What Grows On in Rhode Island News

NEW Core Land Use Curriculum ~ May 26, June 16, & June 23, 2011

Announcing New and Improved Land Use Training
for Municipal Officials

The RI Land Use Training Collaborative will be offering the following workshops:
 
NEW! Smart Growth and Community Planning
 May 26th 2011
Warwick City Hall
6:30-8:30PM
 
NEW! Conducting Effective Land Use Reviews
 June 16th 2011
Johnston Senior Center
5:30-9:00 PM

or

June 23rd 2011
Middletown Police Department
Community Room
5:30-9:00 PM 
 
Writing Sound Decisions
Will be offered Fall 2011
 
Smart Growth and Community Planning:  Led by professional land-use planners, provides the foundation material that all municipal officials need to proactively fulfill their community planning responsibilities....  RECOMMENDED FOR ALL PLANNING BOARD AND ZONING BOARD MEMBERS AND FOR TOWN COUNCILS AND INTERESTED CITIZENS.    

Conducting Effective Land Use Reviews: Led by experienced land use attorneys and planners, this workshop will guide you through your legal responsibilities as a public official in Rhode Island and discuss in detail the legally required procedures and best practices that should be followed in conducting land use reviews.  ... RECOMMENDED FOR ALL PLANNING BOARD AND ZONING BOARD MEMBERS AND MUNICIPAL PLANNERS AND SOLICITORS.   
 
Writing Sound Decisions: Taught by a Rhode Island land-use attorney, this workshop is designed to help municipal planners, legal staff, boards and commissions write decisions whose content will hold up in court and whose clarity will make them readily understandable for both enforcement officers and property owners.  It is specifically intended to address the problem, noted repeatedly in recent Superior Court and Supreme Court decisions, that written decisions coming out of municipal planning boards and zoning boards do not explain how the evidence contained in the record led the board to reach its conclusions.  RECOMMENDED FOR ALL PLANNING BOARD AND ZONING BOARD MEMBERS AND MUNICIPAL PLANNERS AND SOLICITORS.

Are you on a municipal board or commission? Scholarships may be available.  Please contact Lauren Pendergast at [email protected] or (401) 273-5711 x6 for more information.

Press Release from Grow Smart RI

Further information and Registration Forms

Woonsocket Eco-Depot ~ May 21, 2011

RESOURCE RECOVERY’S ECO-DEPOT TRAVELS TO WOONSOCKET FOR NORTHERN R.I. COLLECTION

May 21 Drop Off is Free For Rhode Islanders

 

JOHNSTON, R.I. – On Saturday, May 21, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will host a special collection for household hazardous waste  (HHW) in Woonsocket.  From 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. residents can bring their HHW to the Woonsocket Department of Public Works at 1117 River Street for safe disposal.

Eco-Depot is a free service of Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation and available to Rhode Island residents.  To reduce time waiting in line, appointments are necessary.

Safely disposing HHW is important to protect R.I. waterways, soil and households from accidental contamination.  By using the Eco-Depot program, Rhode Islanders can also extend the life of the Central Landfill and reduce the toxicity of trash deposited there.

Any product that is flammable, combustible, explosive, toxic, corrosive, poisonous and hazardous to health qualifies as HHW.  Examples of the most common HHW are oil-based paint, fluorescent light bulbs, lawn chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, antifreeze, motor oil and used filters, driveway sealer, propane gas tanks and fire extinguishers.  Caution needs to be exercised when handling and disposing of these special wastes.

For a complete list of eligible Eco-Depot products, visit www.rirrc.org.  To book an appointment, click on the Eco-Depot button at the bottom of the page or call 942-1430 x241.   Follow on Twitter @RIRRC.
 
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is the quasi-state environmental agency dedicated to providing the public with environmentally sound programs and facilities to manage waste. The agency helps fund and promote the state’s recycling program, and owns and operates the Materials Recycling Facility and Central Landfill in Johnston.

Press Release. Contact: Sarah Kite, 401-942-1430 x112.

Healthy Communities Grant Program ~ April 20 & 26, 2011

The 2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program integrates nine EPA New England programs  Assistance & Pollution Prevention, Asthma, Children¹s Environmental Health, Environmental Justice, Pesticides, Targeted Watershed, Tools for Schools, Toxics,  and Urban Environmental Program.

