Last month, we helped raise the alarm about a dangerous proposal for a garbage depot near Washington Park and South Providence neighborhoods. The garbage depot – and the dust, odor, traffic, and water pollution that would come with it – would have forced more pollution on communities already overburdened by other nearby industrial facilities. The reckless proposal spurred weeks of community action and resulted in an unqualified victory for residents.
Apr 6
2020
2020
Mar 11
2020
2020
Beverage Containers Among Top Ten Items Littering the Connecticut River
My first day on the job as Connecticut River Conservancy’s newest River Steward was a whirlwind – literally. We got an early morning start with our friends at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for a windy trip up and down the Connecticut River on their airboat. As we came to our first stop and dismounted the boat, I was shocked and disappointed to see the amount of plastic bottles and nips littering Connecticut’s shoreline.
Feb 7
2020
2020
Proposed Garbage Depot Is a Bad Idea for Providence
At the corner of Allens and Thurbers avenues in Providence, Rhode Island, sits a less-than-four-acre lot that could soon be home to a massive garbage depot. The proposal has nearby residents in South Providence and Washington Park worried and angry – and with good reason. These communities are already burdened by daily pollution from other nearby industrial facilities.
Jan 28
2020
2020
Curbside Recycling is Failing Us, But There Are Alternatives that Work
Despite many good intentions, curbside recycling has turned out to be a disaster. But that doesn’t mean recycling is dead. We have solutions. One of the best systems for recycling our plastic, glass, and aluminum containers is the bottle return program, also known as the “bottle bill” or deposit-return.
Jan 28
2020
2020
Infographic: Comparing New England’s Bottle Return Programs
Although some New England states pioneered the bottle return system, they have since fallen behind. But New England can improve its recycling by updating or adopting bottle return systems in each state. This would help reduce litter in our neighborhoods, parks, and waterways; it would keep recyclable material out of landfills and incinerators; and it would lift some recycling costs off of communities.
Dec 18
2019
2019
Swapping Out One Unnecessary Evil for Another
After decades of warnings about the various health and environmental risks linked to polystyrene foam, corporate America is just now lending an ear. While some restaurants and coffee shops were quick to swap out polystyrene foam cups for paper ones, others have reacted more slowly – including coffee and donut giants, Honey Dew and Dunkin’.…
Dec 9
2019
2019
Aging Waste Incinerators Pose a Danger to New Englanders
Home to 16 active trash incinerators, New England has been burning its waste for decades, harming our communities and damaging our climate in the process. The rationale behind burning our trash may seem sound on the surface. Proponents argue that it diverts waste from landfills, and the energy produced by incineration can be used to…
Nov 6
2019
2019
Advocating for Change and Making Shift Happen
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs recently named a group of students from Martha’s Vineyard, who took action against the island’s plastic waste, as the winners of their Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition. Here, we take a look at what the students accomplished and see how advocacy work is essential to creating lasting solutions for New…
Nov 5
2019
2019
Saving Money with Zero Waste
Cash, dough, bacon, moolah…no matter what you call it, the fact remains that zero-waste initiatives save money. Our zero-waste pyramid (above) shows you just some of the ways these savings kick in. Below, we break some of these policies down in more detail to show how they benefit you and your bank account. *Note: this…
Oct 30
2019
2019
Five Ways Cities and Towns Can Slash Trash and Fight Climate Change
In September 2018, leaders from across the country – including CLF’s President, Bradley Campbell – and the globe gathered in San Francisco, California at the Global Climate Action Summit to exchange ideas about how we can address the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. The Summit also challenged cities and towns around the world to step…