June Soundbites

BY BILL GERLACH | FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Hi, everyone!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here at Sustainable Sakonnet. Things have been busy as the summer shifts into gear. While work in the gardens is complete (for the moment) and the Little League season winds down, I have been focused on my new blog, The New Pursuit, some public speaking, and writing for ecoRI.org (more on that below).

With that, I think I am going to move to a monthly post here at Sustainable Sakonnet. There are so many great things happening in the area that to leave Sustainable Sakonnet by the wayside completely doesn’t feel right. I hope you agree.

FARMERS MARKETS KICKING OFF

Our very own Sakonnet Growers Market kicks the Summer 2010 season off on Saturday morning, June 19, at Pardon Gray Preserve (Main Road). Be sure to stop by, get some amazing local fare and support our local farmers and producers in the process. For a complete listing of farmers markets around the Sakonnet area, check out this list from Farm Fresh Rhode Island.


THS ‘ENVIRONMENT DAY’ SOWS SEEDS WITH STUDENTS

While most of the town was in the throes (folly?) of the Financial Town Meeting(s) last month, an amazing event took place at Tiverton High School.

Spearheaded by Social Studies Department Chair, Eric Marx, and the THS Green Team, the entire school—from faculty to students to support staff—participated in the first ever ‘Environment Day’.

The goal was to find creative ways of getting the students to think about aspects of the environment as it relates to their everyday lives. How do we view/interact with the environment from a math perspective? From a science perspective? From a literature perspective?

Each student began the day base-lining their own environmental impact by calculating their carbon footprint. Have you ever done this? It’s a great exercise. A number of tools can help you try it for yourself.

The highlight of the event—for me anyway—was the Speakers Forum. Five speakers, four of them THS alumni (including myself), who are involved in some way in the green arena gave presentations on the topic of their choice. It was amazing (and inspiring) see how many local people are involved in making the world a better place – each in their own unique way. Here’s the run down:

• Sarah Forrest // A 2001 grad and engineer at Vanderweil Engineers, Sarah gave an overview of how buildings play an important role in using resources wisely. She showcased her work on the LEED-certified Newton North (MA) High School.
  
• Caitlin Luderer // Talked about her work developing and promoting the field of sustainable tourism. She currently volunteers with the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. Caitlin is a 2000 grad.
  
• Nicole Lebreux // A 2001 grad and owner of Fidget Finds, Nichole gave the students an understanding of the impact that the mainstream clothing industry has on the environment and human rights while promoting the eco-friendly benefits of buying vintage threads.
  
• Joe McLaughlin // The only non-THS grad, Joe is Director of Properties at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. He gave a great overview of the history and mission of the Sanctuary while sharing his own journey of finding his life’s passion.
  
• And finally, there was me // I gave a presentation entitled “Being (Is) the Solution”, based largely on my writing at The New Pursuit. The message was simple and straightforward: While doing all sorts of things to limit your impact on the environment is important, it’s really only a band-aid. Rather, a deeper, longer-lasting impact can be realized by changing our perspective—our state of being—on how we fit in with the natural world around us and challenging what it means to be a consumer. The response was fantastic – and quite humbling. I used the presentation as the basis for my last opinion piece at ecoRI.org.

All in all, the entire day was deemed a success. Engaging the next generation in finding creative solutions to our problems is like sowing a proverbial seed in a garden. If we can nurture these young minds from their earliest beginnings we can hopefully set ourselves up for a more prosperous future.


UPDATE ON THE NEW PURSUIT

Alas, I have been quite humbled by the response to my new blog, The New Pursuit. Even after just two months, it’s been amazing connecting with so many new people and sharing insights, ideas and stories on what it means to live deeply each day through the reconnection with life, nature and being. As content is being shared through features on other blogs and use of social media tools like Twitter and Facebook, more and more people are subscribing each day to receive free updates.

