by NNN Correspondent Susan Genett

Plastic bottles, shopping bags, gift boxes, magazines, newspapers, junk mail, records, yogurt covers, beer coasters, soda cans, champagne corks, shoe scraps, old clothes and household junk were recycled into fashion at Groundwork Providence’s Runway Earth 7 Wednesday night, inside the spectacular Roger Williams Park Botanical Center. Designs ranged from a sophisticated evening gown infused with several t-shirts to a whimsical knee-high dress completely covered in aluminum yogurt tops.

Twenty-five unique designs displayed the versatility of everyday trash, such as white shopping bags, old curtains and Poland Spring bottle wrappers. Other designs displayed by "local celebrity" models were a dress made completely of neckties, a kimono of 1,000 tea bags, and a vest made of beer coasters. Groundwork Providence President Monica Anderson sported a “wrap” dress with a detachable train made of thermal blankets recycled from a marathon. Most of the designs may not be fit to wear beyond the runway, but for the more practical-minded, one designer displayed cloth shopping bags created with recycled materials, an accessory fit for just about everyone. 

A fun and entertaining event to enjoy out-of-the-box creativity quite literally! And a great way to support the awesome work done by Groundwork Providence -- when 40,000 new trees are growing in the city thanks to their efforts, you'll see what I mean.

Click on "More..." for more great photos from the event by NNN Contributor Daniel Gagnon.

If you're looking for a rewarding way to help improve your local environment, pitching in to help Save The Bay's eelgrass project is a great choice. Eelgrass can immediately enhance the Bay habitat and improve water quality. Volunteers are needed next week, Sept 22-25, in Jamestown, click on "More..." for all the details.

Projo reporter Rick Salit spent some time last week with STB's Wenley Ferguson and her team, to read his story click here, and get inspired! Click here for lots more info and a video about the project from STB. Save The Bay is also taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, the 20th, click here to get into and get involved.

photo courtesy of Save The Bay

When it comes to environmental issues, one truth is inescapable -- if people never spend time in the woods, they won't care about the forest. And if they never spend time on the Bay, and on the ocean, they probably won't care about all the creatures of the sea either. But thanks to some intrepid Newporters, Rhode Island will soon have its own square-rigged Tall Ship -- and its mission will be not only to help preserve and promote our rich maritime heritage, but to give generations of Rhode Islanders an experience of being at sea that they will never forget.

The ship right now is a steel hull that was built in Canada, and it's on its way to Newport via tugboat. Once here, the decks and rigging will be added, and the ship, which will be christened the Oliver Hazard Perry, should be ready to sail in 2010. 

"The ship's business plan includes giving opportunities to young people who otherwise might never get on the water, much less experience an ocean voyage," said Bart Dunbar, chairman of Tall Ships Rhode Island.

NNN editor Mary Grady's first-ever sailing experience was aboard the brigantine Black Pearl, which was part of the Tall Ships family, and she has taught marine education programs aboard the Tall Ship Rose, so here at NNN we know how big an impact these programs can have on the lives of young people, and we are big supporters of this effort. Captain Richard Bailey, a native Rhode Islander who was captain of the Rose, is directing the Oliver Hazard Perry project.

For more info, click on "More..." for the full news release from Tall Ships RI.

Want to fill up your calendar for the week? How about going to the URI Global Change talk on Tuesday, Runway Earth on Wednesday, and then Green Drinks on Thursday?

The hosts for Thursday's Green Drinks event are Firehouse 13, Green Zone Garden, and Glasswing Design. Located in a historic fire station on Providence's South Side, Firehouse 13 is a forward thinking urban project dedicated to sheltering exciting, innovative and contemporary creative works. For the summer of 2008, FH13 is showcasing Green Zone, an organic vegetable, herb, and flower garden that Sarah Zurier planted in the detritus of wartime consumption: used tires, plastic shopping bags, and discarded shoes. Glasswing Design is a Providence graphic design studio led by creative director Eva Anderson, who is known for her long-standing passion for all things green.

Come this week and take a tour of Firehouse 13 to learn about the dramatic project that converted an underused building into a dynamic new arts center.  Plus, chat with the creator of Green Zone about victory gardens, war gardens, and urban agriculture, and nibble away at Green Zone herbs and leaves.

Click on "More..." for more details.

You're invited to join a community discussion about "Greening the Rhode Island Economy" on Saturday, Sept. 27, 930 to 11 a.m. at the New England Institute of Technology, 2480 Post Road Warwick, in the Student Lounge. Speakers will include Providence Mayor David Cicilline, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and a panel of experts, hosted by Greg Gerritt, founder of the RI Prosperity Project. The discussion is free and open to all.

The event is part of Green Jobs Now, a national day of action that will bring tens of thousands of people together to stage hundreds of grassroots events throughout the country. People will demonstrate readiness to build an inclusive green economy, strong enough to lift people out of poverty and curb global warming. 

Click on "More..." for more info. 

