After all those short, gray, snowy days we had in January, it's wonderful to see the sun again, and February is a great time to get outdoors and check out our local Rhode Island harbor seals. These winter visitors have been growing in numbers, and there are plenty of opportunities to get out and see them up close.

This Saturday, Feb. 21, the Sierra Club leads a hike out to Rome Point, near Wickford, to spot the seals from shore. Click here for info.

Save The Bay is offering seal-watching trips all winter long from their base in Newport, at Bowen's Wharf. They'll take you out to a rocky area near Rose Island and the Newport Bridge where playful seals are reliably spotted. Click here for all the info.

Audubon of RI offers all-day tours of Prudence Island that include a visit to one of the best haul-out spots in the Bay. Click on "More..." for more details and contact info.

Here at NNN, we know you like to be up to date on everything that's going on, so we're working closely with Sue Korte at What Grows On in RI to bring you the state's very best calendar of environmental events.

Sue is doing such a great job at this that we're spending less time here at NNN on posting events info to the news feed. Instead, just go straight to the calendar. If there is too much information there for you, spend a few minutes at the What Grows On site and you can customize the calendar so you only see the events that you care about.

We're still figuring out the best way to make this work, and the technology that's available for it is changing on a daily basis, so bear with us, and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ! Here at NNN, you can find events info by going to the calendar in the left sidebar (hover over a date for a second and a clickable listing will pop up), or click on Calendar in the top menu bar for the full-page version. 

Congressman Jim Langevin is a founding member of a new Congressional coalition that will primarily focus on the creation of a “green collar” economy, in addition to other national energy and environmental policies. The Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition will be chaired by Representatives Jay Inslee and Steve Israel. Langevin has been appointed to serve as the Vice Chair of Membership for 2009.
 
“I am proud to be a part of this energetic group of lawmakers who are dedicated to building a robust green economy in our nation,” said Langevin. “The time has long come and gone for Congress to take a strong leadership role on issues relating to the environment and energy.”

Click on "More..." for more details and a link to contact Congressman Langevin and let him know you support this work.

There's a growing movement here in RI to get kids outside, and here's a chance to consider the impact of the issue. Next Wednesday, January 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Providence Children’s Museum joins Lincoln School and Southside Community Landtrust to present a free public screening of Where Do the Children Play? This thought-provoking hour-long documentary examines an issue of growing concern among pediatricians, mental-health experts, educators and environmentalists: more and more children are growing up today with little or no opportunity for unstructured play, especially outdoors. A discussion will follow the film. Catch it at Lincoln School’s Ebner, Elson, Hart Music Center at 301 Butler Avenue in Providence. For more info contact Megan Fischer at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (401) 273-5437 ext. 126.

If winter is feeling a bit confining this year, one great way to get out on a Saturday morning and get a nature fix is to sign up for an adults' drawing class at the Museum of Natural History at Roger Williams Park. Classes last just four weeks, from 10 till noon, and are kept small so instructor Dawn Valentim can give each student individual attention. You can choose your own media -- bring pencils or pens, pastels or inks -- and select whatever specimens or artifacts you'd like to study from the Museum's vast archives.

The class includes a tour of the archives, and free admission to the Museum for the duration, so you can come and practice drawing from the collections on exhibit anytime. No drawing experience is required, the emphasis of the class is on learning to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature. Cost is $60, or $50 for museum members.

For more info or to sign up, click here to vist the Museum Web site. For more pix from the current class, click here for a slideshow. 

Instructor Dawn Valentim and artist Kathy Hodge discuss technique.

We all know that our kids need to spend more time outdoors, but Jeanine Silversmith has decided to do something about it. This month, she launched a Web site called RI Families in Nature. She's also organizing family hikes at scenic spots around the state, and you can even sign up for a monthly newsletter filled with info and inspiration.

The group is hiking at Trustom Pond this Sunday, January 18, at 11 a.m. 

Click here to check out their Web site, and you can find details there about the Trustom Pond hike, and sign up there for the monthly newsletter too.

If you missed the December Green Drinks that was held at the Wolcott Eco-Office, the impressive newly renovated net-zero building in Providence, you get another chance to see it next Thursday -- TONIGHT -- and at the same time help the folks from SolarWrights, the venerable RI alt-energy company, to celebrate their new incarnation as Alteris Renewables.

Be there, TONIGHT, Thursday, January 22, 6 to 8 p.m., at 28 Wolcott Street. For more info, call Keally at 396-9901 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

As we celebrate the Solstice and the start of a New Year, it's a good time to stop and say Thanks to all those who help the NNN network to keep going. Our infinite gratitude goes to all of these folks who contribute their time, their skill, their ideas, their inspiration, and their support to help us keep NNN fresh and new every day!

DJ Johnson * Bill Mott * Sue Korte * Jerry Noel * Susan Genett * Greg Gerritt * Ben Jones * Karina Lutz * Chris Kearns * Barry Schiller * Lisa Sussman * Bruce Campbell * Kyle Macdonald * Francine Jackson * Steve Stycos * Nancy Green * Jeff St. Germain and Little Falls Cafe * Eugenia Marks * Genie Trevor and Alex Corcoran at Edible Rhody * everyone at ECRI, ASRI, Apeiron, and CWA * Matt Auten * Sheila Dormody * Denise Parillo * July Lewis * John Martin, John Torgan, and everyone at STB * everyone at Farm Fresh, PP&L, and NBRR * Frank Carini * Fred Unger * Michelle St. Sauveur * Kathy Hodge * Kira Stillwell * Russ Waldron * Bob Chew and everyone at SolarWrights * Kathie Florsheim * Chip Young * Ian Donnis * Peter Lord * Erich Stephens * John Flaherty * Craig & Kathe Ross * Caro Roszell * Kiersten Marek * Matt Jerzyk * Jim Malloy * Bill Gerlach * everyone at Green Drinks in Providence, Newport, and South County * everyone on our mailing list! * everyone who contributes ideas, input, and support! * and everyone who visits the NNN site!

Thanks to all for your support of NNN in 2008, and be sure to come back in 2009 for lots of exciting new projects!

The weather is looking a bit iffy for this weekend, but this time of year the weekends are especially important for outdoor time, since most of us are stuck indoors during the short hours of daylight all week. Don't be intimidated by the cold or even the snow, bundle up, pull on some waterproof boots, and get outside!

Tonight, don't forget Green Drinks, hosted by the RI Green Building Council, and held at 28 Wolcott Street, just off Valley Street in Olneyville. Go to NNN's Community Calendar for more details and a map. For kids, there's a showing of The Polar Express at Roger Williams Parks Botanical Center tonight, plus a Saturday afternoon open house for families. This is a great venue for any kind of event, and we hope to see more of this over the winter!  

And don't forget the Wintertime Farmers Market, Saturday morning in Pawtucket, and be sure to seek out local products for your holiday shopping! It's better for the Earth and better for our neighborhoods. Go to NNN's Community Calendar for the info.

The state's beaches are beautiful in winter, and a great place for a weekend walk. Rome Point has seals, and Save The Bay runs seal tours out of Newport. In the city, Blackstone Boulevard and Swan Point Cemetery offer great winter walking. Get out to one of Audubon's wildlife refuges for some woods time. Stars look their brightest in a cold winter sky, get outside and look for Venus and Jupiter, brilliantly aglow in the early evenings.