How to overcome the cheeseburga-cheeseburga mentality? Yes, by understanding that sex sells (but where's Gina Gershon?).

What: Wearing nothing but strategically placed lettuce leaves, a pair of PETA's Lettuce Ladies will hand out free Tofurky brand mock-turkey sandwiches and gift cards for 2 gallons of gas to the first 50 people at a Providence Shell gas station on Tuesday. PETA is "doing lunch" at the gas station to let drivers know that the best thing that they can do for the environment is jettison their meat-based diets. Eating meat is a more environmentally harmful habit than driving an SUV.

 

Eating just a single pound of meat is the environmental equivalent of driving more than 40 miles in an SUV. Researchers at the University of Chicago determined that switching to a vegan diet is more effective at countering global warming than switching from a standard car to a Toyota Prius.

 

"In a time of rising gas prices and rising concern for the environment, we're going the extra mile to help Americans fill up on vegan fuel for their tummies and gas for their tanks," says Lettuce Lady Colleen Higgins.

 

Where: 457 Benefit St., Providence

When: Tuesday, May 13, 2-3 p.m.

5/12/2008 1:34:43 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

This discussion, slated for tomorrow at Brown, sounds pretty cool:

Las Gaviotas: An Eco-Village to Reinvent the World

 

Please join us for a discussion with: Paolo Lugari, visionary activist.

 

Las Gaviotas, founded by Paolo Lugari, is an eco-village with a twenty-three year track record of rainforest regeneration, developing more sustainable lives for the inhabitants of the Vichada region of Colombia.

 

In 1965, when Colombian activist Paulo Lugari was flying over the impoverished region, he mused that if people could live here they could live anywhere. The following year Lugari and a group of scientists, artists, agronomists and engineers took the 15-hour journey along a tortuous route from Bogotá to the Llanos Orientales (eastern plains) bordering Venezuela.

 

Today, their venture has grown to a village of 200 families that generates its own energy from renewable sources and grows its own food. Inventions from Gaviotas designers—including windmills, high efficiency pumps and solar kettles—are not patented and have spread quickly to villages across the country.

 

The pine forest they planted for income in the 80’s has become a nursery to over 200 native rainforest species and the community now sells voluntary carbon offsets.

 

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Lecture 4:00 p.m.

Reception 5:00 p.m.

115 MacMillan Hall

Brown University

167 Thayer Street

Providence, RI

5/5/2008 4:15:26 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Back in the spring of 2001, I looked at why more people don't use bikes to get around Providence.

WEATHER PERMITTING, [Ray] Alexander pedals the seven miles each weekday from his home in Cranston's Edgewood section to his teaching job at Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island in Wanskuck. With hazards ranging from hostile motorists to piles of accumulated sand and trash in the road, he says, "It's a short commute, but it's not a pleasant one. I've had motorists come up right behind me when I'm on Allens Avenue. They don't seem to believe that we have a right to the road."

Such is the plight of the humble bicyclist. Non-polluting. Human-powered. And an easy target for the hurried, narcissistic psyche that tends to envelop us when we step behind the wheel of an automobile. Although bicycling exploded in popularity with the introduction of mountain bikes in the '80s -- enough to since become the fifth most popular participatory sport, with some 42.5 million cycling enthusiasts, as measured by the National Sporting Goods Association -- bicyclists remain marginalized in our car-dependent culture.

Now, an officially sanctioned, advertiser-supported bike-sharing program, said to be the first of its kind in the US, is coming to Washington, DC.

A new public-private venture called SmartBike DC will make 120 bicycles available at 10 spots in central locations in the city. The automated program, which district officials say is the first of its kind in the nation, will operate in a similar fashion to car-sharing programs like Zipcar.

In the deal, Clear Channel will have exclusive advertising rights in the city’s bus shelters. The company has reached a similar deal with San Francisco. Chicago and Portland, Ore., are also considering proposals from advertisers. ....

For a $40 annual membership fee, SmartBike users can check out three-speed bicycles for three hours at a time. The program will not provide helmets but does encourage their use.

Similar programs have proved successful in Europe. The Vélib program in Paris and Bicing in Barcelona, Spain, both started around a year ago and already offer thousands of bicycles.

4/28/2008 2:55:46 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Speaking of green stuff and Brown . . .

Students at Brown University have organized a two-day conference to promote environmental sustainability. The conference brings together a wide range of environmental leaders, including Ira Magaziner, chairman of the Clinton Global Initiative; U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse; Gov. Donald Carcieri; and Adam Werbach, global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi.

