Issue No. 264  l   October 30, 2008   l   Providence, Rhode Island

 

Mayor Cicilline Unveils Strategy to Position Providence as a Leader in the Coming Green Economy
Greenprint Providence paves the way for a sustainable community and acceleration of a green economy

Mayor David N. Cicilline today presented Providence’s first-ever, strategic plan for creating a more sustainable city government and accelerating the green economy with Greenprint Providence.   The wide-ranging plan contains a number of initiatives designed to help position Providence at the leading edge of a green economy poised for explosive growth.

“The challenges presented by climate change and by the cost of our dependence on foreign energy mean that we have to make radical changes, but it also means an incredible opportunity is there for the taking,” said Mayor David N. Cicilline. “Greenprint Providence is an effort to help push our city to the front edge of the energy revolution.”

Greenprint Providence outlines a number of initiatives in eight key areas geared towards creating a more sustainable government and community.  It also details the steps the City has already taken to reduce Providence’s carbon footprint, including progress towards purchasing at least 20% of the energy the City consumes from renewable sources by 2020. 

The eight strategic areas in Greenprint Providence are as follows (with highlights):
Energy – renewable energy credits (payments for the creation of renewable energy) to offset 100% of the electricity consumed by City Hall; infrastructure upgrades for $1M in savings; plans to create a planning board to coordinate efforts and a revolving fund to capitalize green renovation projects.

Green buildings – construction of energy efficient schools through multi-year Building a Legacy school facilities campaign; LEED standards for all new municipal buildings.

Public Space – continue to grow tree canopy through unprecedented tree planting program, expand community gardens, install solar powered lighting in public parks, address storm water management.

Transit and Transportation – implement Transit 2020 recommendations; create incentives for transit-oriented development; expand walk-ability and bike-ability.

Recycling and Waste Management – increase recycling rates through assistance of full-time recycling coordinator and educational campaigns; create economic incentives for recycling.

Purchasing – issue Municipal Green Purchasing Policy through Executive Order to include the purchase of energy efficient appliances, cleaning supplies, paper and the procurement of services.

Water – phase out single-bottled water use in municipal buildings through Executive Order, conserve water use through technological innovation.

Green Jobs – ensure that Workforce Development partners incorporate green job training into educational and job readiness programs, capitalize on school construction projects that contain green design elements to create green jobs.

Mayor Cicilline also signed an executive order mandating the purchase of green supplies and phasing out the use of single-serving bottled water in all municipal buildings.

“As Rhode Island’s largest city and economic engine, Providence is a leader in moving forward an economy that broadens the prosperity of our citizens with effective ways that protect our coastal environment,” said Chris Wilhite, Sierra Club’s Rhode Island Chapter Director. “Mayor David Cicilline’s new Greenprint for Providence is an exceptional plan for driving our city and state forward through these economic hard times with energy independence, clean, affordable transportation choices, and green jobs.”

“It is exciting to see the City of Providence embarking on such an extensive and well planned effort to reduce greenhouse gases across the full spectrum of its activities,” said Adam Markham, CEO of Clean Air - Cool Planet, the leading non-profit finding and promoting solutions to global warming.  “The city’s effort to engage citizens and look beyond reducing energy to green jobs is especially laudable.”
 
Clean Air - Cool Planet works closely with other cities in the northeast that are leading the way on reducing energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions such as: NYC, Boston, Newark NJ, Pittsburgh, Portland Maine, and Keene NH.  Providence is also a member of ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, an association that assists local governments in creating environmental solutions.
 

To obtain an electronic copy of Greenprint Providence, visit the City’s website at www.providenceri.com/greenprint.
 

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Providence Community Safety Partners Win $25,000 National Award
MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award Honors CommunityWorks Rhode Island, Providence Police Department and Rhode Island Department of Corrections

 

This month, on October 15th, CommunityWorks Rhode Island and the Providence Police Department were honored by the MetLife Foundation, for their significant accomplishments in reducing crime and improving quality of life in the North Elmwood neighborhood of Providence.

Mayor David Cicilline joined U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman James Langevin, Department of Corrections Director A.T. Wall, Chief of Providence Police Dean Esserman, and Associate Director of CommunityWorks RI Cynthia Langlykke, to celebrate the MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award presented by Robert Lundgren, Vice President of MetLife Auto & Home, and Barbara Fields, Executive Director of Rhode Island LISC.  The ceremony took place at 37 Parkis Avenue, Providence. Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services, a community development corporation that recently merged with Elmwood Foundation to become CommunityWorks Rhode Island, spearheaded the award-winning work.

