Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has served as a yearly catalyst for ongoing environmental education, action and change. The first Earth Day mobilized millions of Americans for the protection of the planet. Each year, Earth Day serves as a reminder of the value of our state's precious natural resources and helps mark the progress made by Rhode Island in protecting them – from beautiful Narragansett Bay to our local waters and green spaces to the air we breathe.
Climate change, water contamination, stormwater run-off, air quality alert days, fishkills, trash, plastic pollution – these are some of the environmental issues Rhode Island and the country has grappled with recently. Yet, despite these problems, the air is cleaner than it was 50 years ago with fewer and cleaner smokestacks and our rivers don’t change color or burn anymore because of chemicals and dyes from industry.
A more sustainable world starts with all of us. While we’ve cleaned up many large sources of pollution, today many small amounts of pollution come from things like failing septic systems, run off from large parking lots, and exhaust from thousands of tail pipes. Taken together, these seemingly small sources of pollution scattered across the state, add up to big environmental problems. And, the solutions lie in the decisions that we all make each day at home, on the road, at work and at play.
More than 1 billion people in 192 countries now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. We invite Rhode Islanders to take action in their everyday lives to protect the planet. Simple things like turning off unused lights, turning off the water when you brush your teeth and recycling and properly disposing of your trash. The old adage - Think Globally, Act Locally – is a principle that many Rhode Islanders will follow this Earth Day by making small changes to help limit our impact on the environment.
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Since 1970, efforts to improve air and water quality, clean up contaminated lands, conserve open space, increase recreational opportunities and confront climate change have greatly enhanced the quality of life for Rhode Islanders. A wide range of improvements have been made over the past five decades, including:
The quality of the air that we breathe has improved dramatically since the inception of the Clean Air Act in 1970 due to emissions reductions, increased automobile fuel efficiency and cleaner burning cars, power sector improvements and a shift from coal to natural gas, and stricter emissions limits for manufacturing facilities. A steady decrease in air pollutants and stricter air quality standards means less exposure and lower health risks for Rhode Islanders.
Once overwhelmed by raw sewage and other pollution, today our bays, rivers, and coastal waters are cleaner and healthier as a result of strong environmental laws and significant investments to improve wastewater treatment facilities and undertake combined sewer overflow projects. In 2021, shell-fishing restrictions were lifted on portions of upper Narragansett Bay that had been in place for the past 70 years, allowing DEM to welcome shell fishermen back to historic waters.
The remediation and redevelopment of brownfields – vestiges of Rhode Island’s industrial past as the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution – has mitigated the threat to public health and the environment from exposure to uncontrolled contamination. Since the establishment of the federal brownfields program in 1994, RI has received almost $46.6 million in federal Brownfields support for cleanup work, job training, program support and site assessment work. On October 1, 2021, the Targeted Brownfield Assessment Program received $300,000 from EPA to do environmental Assessment work throughout the State. In 2014, $5 million in state brownfields cleanup funding resulted in the cleanup of 21 sites spanning 126 acres. An additional $9 million in Green Economy Bond funding (2016 - $5 million, 2018 - $4 million) through DEM’s Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development Fund has since been able to supply funding for an additional 42 projects in communities across Rhode Island, helping build new schools, businesses, affordable housing and green energy projects throughout the state. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, DEM’s efforts and these clean ups have also helped revitalize areas such as Quonset and Newport. Transforming abandoned former naval facilities and wastelands into state-of-the-art engines of economic growth for the State. These efforts to address the remnants of our industrial past, have helped revitalize our State, creating more vibrant and livable communities, while also preserving many of the historic mills that make Rhode Island truly unique.
Effective fisheries management measures have improved the stock sizes and status, such as for the Atlantic striped bass and sea scallop fisheries. In the 1970s and 1980s, the striped bass population crashed due to overfishing and environmental issues. The collective effort of states to reduce harvest, and in some states initiate moratoriums, allowed for the population to rebuild by the late 1990s. This success story had a positive impact on both commercial and recreational fishing through the 2000s. Atlantic sea scallops also experienced a similar story around the same time frame. Similarly, Atlantic sea scallops were declared overfished in 1997. By using a suite of management tools thereafter – including closed areas, effort reduction, gear and crew restrictions – led to rebuilding the population by 2001. The rebuilding of sea scallops has been extremely important for southern New England coastal communities, including New Bedford and Point Judith, as sea scallops are one of, if not the largest, landed species in these ports.
Almost 50,000 acres of land have been protected and we’ve invested almost $85 million in grants for more than 541 recreation projects in all 39 Rhode Island communities and awarded funds to municipalities and local non-profits to support trail development throughout the state.
Rhode Island has seen a remarkable recovery of many imperiled bird and wildlife species such as the wood duck, wild turkey, snowy egret and bald eagle since the 1970s. Fish passage restoration projects including dam removals, traditional fishways, and nature-like fishways on rivers throughout the state have increased spawning and nursery habitat for migratory fish and benefited our freshwater fisheries.
