Latest News & Stories

By: Sarah Bawden, WPRI 12 WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI) — The 7.31 acres of coastal land where Water Wizz of Westerly once stood are now permanently protected from future development. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) bought a conservation easement from the seaside town to safeguard the former waterpark, which is now an undeveloped salt … Read More

By ohtadmin, The Jamestown Press A bill has been introduced in the state legislature that sponsors say would “drastically increase recycling rates in Rhode Island.” The legislation would enact extended producer responsibility and implement a deposit system for beverage bottles. The extended producer responsibility is a policy that helps reduce waste by shifting the cost … Read More

PROVIDENCE, RI – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Jack Reed, Governor Dan McKee, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), the Town of Westerly, and Save The Bay today announced the conservation of 7.31 acres of coastal land on Winnapaug Pond in Westerly. This project was made possible by a … Read More

by: Kate Wilkinson, WPRI12 PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) — Owning a home with a waterfront view may be a dream for many, but some people living on these properties are being confronted with the nightmare of climate change. The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) is charged with determining what can and can’t be built along Rhode Island’s shore. But … Read More

Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium enters its second year in Newport, where marine life comes to visit By Michelle Mercure, East Bay RI “We’re small but mighty is what I like to say.” – Maureen Fogarty Sand is a curious substance — soft yet gritty, smooth underfoot but rough to the touch. It’s fun … Read More

By: Newport Daily News staff, Newport Daily News You’re invited to get involved, take action, and make a difference for our planet. Community partners across Aquidneck Island are coming together to host a week packed with impactful, eco-friendly events. Participate in clean-ups, free workshops, film screenings, work parties, guided hikes and much more. Now in … Read More

By: Alex Kuffner, Providence Journal PROVIDENCE – State legislators have introduced a trio of bills that came out of the work done by a special commission tasked with finding ways to reduce plastic bottle waste in Rhode Island.  The pieces of legislation offer the General Assembly three ways to try to improve the state’s lagging recycling … Read More

By Rob Smith, ecoRI News staff PROVIDENCE — After 18 months of study, more than a dozen meetings, and hundreds of pieces of testimony, evidence, and presentations, Rhode Island’s joint study commission on plastic waste released its report, which revealed, unsurprisingly, that legislation in support of a bottle bill faces steep opposition. The bottle bill … Read More

BY: CHRISTOPHER SHEA, Rhode Island Current A day after the release of a long-awaited report on how Rhode Island could start a deposit-refund program for recyclable bottles and cans, a trio of bottle bills tackling production, retailer and consumer responsibilities emerged. The longest and most comprehensive proposal comes from Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat and … Read More

Alex Kuffner, Providence Journal PROVIDENCE – When Catherine Robinson Hall was appointed to a seat on the Coastal Resources Management Council in 2022, she represented something different for the powerful state agency that controls development along the Rhode Island shoreline.  Unlike previous members of the agency’s voting council, which included a dental hygienist and the head of … Read More