These programs are working in partnership to improve environmental conditions by competitively identifying projects that will achieve measurable environmental, human health and quality of life improvements in communities across New England.
 
In order to qualify for funding, projects must meet two criteria: (1) be located in and directly benefit one or more of the four Target Investment Areas; and (2) identify measurable environmental and public health results in one or more of the six Target Program Areas.
 
In 2011, Target Investment Areas include: Environmental justice areas of potential concern, Sensitive populations, Narragansett Bay Watershed (RI & MA), and/or Urban Areas in one or more of the EPA Region I States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and/or Vermont.  Target Program Areas include: Asthma, Capacity-Building on Environmental and Public Health Issues, Healthy Indoor/Outdoor Environments, Healthy Schools, Narragansett Bay Watershed-Based Water Quality Management, and/or Urban Natural Resources.
 
Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, local government, public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, state or regional agencies, K-12 schools or school districts and tribes.
Proposals may be submitted for amounts up to $35,000 for projects with a New England-wide focus. Proposals for projects taking place in a defined geographic area (e.g., neighborhood, city, state, county) may be submitted for amounts up to $25,000. For projects identifying the Narragansett Bay Watershed-Based Water Quality Management Target Program Area, proposals may be submitted for amounts up to $25,000 for single-state projects taking place in Massachusetts or Rhode Island and up to $40,000 for projects with a Narragansett Bay bi-state (Massachusetts and Rhode Island) watershed focus.  The Healthy Communities Grant Program anticipates awarding approximately 10-20 cooperative agreements through this competitive program, based on availability of funding. Project periods will be for one or two years.

The deadline for Initial Project Summaries is May 2, 2011.
 
The Healthy Communities Grant Program will sponsor four telephone conference calls to address questions before the Initial Project Summary deadline.  Participation in the informational sessions is optional, but RSVPs are required.  The informational sessions for the Initial Summary Outlines are scheduled for the following dates/times:
 
April 14, 2011  10:00 am - 12:00 pm
April 20, 2011  1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
April 26, 2011  10:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
 
Please see Attachment F of the Application Guidance for more details and registration information.  After submitting your RSVP, you will receive instructions on how to participate in the conference calls.
 
The Application Guidance can be found at http://epa.gov/region1/eco/uep/pdfs/2011-HC-Application-Guidance.pdf
 
For more information, please contact me at [email protected] or 617-918-1698.

 

Press Release from EPA

Low Impact Site Planning and Design Guidance Manual Training Workshop ~ April 8, 2011

DEM, CRMC ANNOUNCE COMPLETION OF

RI LOW IMPACT SITE PLANNING AND DESIGN GUIDANCE MANUAL

Training Workshop for Local Officials and Site Designers Set for April 8th

 

Press Release

            PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management and the Coastal Resources Management Council announce the completion of the Rhode Island Low Impact Development Site Planning and Design Guidance Manual (LID manual).  This new low impact development (LID) manual is a companion guide to the recently revised Rhode Island Stormwater Design and Installation Standards Manual (stormwater manual).
 
            The LID manual was specifically developed to provide local planning officials with guidance and examples of how their ordinances can be amended to avoid and reduce stormwater impacts from new development or redevelopment, and encourage effective implementation of LID practices. The recommended site-planning and design techniques can help preserve community character, reduce flooding impacts, and save costs for municipal operation and maintenance. “This new guidance tool for low impact development was developed to assist our community partners accommodate desirable growth without sacrificing the environment or the quality of life that Rhode Islanders enjoy,” noted DEM Director Janet Coit.   “The new LID manual provides excellent examples and guidance to assist local decision-makers in making minor adjustments to existing ordinances to meet the goals of avoiding and reducing impacts to our public waters,” said Grover Fugate, Executive Director of CRMC.       
 
            In the past, stormwater management was primarily an engineering exercise to collect and dispose of runoff as quickly as possible. The new Rhode Island Stormwater Design and Installation Standards Manual, however, changes stormwater management to encourage or require more creative site-planning and design, as well as better engineering and maintenance practices in keeping with the requirements of the Smart Development for a Cleaner Bay Act of 2007.

