Everyone is trying to cut back a little on spending this holiday season -- our economy is too volatile, our unemployment rate is too high, our savings are too fragile. Eco-folk have been advocating for generations that "Less is more," that we can live richer, better lives, by spending less time and money on "stuff." If you are hoping to cut back on buying this season, we have lots of ideas! And soon we will post an updated NNN Holiday Eco-Market.

For starters, you can donate your extra coats to the Buy Nothing Day Winter Coat Exchange. For gifts, consider supporting our local arts organizations and nonprofit groups -- take a friend to a play, or a concert, or for a hike or a seal-watching trip. Buy locally made products, and shop at locally owned stores -- your dollars will go a lot farther in our local economy to support jobs for your neighbors. 

Here are a few ideas from our NNN inbox... The Chorus of Westerly is an awesome arts group with lots of holiday events coming up, starting with a Fall Concert this Sunday. Myopic Books, one of our awesomest local bookshops, is holding a Fall Sale at both the Providence and Wakefield locations, Friday through Sunday. And the Providence Public Library is holding a sale Thursday through Sunday, with used books, CDs, DVDs, maps, magazines, encyclopedia sets, English language learning manuals, foreign language titles and more. Click here for all the details.

Is it possible to prepare a 100 percent local meal for the holiday? According to Rhode Island Monthly, you can source about 95 percent of your holiday meal locally. Jessica Knapp, of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, told RIM it’s difficult to find flour and butter produced in Rhode Island, but just about everything else you need can be found from local vendors. Squash, apples, cheese, greens, eggs, and more, can be found at our local farmstands and markets. Fresh, locally raised turkeys can be found at Belwing Turkey Farm (508-336-9142, 773 Taunton Ave., Seekonk), they are still accepting orders for Thanksgiving turkeys, as is Helger’s Turkey Ranch (624-4087, 2554 Main Road, Tiverton).

Coming up Friday, Nov 28, the day after Thanksgiving, is Buy Nothing Day, one of our favorite holidays. And here in Rhode Island, we have a wonderful way to celebrate the day -- donate your excess coats to the Winter Coat Exchange, now held in five locations around the state. The concept is simple --  if you have a coat to give, please drop it off. If you need a coat, please pick one up. Give a coat, warm a heart!

This year's sites: The State House Lawn, 10 to 2 pm, rain/snow site: St. Patrick’s School, 244 Smith St. The Visitors Center, 175 Main St., Pawtucket. St Paul's Church, 12 West Marlborough St., Newport. St. Francis Church, 114 High Street, Wakefield. St Ann’s Arts and Cultural Center, 84 Cumberland Street, Woonsocket. Most groups are already collecting coats, click on "More..." for contact info to find out drop-off places and times.

Reasons for participating in Buy Nothing Day are as varied as the people who take part. Some see it as an escape from the marketing mind games and frantic consumer binge that has come to characterize the holiday season, and our culture in general. Others use it to expose the environmental and ethical consequences of over-consumption. You can participate just because you are safe and warm, but others in our state are not.                   

Volunteers are welcome! Click on "More..." for contact information.

Ladd Observatory, on Hope Street in Prov, will open this evening from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. Featured through the 12-inch refractor
will be the planets Venus, early in the evening, and Jupiter, later in the night.  On the deck, the portable telescopes, in addition to showing the planets, will take advantage of the Moonless conditions to show some of the brighter deep-sky objects.

For more info about tonight's agenda, and other sky events to watch for this week, click on "More...."

Well at least for a while -- all the excitement over the dedicaiton of this project should be over after this weekend. So in case you missed it....

Peter Goldberg's cool photo exhibit opened this week at the Cahalan Gallery on Allens Ave in Prov. This is his pik (below) of some of the workers who ran the giant drilling machine. Click here for a story about the show in this week's Phoenix. You can catch a look at the pix during a gallery opening tomorrow (Sat Nov 15) from 4 to 7. And click here for a story in today's projo about the dedication ceremony on Thursday. And click here for info about Save The Bay's Bay Bash, tomorrow night (Nov 15), featuring music by the English Beat, at the Foundry in Prov.

Just imagine, all this rain woulda gone into the bay this time two weeks ago, bringing with it all kinds of pollution. Not any more! Now we need to keep going and finish the rest of this cleanup project.

