Year: 2025

By TOPHER HAMBLETT While the beauty and value of our coastal waters and shoreline is well known to all Rhode Islanders, the state agency that regulates activities along the shore, the Coastal Resources Management Council, largely flies under the radar. CRMC’s work and the decisions it makes are extremely important to the future of our … Read More

Bottle bill supporters say beverage sale industry is part of the problem. Industry representatives claim this solution causes another one. BY: CHRISTOPHER SHEA, Rhode Island Current   It was supposed to be a compromise between environmental and business interests. Rhode Island’s beverage sale industry representatives agreed to help work on a solution two years ago when … Read More

By: Jusolyn Flower, WPRI 12 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island lawmakers heard two hours of testimony about a proposed “bottle bill” Wednesday night that, if passed, would impose a 10-cent deposit on all recyclable beverage containers. The Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture listened to dozens of supporters and opponents who expressed their opinions about the … Read More

By: Alex Kuffner,Providence Journal PROVIDENCE – A few months after bottle bill proponents released a poll showing the majority of Rhode Islanders support the measure aimed at boosting recycling and reducing litter, opponents are now announcing their own survey, which resulted in a more mixed response. The survey of 600 Rhode Island voters, commissioned by a … Read More

BY RYAN GIBBS, The Jamestown Press A company founded by a local couple 50 years ago is celebrating its golden anniversary by raising money to protect one of Rhode Island’s most important assets, Narragansett Bay. Arthur and JoEllen Fiorenzano established a designated fund for Save The Bay to continue its mission, which has been to … Read More

By Frank Carini / ecoRI News columnist NEWPORT, R.I. — The City-by-the-Sea’s most popular beach is rapidly washing away. The warming Atlantic Ocean and the climate crisis have come calling. The snack bar and carousel buildings, built four decades ago, were too heavily damaged to be saved, and the Save The Bay aquarium has since retreated … Read More

Seals are a sign of healthy waters, but what impact are they having on fisheries? By: Jack Perry, Providence Journal   PROVIDENCE – July Lewis of Save The Bay sees seals as an indicator of environmental health, so she was encouraged when her organization recently counted 755 in Rhode Island waters. “It tells us the bay is … Read More

COMMENTARY It’s time for R.I. to reduce litter and reform the way the Ocean State recycles A bottle bill is not only good for the environment, it’s good for business, proponents of House bill 6207 write Steve Alexander, Scott Breen, Scott DeFife, Emily Howe and Jed Thorp April 18, 2025, 6:00 a.m. As representatives of the business … Read More