If you haven’t visited yet, I hope you would take a moment to swing through. You may want to start with some of the posts proving most popular with readers:

• Life is Knocking: 9 Reasons Why We Should Answer the Call to Live Deeply
• The 7 Joys of Time Well Spent and How to Realize Them
• 33 Simple Things to Get You Reconnect With Nature
• The series on changing perspectives
• Any of the Monday Meditations

The most gratifying thing for me personally is that I’m taking small and tangible steps towards realizing my goal of becoming a full-time writer and speaker. It's challenging me to write the best content of my life. And it’s starting to pay off. It’s more of a journey than an overnight wonder pill, but I hope others can take away the fact that pursuing what you really believe in doesn’t have to be just a New Years Resolution.

With that, I am actively pursuing new opportunities to write and speak on the topic of reconnecting with life, nature and being (what I like to call ‘eco-being’). If you are looking for a speaker for an upcoming event and think this message might resonate with your audience, please email me (at gerlachbill-at-yahoo-dot-com) to explore it further. I am happy to tailor content to create the best fit.

Until next month, be well.
Bill

Event Notice: Be Green Kids Consignment Sale

Passing along some info I received on this event. Be well.
_____________________________

Be Green Kids Consignments is pleased to announce that their first ever seasonal kids consignment sale will be held this week/end in Middletown, RI. 

A seasonal consignment sale is a place where families can purchase brand-name new and gently-used children items for 50-90% off retail prices.  Items include spring/summer clothes (infant to pre-teen), shoes, toys, books, dvds, baby equipment & gear (strollers, high chairs, exersaucers, activity mats, etc), furniture (cribs, pack-n-plays, changing tables), bedding, bikes/trikes and much, much more.

There are 80 consignors registered to sell their items, and over 6,000 items in the inventory system!  At the conclusion of the event all unsold items will be donated to Child & Family Services of Newport County (at consignor discretion).

WHAT:    Be Green Kids Consignment Sale
WHERE:  Fraternal Order of Police Hall, 464 Mitchells Ln, Middletown, RI (off East Main Road- next to Newport National Golf Club)
WHEN:  Saturday, May 15th  9:00am-6:00pm and Sunday, May 16th 10:00am-1:00pm (*Discount day.  Most items marked 50% off)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.BeGreenSale.com

Event Notice: Practical Composting Clinic

You can never compost enough in my book. This clinic, offered through the URI Master Composter & Recycler program, should be great. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

THS Students Learn About Greening Their School

Our September poll asked: How would you green our schools?

The results (based on six responders; hey, it's a start...), clearly lean towards enabling our students with education rather than trying to tackle the problem through infrastructure:

• 83% voted for enhancing the eco-education curricula
• 66% felt retro-fitting with energy efficient components was the way to go
• Finally, there was a three-way tie for the remaining options with 50% giving the thumbs up for exploring on-site renewable energy solutions, increasing the amount of local food on the menu, and/or enhancing recycling and composting efforts.

But what do THS students think?

Last week, members of THS' Green Team attended the Sustainable Schools Summit in Providence with their faculty sponsor, Eric Marx*. The event, hosted by The Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living, allowed students to interact with professionals from across the green school spectrum as well as peers from across the state. Eric sent me a copy of the press release they put together afterwards. Here is what some of the student attendees had to say about their experience:

"At the R.I. Sustainable Schools Summit I attended a workshop on Nutrition and the Farm to School System put on by KidsFirst, an organization which works to make school lunch more nutritious.  Today in schools it’s mandated that 50% of all grains be whole wheat and many of the unhealthy food options have been eliminated.  The aim of this workshop was to try to incorporated local farm products into our everyday lives.  The importance of buying local was emphasized greatly.  Farm Fresh RI and the Market have developed a service and are now attempting to supply “non-stop” convenience store with fresh produce from local farms.  Since Tiverton doesn’t have a grocery store, this may be something the Green Team could look into because Green Team isn’t just about increasing the sustainability of the school but the community as well."