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The Brown is Green Initiative (B.I.G.), a student-led coalition of campus-based environmental organizations, will host a two-day colloquium around the theme of environmental sustainability on April 25-26, 2008. “Brown is Green: Strategies for a Sustainable Future” will bring together a wide range of leaders in the environmental field, including academics, activists, politicians and business leaders. This event is free and open to the public; advance registration will be available online and is encouraged.

 

Topics include climate change, sustainable building, alternative and renewable energy, policy solutions, environmental justice, and employment opportunities in the environmental field. The conference kicks off with a donation of plastic water bottles for recycling in exchange for receiving an environment-friendly reusable water bottle. It includes a screening of the feature film, Into the Wild. Both events will take place on the College Green. The conference concludes with a dinner prepared with ingredients grown on local farms.

 

“Right now there is a remarkable sense of energy at Brown around the issue of a creating a sustainable environment,” said Lauren Kolodny, a Brown senior and one of the conference organizers. “We wanted to capture that enthusiasm and build on it by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas on a topic that is of such universal concern.”

 

The goal of this event is to foster dialogue and connections between students, staff and faculty as well as community members and government and business leaders who are trying to understand environmental problems and craft solutions to those problems. The roster of conference speakers includes:

• Ira Magaziner, chairman, Clinton Climate Initiative;

• Sheldon Whitehouse. U.S. senator from Rhode Island;

• Adam Werbach, global CEO, Saatchi and Saatchi, and former president of the Sierra Club;

• Donald Carcieri, governor of Rhode Island;

• David Cicilline, mayor of Providence;

• Frank Caprio, state treasurer Rhode Island;

• Stephen Schneider, professor of biological sciences, Stanford University.

 

A full schedule of events is available online at www.brown.edu/big.

 

Brown University has demonstrated a commitment to environmental sustainability in all facets of University life. Students pursue coursework in the field and faculty members are engaged in environmental research and innovation in alternative energies and global climate change. In January, the University announced an aggressive and comprehensive plan that will reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions from existing facilities to 42 percent below 2007 levels by 2020. Brown also implemented a requirement that emissions will be reduced by up to 50 percent for all newly constructed and acquired facilities.

4/25/2008 12:42:48 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The quote of the day comes from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, who was targeted with two mostly errant green-colored pies during his address yesterday at Brown University (h/t RI's Future):

Mr. Friedman quipped, "Ten years in Beruit and Jerusalem, who thought I'd meet my end in Providence, Rhode Island."

According to Natalie Garcia's report in the ProJo:

Not everyone agrees with Friedman’s vision that innovation is the path to climate and energy salvation. Just seconds into his speech, he was interrupted by two environmental activists, who stormed the stage shortly after Friedman stepped up to the microphone, tossing two paper plates loaded with shamrock-colored whipped cream at him.

Friedman ducked, and was left with only minor streams of the sugary green goo on his black pants and turtleneck.

He stood in bewilderment and mild disgust as the young man and woman bolted from the stage and out the side door, throwing a handful of fliers into the air to relay the message they apparently were not going to deliver personally.

“Thomas Friedman deserves a pie in the face…,” the flier said, “because of his sickeningly cheery applaud for free market capitalism’s conquest of the planet, for telling the world that the free market and techno fixes can save us from climate change. From carbon trading to biofuels, these distractions are dangerous in and of themselves, while encouraging inaction with respect to the true problems at hand…”

After five minutes, Friedman returned to the stage undeterred, with only faint traces of the green cream on his clothing.

4/23/2008 10:44:31 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

What better time than Earth Day?

When: April 22 2008, from 3-4:30 PM. (Speaking portion begins at 3:30 PM.)

 

Where: State House.  Smith Street, Providence, RI.

 

What: A lobby training session and tour of the State House will start at 3 pm in the Bell Room, in preparation for talking with legislators about ECRI’s legislative priorities.  Next, speakers will discuss environmental initiatives.  Then, citizens will lobby elected officials about bills introduced to protect human health and the environment.   

 

Who: Presented by the Environment Council of Rhode Island (ECRI), a coalition of over 60 organizations and individuals whose mission is to serve as an effective voice for developing and advocating policies and laws that protect and enhance the environment. ...

 

Why:  Elected officials need to hear from their constituents about environmental legislation. Matt Auten, president of the Environment Council, strongly encourages Rhode Islanders to celebrate Earth Day by telling the General Assembly that we need them to pass strong environmental legislation, particularly in order to tackle global warming pollution. “This is a great opportunity for everyone who cares about the environment to take action and tell our elected officials what is important to us,” Auten said. 

