New Community Cohort Program Teaches Providence Residents Climate Change Preparedness

by Catherine Latimer

Editor’s Note: This article has been edited by The Providence Eye for brevity. It was originally published by ecoRI on January 15, 2026. Republished with permission. On a Wednesday evening in November, a group of Providence residents gathered in the basement of the Smith Hill [...]

RIDEM Plan for Providence’s Biggest Pond Falls Short, Won’t Remediate Water Quality, Say Critics

by Tim Lehnert

Mashapaug Pond, Providence’s largest body of freshwater at 114 square acres, has long been plagued by poor water quality, making it unsuitable for most recreational use. In 2025, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) released its draft general permit for the Mashapaug Watershed. [...]

Rhode Island Environmentalists’ Biggest Opponents at the State House Revealed in Brown University Report

by Eric Halvarson

This year’s legislative session was a morbid failure for local environmental activists: only one out of the 20 bills endorsed by Climate Action Rhode Island became law. A mock funeral was held at the state house for the 19 pieces of legislation that died during [...]

Tiny But Mighty Providence Garden Showcases Natural Diversity in BioBlitz

by Bonnie Phillips

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published by ecoRI. Republished with permission. The two young boys looked dubiously at the brightly colored flower Doug Victor was holding out to them. “Go ahead, eat it,” Victor said with a grin. “It’s a little spicy,” he added, as [...]

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 [...]

Lax Enforcement, Lack of Awareness Result in Poor Recycling Ticket Returns in Providence

by Colleen Cronin ecoRI News

Editor’s Note:This story was originally published by ecoRI. Republished with permission. Over the past few years, the city has received payment for about half the tickets it has issued for recycling violations. From 2022 to 2024, the percentage of recycling tickets paid hovered just above 50%, [...]

“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 [...]

As They Become More Common, Heat Waves Will Also Be More Destructive

by Colleen Cronin ecoRI News

Editor’s Note: A historically hot summer is drawing to a close.This story was originally published by ecoRI. Republished with permission. Business closures, soaring visits to emergency rooms, and unhealthy air quality warnings are just some of what Rhode Island has to look forward to as [...]

Composting 101: With Stewart Martin of Providence Gardenworks

by Tyson Birch

Stewart Martin of Providence Gardenworks is a one-man operation, supplying everything one might  need to transform food scraps into compost, and he’s on call for any questions you might have about the process. In Providence, composting food scraps is an activity that can have one [...]

The Worms You Don’t Want to See in Your Garden

by Catherine Schneider

Meet the jumping worm, an invasive species bad for garden dirt Until recently, most home gardeners were happy to find earth worms when they dug into a garden bed. Earthworms are generally seen as improving the structure and fertility of garden soil as they tunnel [...]