UPDATE: Click here for Save The Bay's photo gallery from the Bay Bash event.  The CSO photo exhibit at the Cahalan Gallery ends on Monday, Nov 24.

It was over 40 years ago that the first spacecraft travelled to the Moon, and sent back to us the first images of Earth from space. The vision of our planet, suspended against the blackness of infinity, brought home to many the reality of our interconnectedness and the certainty that our planet is small and our resources are limited. 

This week, NASA released a new version of that iconic image of Earth, suspended above the Moon's horizon. Using refurbished machinery and modern digital technology, NASA produced the image at a much higher resolution than was possible when it was originally taken.

To view the image in its full size and learn more about the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project, click here.

The weather is looking a bit marginal -- coldish and dampish -- and being outdoors might seem to have less appeal than in the summer, but don't give up on it. Scarves and mittens and waterproof boots will keep you happy all winter long, while you enjoy our changing landscapes and seasons.

Lots going on this weekend, indoors and out. On Friday, businesses have a chance to recycle all kinds of electronic junk for free. Click here for the details. Peter Goldberg's awesome photos of the CSO tunnel project are on display at the Cahalan Gallery on Allens Ave. Click here for all the info. The gallery will be open 4 to 7 this Saturday.

Saturday night, Nov 15, get out and have fun with Save The Bay, to celebrate the new CSO tunnel that's having a dramatic impact on our Bay water quality. The "Light at the End of the Tunnel" Bay Bash fundraising event will raise the roof at the Foundry in Providence. Tickets run from $75 to $250 and include a night of dancing to the English Beat and local band Cobra-Matics. Click here for all of the info, including previews of the band music. And here's what Marc Clarkin, over at Motif Magazine, has to say about the music: "Cut from same '80s Ska meets New Wave cloth as Madness, The English Beat sound like a never-ending conga line going straight to the break of dawn." Click here for Marc's full story. And click here for more about the band, from Projo music critic Rick Massimo.

On Sunday, we're expecting big crowds at URI's Energy Expo. Who wouldn't want to learn all about how to save energy? It's a win-win for our economy and our environment. Click here for all the details.

You can find lots more activities, kid events, workshops, and more at our NNN community calendar. Just a sample -- on Saturday morning, check out the new Sakonnet Greenway Trail in Portsmouth. Also on Saturday, the Environmental Justice League of RI welcomes all to its meeting, in Providence. And don't forget your local Farmers Markets, many are staying open for a few more weeks yet.

Providence photographer Kathie Florsheim has been working for several years to document life along the coast in southern New England. Her concerns encompass not only the visual impact of the shoreline, but also what those visuals tell us about how our society relates to and values the natural environment. This leads to lots of interesting work, and some interesting insights from Kathie as well.

If, by chance, you think photographing  along the coastline sounds like an peachy job, consider that you will carry a camera, wear a photo jacket with equipment and film stuck in every pocket, a hat to protect you from the sun, sunscreen, shoes and a lot more clothing than a bathing suit. This July, in pursuit of photographic nirvana, I photographed on 13 beaches in Dennis, Mass. My mania occurred over the hottest weekend of the year, so the beaches were throbbing with people. That reality made empty, private beaches flanking the public watering holes all the more conspicuous. Preceding the delight of pulsating with a large crowd, is the pleasure of finding a parking space, or waiting in line for one. So the private parking was equally conspicuous.  

Click on "More..." for the rest of Kathie's essay, and click here to go to her Web site to see more photos.

Concerns about the high cost of heating homes this winter have many Rhode Islanders strategizing about how to reduce their energy consumption.  So the timing couldn’t be better for the Rhode Island Energy Solutions Expo, which will offer innovative and practical strategies to help individuals and businesses save energy while reducing their environmental impact.

Sponsored by URI’s Energy Center, the expo will be held on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ryan Center on the Kingston campus, featuring exhibits, workshops, demonstrations, activities for kids, speakers, music, and food.  The first 1,000 visitors will receive free home energy efficiency kits. Admission is $5 online and $8 at the door. Children under 12 and students with an ID get free admission.

Click on "More..." for more details, or click here to go to the Expo Web site.