Oceans of Change

Two articles in the news this week concerning the oceans should be of interest to Rhode Islanders. The first concerns the increasing acidity levels being felt in the Pacific Northwest coast now, but will reach us in the future, and the second - rising sea levels- is already being felt and documented here and now.

In mid-October 2011 at the Society of Environmental Journalists meeting in California, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) chief Jane Lubchenco said that rising ocean acidity is becoming the climate crisis that the media is missing. She called it the "most under-reported global environmental story today." The ocean has become 30% more acidic over the last century and it is worst in the Pacific Northwest region where upwelling from deep ocean and local run-off are exacerbating the situation. Scientists have called it the "osteoporosis of the sea" because it affects the hard part of organisms, causing shells to break down or not form at all. This is bad not only for the organisms themselves but can affect organisms sense of smell and impacts reproduction. Lubchenco calls it an "unfolding story" as much more is still unknown. Lubchenco said more research and monitoring is needed, but also at local levels efforts should be made to reduce run-off, especially nitrogen pollution. Efforts should also be made to prevent overfishing and block invasive species. The only long term solution, she says, is to reduce carbon emissions. For a good summation of acidification go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EaLRcVdTbM&feature=youtu.be.

The second ocean news is of an on-going project coordinated by the Coastal Resources Center and RI Sea Grant (both based at University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography) to improve projections of what rising sea level could mean to the state in the years ahead. Information garnered can help manage our shoreline.

While part of the project has been to create computer models of what parts of the state might look like with increases of 1 to 3 feet - they are also seeking actual documented high tides to validate the projections. So citizens who photograph these extreme tides are being asked to submit these to the Coastal Resources Center. This week our state will experience exceptionally high tides (a foot and a half higher than normal) due to astronomical causes - a new moon which coincides with the moon's closest orbital pass - a lunar perigee.

Sea level is expected to rise about 1 foot by 2050, but the pace of the rise seems to be increasing. Prior to 1990, the rate was 10 inches per 100 years, but now has accelerated to 14 inches per 100 years.

RI Roadkill Recycled

Some scientists in Rhode Island have come up with a very rich fertilizer called Safe Cycle which they made from 20 roadkill deer from RI roadways. The fertilizer was used at Chase Farms in Portsmouth RI where Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management officials viewed how this process took place.

The project, part of the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study, is beneficial in a few ways. Aquidneck Island, along with other sections of RI, has been seeing an overabundance of the coyote population. So much so, in fact, that the town of Middletown RI found it necessary to hire a coyote sharpshooter to thin the population of coyotes. In a few months the sharpshooter killed nearly 50 coyotes earlier this year. Deer that end up as roadkill are particularly problematical since they provide the perfect feast for coyote packs. Having a way to "recycle" these roadkill keeps them from sustaining the coyote population while adding to the local agricultural economy.

So last February the roadkill deer were cooked at the farm. To make this happen, Numi Mitchell, a biologist who works for the Narraganset Bay Coyote Study, used a grant from the US Department of Agriculture to rent tissue digester equipment, a type of pressure cooker that destroys all infectious agents and produces fertilizer.

For this to be a reality on a regular basis in RI the equipment needs to be available so Mitchell is working with representatives of the Natural Resources Conservation Services to get the USDA to fund the purchase of the equipment for RI. Considering in any given year more than 1000 deer are killed on RI roads, there's plenty of carcasses to work with. Sounds like a win-win situation for all.

Marine Debris Threatens our Coast

The problem of marine debris is worldwide, but it is especially forefront in our state where one third of it is water! As defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, marine debris would be all objects that do not naturally occur there - generally trash - articles that have been made and/or used by people and discarded. Trash that is discarded does not stay in one location but rather can travel anywhere. A tremendous amountof marine litter in the central north Pacific has been dubbed "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch." It extends over an indeterminate area sometimes said to be as large as Texas - depending on the degree of plastic concentration used to define the affected area. More recently a similar giant patch has been found in the Atlantic Ocean, with again, the main component being plastic. See http://www.ecori.org/pollution-contamination/2011/7/15/sailing-on-a-plastic-sea.html.

Besides floating pollution patches, the marine debris can interfere with ocean wildlife and organisms and interfere with ocean ecosystems. If one type of organism becomes endangered or threatened, whole ecosystems can collapse. In addition, sea life is threatened through entanglement or ingestion of objects. Plastics are particularly harmful.