There are plenty of small changes you can do from the safety and comfort of home — like reducing plastic consumption and waste — you can make to be greener.
Kitchen
Do Your Part, Be SepticSmart!
More than four billion gallons of wastewater are dispersed below the ground’s surface every day. Ground water contaminated by poorly or untreated household wastewater poses dangers to drinking water and to the environment. Malfunctioning septic systems release bacteria, viruses, and chemicals toxic to local waterways. When these pollutants are released into the ground, they eventually enter streams, rivers, lakes, and more, harming local ecosystems by killing native plants, fish, and shellfish. Help protect the environment AND your home's property value; find tips for maintaining your septic system here!
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Pledge 5 is a call to action to make 5 small changes in your everyday life to make a change to help limit our impact on the environment. There are many ways you can help and it’s easier than you think! We've created a list that can help you get started. Click the link below and choose 5 changes or commitments you can make for the better. Then make a pledge to practice those 5 changes in your everyday life. If you’re already doing some of the things choose 5 new things to do. Small actions add up in a big way – One person, one family, one community, one workforce, one State can work together to help our environment
The theme for Earth Day 2022 is "Invest in our Planet" which focuses on accelerating solutions to combat our greatest threat, climate change, and to activate everyone – governments, citizens, and businesses – to do their part. Everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. Climate change is the issue of our time that affects the health, safety, and prosperity of our communities. Rhode Island already is experiencing related effects and has so much at stake. The enormous challenge — but also the vast opportunities — of action on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing concerns. Learn more on how Rhode Island is working to strengthen its resilience to climate change and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by viewing the RI snapshot on the Climate Change website.
Earth Day was founded in 1970 by former Governor and Senator of Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson. The first Earth Day in 1970 rallied over 20 million Americans from around the country and on college campuses to get involved in environmental "teach-ins". This event, which was the largest grassroots mobilization in US history, created what has come to be known as the environmental movement. It was out of this event that came the first environmental legislation - the Clean Air and Clean Water acts.
Governor Daniel J. McKee is encouraging everyone to take part in ending litter in Rhode Island. Take the pledge and help us reach this goal.
Narragansett Bay is the defining feature of Rhode Island, covering 147 miles it forms the largest natural estuary in New England and sits at the heart of the state. Its riches are at once natural, recreational, aesthetic, cultural, economic, and spiritual. Residents and tourists alike depend on the coastal environment for both recreational and economical pursuits. DEM has responded to two significant oil spills in the Bay in 1989 and 1996.
On June 23, 1989, several hundred thousand gallons of fuel oil were spilled at the mouth of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island after the tanker MV World Prodigy ran aground on a reef near Aquidneck Island.
World Prodigy, a ship operated by Ballard Shipping under the Greek flag, was inbound to Providence when she ran aground offshore from Brenton Point State Park, after passing the wrong side of a buoy marking the channel. An estimated 300,000 gallons of oil was released into the Bay and covered close to 50 square miles. While much of the oil evaporated, the clean-up cost nearly $2 million.
After the collision, World Prodigy's captain, Iakovos Georgudis, was charged with two violations of the Clean Water Act and Ballard Shipping with one. Both the captain and company pleaded guilty; Ballard paid $1 million and Georgudis $10,000 in fines.
The North Cape oil spill took place on Friday, January 19, 1996, when the tank barge North Cape and the tug Scandia grounded off Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, spilling an estimated 828,000 gallons of home heating oil. This spill was the worst in Rhode Island history, with oil spreading throughout a broad area of Block Island Sound and beyond, including shoreline of the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge
More than 200 square miles of commercial fishery were closed for several months following the spill. Hundreds of oiled birds and large numbers of dead lobsters, surf clams, and sea stars were recovered in the weeks following the spill. State and federal agencies undertook considerable work to clean up the spill and restore lost fishery stocks and coastal marine habitat. The North Cape oil spill is considered a significant legal precedent in that it was the first major oil spill in the continental U.S. after the passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska on March 24, 1989. The law is designed to compensate the public for losses resulting from an oil spill. Over a year after the spill, the owners of the tug and paid a total of $9.5 million in criminal and other costs.
Many organizations were involved to find a solution to the disaster, and to find a way to clean up all the oil from the deep levels of the bay. DEM, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Fish & Wildlife service, and the United States Coast Guard, along with partners, worked together to create a restoration plan following the spill. Projects included restocking wildlife populations and protecting and enhancing their habitats. This incident and other disturbances have illustrated the need to improve both the ecological and social resilience of coastal environments.
Celebrate the outdoors at home! There are lots of fun activities you can do to right from your home, backyard, or neighborhood. Try some of these activities on your own or with your family!
DEM's Office of Compliance and Inspection (OC&I) investigates complaints and suspected violations of environmental laws and regulations and performs compliance monitoring of regulated activities. Compliance with environmental laws, rules, regulations, permits and licenses is enforced through both informal and formal enforcement actions. Formal enforcement includes orders and assessment of penalties that are subject to appeal and enforceable through the courts.