>> Chantal Galipeau

"'Tools for Schools' is a system that works to create better indoor air quality.  It has been discovered that bad air in schools has actually affected the health of people who breathe it on a daily basis.  Both teachers and students have gotten sick from the pollutants in the air.  Tools for Schools proposes that schools should seek a solution to the air problem.  They recommend putting dehumidifiers and other air cleaners throughout the school. This small act can reduce the amount of “bad air” greatly.  The better the air, the better the health of the people who breathe the air."

>> Lauren Rollings

"I attended the workshop entitled “Smaller Footprints = Big Savings” and learned about things schools and households are doing to limit their impact on the earth while saving money in the process.  Many schools are starting to appoint “energy managers” to the staff; in fact we heard earlier in the morning from Karen Verrengia, an energy manager for the Cranston School Department who ran this workshop and shared ideas and resources through which she has saved tens of thousands of dollars for Cranston taxpayers and untold harm to the earth. Free services include rirrc.org, which brings awareness to elementary schools through “Max Man” visits and lessons, as well as need.org., energystar.gov , and nationalgridus.com which all help individuals, families and schools track energy use.  I hope to explore with The Green Team this year things we could do here at the high school including fixing thermostats and monitoring more closely light usage."

>> Maddie McGreavy

"The No Child Left Inside Coalition (NCLI) was recently established to improve environmental literacy----or the understanding of the systems of the natural world---in Americans.  This group aims to improve student achievement through hands-on outdoor activities that contribute to healthy lifestyles.  Currently, they are hoping to pass the NCLI Act which will help fund and support schools with new environmental education.  If this act is passed the country will receive $100 million per year for five years to incorporate environmental education activities into schools.  Along with the RI Partnership for Children in Nature, NCLI Coalition plans to develop a curriculum for elementary schools this Fall.  For more information visit www.nclicoalition.org."

>> Alex Azevedo

Beyond the students, Eric has his eye on partnering with several colleagues to develop a new multidisciplinary unit on the environment this year, inspired by attending the “Growing the Green Curriculum” session at the conference.

I'm extremely encouraged by what The Green Team is doing and hope that we all can find ways to support their efforts. Now that our oldest is in the first grade, I'm interested in exploring what can be done at the elementary level to bolster eco-education curricula and keep the pipeline of next-generation eco-caretakers strong.


(*Full Disclosure: Eric is Sara's cousin as well as being a long-time friend of mine.)

Greenstock 2009

Here is a great local event that's worth supporting. THS' Green Team (the student-run environment club) is hosting the first (of what hopes to be an annual) Greenstock Environmental Fair on Saturday, April 11, from 1:00 - 4:00. All are welcome.

There looks to be a little bit of everything for everyone in the family: Music, food, educational exhibits, a "trashion" show (where fashion meets trash), plus some local environmental groups will set up shop to share in the event.

Hope to see you all there. Many congrats go out to all the students who worked hard to pull all this together. I continue to be inspired by the next generation of environmental stewards!

No Impact Man

What a treat it was tonight to see Westport-native Colin Beavan, a.k.a, No Impact Man, give a presentation as part of the Summer Conversations series at the Apponagansett Meeting House in Dartmouth.

If you haven’t heard of him (which is tough given his coverage in everything from the New York Times to Good Morning America to most green blogrolls), Colin has charmed readers worldwide with the documentation of his homegrown ‘experiment’ known as No Impact Man. In a nutshell, Colin and his family decided to try and have as little impact on the environment as possible for one whole year as they lived their lives in New York City. Phased in over seven steps they systematically brought their cumulative carbon footprint to near zero.

How you ask? Everything from eliminating trash and electricity (save for a solar panel to power his laptop) to eating all local, seasonal food, to not buying anything new. His story tonight was inspiring as it was deeply thought provoking; Colin challenged the audience as he has his readers by calling into question how excessive consumerism (and the detrimental effects in has on the planet) is in direct conflict with our collective happiness both as individuals and as a society. It resonated well with me; it is something I’ve written about often. More stuff does not equal more happiness. More stuff causes us to lose sight of those things most important in our lives: quality family time, conversations with friends and neighbors, the strong fabric of that which is community. As Colin puts it, "Happy planet, happy people."