The MetLife Awards, sponsored by MetLife Foundation and administered by the national office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), recognize innovative partnerships between community development groups and police departments that have reduced crime and spurred housing development, economic activity and improved community services in low and moderate-income communities. CommunityWorks received $25,000 for its first-place finish. CommunityWorks and Providence Police Department were selected from among more than 500 applicants nationwide for the MetLife Foundation Award.

“Community groups and police departments share a common goal: creating safe, livable communities,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “CommunityWorks Rhode Island and the Providence Police Department provide an exemplary model of partnership, and we are pleased to join LISC in recognizing their results and sharing their best practices with others groups across the country.”

CommunityWorks, the Providence Police Department and the Department of Corrections worked with many partners including neighborhood residents, the Providence Department of Planning and the Providence Plan to achieve a dramatic transformation in the North Elmwood neighborhood.  

“We are thrilled that Community Works RI and their partners are receiving this national recognition for their outstanding community safety work,” said Barbara Fields, Executive Director of Rhode Island LISC. “This is the third year in a row that a LISC partner CDC has brought this prestigious award to Rhode Island – a remarkable track record of success that is a testament to the effectiveness of LISC’s strategy of building the partnerships that make real change happen.”

“Thanks to all our dedicated partners, including neighboring residents, we have focused our collective will to return Parkis Avenue to a peaceful, beautiful, proud residential street of affordable homes” said Cynthia Langlykke.  “The transformation is amazing and ongoing.  We continue to work collectively to keep Parkis Avenue a family-friendly and affordable place to live.”

About LISC: LISC is the nation’s leading community development support organization, supporting community revitalization in more than 300 urban and rural communities nationwide. In Rhode Island, LISC has provided grants, loans and equity financing to support the development of nearly 6,000 homes and apartments, and more than one million square feet of commercial and facilities space. LISC established the Community Safety Initiative in 1994 to help community organizations develop strategic alliances with police departments to combat persistent crime and attract the social and financial investments that make communities safer and more vibrant. More information about Rhode Island LISC and CSI can be found at www.rilisc.org.

About MetLife Foundation: MetLife Foundation, established by MetLife in 1976, is a long-time supporter of LISC’s community revitalization programs.  In 1994, the Foundation made a $1 million leadership grant to pilot the CSI.  MetLife and the Foundation have also made below-market rate loans and grants of more than $76 million to the organization. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.

About CommunityWorks Rhode Island: CommunityWorks RI is the newly merged community development corporation combining the talents of Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services and Elmwood Foundation.  Both CDCs have served the greater Elmwood community for the past thirty years with neighborhood revitalization, development and preservation of more than 1,000 units of affordable housing, small business and homeowner assistance and other resident services designed to promote a healthy and sustainable community.  More information can be found at www.greaterelmwood.org and www.elmwoodfoundation.org.  
 

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 Restored Abraham Lincoln Statue Unveiled in Roger Williams Park

Ceremony featured Civil War era music played by the Providence Brigade Band on Thursday, October 30 at 10:30am in Roger Williams Park

Fourth grade students from Broad Street Elementary School received a lesson in history at Roger Williams Park.  The students joined Mayor David N. Cicilline, Governor Donald L. Carcieri and Chief Justice Frank Williams to unveil the recently restored Abraham Lincoln statue at Roger Williams Park on Thursday, October 30 at 10:30am (the statue is located at the rotary of F.C. Greene Boulevard and Hawthorne Street in Roger Williams Park across from the entrance to the Zoo parking lot).

The event marked the 50th anniversary of the original dedication of the statue, which was installed in the Park in 1958.  The ceremony featured Civil War-era music played by the Providence Brigade Band under the direction of George Proulx.

The restoration of the Lincoln statue and the unveiling is a cooperative effort of Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Providence Parks Department, and the Rhode Island Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission chaired by Chief Justice Frank J.Williams and Susan Stenhouse.

