Senator John H. Chafee Conservation Leadership Awards
Honoring the memory of the late Senator and his dedication to protecting and preserving the natural environment, The ECRI Education Fund honors four RI organizations each year for their efforts toward improving the health of the Rhode Island environment.
The awards highlight the outstanding efforts of Rhode Island groups to promote community sustainability through conservation of our natural resources. The programs and projects recognized may become a model for other communities, and in doing so, provide significant benefits to the citizenry, community, ecological system and natural resources of Rhode Island.
Keynote Speaker — An Important Member
Providence Marriott
Other organizations will be attending to answer questions about making a home or office more energy efficient, obtaining
2010 John H. Chafee Conservation Leadership Award Recipient
The Franklin Farm Preservation Association & Community Garden
Cumberland, RI
Photo courtesy of The Historic Metcalf-Franklin Farm Preservation Association.
In the past four years 50,000 pounds of vegetables grown on this half-acre farm have been donated to Food Banks for distribution to low income families. The crops are raised and harvested 100% by volunteers from Cumberland, other comunnities of Rhode Island, New England and even the Midwest.
Children are welcomed and do most of the planting and there are several education programs for all ages. Volunteers are also beginning the task of renovating the old Farm buildings. This year the Farm will double it's agriculture area and add chickens and honey bees to it's operation.
Outstanding 2010 Conservation Projects and Programs
Ponaganset High School
North Scituate, RI
Ponagansett's innovative Alternative Education Program provides academic and hands-on learning opportunities/demonstration projects in the area of alternative energy. Their most recent and exciting project is a Fuel Cell Powered 1923 Model “T” Ford. It demonstrates the potential of zero-emission fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen from the air leaving water as the only emission.
This special Model “T” is believed to be the only street legal vehicle created in New England. The project was the result of teamwork from high tech vendors and hands on efforts by students, parent volunteers and Local 51 Plumbers & Pipefitter's Union.
The UNFI Corporate Headquarters Building
313 Iron Horse Way, Providence, Rhode Island
United Natural Foods (UNFI), a national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods, totally renovated the former American Locomotive Works building on a Brownfield site to meet the LEED® Silver standard. The Silver standard is the highest level of energy efficiency and sustainability in the LEED® green building certification program.
The building is designed to consume 40% less water and 25% less energy through the use of motion activated sensors and flow controls. Solar panels produce an estimated 175,000 kilowatts of clean energy annually. The building actively demonstrates many techniques to improve building efficiencies and preserve the environment.
Barrington Land Conservation Trust
Barrington, RI
The Barrington Land Conservation Trust (BLCT) purchased the Sowams Woods, a pleasantly wooded property of 12 acres, home of the only nesting site in Rhode Island for the declining population of Diamondback terrapins. More than 130 species of birds visit Sowams which has hiking trails developed with the help of volunteers and Boy Scouts.
BLCT also chose to preserve the Sowams property for it's other natural and historic qualities. Sowams features 800 feet of frontage on Echo Lake and is located near the PIC-WILL Nature Preserve, Big Mussachuck Creek salt marsh and Narragansett Bay. Echo Lake has a fish ladder and Sowams is home to several vernal pools.
©2010 Environment Council of Rhode Island • PO Box 9061 • Providence, RI 02940 • (401) 621-8048