But what makes Colin’s story all the more powerful is that his intent was never to change the world, rather to change himself. It’s just that the world has had a birds-eye view of his journey and has responded with overwhelming support.

Now that the experiment is over, he’s moving forward, anecdotally noting that he should now be called Moderate Impact Man. I encourage you to spend some time on his blog. If you can’t find time for that, no worries, the book and movie versions of the story are on there way.

(Many thanks to Nate over at Biodiesel Now for last minute heads up on this event and good conversation to and fro!)

R.I. Sustainable Living Festival

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion at this year’s R.I. Sustainable Living Festival, hosted by the Apeiron Institute at their Coventry campus. The session was about using the Internet to build real-world communities. Many thanks go out to my fellow panel members:

• Caroline Brown of the Earth Friendly Gardening blog
• Bruce Campbell and Angela Penn of The Ocean Project
• Sue Korte, who runs both The Providential Gardener and the mega-green calendar site, What Grows On in RI
• And to Mary Grady of the Natural News Network for thinking of Sustainable Sakonnet for the panel.

Each of us brought a slightly different perspective on how to leverage the web to engage and enable folks at the local, state, national, and international levels. A key theme was around providing that one-stop-shopping information destination for our respective readers. It was also great to hear how we all keep on keeping on, trying to do more and more with what resources are at our disposal.

The rest of the festival was great too – aside from the blistering heat. Kudos to my wife and kids for sticking it out! You can check out the full vendor list here. Everything from home energy production to recycled products to education and politics.

The Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living is a great resource, especially for students. I know of a teacher at the high school who brings his class there every year to expose them to this incredibly important (and missing) curriculum. It’s fantastic to see that there are alternatives to what might be considered the “normal” way of living – and that our students gravitate towards that kind of knowledge.

Event Notice: "Growing Green"

(Hi, everyone. Clearly, I've been away from the blog for a couple weeks. I started my Executive MBA program at Northeastern a few weeks back and that has taken every moment of free time since. Great program, but highly intense. Only about sixteen more months to go. I'm going to need to figure out how to keep the blog going. One idea is to have some guest bloggers. Do you have something green you want to talk about? Drop me a line and let's talk.)

**************

It's still January right? So you have time to kick that New Year's resolution about increasing the "green" in your life into action. Here's some great motivation and know-how coming to us from just over the border.

The Westport River Watershed Alliance, along with other local environmental organizations, have put together a new educational series called "Shrinking Your Footprint". The first event, "Growing Green", is happening on Saturday, February 16, at 10:00AM at Buttonwood Park Zoo. Growing Green will introduce ways that people can maintain their yards and gardens in a way that uses little to no water, reduces pollution, and is cost-effective.

Future series events will focus on greening your life at home and through your transportation. More event info can be found at the WRWA website.

Event Notice: "Escape From Suburbia" Showing

Thanks to John over at hard deadlines and Kelly from Step It Up | Aquidneck Island for this notice.

Firehouse Theater in Newport is hosting a social and environmental issues documentary film series during the entire month of January. Of particular interest is the January 13 showing of "Escape From Suburbia". According to the teaser, this documentary "places the issue of Peak Oil and its consequences squarely on the world stage and connects the dots between the unsustainable suburban lifestyle and perilous issues of the 21st century, such as food production, population die-off and economic meltdown."

Peak Oil is the theory that the world's oil supplies have "peaked" or reached the maximum level of production given current known supplies. With that, we are in the proverbial sunset of our petroleum-based energy world. More information on peak oil can be found here.

