Plans Underway to Improve Providence Recycling

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — Recycling was a major topic during a recent meeting of the city's Environmental Sustainability Task Force, as an ordinance that would require outdoor events such as road races and WaterFire to recycle and generally be more responsible with waste was discussed.

Sheila Dormody, the city's new director of sustainability, is working with the Arts, Culture + Tourism department to outline basic waste disposal requirements to be included in the permitting for events.<<Read more

Where are R.I. Revenues Being Invested? Not Locally

By KYLE HENCE/ecoRI News staff

According to a December Treasury report, only 10 percent of Rhode Island’s short-term investments reside in truly local in-state banks, namely Washington Trust and BankRI. Meanwhile, 40 percent of these investments were placed with foreign-owned banks, including a British-government owned bank under investigation by the European Union.

Further, millions have been invested by Rhode Island in a fund created by a global buyout firm recently outed by ABC News for setting up special funds in a secretive Cayman Islands tax shelter.<<Read more

High-Five: West Warwick Adds Winter Market

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

WEST WARWICK — This year, Kent County has its own winter farmers’ market thanks to the efforts of Barbara Taback, who manages the summer market for the Arctic Village Association. The market is held in a refurbished Rhode Island mill building, at 186 Providence St. The building also is home to the newest location of the Thundermist Health Center, whose management approached Taback and the village association about bringing their market indoors for the winter.<<Read more

Queen Anne Square Soil Testing Underway

By KYLE HENCE/ecoRI News staff

NEWPORT — On Monday morning, Jan. 23, a machine resembling a small well-drilling rig was extracting soil at Queen Anne Square for the second consecutive week, following concerns of contamination raised by the state Department of Environmental Management in a letter to the city in November. The soil sampling, being conducted by Sage Environmental of Pawtucket, represents the first on-site preparations for the planned re-fashioning of the park.<<Read more

Occupiers Prepare to Leave Providence Park

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — It may have been the final rally hosted by the Occupy Providence encampment at Burnside Park. About 30 protesters marched Jan. 24 from the steps of nearby City Hall across Kennedy Plaza to put an exclamation point on more than 100 days of encampment and protests.

The group of protesters was much smaller than the estimated 1,000 who marched through downtown on Oct. 15. Nevertheless, they chanted with just as much enthusiasm as they had when the protests began. "We are the 99 percent" and "All day, all night occupy Burnside."<<Read more

Avedisian Applauded as New RIPTA Board Chair

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE — Environmental and and other advocacy groups applauded as Scott Avedisian was voted in as the new chairman of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) board of directors. The board voted unanimously Jan. 23 to install the Warwick mayor as the replacement for Thomas Deller, who recently resigned, citing an excessive workload.<<Read more

Single-Stream Recycling Makes More Cents

By FRANK CARINI/ecoRI News staff

JOHNSTON — The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is spending nearly $17 million to make recycling less of a chore and improve the state’s recycling rate, which has plateaued at about 25 percent.

Single-stream recycling is scheduled to make its Ocean State appearance in late April and, according to those behind its implementation, there will be fewer rules, especially when it comes to recycling plastics.<<Read more

Turbine Likely to Benefit Multiple Communities

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

NORTH SMITHFIELD — The agreement with the town would have the wind developer, Wind Energy Development LLC, leasing a lot for $40,000 annually with an agreed upon rate of increase. Town officials have estimated that the annual payments would cover the debt service on the $525,000 Open Space Bond that would be necessary to procure the required acreage for the project. The town solicitor has been asked to draft an ordinance that would exempt this and future medium-to-large renewable developments in the town from property taxes.<<Read more

Deepwater Wind Farm Slowly Pushes Ahead

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff

The Deepwater Wind project cleared some major hurdles in 2011. The offshore wind farmer had its controversial electricity purchase deal with National Grid upheld in state Supreme Court. The state Public Utilities Commission also brushed aside an appeal of the price agreement in November.

This year, Deepwater Wind has dozens more permits and approvals to secure before beginning construction on the five-turbine, 30-megawatt wind farm off Block Island. If completed by 2013 or 2014, it would likely be the first water-based wind project in the United States.<<Read more

Corn: It's for Eatin' and Heatin'

By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
Video work done by RAMON GARCIA of Small Time Video

SLOCUM — Why heat with oil, gas, propane or wood when there’s corn? Yes, corn. Not ethanol or corn oil; just plain kernels of corn, dried and poured straight into the stove. Grown and bagged right here in Rhode Island, Blazin’ Corn is one of only five corn-fuel growers in New England.