Tuesday night we saw something amazing happen in America -- we saw hope triumph over fear, we saw the past give way to the future, we felt a change in the air from fragmentation to unity. We know that there will still be trouble ahead, there will be disappointments and setbacks, but for the first time in a long time, at least we feel that we can move forward, that we can prevail over the injustices and mistakes and evils of the past. Apathy at last has given way to engagement and action.

My friends and I spent the night at the Liberty Elm Diner, where we watched the electoral numbers gather, with agonizing slowness; then we drove to the Biltmore downtown, where we saw Senator McCain's gracious concession speech -- it was in the car in between that a phone call told us that we now had a new president-elect -- then a final stop at a friend's house, appropriately on Hope Street, where we toasted President Obama's first speech with a bottle of French champagne.

During the night we saw our friend John journey from tense and morose to joyous and exuberant. "My grandfather grew up in Selma, Alabama," he announced to the crowd on the Biltmore elevator, "and I wish he had lived to see this day. A black man elected president!" He heard the echoes of Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln in Mr. Obama's words, and saw faces in the crowd smiling and weeping and filled with hope. "I haven't seen faces like that since 1968," he said, awed somewhat, and we all had to agree.

Mr. Obama's environmental policies may not be all we could hope they would be -- we'd like to see a stronger position against nukes, for starters -- but we feel confident that he will invite smart people to give him good advice, and in the messy business of democracy, we will find ourselves moving forward, step by step, into a newer, greener, more hopeful world.

Click here to go to the Obama-Biden Web site and read more about their energy and environment policies.

-- NNN editor Mary Grady

Time is running out.... soon our suspense will be over, and we'll have an idea what to expect for the next four years. With record turnout predicted for Election Day, voters need to be prepared.

Because this is our third election this year, you may be headed to your third new polling place since March. Go to the state's online Voter Information Center to confirm the location of your polling place ahead of time. You can also see a sample ballot for your neighborhood. Review your choices now so you are ready to vote when you get to the poll.

We added 42,000 new voters since February. It's a good idea to check the accuracy of your voter registration info now. That will give you time to resolve any discrepancy with your local board of canvassers now rather than at a busy polling place on Election Day.

Turnout will be heaviest from 7-9 a.m. and from 5-7 p.m.  Vote during off hours so you can get in and out of the polls quickly. Any eligible voter in line when the doors close at 9 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.  And you are allowed to bring a marked sample ballot or other material to help you in the voting booth.

If your name is not on the voter registration list at your polling place, you are eligible to vote a provisional ballot. Your ballot will be counted if election officials determine that you are properly registered. And even if you are not registered, you still can vote for President. If you are at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a resident of Rhode Island, you can register to vote and cast a ballot in the presidential race on the spot, and you will be officially registered for future elections. Go to RIFuture for the details about how to do that. Click here for more info about where and how to vote in RI, and what to do if you run into problems, from FairVote RI.

Click here for info from NNN about the open-space bond issue and local candidates who have been endorsed by environmental advocates.

Local environmental advocacy groups have strongly endorsed this bond issue, it is vital to save our green and natural spaces from  rampant development, click here for more info, and don't forget to VOTE on TUESDAY!

There's now a way for Rhode Islanders statewide to get their heating oil at a discount from People’s Power & Light (PP&L), and at the same time support this great nonprofit group which has been a powerful supporter of alternative energy projects for our state. Customers in every city and town - except Block Island - benefit from the power of numbers -- PP&L can negotiate better prices for its customers than any of us can get on our own.

“Every day the wholesale price goes down, our retail price goes down,” promises Karina Lutz, PP&L deputy director. The PP&L average price today dropped to $2.592. (The last statewide average reported by the Office of Energy Resources was taken on Oct. 27, at $2.809.) The statewide average was $3.249 on Oct. 14, while the PP&L rate was at $2.899. Click here to sign up online.

For more info, click on "More...".

Check out the cool 30-second videos about the upcoming Bay Bash, Save The Bay's celebration of the opening of our three-mile CSO tunnel. This project ensures we'll have a cleaner Bay in the future!

Click here to check out the videos.

Click here for more info about the event. 

Although GreenStart has been around for a few years now, lots of Rhode Islanders still don't realize they have the power to choose green energy for their homes right now, and it couldn't be simpler. So even if you have already gone green, tell a friend!

All National Grid residential electricity customers are receiving an invitation to choose green power in their utility bills this month, so it's a good time to reinforce the message with your friends. The utility’s “GreenUp” program gives these customers the choice to switch to green power right on their utility bill by choosing People's Power & Light’s New England GreenStart, a local, nonprofit energy company.

For more details, click on "More..."

That question will be the topic for a panel discussion at Bryant University in Smithfield, following a screening of the documentary film, FLOW, about the world water crisis. Check it out, Monday, November 10, 5 to 8 pm at the Janikies Auditorium.

The panel will discuss, "Can Rhode Island Run Out Of Water?" with Cynthia Giles of the Conservation Law Foundation, Bryant economics prof Joseph Ilacqua, Jan Reitsma, director of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor; Kathleen Crawley of the RI Water Resources Board, Kenneth Ayars of DEM's agriculture division, Gaytha Langlois, Professor of Science and Technology at Bryant, and Eugenia Marks, Senior Director of Policy, Audubon Society of Rhode Island.

Click here to watch the trailer for FLOW. Click here for more info about the event, including maps, and to register.

For many of us here in the Bluest State, it's a challenge to think about anything right now other than next Tuesday. One way or another, this election is sure to bring swift and profound change to our country. If you can spare any time to get out and work for your cause, in any way you can, it is time well spent that you will never regret.

But meanwhile, here in our local green world, there is lots going on. Tonight, the new and growing chapter of the RI Green Building Council meets at New England Tech, all are welcome. The program starts at 4, tonight's speaker will talk about energy. Click here for info. Ladd Observatory offers a Halloween Open House from 7 to 10. At 9:30, RI PBS will air a program about our local water infrastructure. 

Friday night, join the folks at The Steelyard and Recycle-A-Bike for an awesome Halloween celebration. Over the weekend, you can check out a free kayak clinic, and you'll find listings for lots of hikes, book clubs, farmers markets, and other events at our NNN Community Calendar.

While everyone's attention is focused on the national race coming up next Tuesday, let's not forget there is also an important local issue on the ballot. If you want to see our state continue to be green, with woods and fields and open space for wildlife, clean rivers, and local farms, then VOTE YES ON QUESTION 2. This modest bond issue, just $2.5 million, will help to provide permanent protection for the open spaces that we treasure.

Vote to APPROVE QUESTION 2:  OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BOND! Click on "More..." for much more detail about the issues and the bond, from the RI Land Trust Council and the Environment Council of RI.

For more info about why you should vote YES, check out this Peter Lord story from the Oct. 31 projo, and this recent post on Chip Young's blog.

For more info about our local races, check out these recent NNN posts:

RI Senators Get "A" Grade on the Environment

ECRI Gives General Assembly a "B"

Clean Water Action Endorses Local Candidates