 

ECRI Legislative priorities include:

 

•ECRI supports the Global Warming Solutions Act, legislation to cut global warming pollution 80% by the year 2050.  (S2629, H7884) RI needs a mandatory program that will achieve the pollution reductions scientists say we need to avert the worst impacts of global warming. Global warming puts our environment and health at risk through impacts ranging from increased beach erosion and rising temperatures in Narragansett Bay, to more frequent and intense hurricanes, and an increase in the rates of asthma and variety of insect-borne illnesses.

 

•ECRI Supports the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act.  (S2633, H7524) which will protect Rhode Islanders from diesel pollution, which leads to adverse health risks. This year’s legislation calls for the cleanup of trash trucks and state vehicles.

 

•ECRI Supports the Rhode Island Shared Water Resources Act.  (S2637, H7787)  Rhode Island’s water use is outgrowing our reserves. Since water is a public good, the public sector must manage supply and demand and protect the land surrounding water sources.

 

•ECRI Supports the Electronic Waste Producer Responsibility Act.  (S2631, H7880)  This legislation requires manufacturers to pay for collecting and safely recycling discarded electronic equipment, which contain lead, mercury, and other toxins.

4/22/2008 11:06:18 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The subject of peak oil is hotly debated by geologists and various others. A related discussion is planned for Monday: 

STATE HOUSE – Rhode Islanders will have a chance to examine “Cheap Oil - Going, Going, GONE!” on Monday, April 21, at 3 p.m. The lecture, presented by the Progressive Legislators Group and the Environment Council, will be in the Room 313 of the State House is free and open to the public.

 

Richard Heinberg, one of the world’s foremost experts on peak oil and its impact on industrial society, will speak on the end of cheap oil and what it means for America and the world. The term “peak oil” refers to the point at which half of the oil the planet once had is extracted. The remaining half will be increasingly harder to extract and therefore more costly. Some will be too costly to extract at all. Once the peak is reached, the cost of oil will steadily and permanently increase, along with the price of everything dependent upon it.

 

As gasoline streaks toward $3.50, $4 and more a gallon, how will we get to work and school? What kind of education will we need? Mr. Heinberg will cover these questions and more and look at the ramifications of a life without cheap oil.

 

Heinberg is a senior fellow of the Post Carbon Institute in California and is internationally renowned as a leader and educator in awakening the public to the impending energy declines as we enter the post-carbon era. He writes a regular column for The Ecologist and has authored scores of articles that have appeared in such periodicals as The American Prospect, Public Policy Research, Quarterly Review, Z Magazine, Resurgence, The Futurist, European Business Review, Earth Island Journal, Alternative Press Review and The Sun; and on Web sites such as EnergyBulletin.net, GlobalPublicMedia.com, ProjectCensored.com, Counterpunch.com and Alternet.org.

 

Among Heinberg’s several books are “The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies” (2003, 2005); “Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World” (2004); “The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse” (2006); and “Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines” (2007).  Currently, he is completing a book on coal, “The Great Coal Rush and Why It Will Fail,” to be published later this year by New Society Publishers.  He has appeared in numerous video documentaries, including “The End of Suburbia” and in Leonardo DiCaprio's “11th Hour.” 

4/18/2008 5:00:43 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [1] |  

Here, in the form of an event on Tuesday, is another clever notion for Earth Day:

Tuesday April 22nd, following Earth Day Lobby Day at the State House, Clean Water Action and the Environment Council of Rhode Island are hosting EARTH in jeoPARTY, an Earth Day Party at Local 121 in downtown Providence.

 

We thought we’d make this event a little more personal, a little more local, if you will, and for that, we need your help. Some of you may already be familiar with Trivia Night, the hip rotating happening at bars in and around Providence. Well this is a special, one-night-only episode of Environmental Trivia and we want you to write the questions. Can you dig it?

 

I’m going to give you some suggested topics and then some sample questions courtesy of our trivia MC. Keep in mind the questions are tougher than you might expect. There will be some competitive minds in the audience and we want to keep them on their toes. Question format is not multiple-choice, it’s just open, like Jeopardy.

 

If you want to write a question, email me back before Friday with your topic. You will have until the end of next week to write and submit your question. [Send them to Annie Costner, acostner@cleanwater.org]

4/17/2008 12:27:10 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

With various people and groups gearing up for Earth Day a week from tomorrow, the most interesting local effort may be plans by Local 99 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to dedicate its solar-powered union hall, which it bills as largest completed solar project in Rhode Island.

On Thursday, April 22, 2008 at 11:00am, the IBEW Local 99 will dedicate its solar energy project, providing clean, renewable power to its union hall. The solar panel array is located outside of the union hall, 22 Amflex Drive in Cranston, RI.