Event Details:

"Escape From Suburbia"
Sunday, January 13, 7:00PM
Firehouse Theater, Newport (Google Map)

Event Notice: Greening Your Congregation

Going green for God. The RI chapter of Interfaith Power & Light is hosting it's first annual "Greening Your Congregation" conference at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick. Details:

January 10, 2008, 7 pm - 9:30 pm
Bishop Hendricken High School
2615 Warwick Ave, Warwick, RI

According to the organizers, this is the "first interfaith conference on developing a religious community response to Climate Change in Rhode Island." Clergy, lay leaders, parents, educators, business people and other interested individuals are invited to participate. Speaker and workshop details here.

America Recycles (Every) Day

Well, it's been one of those extremely busy weeks like we all get from time to time. Why is it with Monday holidays you always feel like you’re trying to cram a five days worth of work into a 4-day workweek? The bright side is that some VERY exciting things have been brewing on the sustainability front here in Tiverton – stay tuned for a post this weekend that begins to share it.

It was so busy that I could not wish everyone a happy America Recycles Day on Thursday. "A" for effort on this, especially in terms of raising awareness and education, but in the end, this needs to be part of our day-to-day. I don’t need to tell you all the reasons why. But if you were scrambling to find something to share with that Anti-Recycler in your world, you might want to check this out:

The National Recycling Coalition has a great microsite devoted to ARD. Fun, informative, and interactive. Great for students. Be sure to check out the Conversionator and learn how big of a difference just a little recycling can make. (Thanks to Garry for sending this one along.)

And if you're looking for something to do tomorrow (Saturday), then head on over to the Rhode Island Recycles Day event at the Central Landfill in Johnston. It’s a prime opportunity to bring all that paper, electronic, and household waste (e.g., paints, cleaners, etc.) that you just can’t put in our green or blue bins here in town. Most items, aside from TVs can be recycled for free ($5 processing fee for the "Magic Boxes"). Check out the site for more info.

Remember, the more we recycle, the longer our landfill stays open. The longer our landfill stays open, the more time and money we will save before having to truck our trash to Johnston and start paying tipping fees. Besides, throwing all that e-waste and household hazardous waste in the landfill is a recipe for toxic disaster – whether today or 100 years from now. Do your kids and grandkids the favor of not having to foot the bill for cleaning that mess up. Recycle.

Event Notice: Newport Energy Film Festival

Sorry about the late notice but I just came upon this in the Newport Daily News. Jane Pickens Theater and the Sierra Club have teamed up to present four movies with energy related themes back-to-back tomorrow night. Doors open at 6:00 PM with the first show starting at 6:10 PM. For background on the event, read the article.

I won't be able to make it, but if you go, let us know how it was.

11th Hour

So it looks like 11th Hour is the next rock-em, sock-em, wake-up-and-smell-your-unsustainably-farmed-coffee movie to try and move the populous to action when it comes to the environment. Sure to be as popular as An Inconvenient Truth, Leonardo DiCaprio's installment appears to be much more of an in-your-face kind of documentary.

I have not seen it -- the closest showing is up in Harvard Square (a lovely drive, don't get me wrong) -- but a tour of the supporting website, 11thhouraction.com does a good job selling the persona power behind the film. It's a who's-who of the modern environmental movement plus some other well-known faces thrown in for good measure.

Check out the trailer:



Now, I don't know what Leonardo does day-to-day to lessen his environmental footprint, but I do have to give a tip of the hat for trying to leverage his star power for something good. We all know that the more people who are informed and inspired to take action, the better our chances of turning this ship around.

Hopefully, a more local theater will pick this film up so that more of us in the Sakonnet area can check it out. If you've seen it, let us know how it was.

Until then, here's to turning back the clock.

Welcome Striper Moon Farmers Market

I was driving down East Main Road in Portsmouth this morning and what did I spy at the bottom of Quaker Hill? The familiar site of Manic Organic’s white pop-up tent and vegetable stand. It’s officially warm(er) out. Better yet, that’s a sure sign that we’re only weeks away from the 2007 farmers market season.

