RI Nature Video Festival and Compost Conference Coming to RIC
by

About 11 years ago, I started making nature videos and putting them up on YouTube.  I started out videotaping Fowler’s Toad tadpoles and their breeding cycle and development, but pretty soon I was videoing every type of animal I could find in Providence, mostly filming [...]

21
Feb
Why Providence Cares About the Farm Bill
by

Nearly 30% of Providence residents depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy their groceries. As Congress debates the Farm Bill, Rhode Island food advocates call for more money for SNAP, small farms and conservation programs. Millions of dollars could be available for [...]

07
Feb
Photo: Freepik
Providence’s Food Scraps Are a Resource; Let’s Use Them.
by

Used books rarely belong in the trash. Instead, most belong in schools and libraries. Those dog-eared pages can feed imaginations and inspire new books. They have value. Food waste also has value. Decomposing scraps can feed the soil and grow new food. It’s why homeowners [...]

17
Jan
Street Tree Planting photo: courtesy of PNPP
PVD Tree Plan Aims to Bring More Green to Neighborhoods
by

It’s been nearly 30 years, and Leandro Castro can still remember how hot his neighborhood was in the summertime. “I’m probably nine years old [at the time], my brother is seven,” Castro recalled. “I’m asking my mom, ‘Mommy can we go out to play,’ and [...]

10
Jan
The Moshassuck River near North Burial Ground   Photo: Tony Sager
A Cleaning for the Ages: Addressing Pollution in the Moshassuck River
by

The people who lived along the Moshassuck River, before the English removed them, lived in an environment of tremendous richness that sustained their communities and cultures.  We honor the people and cultures who preceded us in this place, and rue the damage that the Europeans [...]

03
Jan
A Big Step for PVD: City Council Passes Major Climate Legislation
by

On November 2nd, the Providence City Council passed its first major climate legislation, voting unanimously and enthusiastically in support of a new Building Energy Reporting Ordinance (BERO). The policy is designed to help large building owners better manage their energy use, reduce energy costs, and [...]

08
Nov
There’s Money to Get the Lead Out
by

Published with the cooperation of Motif Magazine. Providence locals have long boasted that their city tap water is among the best in the country. U.S. News and World Report, however, has other ideas: Rhode Island sits at a middling #21 for drinking water quality in [...]

18
Oct
Monarchs and Milkweed: A Providence Tale
by

A few years ago, some Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) sprouted in my front yard. It can be an aggressive plant (hence the weed moniker), but nonetheless, I let it take over my front yard because it is the exclusive host plant for Monarchs. The [...]

11
Oct
Fighting Food Insecurity In PVD
by

Is it hard to eat healthy on a budget? A common misconception is that fresh produce is out of reach for shoppers on a tight budget. Yet there is help for those experiencing food insecurity. Farm Fresh Rhode Island, a Providence-based local food hub, works [...]

27
Sep
North Burial Ground as Haven
by

As the Director of City Cemeteries, I have a particular fondness for North Burial Ground (NBG), but here I am writing as a resident of Providence and cemetery enthusiast with my own personal beliefs, why cemeteries matter, and how cemeteries can be transformational spaces in [...]

20
Sep