 

Installation of the solar panels was performed by the men and women of Local 99, headed by Business Manager Allen P. Durand. The project demonstrates the extensive capabilities and training of Local 99 members, which are vital to the future of renewable energy projects in the state. The dedication of the solar project is fittingly being held on Earth Day, serving as a reminder of the need to encourage alternative energy projects.

 

Elected officials, union leaders, and environmental advocates will be in attendance at the event.

4/16/2008 4:06:36 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Lots of activity at Bruno Uno tomorrow:

-- Global Climate Change

Brown's Political Theory Project presents the Janus Forum Lecture “Global Climate Change: The End of the World as We Know It?” at 3 p.m in Alumnae Hall, 194 Meeting St. The speakers are Bjorn Lomborg of Copenhagen Business School, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist; Robert Mendelsohn of Yale University, author of The Impact of Climate Change on the United States Economy; and Michael Shellenberger of the Breakthrough Institute. After a 15-minute presentation, each speaker will engage the audience in a Q&A (though not a debate).

-- Deconstructing Sport: The Intersection of Sport and Human Rights

Is the right to play sports as inalienable a right as freedom of expression and the entitlement to a fair standard of living? This two-day series of film screenings, lectures, and panel discussions will explore the role of sport in society from a diverse range of perspectives: education, sociology, economics, public health and medicine, and public policy. Sponsored by the Roosevelt Institution and the Royce Fellowship for Sport and Society, events are free and open to the public. A full schedule is available online.

-- Norman G. Finkelstein

The Brown University Arab Club welcomes Norman G. Finkelstein, scholar of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the politics of anti-Semitism and the author of such works as “Beyond Chutzpah” and “The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering.” An extensive Q&A will follow Finkelstein's lecture, which is at 7 p.m. in List Art Building, room 120, 64 College St.

4/14/2008 11:25:26 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

In a further sign that the cause of renewable energy is moving forward in RI, Governor Caricier's office says that tomorrow, at 1 pm, "[he] will announce that the State of Rhode Island is seeking bids from private companies to construct and operate an off-shore wind farm designed to generate 1.3 million megawatt-hours per year of renewable energy."

4/2/2008 4:22:46 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

With much attention devoted to Governor Caricieri's immigration plan, not to mention the budget, it's easy to forget about some of the other big issues facing us. One such case is global warming.

According to a report issued earlier this week by Environment Rhode Island and Clean Water Action:

The authors found that global warming emissions in Rhode Island are still drastically far from reaching the voluntary reduction goals set in 2001 when the New England governors agreed to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, 10% below by 2020, and 75-85% below 2001 levels by 2050. The report shows the state’s global warming emissions are still exceeding 1990 levels by 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E), or almost 32%.

 

Furthermore, the report points out that recently Rhode Island’s energy production has dropped, which may seem to indicate energy use has declined in the state.  In fact, consumption has risen and the state is meeting its need for energy by importing more of its fossil fuel based energy from other states in the region, inaccurately depicting a drop in local emissions.

 

“If Rhode Island is serious about protecting our environment and cutting global warming pollution, we need to take strong action now by passing enforceable limits on statewide emissions,” said Agatha Wein, Global Warming Associate for Environment Rhode Island. “The voluntary agreements are not cutting it. We are falling behind, and now is the time to make the reductions necessary.”

 

In order to achieve more substantial reductions in global warming pollution the groups are advocating for the development of a statewide plan to reduce global warming pollution at the rates insisted upon by scientists: 20% reductions by 2020 and 80% reductions by 2050. The Global Warming Solutions Act, a bill that has already been introduced in the General Assembly (H7884 and S2629), will require these reductions across all sectors, while also focusing on clean energy solutions.

Treasurer Frank Caprio has a program planned for Monday evening, at the Save the Bay Center in Providence, to look at the fiscal impact of climate change.

3/28/2008 12:44:44 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [1] |  

As demonstrated by National Grid's opposition to a key part of the plan for Allco Renewable's proposed solar farm in Cranston, moving forward with renewable energy in Rhode Island won't be without some fits and starts. Yet change is at hand, and in this week's Phoenix, I write about the push fior renewables:

Until now, the renewable approach in Rhode Island has been restricted to a few isolated efforts, like a wind turbine that was added a few years ago to reduce energy costs at the Portsmouth Abbey School. Similarly, it’s not particularly surprising that an environmentally attuned outfit, like the Southside Community Land Trust, a nonprofit in Providence, is partnering with People’s Power & Light to power its urban farm operation through renewable sources.
 
Now, however, in terms of other large-scale projects, Allco Renewable has proposed a wind farm that would involve hundreds of wind turbines off the coast of Block Island and Little Compton. An Australian firm, with state backing, has plans to create two wave-energy facilities. And state and labor officials are hopeful that a manufacturing facility for wind turbines, like those to be used at the Cape Wind project, could be established at Quonset Point.
 
