Rhode Island has 1,219 farms, mostly family run, which occupy 61,000 acres. The state has 50 seasonal farmers markets in urban, suburban and rural areas, seven indoor winter markets and numerous pick-your-own farm stand operations.
"No one has the right to use America's rivers and America's waterways, that belong to all the people, as a sewer. The banks of a river may belong to one man or one industry or one state, but the waters which flow between the banks should belong to all the people."
— Lyndon B. Johnson
Save gas by making a commitment to not drive your car one day a week; replacing driving with biking or walking whenever possible; using public transportation more often; car pooling; and keeping your car well maintained.
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By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
PROVIDENCE — The Community Preservation Act would allow Rhode Island cities and towns to tack a fee, between 0.5 percent and 3 percent, on property taxes to fund open space, historic preservation and recreation areas.<<Read more
By JOANNA DETZ/ecoRI News staff
The U.S. government has allowed most lawn pesticides onto the market without a full set of toxicity tests, using a loophole called a conditional registration. In fact, as many as 65 percent of the 16,000 pesticides were first approved for the market using this loophole.<<Read more
By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
SOMERSET, Mass. — Activists say the May 15 protest at Brayton Point is just the first of several larger public demonstrations slated for the fossil-fuel energy plant. Demonstrations are planned for the weekend of July 27 and the days preceding Labor Day.<<Read more
By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
PROVIDENCE — Two bills aimed at boosting the residential renewable energy business were heard recently in House and Senate meetings. Both bills were held for further study.<<Read more
By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
WEST WARWICK — Cox Communications recently unveiled two new solar arrays. The 681-kilowatt arrays at its offices here and in Portsmouth will generate enough electricity to power 77 homes, which is substantial for a solar-energy project in Rhode island.<<Read more
By KEVIN PROFT/ecoRI News staff
To effectively manage fisheries, Rhode Island officials require reliable data about the type and volume of fish being caught. Anglers help ensures that the state's recreational fishing regulations are effective, fair and based on sound science.<<Read more
By ALISON KIRSCH/ecoRI News contributor
PROVIDENCE — Two years ago, Colleen Doyle took out her trash for the last time. A few months later, she gave away her garbage can. Now, all the trash Doyle produces in a month fits in the palm of her hand.<<Read more
By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
PROVIDENCE — The sweeping, business-first realignment of state government proposed by the House of Representative has run into strong opposition from environmental groups and Gov. Lincoln Chafee.<<Read more
Rhode Island has seen an explosion in the number of farmers markets — from just 15 in 2004, the number has grown to 55 this year. The markets connect farmers to customers and stimulate the local economy, but are there too many markets? Is the growth sustainable?<<Listen to podcast
By KYLE HENCE/ecoRI News contributor
NEWPORT — The company’s business model is built entirely around recycling waste vegetable oil from restaurants and cafeterias, more than 1,500 of them, and turning that oil into a fuel for car, trucks and ships and into heating oil for furnaces.<<Read more