            The new stormwater manual requires LID practices for all major development, representing a fundamental shift in how development projects are planned and designed. LID is a more comprehensive and effective approach to managing stormwater that uses site-planning and design techniques that store, infiltrate, evaporate, and detain runoff as close as possible to the point where precipitation reaches the ground.
 
            LID can be used to accommodate growth and reduce the environmental impact of site development. Many of the LID concepts employ non-structural onsite treatment that can reduce the cost of infrastructure while maintaining or even increasing the value of the property relative to conventionally-designed developments.  In the past the landscape was altered significantly to fit the conventional style of development, whereas the LID process is reversed such that the development is designed to fit the landscape and its natural features.
 
            DEM is partnering with the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve’s Coastal Training Program to offer training on the new Rhode Island Low Impact Development Site Planning and Design Guidance Manual for local officials and site designers. A free training workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 8 at DEM Headquarters at 235 Promenade Street in Providence. To register, contact Jennifer West at 222-4700 ext 7413 or via email at [email protected]
 
            The LID manual is available on DEM’s website at http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bpoladm/suswshed/pdfs/lidplan.pdf.  For questions or more information on the LID manual, contact Scott Millar at 222-4700 ext 4419 or via email at [email protected]

Contact:      RI DEM    Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402

RI Legislative Update ~ Producer Responsibility Bill ~ March 2011

Product Take-Back Bill Clears First Major Hurdle

 

 Ed Note: Providential Gardener distributes verbatim press releases from responsible environmental sources. For original investigative reporting, see eco-RI and other news media.

 

Press Release from Clean Water Action

 

PROVIDENCE – On March 22, 2011, the House Environment & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing for the producer responsibility bill (H5888) lauded by the DEM, Governor’s Office, and environmental advocates throughout the state. The bill, if passed, would set up a process to determine which products should be prioritized for manufacturer-funded collection and recycling programs in the state. The bill outlines three "starter" products- mattresses, paint, and medical sharps- all of which pose significant financial and environmental burdens on RI cities and towns.

Rhode Island already has three producer responsibility laws on the books. The collection of mercury auto switches, electronic waste, and mercury thermostats are managed through programs that are created and funded by manufacturers. The bill heard last night takes the next step in advancing these types of laws by establishing a framework to identify products and create subsequent management policies in a more timely and efficient fashion.

Framework approaches to product stewardship have been successful elsewhere, particularly in Canada. Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia have all enacted successful framework laws for managing waste, and the Canadian government is currently exploring the feasibility of a national framework policy. In 2010, Maine became the first state in the United States to pass framework producer responsibility legislation, and similar legislation has been introduced in five other states: California, Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

 “RI has good conditions to pass this bill… you have a ready legislature, you have an able and willing DEM, you have the RIRRC who knows a lot about this issue… you have the right mix here to make it happen,” said Scott Cassell from the Product Stewardship Institute.

Despite some industry opposition, Chairman Art Handy emphasized the opportunity for industries to influence the process moving forward by participating in the conversation now. Tricia Jedele from the Conservation Law Foundation added that this bill “puts manufacturers at an advantage, because they are part of the process of deciding how products will be managed.”

Jedele also stressed a shared responsibility for managing our waste. “This is an air pollution issue, a water pollution issue, a worker safety issue, and a public health issue, but first and foremost it is a community issue. We’re all part of the same community, and, right now the only people paying to manage this issue are the taxpayers. They pay as consumers when they buy products, they pay taxes to dispose of the waste, and then we pay for the consequences of a failed waste management structure. It’s high time for other members of our community to begin to take responsibility for their share of the costs.”

Connie McGreavy, Executive Director of the RI Chapter of the US Green Building Council, also touched on economic and business aspects of the bill.  Said McGreavy, “This kind of bill will promote innovation… and we need to jumpstart our economy.”  Nicole Poepping, campaign organizer for Clean Water Action, provided numbers about job creation.  “Product reuse operations, such as computer reuse, provide 296 jobs per 10,000 tons of waste per year,” said Poepping, “and recycling-based manufacturers provide 25 jobs.  Landfill and incineration provide only one.  It’s clear that this bill will not result in job loss, but in job creation.”