Elsewhere around the state, Portsmouth, Barrington, Bristol, Warren, and Jamestown are among the growing number of communities, Auten says, that are pursuing plans for a municipal wind turbine. The 1.5 megawatt project in Portsmouth, on the grounds of the high school, will be enough to power the school while also producing considerable excess energy. 
 
Meanwhile, one of the bills under consideration at the State House would, through the concept known as net-metering, lower the utility costs of individuals who produce more energy than they consume, thereby offering an incentive for them to invest in solar panels or other renewable devices whose costs could otherwise prove prohibitive.
 
These days, with New Englanders reeling from their winter heating bills, and gas again selling for more than $3 a gallon, you don’t need to be an ardent environmentalist to appreciate the need for different approaches. There’s even some appealing poetry in how Rhode Island, which was left environmentally blighted by the bygone industrial revolution, is poised to reap economic benefits by going green.
 
A more muscular renewable sector won’t be a panacea for the state’s ongoing budget problems. Yet it could have a variety of beneficial effects, including the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs, diminished dependence on foreign oil, a stable and safe energy sources, and a positive impact on the environment.

3/27/2008 8:33:18 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [2] |  

While liberals and conservatives square off on the "Economic Growth & Fairness Act," a measure that merits broad support -- making manufacturers responsible for the safe recycling of electronic waste -- is due for consideration in House Finance.

Here's part of what Sheila Dormody of Clean Water Action, which supports the bill, says about the e-waste problem:

According to the state’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Master Plan, Rhode Islanders create 7,500 tons of electronic waste each year. The RI Resource Recovery Corporation’s e-waste recycling program has taken in an average of only 76 tons of computers per year since its inception. While the total tonnage has been steadily increasing each year, it means that RIRRC recycles on average less than 2% of Rhode Island’s e-waste.

 

“With the new federal rule requiring all TV signals to switch to digital in just over a year, we can expect even more televisions to be thrown in the trash,” said Dormody. “If the general assembly doesn’t require manufactures to cover the recycling costs this session, taxpayers will have to foot the bill for all of that toxic trash.”

 

On February 17, 2009, TV stations will stop broadcasting analog signals over the airways, and switch to only digital signals. This means that millions of older TVs across the country will no longer receive a signal. Consumers will need to either buy a digital set-top converter box or a brand new TV in order to get over-the-airways reception. Millions of new TVs will end up in the trash as consumers opt for new flat panel TVs. 

 

Discarded electronic products are a growing part of the solid waste stream. Every year, we scrap 400 million units of electronics in the US, according to the recycling industry. 

In 2006, Tim Lehnert, wrote, in the Phoenix, about the problem:

On the consumer end, disposing of electronic waste is an immense problem. Every year, 100 million computers, monitors, and TVs become obsolete in the US, and this number is growing. Although a lot of this gear winds up in landfills (the US Environmental Protection Agency calls e-waste the leading contributor of lead to municipal waste), most of it is sent to Asia and Africa, effectively transferring the problem to poorer countries.

3/26/2008 1:27:53 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

A few different things of note today:

-- At Brown:

Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy

Michael T. Klare, the Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies and Director of the Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies, will discuss “Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy” at 4 p.m. in the Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute, 111 Thayer St. Klare has written widely on U.S. defense policy, the arms trade, global resource politics, and world security affairs and has worked with many non-governmental organizations in the peace and human rights fields. This event is presented by the Innovating Global Security Lecture Series.

-- The RI chapter of the Sierra Club is staging a "Cool Calls Action Night," complete with pizza and fermented beverages. The event is at 6 pm at the Sierra Club office. For more info, or to RSVP, click here.

 

-- Thirsty Third Thursday, aka Providence Green Drinks, is slated to go down at Olives, North Main Street, Providence, from 5-8.

3/20/2008 10:39:52 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The more economic development Rhode Island can realize through green initiatives, the better, so this seems like a good thing.

STATE HOUSE – Rep. David A. Segal (D-Dist. 2, Providence, East Providence), Rep. Raymond J. Sullivan Jr. (D-Dist. 29, Coventry, West Greenwich), Sen. Paul E. Moura (D-Dist. 18, East Providence) and Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Warwick) will hold a news conference tomorrow to announce the formation of the “Green Jobs Alliance,” a coalition of labor unions, environmental advocates and anti-poverty groups that have come together to promote a green economy that improves the environment and creates middle-class jobs.

 

The news conference is scheduled tomorrow, Tuesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. in the House lounge on the second floor of the State House.

 

The legislators will be joined by advocates from environmental, labor and anti-poverty organizations in the state, including George Nee, secretary-treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO; Sheila Dormody of Clean Water Action; Chris Wilhite of the Sierra Club; and Aden Van Noppen of the Rhode Island Student Climate Coalition. The alliance expects also to announce its legislative platform for the year at the event.

3/10/2008 3:30:06 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Former Miss Rhode Island Allison Rogers, who made raising awareness about global warming a big part of her platform, is now project manager of the Greening office for the House of Representatives. She was profiled yesterday in Roll Call:

While installing energy-efficient lighting and getting compostable cups in the cafeteria is an important part of the initiative, changing peoples' attitudes perhaps is the biggest battle facing the greening team.

 

And who better to take on that effort than a former beauty queen?

 

"She has fantastic abilities to mobilize people and get them engaged,"

said Leith Sharp, director of Harvard's Green Campus Initiative, "and get them to be enthusiastic about participating in sustainability."

 

It is clear from a few minutes of chatting with Rogers that she isn't the stereotypical pageant girl, more concerned with her looks than the news of the day.

 

She can discuss an array of greening issues, from compact florescent light bulbs to carbon credits to how maintaining the proper air pressure in truck tires saves on gas.

 

And she'll stick up for what she believes. Rogers quickly defended Green the Capitol when asked about recent criticism that the initiative — and in particular its $89,000 purchase of carbon offset credits — is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

 

"I see that really as one of the myths," Rogers said, explaining that the credits are needed for the House to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral.

 

"This office is really looking at every opportunity," Rogers added.

"Especially the opportunities that will also save money."

 

Rogers described her job as supporting the House's overall sustainability. She works with the chamber's office coordinators — who each oversee 30 or more House offices — on developing green business practices.

 

Rogers also is helping with plans to track the 133 recommendations included in the Green the Capitol report, which was presented by Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard in June 2007.

 

Rogers didn't always have ambitions to be a beauty queen. Growing up in Providence, she played baseball alongside her twin brother, Brian, instead of practicing her pageant wave.

 

But she always has been aware of the environment. Her parents, who both worked for the Postal Service, made a point of saving money by turning off unused lights, and the family frequently spent time outdoors, Rogers said.

3/6/2008 12:22:43 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Kudos and congrats to Phoenix contributor Tim Lehnert, whose November 2006 story, Your desktop could be a time bomb, about the consequences of computer waste, won a first-place prize in environmental reporting this weekened from the New England Press Association.

Since computers are obviously still with us, the story remains a good read:

On the consumer end, disposing of electronic waste is an immense problem. Every year, 100 million computers, monitors, and TVs become obsolete in the US, and this number is growing. Although a lot of this gear winds up in landfills (the US Environmental Protection Agency calls e-waste the leading contributor of lead to municipal waste), most of it is sent to Asia and Africa, effectively transferring the problem to poorer countries.

There’s just a small amount of harmful material — like lead — in each discarded computer, and because the e-waste problem is relatively new, there’s little evidence specifically linking computer waste, with, for example, kidney damage, mental retardation, or other conditions associated with lead poisoning. Yet environmentalists like Sheila Dormody, head of the Rhode Island office of Clean Water Action, still worry, both about the sheer volume of discarded electronics, as well as the long-term threat that they could pose.

Such concerns are on target. Lead and mercury don’t just go away, after all. They accumulate, and can enter the food stream through the ground and the water, creating a chain of toxicity, and a difficult and costly, if not impossible, cleanup.

And besides lead, other marchers in Rhode Island’s parade of electronic toxins include thousands of pounds of mercury (which can cause brain and kidney damage, particularly in babies and children); chromium (which can cause asthmatic bronchitis and damage the DNA); and cadmium (which can cause kidney damage and harm bones). Hundreds of thousands of pounds of brominated flame retardants, which are used in computers and in TVs — and which have been linked to fetal damage — have also wound up in Rhode Island’s trash.

2/11/2008 5:01:37 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

David Segal and Matt Jerzyk yesterday used a ProJo op-ed to outline a progressive vision for Rhode Island.

They focused on three important needs: efficiency through regionalization, and creating a predictable funding formula; building the Green economy; and delivering criminal-justice reform.

THERE’S LITTLE disagreement that Rhode Island’s budget needs savings, that our property taxes are too high, or that our economy could use a boost. Sadly, the conventional political wisdom offers only untenable answers: Cut taxes, precisely for those who are already doing best; slash public-school funding and block cities from raising these funds on their own; use tax breaks to swipe business from other states; de-fund social services, and so on.

