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Friday, 29 August 2008 |
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 URI's fall Honors Colloquium, “People and Planet - Global Environmental Change,” will explore human-caused global change, its consequences and potential responses through a series of lectures, films, exhibits and a cabaret. The series of free, weekly events, open to all, will feature international experts and URI faculty members. The series launches Tuesday, Sept. 9, with a talk by Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change. She will talk about the historical background of global climate change. Click here for background info on Kolbert. The talk will start at 7:30 in Chafee Auditorium on the Kingston campus. Click on "More..." for the rest of the URI news release about the series. Click here for the full schedule of events and speakers. Many local libraries are also organizing book groups and speakers in conjunction with the event, check the URI site or your local library for more info. “Humans have been affecting our environment on a global scale for millennia,” said Steven D’Hondt, URI professor of oceanography who is coordinating the colloquium with professors Art Spivack and Judith Swift. “This year’s Honors Colloquium is going to examine those changes and outline the kinds of choices people might make collectively to minimize their effects.”
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Friday, 29 August 2008 |
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The University of Rhode Island will host the 2008 Rhode Island Energy Expo on Sunday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ryan Center on the Kingston Campus. “We are currently seeking vendors, exhibitors and sponsors for what will be a very high-profile event of interest to residents and business owners throughout the state,” said Marion Gold, co-director of the URI Energy Center, which is organizing the expo. For more info, click on "More...". 
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
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Whenever land is preserved for conservation in RI, that's big news and great news -- as they say, they are not making any more of it (land, that is!), so any acres that we can save are a precious gift to the future of the state. Today, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island announced that 73 acres have been added to the beautiful Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge in Exeter. The acreage will protect the headwaters of the Queen River, one of the most pristine streams in the state. Native trout, rare freshwater mussels and rare dragonfly and damselfly species thrive here, thanks to clean, cool waters and landscape-wide watershed protection. To read the full news release from Audubon, click on "More...". 
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
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Looking for a new project for the Fall? We can use your help right here at NNN! We need contributors, correspondents, marketing people, Web gurus, opinions. Whatever skills you have or would like to exercise, we will find a way for you to be a part of our effort to bring more environmental news to Rhode Islanders and inspire them to get outside, get knowledgeable, and get involved.
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to NNN Editor Mary Grady and let us know what you'd like to do, and we'll talk!
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
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 On Tuesday night, Newport's new Energy and Environment Commission introduced itself to the local community, and NNN correspondent Susan Genett was there. Here is her report and her reactions to the event.
It seems the new group (which is not really too "new," since it has been working since February) already has had an impact -- the meeting began with City Councilor Charlie Duncan noting that a city ordinance that makes it against the law to idle engines more than five minutes, spewing noxious gases into the air, will be changed to apply more widely.
On Tuesday, the group's seven members outlined their seven main priorities -- energy efficiency in city buildings, recycling, diesel-engine idling, non-polluting modes of transportation, wind power and other forms of renewable energy, stormwater runoff, and public awareness and education. The panel invited more participation not only from Newporters but from all Aquidneck Islanders. Meetings will be held the second Tuesday of every month at Newport City Hall. The next meeting, on September 9th, will address stormwater runoff. Correction: Meetings will be held the fourth Thursday of each month, so the next meeting will be Sept. 25, at 7 PM at the Newport Public Library. All meetings are open to the public. A representative of the Police Dept will discuss enforcement of the 5-minute diesel idling law, also Charlie Duncan, who amended the public conveyance law recently, has been invited to speak.
The way I see it -- the panel is clearly knowledgeable about the issues, and while few of these goals are likely to be achieved anytime soon, it's a start -- the ball is rolling in the right direction. The audience, which included some residents from Middletown, asked many questions and brought attention to issues not specifically addressed by the commision, such as the disposal of compact flourescent lights, which are becoming the standard in city buildings. Many participants also noted that dealing with storm runoff is a daunting challenge, since overflows travel across town borders.
I asked Charlie Duncan afterward what inspired him to launch the Newport Goes Green task force, which had started the ball rolling in the city. He said, "My generation is not leaving you and today’s children with as pristine an environment as I once knew. I first noticed a negative effect when visiting the Adirondack Mountains many years ago. I was a tow captain on the Ohio River, watching smoke plumes from coal operations bend over in stiff West winds (flowing Eastward), and observing crystal-clear Adirondack streams with nothing living in 'em. That’s when I realized the impact from pollution." With more participation from residents all around the island, the commission's goals can become our reality.
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