Janet Coit, Director of the Department of Environmental Management, summed up the Department’s broader view: “We want to approach this on a systems level. We want to plan for the future in managing our waste stream.”

Contact for further information:

Ellie Leonardsmith
Grassroots Campaign Organizer
Clean Water Action
www.cleanwateraction.org

741 Westminster St.
Providence, RI
(401) 331-6972

Scituate Environment Community Night ~ April 4, 2011

Scituate High School Science and the Environment Community Night

Monday, April 4th from 5:45 pm – 8:15 pm

Press Release

 

Please join Scituate High School at our Science and the Environment Community Night on the evening of Monday, April 4th from 5:45 – 8:15 as our physical science and chemistry students join forces to bring you loads of information about energy conservation, renewable energy, well water quality, and ground water protection.   The night will include poster presentations about energy resources, and a slide presentation revealing the latest results of our well water analysis and a discussion of this data for homeowners in Scituate.

Scituate High School students are working together to increase the awareness, understanding, and

interest in water resources within the Scituate Reservoir Watershed by participating in the GET WET! Program

developed and provided through the University of Maine and implemented under the direction of the Northern RI Conservation District with funding from Providence Water. GET WET! is an acronym for Groundwater Education Through Water Evaluation and Testing.

Approximately 120 chemistry and applied science students from Mrs. Denise Collin’s and Mr. Brian Wentworth’s classes tested their own well water to screen for several indicator parameters in the school chemistry lab.  The results were recorded and several professionals from entities including Richard Blodgett and Christopher Riely of Providence Water, Patrick Craft of RI Department of Health, Christopher Modisette of RI Resource Conservation and Development and Gina DeMarco and Elizabeth Berg of Northern RI Conservation District dedicated their time to help one of Mrs. Collins’ classes research issues to consider in analyzing water quality.  The students used the information to develop a presentation to assist their own community in understanding and protecting their drinking water wells.

Fifty students in Ms. Donovan’s Physical and Earth Science classes and student leaders in the SHS & SMS NEED Project will be presenting posters and children’s activities related to energy conservation and renewable energy. They hope that some of the information provided to members of the community through this event will help our community reduce energy waste and encourage increased production of renewable energy.

We thank you in advance for attending this event – for your presence demonstrates that the education of our young leaders is something that you value.  We at Scituate High School appreciate your assistance in providing quality educational experiences.  The opportunity that the students involved in this event have to discuss their work with adults who are not their parents or teachers is a valuable experience that can help them improve important communication skills.  Your anonymous written feedback will be used by students as they reflect on this experience and the effectiveness of their communication so that they can grow as communicators, problem solvers and leaders.

Senator Whitehouse's Statement on New EPA Regulations for Coal Emissions

Washington, DC – March 17, 2011 ~ U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today issued the following statement regarding the EPA’s newly announced plan to regulate hazardous emissions from coal-burning power plants:
 
“For 20 years, Rhode Islanders have suffered the effects of toxic pollution raining down on us from out-of-state coal-fired power plants because EPA failed to police these big polluters.  Now that EPA has finally taken action, Rhode Islanders will be healthier, our air and water will be cleaner, and we will hear fewer of those drive-time radio warnings about the day being a ‘bad air’ day when infants and the elderly should stay indoors.”

Contact: Matt Thornton
(202) 228-6293 (press office)
[email protected]

Urban Agriculture Spring Gardening Kick-Off ~ February 26, 2011

Join us Saturday for the Urban Agriculture Spring Kick-Off at the Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park! We're hosting a full afternoon of gardening workshops, cooking demos, a seed swap, silent auction & local music. The popcorn machine will be cranking! Come trade extra seeds for seeds you need! There will even be a Kids Corner for young green thumbs!

Urban Agriculture Spring Kick-Off
Saturday, February 26th, 1-4 pm
The Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park
1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Free for Community Gardeners and Kids. $5 for General Public.

Workshops at the Kick-Off will be taught by community experts from around the state. Topics include Seed Starting, Vegetable Garden Planning, City Chickens, Collecting Rainwater, Alternatives to Miracle Gro, How to Tap Maple Trees, Home Composting and more! Plus, you can pick up a free 2011 Plant Providence Calendar, your guide to this year's events related to growing food in the city.
 