This Saturday, Sept. 20, Newport is the place to be for anyone with an interest in the energy future of Rhode Island. Salve Regina is sponsoring an all-day Energy Conference with an impressive list of speakers and exhibitors, including Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, R.I. Senate Majority Leader Teresa Paiva Weed, Cynthia Giles of the Conservation Law Foundation, Karina Lutz of People's Power & Light, and a diverse list of energy producers, wind advocates, and more. All will share their insight into how going green can save energy and money while creating new jobs. Topics include Solar, Wind, Geo-Thermal, Green Buildings, Energy Efficiency, Renovations and Retrofitting. The conference runs 9 to 5, lunch is available on the site. Suggested donation just $10.

The event is sponsored by Salve Regina University, Channing Memorial Church, and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission to address global-warming related pollution and strategize among a wide cross-section of participants.

Click on "More..." for more details. 

This weekend's full Moon has a special name -- the Harvest Moon. It's the full Moon closest to the northern autumnal equinox. In years past, farmers depended on the light of the Harvest Moon to gather crops late into the night. Post-Edison, we appreciate it mainly for its beauty. Be alert in the nights ahead for Harvest Moon halos, coronas and 'dogs. Visit spaceweather.com for examples and more information.

Or to listen to Harvest Moon, the Neil Young classic, click here. There's a full moon risin', let's go out and feel the night...

September is just stuffed with great things to do for anyone with an eco-interest of any kind. We've already told you about the URI Global-Change Seminar Series on Tuesday evenings. Here are a few more highlights from our inbox.

This Saturday, Sept 13, the annual Urban Edge Farm Hoe Down promises to be a rip-roarin' good time in celebration of local farms and local food, 4 to 8 pm, dinner, drinks, music, tours, dancing, and more, just $20 for grownups, Students $15 and kids under 12, $5 each. Click for info and directions. (That's the farm, in the pik above.) You can also join the Bike For Life in South County Saturday morning, and help remind drivers to share the road with bicyclists. Click here for info. Also, Audubon's awesome Raptor Weekend, Sept. 13 & 14 in Bristol (click here for more info, and click here for a photo slideshow from last year's event).

Also on Saturday, the 13th, Sea Grant's CoastWeeks launches, with bunches of events around the state, from talks and workshops to cleanups and cruises, and lots more, all in celebration of our beautiful coastline. Click for info and a calendar of events.

Coming up next week:

Wednesday, Sept. 17, check out Runway Earth 7, click here for info. This is a fun event, and if you think planting 40,000 trees in Providence is a great idea, going to this event is one way to show your support.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, Kevin Pearce of Bluewater Wind will give a presentation at URI's Bay Campus about his company's state-of-the-art offshore wind energy technology. The talk is from 11 to noon at Corless Auditorium, all are welcome to attend. For more info about Bluewater Wind and their work, click here. For directions to the auditorium, click here. 

URI's Fall Gardening School starts Sept 22 at RWP Botanical Center, click here to sign up now. On Sept. 25, Apeiron Institute hosts a Sustainable Schools Summit, click here for the flyer. REI in Cranston spends a day to introduce you to the kayak life, Sept. 27, click for info.

Need more event ideas? Check out NNN's new Calendar format, in the left sidebar on our front page. Hover on any date and a list of events will appear, just click on any event for more details. Or click on "Calendar" in our top navigation bar for a larger version of the list for the week. Many thanks to Sue Korte at What Grows On In R.I. for doing such a great job creating these calendars and helping to keep RI's eco-community connected and informed!

If you ever worry that the world we are leaving to our children isn't in as good condition as it should be, there is one easy but positive and lasting thing we all can do -- plant a tree!

This fall, Groundwork Providence and the RI Tree Council are working toplant 40,000 trees in Providence by 2020 -- that's right FORTY THOUSAND! You can bet that will make a difference in all kinds of ways -- all those thirsty roots will soak up the runoff that today gets into storm drains and carries contaminants to the Bay. All that shade will cool neighborhoods in summer. And every tree will absorb carbon dioxide, to help curb global warming, and give off oxygen, to help sweeten our air. 

So what could be better than to help plant trees?! Volunteers are needed for Tree Teams who will help ensure that young trees are planted properly and cared for with love.  For more info, contact Ray Perrault at 351-6440x14 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By Michael Clark, NNN Correspondent

Green buildings save energy, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and are good for our local economy -- but they don't just grow on their own. If we want more green buildings in R.I., we need trained technicians, informed advocates, and on-board public officials. And Connie McGreavy, founder of Conserve by Design, aims to make sure all of that will happen -- and you can help.

McGreavy is working to build a Rhode Island Chapter of the United States Green Building Council, better known as the USGBC. The USGBC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction, and it is responsible for creating the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification system for buildings. McGreavy has been hosting monthly meetings of interested folks -- lots of them -- at the New England Institute of Technology, in Warwick. So far, over 400 people have expressed interest in joining the RI chapter, she said recently. 

To read more about McGreavy's efforts, and to find out more about how you can help, click on "More...". The next meeting of the RI-GBC group is coming up next Thursday, Sept 18, details after the "More...".