Environment

Right now, all the glass you put in your recycling bins ends up being treated like trash. It's due to a bill passed last year at the statehouse. Since its inception, around 13,000 tons of glass has been buried in the landfill. But the Rhode Island State Director of Clean Water Action, Jamie Rhodes, thinks there's a law that could correct this problem. It's called a “bottle bill” and he joins us in studio to tell us just what it is.

A documentary looking at the Cape Wind offshore wind energy project opens Friday at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence. The movie "Cape Spin" focuses on the battle to construct 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound. A visiting professor at the Brown Center Environmental Studies, Dawn King, says the movie focuses on the fight between wind supporters and those who really don’t want turbines in their backyard.

Shellfish restoration is the topic at a meeting Thursday at the University of Rhode Island. The state wants input on how best to protect shellfish in coastal ponds and Narragansett Bay.
The Director of the US Coastal Program at URI’s Coastal Resource Center, Jen McCann, says the state has so far heard about two main concerns…
“What is the regulatory process to move forward with restoration? And also, where are the appropriate sites to do restoration in the bay and also the salt ponds so within state waters.”

As work continues on the state’s new Shellfish Management Plan … commercial fishermen now get a chance to chime in on the plan.

The University of Rhode Island estimates that commercial shellfishing in the Ocean State pumps more than $3 million annually into the local economy. That’s why the state is keen on creating a new management plan that protects and promotes the industry. URI’s Fisheries and Aquaculture extension specialist, Azure Cygler, says creators of the plan want to know the most pressing issues impacting the industry.