About 80% of marine debris comes from land based sources : beachgoers, litterers, landfills, sewer pipes, and industrial facilities. Trash discarded anywhere can reach the ocean or bay via winds and streams. Sometimes industrial facilities dispose of waste improperly. Storm run-off can carry motor oil from vehicles as well as fertilizers and pesticides from farms and residences. Run-off water laden with these products can reach rivers and streams and eventually the ocean. The other 20% of debris consists of materials that fall overboard from commercial and recreation craft, such as fishing gear, including nets and monofilament lines. Freighters also contribute to marine pollution when choppy conditions toss cargo overboard. Containers that are tossed over then break and release contents into the bay or ocean.

Problems of marine debris can be alleviated through a combination of education and activisim. Some organizations furthering these aims are the Ocean Conservancy and the Cousteau Society. In Rhode Island, Save the Bay (http://www.savebay.org/) organization was successful in fighting proposed oil refineries in Tiverton and Jamestown and continues actively promoting legislation and actions that protect the integrity of Narragansett Bay. More recently, it joined forces with activist groups in Massachusetts to successfully oppose an LNG terminal in Fall River, MA. Every year the Audubon Society of RI sponsors beach clean-ups on the 3rd Saturday in September as part of an International Coastal Clean-up. This event is coordinated for coastal areas around the world to occur at the same time. Not only do participants pick up debris but they are asked to use a tally sheet that indicates what items are found precisely. Results have been used to pass legislation in RI outlawing smoking on all public beaches when cigarette butts (which are highly poisonous when ingested) turned up as a common contaminant for several years.

Rhode Island's Waste - No Small Stuff

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union at approximately 1000 square miles of land. In spite of its small area Rhode Island is host to about one million residents. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is "Little Rhody's" quasi-public agency that's responsible for managing Rhode Island's solid waste issues. The agency also manages the state's recycling program and owns and operates the Central Landfill and materials recycling facility in Johnston. The RIRRC facility spans 1,200 acres and manages 2500 tons of residential and commercial waste per day. The landfill itself covers 230 acres. This state-of-the-art facility replaces the town dumps of yesteryear. The local disposal sites throughout Rhode Island are now called "transfer stations," since everything ends up in the RIRRC facility in Johnston.

But besides compacting all Rhode Island's solid waste into layers, the facility coordinates much more. There are consulting services for businesses called "The Green Zone," where businesses can learn about Rhode Island laws that affect them regarding waste disposal and recycling. All businesses with fifty or more employees are required by the State's Department of Environmental Management to complete an annual recycling report (this can be filed on-line by visiting the RI DEM website).

RIRRC also operates a hazardous waste depot, called ECO Depot. Their website details which household items are deemed hazardous and how to dispose of them lawfully and safely. The ECO Depot is a free service forRhode Island residents available by appointment. There are also periodic ECO Depot collections in various communities throughout the year. You can find them by checking the website.

RIRRC also operated a materials recycling facility - MRF. As the website says, "theoretically almost everything can be transformed into something else." Rhode Island determines what will be recycled according to certain guidelines that are outlined in their blue and green bin recycling program section. There are plans to expand which items can be recycled when the MRF operation is upgraded in 2013. For answers as to what items can and can't be recycled, see the section's FAQ. All throughout RI recyclables are collected in blue bins (for plastics, metal and glass) and green bins (for cardboard, paper and newspapers). As towns adopt recycling, each resident is given the bins. Replacement bins for damaged or stolen bins can be purchased by contacting your local public works department. An important section details information regarding the state electronic waste (E-waste) recycling program. Currently, RI's E-waste recycling program accepts televisions, computers (including monitors, modems and laptops) and computer peripherals (mouse pointers, keyboards, printers). Goodwill Industries (100 Houghton St. Providence RI) accepts all types of E-waste for their E-waste recycling training program. They will accept "anything with a plug."

Speaking of donating for reuse, another important section of RIRRC website details how to give anything away or get something for free! You can either post an item or respond to a post. This saves money on trash disposal and helps save space in the landfill. There is a business, household and even medical equipment exchange portion. Of course, you can also check out your local thrift shops to donate unwanted items and even shop (or not). Please take a few minutes to check out the following to see if you will feel the same way about "stuff." You Tube video Story of Stuff, Full Version; How Things Work, About Stuff. Go to http://www.storyofstuff.com/