The Abraham Lincoln statue in Roger Williams Park is the only statue of Abraham Lincoln in Rhode Island.  The late sculptor Gilbert Franklin, a Professor of Sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, designed the bronze sculpture, which is12-feet high and stands on a 7-foot high granite pedestal.  Franklin retired from RISD in 1982, but his work at RISD lives on as his highly abstract Daybreak bronze sculpture on RISD “Beach” is a beloved landmark on the campus. Franklin also sculpted the Harry S. Truman statue in Independence, Missouri and the Johnny Unitas statue in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Lincoln statue was the result of a trust established in 1922 by Providence jewelry manufacturer, Henry W. Harvey, in memory of his wife Georgina.  After the value of the trust grew to a sufficient value of $25,000 in 1954, an advisory committee based at the Providence Art Club was formed to select a location and sculptor for the project.  The recent restoration effort, funded by the Providence Parks Department at a cost of $4,500, was performed by the Paul King Foundry of Johnston, RI and included cleaning, bronze repairs, and re-waxing the sculpture.  
 

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Mayor Cicilline to Honor Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee Andre Tippett
Former New England Patriots linebacker to be honored at PASA AfterZone Allstar Flag Football Tournament on Thursday, October 30 at 5:15pm at Conley Stadium

Former New England Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett will receive a special honor from the City of Providence for his recent induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 30 at 5:15 p.m. at Conley Stadium, 434 Mount Pleasant Avenue.

Mayor David N. Cicilline will present the Hall of Famer with the key to the city at the Providence Afterschool Alliance (PASA) Police Activities League Allstar Flag Football Tournament.  Nearly 100 middle school students from throughout the city who participate in the PASA Providence Police Activities League (PAL) AfterZone will compete in the tournament. 

PAL flag football is just one of dozens of after-school programs offered through PASA including sailing, martial arts, tennis, yoga, jewelry making, basketball and cooking.  Mayor Cicilline spearheaded PASA to enrich the lives of the city’s youth by providing a network of neighborhood-based, high quality programs at nine AfterZones throughout the city.  There are currently over 1000 students participating in PASA AfterZone activities.

   

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Mayor Cicilline joined Hope High School students and Whole Foods Market representatives to commemorate the official opening of the new Whole Kids Food Bank at Hope High School.  Designed to help at-risk students and their families with extra food assistance minus the travel time from soup kitchens to other food assistance programs, the Whole Kids Food Bank is the first of its kind to open within a school in all of RI.
 

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Feature: My Business

New Providence Café Garners a Rhode Island First: "Green-Certified"

Like many of the workforce that converges to downtown Providence every morning, Chris Mathis, co-owner of the new Benders Caffe on Weybosset Street, craves her daily dose of caffeine.  "I don't discriminate against coffee.  You can ask me about coffee and I can talk your ear off!" she says, and these days, Mathis has a lot to tout. 

After accomplishing an extensive list of things to build a truly eco-friendly spot, Benders Caffe has gained the title of RI's first green certified restaurant from the Green Restaurants Association.

With an impressive menu of organic, fair trade coffee, loose-leaf teas, and vegetarian paninis - to name a few offerings - Benders serves it all up on biodegradable cups and paper goods, too.  With a 'why stop now?' mentality, Mathis arguably sets the pace for other restauranteurs in the city looking to green up their kitchens and dining rooms. 

City News caught up Mathis to discover more about how a neighborhood coffee shop grew an eco-conscience.

What's behind the name Benders, and what does your brand motto, "Drink your coffee responsibly," mean?
Benders means 'bending the norm.'  We're not your normal coffee shop.  We're not your normal restaurant.  Everybody that comes in here is welcome.   Therefore we're not specific.  Plus we're very green, which in and of itself is bending the norm. 
 
When we say 'drink your coffee responsibly,' we mean be green about it.  Think about the cup that you're using, where the coffee comes from, make sure it's organic.   All of our cups are compostable or biodegradable.  Most of them are corn-based, in that they have a corn liner that makes them compostable.  Everything that leaves out of here contains no plastic, and it's all biodegradable.  We use tap water and for our coffees, we filter it.  At this point, there are so many things that we do that are green that plays a role into our brand motto 'drink your coffee responsibly' and it's quite the list of specifics.  Originally it was just think about where your coffee comes from.  Think about where you put your coffee in.  Think about investing in a mug and by doing so, save that much more trash everyday. 

In addition to joining the Mayor and four other local restaurants in pledging to curb the use of bottled water in each of your establishments last Friday, you are now also officially a certified green restaurant - the first one in the whole state.  Congratulations! In brief, what are some of the steps you had to take to acquire this certification?
Yeah if you go to dinegreen.com, you'll see a list of certified green restaurants all over the country, but yes, we're the first in Rhode Island! The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) required four different steps in addition to what we were already doing.  They came in and they looked at our business model and said, 'congratulations, it's great that you're composting but you did those before you started up with us so you'll have to do these additional items.'  So they gave us some specific tasks. 

