planet in peril, not to mention a bleeding economy, can leave people feeling overwhelmed or helpless. Bioneers by the Bay seeks to inspire and remind folks that innovators – or the environmental and social justice super stars, as we like to call them – are developing and implementing real solutions to address climate change." She continues, "The conference also emphasizes the importance of our actions which matter not only individually in practical ways but, collectively, in shaping a powerful and earth saving social movement."

Due to the growing demand from an audience attracted to its rich and cutting edge programming, the event has moved from Dartmouth, MA to the Zeiterion Theatre, a larger 1,200 seat venue in New Bedford, MA with various events happening city-wide. Over the course of the three day conference, Bioneers by the Bay expects to have 2,500 people converse and cross pollinate ideas from a broad range of topics to build a healthier world.

In addition to keynote speakers, the event will also include workshops, a youth initiative, films, music, exhibits by sustainable businesses and organizations and a farmer's market with local and organic food. The event's appeal and success hinges upon its diversity. Speakers include a cross section of innovators such as environmentalists, scientists, grassroots activists, physicians, scholars, farmers and entrepreneurs tackling eco-topics ranging from green business to food to farming to diversity.

Van Jones, Majora Carter and Simran Sethi will present at the FREE open to the public Bioneers by the Bay kick-off event at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 23rd, at New Bedford's Zeiterion Theatre at 684 Purchase Street. They will present their pioneering ideas for green collar job training and our collective imperative for environmental justice, made all the more critical in today's economic climate.

Attendees, from individuals to youth groups and other organizations, leave the event empowered to fight for local, city and state commitments to climate change, build carbon-neutral homes, institutionalize composting and food purchasing programs, develop projects to support indigenous populations, secure funding for school gardens or donate time to progressive nonprofits.

Featured presenters at the 2008 Bioneers by the Bay conference include: