Look at this Stuff, Isn’t It Neat? The Creative Reuse Center of RI Provides Access to Affordable Reclaimed Art Materials

by Amber Ma

The Creative Reuse Center RI (CRC) is turning the old adage “one person’s trash is another’s treasure” into a community movement. The CRC opened in the fall of 2022 as a nonprofit on a mission to save reusable materials from the landfill and provide them [...]

Floral, Juicy, Complex: Specialty Coffee is Transforming the Way Providence Enjoys its Favorite Caffeinated Drink

by Amber Ma

Providence is a city that undoubtedly loves coffee. Aside from the ubiquitous Dunkins and a certain Seattle-based chain, the city has a plethora of independently-owned cafes. Customers may be noticing more of these cafes touting more premium coffees that are single-origin or feature more intriguing [...]

Residents Most Impacted by Climate Injustice are Trained to Nurture and Restore the Urban Forest

by Amber Ma

Micah, one of the youngest in a group of “Forest Care Days” volunteers at the Woonasquatucket Greenway in early April, thinks finding and digging up invasive Japanese knotweed rhizomes from the soil is easy—with her shovel, she swiftly scoops out one, then two rhizomes with [...]

Olneyville Resilience Hub Links Climate Action with Community Connection

by Amber Ma

Olneyville is home to Rhode Island’s only “resilient hub,” a community space dedicated to helping residents adapt to the challenges of climate change  The Olneyville Resilience Hub launched in early 2024 through a collaboration between several city agencies and non-profits, including the Woonasquatucket River Watershed [...]

Protecting Our Waterways: From Geese to Garden Runoff, How Local Actions Make a Difference

by Amber Ma

The Stormwater Innovation Center (SIC)’s recent “Rain Harvest Festival,” a vibrant celebration of science, art, environmental stewardship, and water awareness highlighted stormwater challenges and ways people can address them. Reducing water pollution and improving the resilience of city and state waterways played center stage. Groups [...]

“Nuevas Voces” Raises Up Community Leaders for Environmental Justice

by Amber Ma

It’s a balmy 80 degrees outside on an August afternoon on Blackstone Boulevard.  On the same day, at the same time, it’s  an intolerable 93 degrees at St. Joseph’s Hospital. According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), people within the same city [...]

Wickenden Street Welcomes Rong Chic with Grand Opening Celebrating Spicy Sichuan Flavors and Unique Asian Desserts

by Amber Ma

Providence’s Fox Point neighborhood, home to many popular eateries like Pizza Marvin, Jahunger, and Aleppo Sweets has a new star: Rong Chic, which celebrated its grand opening on June 14, 2025. Rong Chic specializes in Sichuan (sometimes written as “Szechuan”) food, hailing from the southwestern [...]

Trinity Square Hosts a Treasure Trove of Taste

by Amber Ma

Nestled at the gateway to the south side of Providence, lies an area which is a testament to the city’s cultural richness and resilience. Trinity Square is defined by the triangular convergence of Elmwood Avenue and Broad Street, with key landmarks such as Grace Church [...]

Chef Nikhil Naiker Crafts a James Beard-Worthy Fusion of Flavors at Nimki

by Amber Ma

At Nimki, 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Emerging Chef Nikhil Naiker serves up a vibrant culinary experience hard to find anywhere else in the city. Naiker’s dishes marry aromatic Fijian Indian flavors like tamarind chutney and curry leaf with local vegetables, seafood, and meat. Expect [...]

Toaster’s Collective Bakery Leavens Delicious Bread and Community

by Amber Ma

In the late 2010s, Toni Jonas Silver and Anya Talatinian were talented bakers on the bread team at the formerly beloved, but now defunct Olga’s Bakery on Point Street in Providence. Shortly after Olga’s shut their doors at the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic [...]