With the recent thaw, birds and squirrels seem to be waking up and becoming more active, and lots of Rhode Islanders are seeing red-breasted American Robins out among the snow -- a bird that we usually associate with the start of Spring. Could spring be arriving early this year?

The folks at the Audubon Society of RI have been getting calls from curious residents wondering if something strange is going on with the birds or the weather.

No need for concern, says Audubon naturalist and birding expert, Michael Tucker. “In southern New England, robins have always managed to winter over in many areas,” he says. “As a thrush, American Robins, much like Eastern Bluebirds, have the ability to switch their diet from worms and other invertebrates they feed on in the warmer months, to a berries and fruit diet when colder temperatures set in.”

The seasonal movement of robins isn’t clear-cut, Tucker says. Some robins do migrate south, but others have found it easier to survive the winter months here. Fragmented forests around suburban neighborhoods provide plentiful habitat, with shelter and food to last all year round.

“Robins will flock into RI during the fall and remain in these larger groups throughout the winter," says Tucker. "Coastal areas, with weather tempered by the ocean, usually hold the greatest concentrations. These areas also tend to have the largest amount of underbrush for food. However, it is not uncommon to see them inland as well. As early as February, the large flocks begin to break up into smaller groups and spread out over a greater area. As the snow melts and patches of ground are exposed, you will see more of these birds searching for food.”  

So, if you spot a robin hopping about on the snow, it’s just natural -- not a sign of an early spring!

For years, hundreds of us have made our way out to the wilds of Coventry every June for the Apeiron Sustainable Living Festival to find a rich and varied event, with lots of great workshops, music & food, exhibits, and lots of conversation and networking. And every year, visitors will lament that it all takes so place so far away and wish a similar event would happen closer to the city, where more people might discover it.

This year, Apeiron is making that wish come true! The annual festival will still take place in June, at the Coventry site, but a second event is in the works for September 26 in Providence.  So, mark your calendar now. And if you can make it to the June event, don't miss it.

Apeiron has some other great new events happening too -- Evolution Forums take place once a month, at 17 Gordon Ave in Prov, with networking and guest speakers on a variety of topics from green building to sustainable energy, education, and more. They are free for Apeiron members and the first one, on local food, is set for Thursday, Feb 26. For more details, contact Apeiron at 228-7930 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Times are tough all around, but if you have to cut corners, please try to keep in mind that the money you spend today on green products may be a little more than you can pay for an alternative -- but along with the product you get today, you are investing in a better, greener future!

Here are a couple of good examples...

It costs a little more to be a member of Greenstart, our local alt-energy company, than to just pay your straight electricity bill. But that extra is helping to build a green energy grid for the future, which will help to keep our prices lower over the longer term. Case in point -- those Greenstart dollars are helping to support the new wind turbine now under construction in Portsmouth. Click here to read more about that project in a recent PBN story, and click here to find frequent updates about the project at the Portsmouth sustainable energy web site.

Likewise, it costs a little more to buy biodiesel that's been recycled from restaurant waste products. But if you can buy your fuel from Newport Biodiesel you are helping to support the growth of a green infrastructure for the future. Click here for a recent story about them from Channel 10 Earthwatch reporter RJ Heim.

So if you are trying to save pennies, please keep in mind that these projects need your support! and we all will get a return on that investment for many years to come.

The turbine tower en route from Quonset to Portsmouth last week.

The RI Department of Environmental Management says it's not too early to think about summer jobs. Applications for the 2009 seasonal employment program are now available. Various positions for the summer season are available throughout Rhode Island for residents 16 years of age and older. Work on weekends and holidays is required of most summer positions.

Positions include, but are not limited to, park ranger - levels I, II and III, beach managers, seasonal laborers, lifeguards, lifeguard captains, recreational area clerks, restroom attendants, student researchers, clerical support aides, policy interns and field interns. Pay ranges from $7.50 to $13.75 per hour, and most seasonal employees work 40 hours a week. Click here for more info.

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.

What does the American Reinvestment Recovery Act, also known as the federal stimulus package, mean to you, as a business owner and a citizen? How does it relate to the environmental issues here in Rhode Island, and how will our state agencies be involved? You can find out all about this at a special Environment & Business Roundtable event on March 5 -- the stimulus package will be passed into law in its final form by then, so this will be a chance to learn all about it.

