Green Initiatives

Purpose: To ensure a well-maintained and attractive urban environment integrated with the best green, historic and sustainable practices.

Upcoming events

Green Initiatives Committee meets on the 1st Tuesday of every month, 6-8pm, during WBNA Neighborhood Night at West Broadway Middle School, 29 Bainbridge Avenue, Providence. No meetings in July or August.

Recent Posts

Featured
Neighborhood Nights begin March 4
Neighborhood Nights begin March 4

Neighborhood Nights is back, WBNA’s all-in-one community meeting where neighbors come together to explore a planned topic or issue, check out WBNA initiatives, and/or play basketball at open gym! This monthly gathering is an easy way to get to know WBNA and your neighbors with free food, childcare, and Spanish interpretation.

Elected Officials Q&A at Neighborhood Nights
Elected Officials Q&A at Neighborhood Nights

WBNA's 5th Annual Conversation with our Elected Officials had a great showing of neighbors who asked questions and heard directly from state legislators about wide-ranging topics such as reproductive rights and gun control, funding for public school facilities, and rent control.

Help shape WBNA's future
Help shape WBNA's future

2018 is a planning year for the WBNA, and we want to hear from you to make sure we get it right. Learn more about our strategic planning process that will guide WBNA's work and goals for the next five years, and how to get involved.

Stellar Start to Neighborhood Nights
Stellar Start to Neighborhood Nights

Our first Neighborhood Night had a great turnout, and featured a presentation of Providence's new bike share system by city planner and neighbor Alex Ellis, an introduction to WBNA Committees, and lots of friendly energy.

COMMITTEE Objectives

  • Support and develop WBNA programs and initiatives that enhance the sustainability of the neighborhood, and provide tools and information to West Side residents to support those initiatives.

  • Assist in coordinating resources (sponsorships, grants, revolving funds) that can be used to further prioritize green initiatives of the WBNA.


GOALS

  • Promote and expand the West Side Composting Program, and connect with organizations and businesses that work with compost such as local urban farmers and the Compost Plant.
     
  • Hold a General Meeting that promotes community sustainability and green initiatives one to two times per year.
     
  • Focus on energy initiatives such as prequalifying West Side Solar participants and providing resources for sustainable home heating.
     
  • Continue to support large scale solar panel program by transitioning WBNA's first-of-its-kind West Side Solar program to the new citywide PVD Solarize program.
     
  • Coordinate with the Community Development Committee (CDC) to encourage the use of green practices in new development. Work with CDC to add a sustainability component to the CDC BluePrint. Create a liaison role between the Community Development and Green Initiatives Committees.
     
  • Collaborate with university partners on sustainability-related projects. Explore opportunities to work with universities on selected projects in which they may be interested. Work to define projects and processes that would be an appropriate fit for university scheduling, academic calendars and staffing.
     
  • Design neighborhood trainings, tours and events that feature, promote and celebrate local sustainability projects. Explore and visit existing neighborhood models such as solar power bulk purchasing, asphalt alternatives, raising chickens, heating alternatives, bee keeping and urban gardening. Coordinate a proposed neighborhood sustainability crawl to align with cottage tour.
     
  • Reduce contamination from dog waste by way of an awareness-raising sticker campaign. Create and distribute packets for neighbors that contain information and stickers to be placed on trash cans. Connect with dog owner and dog park groups to help support program.
     
  • Focus an intensive tree planting initiative west of Messer Street to the Route 10 Service Road. Recruit neighbors who reside in that area to act as tree stewards (especially important in the first season and up to one year after planting).
     
  • Promote this new Green Initiatives Committee and work to expand group and participating neighbors.



    Committee Chairs

    Savannah Harik and Emily Koo