If you're one of the 250 gardeners who joined us last year, we look forward to kicking off another season with you. If this is your first Kick-Off, don't miss it. Questions? Call Erika, at 401-273-9419 ext: 30.

[Press Release]

URI Green Industry Conference & Expo ~ February 25, 2011

Highlighting career and marketplace opportunities

Media Contact: Jhodi Redlich, 401-874-2116

[Press Release]

KINGSTON, R.I. The Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Rhode Island's College of Environmental and Life Sciences (CELS) will host a Green Industry Conference & Expo on Friday, Feb. 25 at the Thomas M. Ryan Center on the Kingston Campus.

Free and open to the public, the event will open at 9:45 a.m. with conference founder Sean Bishop, URI '95, president of Ground Effects landscaping in Marshfield, Mass., and remarks by CELS Associate Dean Richard Rhodes. Led by URI Vice President Robert Weygand, a panel discussion will follow with experts on green professions and employment opportunities.

Panel members include: Abe Monahan, Bartlett Tree Experts; Karen Daubmann, New York Botanical Gardens; Richard Miranda, Aquidneck Landworks; Jack Algiere, Stone Barns Center; Nicholas Castrataro, Nursery Production; David Wallace, Turfgrass Specialist); and Lisa Esterrich, Carol R. Johnson Associates.

Opening at noon, the Expo floor will feature displays by more than 25 companies including R.P. Marzilli & Company, Bartlett Tree Experts, All Island Landscape, Pavestone, Sudbury Design Group, and many more!

There will also be three afternoon speakers including: Jack Algiere of Stone Barn Center from 12:15-12:45 p.m., the RI Green Business Council, 1-1:30 p.m., and Department of Landscape Architecture Professor Will Green, 1:45-2:15 p.m.

"An important part of any college education is to explore careers available to you. Here in Rhode Island we have some excellent green sector employment opportunities, and through this conference we strive to bring these choices to the students and the alumni," said URI senior Jared Sell, president of the URI Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture, and general manager of this year's conference. "Our goal is to present the State's best, and through the expo allow our students and alumni to meet and talk with these green industry leaders."

For more information contact Jared Sell at [email protected] or 508-662-2918. Though not required for attendees, registration is available online.

Sustainable Community Tree Program Grants Workshop ~ February 9, 2011

$30,000 IN MATCHING GRANTS FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY TREE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE THROUGH DEM

Grant Information Workshop to be Held February 9 at DEM Forestry Headquarters in North Scituate

The Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Forest Environment, in cooperation with the United States Forest Service and the Rhode Island Tree Council, is offering 60/40 matching grants for the establishment or extension of comprehensive community tree programs.  The program is an integral part of the America the Beautiful initiative that focuses on helping communities to develop sustainable forestry programs.

A grant information workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 9 by DEM forestry staff to explain the program and application process.

Eligible applicants include all units of government, non-profit organizations, and recognized community groups.

Projects eligible for grants include inventories of public trees, development of a tree management plan, educational activities and materials leading to a comprehensive tree program, tree planting projects as part of a comprehensive tree management plan, development of a tree ordinance and historic and specimen tree maintenance and inventory.  A total of $30,000 is available for this year’s grant awards.

Grant requests between $2,000 and $4,000 will be considered, equaling 40 percent of a project’s total costs, with the additional 60 percent match provided by the applicant.  DEM has distributed $2.25 million in America the Beautiful grants in the past 19 years under this formula, matched by $3.6 million in local funds.

The February 9 workshop will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Division of Forest Environment headquarters located at 1037 Hartford Pike in North Scituate.  The application deadline for submitting grants is 4 p.m. on Monday, February 28.  Grants will be awarded during Arbor Day ceremonies on April 29.

For additional information and grant applications, contact Peter Lockwood, urban and community forestry coordinator at DEM’s Division of Forest Environment at 647-3367 or via email at [email protected].  The grant application and fact sheet are available on DEM’s website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on “Topics” from the homepage, then “Grants/Financing,” then “America the Beautiful Grant Requests.”

 

News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade St., Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771   www.dem.ri.gov

Contact:          Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402