Newport Communities Fight Climate Change

By: Alexandra Riewer
Posted In: News

Beth Milham walks into Empire Tea and Coffee on Broadway with her reusable mug in hand. She is making an environmentally conscious decision to reduce the amount of waste in landfills by foregoing the paper cup. This is just one aspect of Milham’s life that she alters to protect the earth.

Milham is not the only person in the Newport area who’s going green. Members of both the Salve Regina University and Newport communities are making strides to fight global climate change and the effects warmer temperatures could have on coastal areas. From alterations in small, daily activities to larger leaps such as developing off-shore wind farms, Milham emphasizes each person’s efforts can make a difference.

“There are things people can do year-long to save energy,” Milham said. “People think it’s a good idea, but it’s hard to get the energy to do it.”

Long Island, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island have all teamed up with Deepwater Wind, a company that produces wind turbines that can be cost-effectively deployed in water depths up to 150 feet, to install wind turbines. An Environmental Protection Agency report released last December also puts the spotlight on greenhouse gases. According to the agency, greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, are harmful to human health.

But Milham is one of 11 volunteers who wants to end the climate crisis. Through the Website organization the Neighborhood Energy Challenge, headed by Milham, these individuals are working toward getting community members to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. On the organization’s Website, members can sign-on and plug in their monthly energy data based on their National Grid bills.

“There are approximately 100 participants,” Milham said. “Members can also record what they’ve done to save energy and they can receive points for their efforts. These can include driving an energy-efficient car, installing new home insulation or simple daily activities.”

With the data members put onto the website, they can receive credit for their efforts. When participants upload their heating and energy bills, the Neighborhood Energy Challenge can give advice on what to do better and how much money it would save in the long-term. Milham also mentions that making buildings more energy efficient is the best long-term money saver.

“This approach gives people incentives to go green,” Milham said. “From starting point to ending point it may not seem like that much of a change, but in the long-run it will.”

Rhode Island is also making strides to reduce greenhouse gases. The state government has made a commitment with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. to get 20 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources. RGGI, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to support the development and implementation of ten participating states’ carbon dioxide Budget Trading Programs. Wind is the first big step to reducing the state’s carbon footprints.

“Rhode Island and Deepwater Wind Co. have contracted to build two wind farms off Block Island,” Milham said. “The first will serve only Block Island with a total of eight wind turbines. The second will have over 100 turbines farther offshore and serve the rest of the state.”

The Neighborhood Energy Challenge also works with Salve Regina University and professor of science Dr. Jameson Chace. The professor notes that some are worried that a switch to a green economy will cause economic harm.

“Any environmental change, whether DDT is no longer being used as an insecticide or lead is out of gas and paint, industry says it’s going to cause economic harm,” Chace said. “This is the perpetual myth of the economy. The U.S. is the greatest emitter of greenhouse gases and change always comes hard.”

But according to Chace, carbon dioxide is an odorless intangible substance. People are less willing to change their actions because they cannot actually see the side effects. And if the economy improved, people would be more inclined to change the way they live to be more environmentally friendly, he said.

“The mentality is ‘if China doesn’t have to, why do we?’ The question is whether we want to be the leaders or not,” Chace said. “The United States needs to set the rules. If we run into a wall, we’ll look for a way around.”

Chace is also the advisor for the Environmental Club on campus at Salve Regina. The club is headed by senior Melissa Fromm who saw there was a need for environmental changes on campus. The club’s main focus this year is recycling.

“We want to tackle O’Hare Academic Center first,” Fromm said. “It’s a quick and easy way to reduce waste. When people are educated, it will work on its own.”

Within the next few weeks, students and faculty on campus will see two recycling bins next to each garbage can.

Curbing climate change will take time, but steps are being taken within the Salve Regina and Newport communities. Changes that are as easy as using a reusable mug.