This event is free and open to all. Hosted by EnvironmentRI and Save The Bay, 3 to 4:30 on March 5 at the Save The Bay center off Allens Ave. in Providence (click here for directions).  Scheduled panel speakers  include DEM chief Michael Sullivan, Joy Fox of Congressman Langevin's office, environmental liaison Brad Crowell from Senator Whitehouse's office; Julian Dash, director of the Economic Development Corporation Renewable Energy Fund; and Anthony Simeone, director of RI's Clean Water Finance Agency. Moderator is Chris Kearns, of Environment RI.

Please RSVP to Chris Kearns at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

We have a real opportunity with the federal stimulus package now in the works, to bring green jobs to Rhode Island, building the energy infrastructure of the future -- new solar and wind projects, and retrofitting existing structures to be more energy-efficient. What we DON'T need is more coal-burning, greenhouse-gas-spewing electric plants. But right now, the package contains $50 billion in subsidies for things like coal liquefaction and nuclear power plant construction.

The folks at EnvironmentRI are keeping a close eye on this stimulus package, and they need you to let our senators know that you are paying attention too. Let them know NOW that you want REAL green investments for the future! Click here to send a message to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, or click here to contact your own Rhode Island senators, or click here to learn more about clean energy options for Rhode Island.

For those who are dedicated to the mantra Reduce - Re-use - Recycle, compliance with that goal just got a lot easier. There are new and easier ways now to dispose of more of your plastic junk and all of your electronic junk!

Whole Foods now is accepting #5 plastic containers -- just look on the bottom of the container for a recycling symbol and a number. This includes containers for yogurt, cottage cheese, hummus, medicine bottles, etc. These are not accepted in your blue recycling bins. Whole Foods has partnered up with a company called Preserve that will recycle the plastics into household products like razors and toothbrushes. Whole Foods will also now take used Britta water filters for recycling!

Click here for more info. We're told both Providence stores are part of this pilot program, check with the Garden City store before bringing plastics there.

The other big news is that it's getting easier to get rid of your unwanted electronic junk. Thanks to a new law passed in the Assembly last year, after a mighty lobbying effort by our local eco-heroes, Rhode Island residents and schools are now eligible for free recycling of their old computers and televisions, which are banned from the state landfill.

"With the budget as tight as it is this year, it is a relief to have a law that will both save taxpayer money and help protect the environment," said Sheila Dormody, Rhode Island director of Clean Water Action. "Putting the recycling costs back to the manufacturers sets the right incentive to encourage them to design products that are less toxic, more durable and more recyclable." Click here for details of free TV recycling at the Central Landfill and dates for other pickup sites.

Also, Best Buy is accepting electronics for recycling. Many items are free, but there is a $10 charge for items with screens, such as computers or TVs, but then they will give you a $10 gift card to spend in the store. Click here for more details.

by Chris Kearns, Environment Rhode Island

Last week, just before the Inauguration, I traveled down to Washington, D.C., with a group from the Environment Council of RI -- Sheila Dormody of Clean Water Action, Jane Austin of Save the Bay, Jerry Elmer of the Conservation Law Foundation, and Paul Beaudette, president of ECRI. We went to discuss the stimulus package with RI's congressional delegation and to explain why an environmental focus should be included in any package that is created. It was a tremendous experience and one that I was honored to be a part of.

We met with staff in the offices of all four of our national representatives. We talked about renewable energy, energy efficiency, public transit, and clean water infrastructure development. Our sense overall from these meetings was this -- they get it! Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Representatives Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin all understand that any recovery plan must include environmental initiatives. This would not only help improve the environmental quality of our state, but it also would be a real opportunity to help turn our economy around.

The upcoming year will be a challenging time for our country's economy, especially here in Rhode Island. What I felt after these meetings is that we have a great opportunity with the stimulus package to make smart and effective policy decisions -- decisions that work for the 21st century, that will supplant the outdated and failed policies of the last century. We have the ability to make changes now that will reap rewards far into the future, for our children and the generations to come.

Environment Rhode Island recently released a new report called Clean Energy, Bright Future: Rebuilding America through Green Infrastructure, pushing for issues that were discussed on our trip. Click on "More..." for a brief summary of those proposals and a link to the full report, as well as an update on the current status of the stimulus legislation. And if you support these initiatives, take a moment to send off an email to your reps and let them know!

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.