Further, Governor Carcieri has chosen the “you’re with us or you’re against us” mentality that has governed policy-making in the Bush administration. In his world, Democrats, labor unions, immigrants, single mothers and the poor are enemies to be chastised through press releases and on talk radio.

Alternatively, we’d suggest that our problems can be solved by bringing people together and thinking broadly in ways that rely on our state’s strengths, maintain fairness and fill real needs. We write to offer a progressive vision for this legislative year.

The three focal points emphasized by the authors make a lot of sense. And while Governor Carcieri has been more vocal in citing a desire to turn Rhode Island into a leader in alternative-energy sources, the governor and the legislature, together, seem to have done little to advance the ball on the other two fronts.

On the contrary, given the potential to save money through criminal-justice reform, the state wastefully back-tracked last year with the misguided try-juveniles-as-adults-to-save-money thing.

As some others have suggested, the bright spot in the state's current budget crisis -- if we're lucky -- could be a sufficient degree of motivation to reinvent government in Rhode Island.

2/8/2008 12:46:36 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park, appropriately, was the location for last night's farewell party for Jen Cole, a longtime stalwart of the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program, who is credited with having planted more than 3000 trees in the capital city.

An enthusiastic throng of friends, city officials, and civic do-gooders turned out for the event, and Jen received well-deserved plaudits from Councilman John J. Lombardi and Mayor Cicilline, among others.

I can't remember exactly when and where I first met Jen, a sweetheart with a good sense both of humor and civic outrage, but she will certainly be missed after moving with her husband to Virginia. She formerly worked locally for the Conservation Law Foundation, among other enviro/civic places, and was a regular at the late, lamented Decatur.

A stalwart Red Sox fan, Jen serves notice that she has bought season tickets for the Washington Nationals and secured prime seating for the Sox' visits to Camden Yards in Baltimore this year.

2/7/2008 12:03:36 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [3] |  

We had a smorgasboard during this morning's taping, with three different guests in three segments -- kind of like the Sunday talk-show equivalent of the Republican presidential contest.

Leading off is Mark Rogers from Cape Wind, which received a major victory when it recently cleared a federal hurdle for its proposed turbine farm in Nantucket Sound. Rogers agreed with my suggestion that, despite the energy-guzzling quality of habit-prone Americans, profitability will play a major role in helping to move forward renewable-energy initiatives.

Batting in the two-spot is Julian Dash, developer and head honcho of the Rhode Island Black PAC, who shared his thoughts about the upcoming MLK Jr. Day, as well as the significance of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Our last guest is Bill Felkner of the Ocean State Policy Research Institute, who talked up Governor Carcieri's budget-cutting proposal and called for a tougher stand against illegal immigrants. You might recall that his group was the force responsible for bringing Grover Norquist to Rhode Island last month.

N4N and Felkner found common ground in our mutual dislike of the governor's proposed $50 fine for those who drive while talking on a hand-held cell phone.

Newsmakers is broadcast Sunday, at 5:30 am on Channel 12, and at 10 am on Fox 64.

1/18/2008 10:37:22 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Speaking of Jef, he's been blogging up a storm, and reports, via PBN, that Smart Car is coming to Warwick:

PBN reports that one of the 74 Smart Car dealerships slated for the US will be located in Warwick, on Bald Hill Road.

The Smart Car is a tiny car popular in Europe and well suited to urban environments. Able to park head first facing the curb in a parallel parking space for example. I test drove one when they where here in Providence over the summer. It was fun to drive and I’d certainly consider buying one if I felt the need to own a car (which I don’t). The $12k sticker price is a little high though, you can get a conventional compact car for about that much with not quite as good, but good gas mileage. I think the Smart Car would be an excellent alternative for something like ZipCar. I would certainly rent one to drive to the Cape (since bus service to the Cape is such a pain in the ass and not convenient or easy or in any way makes any sense).

I assume the locating of a dealership here means that they’ve had a good reception. It’ll be nice to see some of these cars on the road. Of course, they’d probably fly better if we had better local and regional transit, and the Smart Car was seen as a supplemental transit alternative.

1/15/2008 10:28:36 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

Rhode Island Interfaith Power & Light, recognized last year as one of the Phoenix's Green Heroes, is moving ahead with plans for its January 10 conference in Warwick on "Greening your Congregation." Here are some details on the keynote speaker for the event (Bishop Hendricken High School, 7-9:30 pm):

Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader. In recent years her retreats and speaking engagements have primarily focused on reclaiming the sacredness of God’s creation and placing care for the Earth at the center of our moral and spiritual concern. She is principal author of “To Serve Christ in All Creation: A Pastoral Letter from the Episcopal Bishops of New England.” She is a member of the Leadership Council of Religious Witness for the Earth.