This year, we’ll have yet another option for fresh, local food and fare: The Striper Moon Farmers Market in Bristol. Kudos to Nick Kearney, owner of Striper Moon, for pulling it all together. As he said in an email to me, he hopes it becomes a new “nerve center” for Bristol residents on Saturday mornings. The market will feature local fruits and vegetables from a number of small producers, The Bristol Bakery, and seafood, flowers, cheeses, and other wares from local merchants. Tiverton’s own Coastal Roasters will be providing the coffee. Here are the details:

Striper Moon Farmers Market
47 Bradford Street, Bristol (Google Map)
Saturdays, 9:00am – 1:00pm
June 2 - October 31

Why are farmers markets important?
• Fresh + Local = Better For You. Local means your food was picked in some cases hour ago, not days or weeks. It tastes better and doesn’t have to be laden with preservatives. If it’s grown organically, that’s even better for you and the environment. Did you know that the food you buy in the grocery store has traveled an average of 1,200 miles to get there?

• Supporting Local Farmers and Merchants. We don’t have to look to far to see a new housing development on what was once a farm. Farming is our connection to the land and the people who work that land here in our communities need to be supported – not the huge agro-business industrial farms in the south and west (or outside the U.S. for that matter). Small-scale local merchants keep communities thriving and are a better alternative to chain stores.

• Connect with Neighbors. Farmers markets bring people together. Folks interact, talk, laugh, and even meet new friends. When’s the last time you did that at Stop & Shop?

I’ll see you in Bristol on Saturday, June 2! In a couple weeks we’ll do another post to feature all our local farmers markets.

Earth Day Week: Beyond One Day a Year

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22. It comes every year. In fact, this is the 37th year that an official holiday will be celebrated across our planet. Over the last few years, we’ve seen “green” collide with “mainstream” as tree-hugger-like awareness has given way to an almost hip coolness about doing good for our Earth. While that’s good, there is still an air of shallowness to it all. It is not engrained in our everyday; not a modus operandi, but rather a trend du jour for many of our populous.

Award-winning New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, hits the nail on the head (yet again) on this subject with his article from Sunday’s NY Times Magazine article, "The Power of Green". (Full disclosure, I’m a big Thomas Friedman fan.) In a nutshell, Friedman – who is also using this article, I imagine, as a precursor to his Discovery Channel series -- argues that while green has gone "Main Street", the USA still has a way to go if we’re to meet the challenge of global warming. Yet, this challenge is a huge opportunity for our country to once again prove its leadership in the global marketplace and community.

So what does all this mean for our Sakonnet Community? How are we to demonstrate our local leadership to become, as Friedman puts it, "The Greenest Generation"?

We all have a roll to play. As a community we are the sum of its parts – that is each and every citizen, business, and institution. We have an obligation to leave future generations with something better.

Let’s inspire one another. Let’s help each other figure out how to do ONE thing differently that will help our ourselves, our families, and our communities live more sustainably. But let it not start and stop with Earth Day. Let it be something that becomes part of our daily routine, something that IS engrained within us.

What are you doing this Earth Day? What do you want to share with your neighbors? What do you want to pass on to your kids?

If you had to make one change this year to live more sustainably, what would it be? Replace a few incandescent light bulbs with CFLs? Plant a garden or participate in a CSA? Sign up with a renewable energy source program? Buy carbon credits? Commit to supporting local businesses? Ride your bike to the local store?

Post a comment. Send me an email and I’ll get the stories out.

I’d like to put the challenge out there of creating a new local community event for Earth Day 2008. Something to bring our communities together, learn, and walk away with a new inspiration for being part of the solution. Does anyone want to join the cause?

Event Notice: "An Inconvenient Truth"

Celebrate Earth Day 2007 with a FREE screening of Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary about global warming, climate change, and the moral imperative facing humanity. Question and answer session to follow. Open to everyone in the community. All viewpoints welcome.

Special Guest Speaker: Steven Hamburg, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology, Center for
Environmental Studies, Brown University. Professor Hamburg is featured in this month's Brown Alumni Magazine.

