Renewable energy exhibits highlight URI GreenShare Field Day on Sept. 29

The day will kick off at 9:30 a.m. with the announcement of the energy and sustainability initiatives and recognition of a $25,000 donation to the Master Gardener Foundation to establish the Art Fischer Endowment for the URI Learning Landscape Environmental Education Program for School Children.

(story starts below photo at left)

Modeled after a country fair, GreenShare Field Day will also offer a variety of activities for children, including an interactive butterfly pavilion, a scavenger hunt, 4-H activities, and a “Build Your Own Scare Crow” competition.

Sponsors of this year’s event are Holly Ridge Nursery, Wood River Evergreens, and the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences. For more information call the URI Outreach Center at 401-874-2900 or visit www.uri.edu/cels/ceoc.

<< Click Icon for
Article in MS Word

<< Click Icon to tell a friend about this article

By Todd McLeish
URI News Bureau

Traditional gardening workshops, sales and demonstrations will share space with renewable energy and energy conservation activities at the 17th annual GreenShare Field Day at the University of Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The free event will be held in and around the URI Botanical Gardens and Outreach Center on the corner of Upper College Road and East Alumni Avenue on URI’s Kingston Campus. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 30.

Highlights will include a showcase of alternative-fueled vehicles – biofuel, electric and hybrid – as well as an exhibit about the Outreach Center’s photovoltaic roof tiles. There will be workshops on URI’s energy conservation programs, and another on “Smart Tips for Home Energy Conservation.” In addition, Rosanne Sherry, coordinator of the URI Master Gardener program, will lead a workshop entitled “A Gardener’s Guide to Global Warming,”

The event will also launch the URI Council for Sustainability and the URI Partnership for Energy. The Council for Sustainability, led by URI Vice President Bob Weygand, will provide guidance and oversight of sustainable practices in the day-to-day life of the University. The Energy Partnership will bring together an interdisciplinary team of researchers, students and outreach specialists to work to develop locally based solutions to energy issues.

“Energy production and consumption practices have an incredible impact on the environment and our daily lives,” said Marion Gold, director of the Outreach Center at URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences and co-director of the energy

partnership. “With global warming on the top of everyone’s list of concerns, it seemed appropriate to bring attention to our energy use patterns at this year’s GreenShare Field Day.”

That’s not to say that the more traditional gardening activities will be neglected this year. Workshops on hydrangeas, composting, school gardens and other gardening themes will be offered, along with tours of the Botanical Garden, plant sales, and a wide range of garden-themed exhibits, vendors and activities that are fun for the whole family.

The day will kick off at 9:30 a.m. with the announcement of the energy and sustainability initiatives and recognition of a $25,000 donation to the Master Gardener Foundation to establish the Art Fischer Endowment for the URI Learning Landscape Environmental Education Program for School Children. The Learning Landscape Program provides a hands-on educational opportunity for K-5 students in the URI Botanical Gardens and is staffed by trained URI Master Gardener volunteers working in partnership with URI educators.

Also at GreenShare again this year, the Ask a Master Gardener and Ask a Master Composter / Recycler booths will provide visitors with answers to gardening and waste reduction questions, and free soil testing by trained URI Master Gardeners will be available to visitors who bring a cup of soil for testing.

Other exhibits will provide information on programs such as the URI Learning Landscape, the Center for Vector-Borne Disease, DEM Mosquito Abatement, URI Master Gardeners, the Toxics Information Project, the Rhode Island Solar Energy Association, and several garden and plant organizations. Music will be provided by Loose Roots of Foster, a traditional bluegrass and folk group.