Newport, RI – On Friday, December 7th, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed will speak at the launch of a new multi-year project with Clean Ocean Access and 11th Hour Racing. The innovative project aims to address plastic pollution and marine debris in Rhode Island by inspiring long-lasting environmentally responsible behavior that is necessary to protect and improve ocean health.

Funded by 11th Hour Racing, Healthy Soils, Healthy Seas Rhode Island is a two-year project that aims to tackle ocean pollution at its root: on land. The initiative brings together existing composting efforts across the state in an integrated waste management model that diverts food waste from the landfill. By allowing Rhode Islanders to get personal with their trash the project fosters a behavioral change in which residents reevaluate the low-and-no-value items that overwhelm Rhode Island’s landfill and end up as marine debris in our coastal waters. With an initial focus on business and residential composting programs, Healthy Soils, Healthy Seas RI will collaborate with boots-on-the-ground groups, including Rhodeside Revival, The Composting Plant, and Aquidneck Community Table.

Healthy Soils, Healthy Seas RI comes on the heels of statewide efforts to curb plastic pollution, including Governor Raimondo’s new Task Force to Tackle Plastics and the Zero Plastics Marina Initiative. This year, Rhode Island also became the first state to sign the UN Environment’s Clean Seas Pledge during the Newport stopover of the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race. Improving ocean health starts on land, and with this comprehensive approach to address land-based waste and litter, Rhode Island is on track to turning the tide on ocean pollution.

  • WHAT: Healthy Soils, Healthy Seas RI project launch
  • WHO: 11th Hour Racing, Clean Ocean Access Rhodeside Revival, The Compost Plant, and Aquidneck Community Table
  • SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS:  Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Senator Jack Reed, Janet Coit, Director of RI DEM
  • WHEN: Friday, December 7, 2018 10:00 AM
  • WHERE: The Mooring, 1 Sayers Wharf, Newport, RI 02840

This event is free to attend but registration is encouraged. For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healthy-soils-healthy-seas-ri-project-launch-tickets-52061181395.