This event is co-sponsored by The Adult Spiritual Formation Program, Holy Trinity Church, and your friendly neighborhood blog, Sustainable Sakonnet. Many thanks to our friends at Holy Trinity for the opportunity to co-sponsor and promote the blog!

Event Details:
"An Inconvenient Truth"
Thursday, April 26, 2007, 7:00PM
Upper Parish Hall, Holy Trinity Church
1956 Main Road, Tiverton

Email me for more information.

Gearing Up for Earth Day 2007

Mark your calendars. Earth Day 2007 will be celebrated on Sunday, April 22. Just about 30 days away. Now what?

Well, for starters, Sustainable Sakonnet will be having a special series of blog postings during the week leading up to April 22. We’ll focus on a handful of topics that are informative, actionable, and inspirational.

I’d like to also post any kind of events happening around the community so that we can all share in them. From clean-ups to school projects to tree plantings to recycling, let’s get the word out. Feel free to send an email me at sustainablesakonnet@yahoo.com and I’ll put it together.

I’ve always envisioned a larger community event centered around Earth Day. An opportunity for everyone to come together, have some fun, and learn about how they can make a difference in their everyday lives. Good examples of this type of event include the Tiverton Land Trust’s annual “Country Day at Pardon Gray” and Norman Bird Sanctuary’s annual fall harvest event. That is definitely something to work towards.

In the meantime, here are some resources to help you prepare to celebrate Earth Day:

• Earth Day Network. National organization that helps promote and organize around Earth Day. Search for local events by state. (Nothing so far in our neck of the woods.)

• U.S. EPA’s Earth Day Site. This does not constitute an endorsement of the present administration in the least, but it does get an “A” for effort. The RI DEM has nothing listed, which is a shame.

• Earth 911 Kids’ Earth Day Site. Recycling resource Earth 911 presents a robust site for kids, parents, and teachers from elementary through high school.

Until next time, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Event Notice: Environmental Film Festival

Passing along another great event announcement from a friend at the Westport River Watershed Alliance. Contact info is below.
_________________________

Join the Westport River Watershed Alliance and the Westport Fishermen's Association when we host the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour at the Westport Middle School Auditorium, 430 Old County Rd (map), on Friday, April 13th, 2007 at 7:00pm.

The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour brings together award-winning environmental and adventure films in a spirit of inspiration and education. The films chosen for the event in Westport represent some of the favorites from the annual film festival held in Nevada City, CA, each January. Our event will feature the films: Wind Over Water by Ole Tangen Jr., which chronicles the debate over the Cape Wind Project , Kilowatt Ours by Jeff Barrie, a journey to discover solutions to America's energy related problems and Broken Limbs by Jamie Howell & Guy Evans, a look at the new breed of farmer, focused on the survival of America's small farms. Come to see one of the films or stay to watch all three.

Call WRWA at 508-636-3016 for inquiries or to register for this FREE event or visit our website at www.wrwa.com. To learn more about the Wild and Scenic Film Festival visit their website www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org.

Event Notice: Conservation Easements

The Little Compton Agricultural Conservancy Trust is sponsoring a seminar to learn more about the ins and outs of conservation easements -- a legal method to preserve your land from future development.

Event Details:
"Conservation Easements: Protecting the Family Farm"
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
4:00 - 6:00PM
Little Compton Community Center

RSVP by 3/16 to Correira & Associates at 401.454.5040

Event Notice: Tiverton Land Trust Community Forum

I received a notice from the Tiverton Land Trust that I wanted to pass along.

The TLT is hosting a community forum entitled, "Planning Tiverton's Future", on Wednesday, March 28th. Guest speaker is Chris Spencer, the new Tiverton Town Planner. You can read more about Chris and his new role in this ProJo article from February.

The TLT is a wonderful organization that has done incredible work to preserve the rural character of the town. Please take a moment to learn more about them, their efforts, and how you can help.

Event Details:
"Planning Tiverton's Future"
Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 6:30pm
St. Theresa's Church
265 Stafford Road
Tiverton, Rhode Island
(Google Map)