Rhode Island was the first state to pass a mandatory recycling law, in 1986. Participation rates, however, have rarely matched the notion of the state as a recycling leader. more

Thirty years ago, Wallace Kaufman and Orrin Pilkey published the landmark book on coastal erosion, “The Beaches Are Moving; The Drowning of America’s Shoreline.” One of their many keen observations is simply that shorelines retreat. more

It has been a controversial question in the home real estate market for years: Is there extra green when you buy green? Do houses with lots of energy-saving and sustainability features sell for more than houses without them? If so, by how much? more

In March 2010, a massive flood pounded the Darlington Fabrics manufacturing facility on the banks of the Pawcatuck River in Westerly. The facility is owned by The Moore Co., a family-run business is in its fourth generation. George C. Moore started his elastics company in 1909 in Worcester, Mass. The company has been guided by Moores ever since. more

The Rhode Island-based nonprofit Clean the Bay has a new name – Clean Bays. The group removes marine debris from the shores and waterways of southern New England. more

A solar energy project is in the formative stages on North Smithfield land where a mill once combed and scoured wool, according to Smed Blair, vice president of real estate and development for Sam-Man Realty, which owns the land. more

After claims that its Warren shipbuilding and ship repair facility had violated the federal Clean Air Act National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Facilities, Blount Boats Inc. has agreed to pay a $24,000 penalty and spend at least $230,000 on a clean air project. more

Rhode Island’s first-ever structural acquisition projects have been approved and awarded for properties in Cumberland and West Warwick damaged by the 2010 flooding, Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee’s office announced Friday. more

About $700 billion a year of new spending on renewable power, low-carbon transport and energy efficiency is needed to meet the United Nations goal to cap temperature rises, a report for the World Economic Forum showed. more

With Nor’easter Nemo slated to drop up to two feet of snow on parts of the Ocean State, the R.I. Emergency Management Agency is urging businesses in the city to let workers head home as soon as possible. more