AmeriCorps Program Director, for the Ocean State Environmental Education Collaborative, in Providence.

Click here for the full description and contact info for this job.

Bicycles are a wonderful way to get around and get some exercise and fresh air, but unfortunately, our roads and drivers can be a hazard for bikers. Frank Cabral was just 41 years old, riding his bike on Route 1 in Charlestown this time last year, when a driver hit him from behind, and he was killed. His friends are working to make sure this never happens again, and you can help by taking part this Saturday, Sept. 13, in a special bike ride that aims to remind motorists to SHARE THE ROAD.

The ride starts at 10 am at Matunuck Elementary School, and covers 25 miles along Route 1. Police cruisers will be placed along the route to ensure riders' safety. The registration fee of $15 includes a t-shirt, entry in a mountain-bike raffle, memorial bracelet, bumper sticker, bottled drinks, protein bars, and a sense of satisfaction for working to promote a worthy and important cause in honor of a great guy who died too young. For more info, click here or contact Lori DiBiasio at 401-738-7809. Click here for a recent projo story. Riders can register right up to the day of the ride.

Matt Auten, who has been working full-time in the green trenches for years as executive director of Environment Rhode Island and as president of the Environment Council of RI, has taken a staff position at the State House as a senior policy analyst for Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts.

Matt is a hard worker and extremely knowledgeable on both the science and policy issues that affect the future of Rhode Island, and is sure to continue be a great assett to our state in his new position. His new job starts Sept. 15. For more info, click here for a projo blog post.

With Matt's departure and Curt Spaulding leaving Save The Bay, we'll soon be seeing some new faces in high-profile positions that will affect the future of our local environment. Luckily, we have a large pool of talented people to choose from here, and we're hopeful that the future is in good hands.

Photo courtesy of National Environmental Law Center.

by Mary Grady

This being Rhode Island, lots of folks seldom make it all the way down to Westerly -- but if you are one of them, you are missing out on enjoying a beautiful and interesting part of our state. Recently, the folks at Save The Bay decided our south shore needed more attention, and opened their first-ever branch office in one of downtown Westerly's old historic buildings along the Pawcatuck River. Coastkeeper David Prescott and outreach coordinator Rebekah Kepple keep an eye on our coastal waters along the salt ponds and Little Narragansett Bay, where the Pawcatuck empties into the Atlantic. They work nonstop to create awareness, build coalitions, protect ecosystems, and monitor the water quality.

Recently, David and Rebekah took me along one morning as they headed out in their small boat to collect water-quality data around the little Bay. It was a great chance to explore the area, learn more about what they are up to in South County, and see how it is similar to yet different from the issues we are more familiar with in the big Bay. Click on "More..." to join a photo tour of our Other Bay, learn more about David and Rebekah's work, and learn how you can help support them by having a great time and enjoying some delicious food, at an upcoming fund-raising event.

Click on "More..." for a photo tour of Little Narragansett Bay, and info about a great event coming up soon where you can enjoy local food and wine while supporting Save The Bay's work.

We know that the environment is not the only issue people consider when they enter the voting booth -- but perhaps it is a bigger percentage of our concerns when it comes to voting on the local level. After all, your local reps aren't going to be deciding on foreign policy or health care -- but they can make a big difference when it comes to our local water quality, land preservation, stopping air pollution, and other green issues.

With that in mind, Clean Water Action is endorsing some local candidates for the General Assembly Primaries, coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Note that since we are still mainly a one-party blue state here, the Primary is essentially the deciding vote in many local races.

CWA supports, for the House of Representatives: David Segal (Dist. 2, Prov & East Prov); Grace Diaz (Dist. 11, Prov); Bill Hall (Dist. 28, Coventry); and Chris Fierro (Dist. 51, Woonsocket). For State Senate: David Bennett (Dist. 31, Warwick).

For more info from CWA, click on "More...". For more info about how to vote in Tuesday's primaries, click here. For more info on Hall, Fierro, and Segal, click here. Click here for Grace Diaz's Web site, and click here to learn more about David Bennett.

Early September is a kind of in-between season -- not quite Fall, but not quite Summer, either. But other than a possible lashing from some tropical-storm leftovers, our stretch of lovely weather seems likely to keep on coming. Here are a few events coming up this weekend, and a few to mark on your calendar for later in the month.

Tonight, you can explore the Woonasquatucket River through Providence via kayak, with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. Click here for all the details. Or you can join the crew at Newport Green Drinks tonight, for a special book-signing event at Newport Vineyards - click for info. Friday night, Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown invites families in to learn about bats. Find details for all these events and more at NNN's Community Calendar.

Saturday, you can learn to use a map and compass at Audubon's refuge in Smithfield, take a "taste of Tuscany" cruise out of Wickford, paddle across Secret Lake in North Kingstown, create a nature journal in a Prudence Island workshop, check out a photo exhibit in Bristol -- find details for all these events and more at NNN's Community Calendar. 

This weekend is also a great time to visit a local Farmers Market or farm stand. Traffic at these markets tends to decline in September, but if you go, you'll find an abundance of fresh, local food, from apples and peaches to potatoes and carrots and more, and help support our local farms. Find details for where to find your local Market, and more, at NNN's Community Calendar.

URI's global-change speaker series launches on Tuesday, Sept 9, with a talk by New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert.  Click here for details and the full schedule.

Coming soon -- 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). URI's Fall Gardening School starts Sept 22 at RWP Botanical Center, click here to sign up now. REI in Cranston spends a day to introduce you to the kayak life, Sept. 27, click for info.