One of the things we had to do was with the biodegradable and compostable trash bags that we use.  Energy conservation was another step - installing curtains that led into our cooler so that when you open the door all that cold air doesn't go out.  We had low-flow aerators that we installed in all of our faucets so that cuts back on our water use.  And lastly, consumer education was another step - making everybody aware of everything that we're doing and offering them something that they can do everyday.  One green thing a day, that's all you need to do. 

How long did this process take you?
I contacted the GRA in February but we've been working with them since May.  We already had things in process.  We had a whole bunch of products ordered.  So those didn't count in their 4-step process.  We get credit after certification.  Also, there's already a kind of volunteer process in Rhode Island to go green, but I wanted to go a step more and say, hey we regulate ourselves but we need to go above what we were already intending to do, and in order to make sure that we're doing the right thing, and for the future, they can help us with additional things that we can do.  To maintain your certification you have to do four things each year.  So we're on our way, we already have a couple of things listed for next year. 

Would you say that it would've cost you more, less, or the same, to do the kinds of outfitting that you had to do in order to green up your business?
I think it balances out.  For example, we don't have a dumpster but we recycle everything that leaves out of here as much as possible.  We generate very little trash.  We go through six to eight tons a week of food and coffee grounds that go to a local pig farm.  So all of this stuff adds up and while we do pay a fee for the farmers to come and pick it up, it's minimal compared to the cost of a dumpster.  In the end, it all balances out.

Was opening a green café always a part of your business plan?
No it kind of snowballed!

So how did the greening of it come to be?
It's kinda funny.  Jill and I both recycle at home.  We compost and we have a big garden.  We already try to be organic.  It's something that's important to us.  So when we decided to recycle here, we asked ourselves, well why stop at plastic to glass? Let's think about food, and then why stop there, let's go and recycle all the paper! And so on ... so it just kinda snowballed to what it is.  And I think it's good.  I'm proud that we're doing all of this.  The more I read about what we're doing to the landfill, the more I felt like I need to do my part.  And if I can do my part on this level, everybody else shouldn't have a problem.  Pick up that plastic bottle and put it in the recycling bin, you know, instead of the trash. 

Would you recommend other food establishments to undertake this process?
I would.  I think the biggest thing is doing all of the research.  But if you can team up with an organization like the GRA, they've already done all the research.  So team up with them and they can guide you through the process, at a very minimal cost.  Eventually, it does pay off, such as in energy conservation, which saves me money.  Recycling saves me money because I don't have any disposal fees.  And all of the other little things - waste reduction, all of that - they all add up and in the long run, they save everybody. 

What have your customers been saying about your efforts to go green? Do you find that this attracts a certain kind of customer base?
We get a good mix of people.  We haven't done a lot of advertising, most of it is word-of-mouth, and a lot of our customers have been very receptive.  They come in and expect our coffee to be very expensive, and to taste like everybody else's, and it's not.  I think our prices are very comparable given the product quality that we have.  We do get a lot of students but now we're starting to branch out and get a lot of downtown business folks coming in and lot of them still don't know how to recycle. 

I think that the little things that what we do is making a positive impact in the community.  I hear people taking note and saying, 'Wow! Look at that, I can't believe this! Who knew?' And so I hope that it's a better influence and that other people, other restaurants, will do the same thing. 

There is a community component to your mission.  Can you talk a little bit more about that?

We seek to attract everybody in the community.  We have a very diverse workforce, which is done on purpose, and so that we don't attract just college students, or just businesspeople.  I want to bring everybody in here.  I want everybody to be a part of it.  This community is not solely Italian, or Native American - you know, there are so many aspects to a community and we try to embrace everything and everybody. 

Do you live in Providence?
Yes, for two years.

So you live here and now you own a business here too.  What do you like most about the city so far?
I think it's great.  I've lived in a big city, in DC, and I've lived in the country.  I feel that Providence is a nice mix of both.  There's a small town feel where everybody knows everybody.  It's a very tight community and that reminds me of a small town.  But then you also have those big city aspects.  So, I think it's somewhere in the middle, which to me is a huge bonus, and I really like that. 

So what's next on your plate?
I would love to open up another shop.  Obviously it's a few more years out, but I would like to.  As we fine-tune everything that we're doing, it makes me look forward to opening up another site. 

Benders Caffe is located at 129 Weybosset Street in Downtown.  For more about their green mission, go to www.benderscaffe.com.  For more on the Green Restaurants Association, go to www.dinegreen.com.

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