Meanwhile, over at Anchor, Justin recently offered a more critical look at the global warming movement:

Paul Driessen's op-ed in the first Providence Journal of the year is certainly worth a read. Regarding the U.N. Bali meeting on global warming:

Meanwhile, respected climate scientists were barred from panel discussions, censored, silenced and threatened with physical removal by polizei if they tried to hold a press conference to present peer-reviewed evidence that contradicts climate disaster claims, such as:

• Climate change is natural and recurrent. The human factor is small compared to that of the sun and other natural forces. ...
• The best approach is to adapt, as our ancestors did. ...

Other inconvenient arguments:

Even a 25 to 40 percent reduction over the next 12 years would impose huge sacrifices on families, workers and communities, especially poor ones — while leaving no room for population or economic growth.

Fossil fuels provide 85 percent of the energy we use. Slashing emissions by even 25 percent means slashing the use of these fuels, paying vastly more to control and sequester emissions, and radically altering lifestyles and living standards. Families will do so voluntarily, or under mandatory rationing systems, enforced by EPA, courts, climate police and "patriotic" snitches. Getting beyond 25 percent would require a "radical transformation" of life as we know it.

But here's the possibility that glares as the symbolic crux of the debate:

Perhaps newly unemployed workers could find jobs in China and other developing countries, where the tough emission standards won't apply ... China is adding the equivalent of another Germany every year to global greenhouse emissions, says climatologist Roger Pielke.

Whether or not the West's voluntary self-restrictions will ultimately enable global dominance of those oppressive regimes that simply refuse to play by the rules of panic isn't really the point. One gets the impression that the allure of climate-based jeremiadry is that it offers an overarching concern that excuses activists for ignoring all of those complicated considerations that wind up advising the allowance of practices that they dislike, such as consumerism, big business, freedom, and so on.

The point about China's oversized contribution to global warming was made last year by my colleague David S. Bernstein.

1/2/2008 3:54:39 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [1] |  

Denise Parrillo of Clean Water Action sends this along:

Providence, RI—Today the Environment Council of Rhode Island, a coalition of over 60 RI organizations, released its annual list of desired policy and law changes that will protect and enhance the environment. This list highlights the changes the Council will work for during the upcoming legislative session. 

 

This year, the Environment Council will focus on:

 

➢      Fighting global warming. RI needs 80% reductions in global warming pollution by the year 2050. These are the reductions that scientists say are necessary to avert the worst impacts of global warming in our state.

 

➢      Protecting our waters and water supply. RI needs to protect and manage our natural resources to ensure wise use and to accommodate future growth. 

 

➢      Promoting clean energy.  RI needs clean, renewable sources of energy so we can maintain our way of life, protect the environment, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and promote new technologies.

 

➢      Managing solid waste responsibly. RI needs to guard against the pollution caused by the improper disposal of electronic waste and plastic bags and the incineration of trash at Central Landfill.  

 

➢      Promoting clean transportation. RI needs to clean up large, polluting diesel vehicles and promote public transit, safe pedestrian passage, and adequate routes for bicycling. 

 

➢      Preserving open spaces. RI needs to continue to invest in open space programs so that we have beautiful places for future generations to enjoy. 

 

➢      Promoting toxic-free communities. RI needs to make polluters pay to clean up the toxins they impose on our communities and protect children from harmful pesticides on school grounds.

12/28/2007 2:33:06 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

The Natural News Network has suggestions for making it a green holiday.

And Farm Fresh Rhode Island is putting on a cold-weather farmers' market, Saturdays, from noon to 3, at AS220, 115 Empire St., Providence (until May 31):

A bit about the Providence Wintertime Farmers' Market

 

Local food all winter long. The chickens are still laying eggs. The salad greens are so leafy and crisp. The onions and garlic are packing spice. The apples and squashes are getting sweeter by the day. Join us for the start of another 365 days of local food. Chefs and eaters, one and all, come enjoy all that grows in Rhode Island year-round!

 

Plus aprons, bowls, cups and calendars by Providence artists for your culinary-inclined loved ones. And hot coffee and brunch next door at Taqueria Pacifica.

12/13/2007 10:55:35 AM by Not For Nothing | Comments [0] |  

As the Phoenix's David Bernstein recently noted, it's big business and China that stand to make the greatest impact in reducing the threat of global warming. Yet a regional report card by environmental advocates in New England and Canada gives Rhode Island a measly C+ for the state's effforts to preclude this looming enviro-catastrophe:

Over the past year Rhode Island made improvements in reducing global warming pollution from the electricity sector