Rhode Island scored big earlier this month during an event called the “Wastewater Olympics.” The event, which happens during the annual Water Environment Federation’s Technical Expo and Conference, tests the skills of wastewater treatment professionals from around the world. Teams compete during five different challenges that mimic scenarios operators could face on a daily basis […]
Avory Brookins
Avory joined the newsroom in April 2017. She reports on a variety of local environmental topics, including the offshore wind industry, fishery management and the effects of climate change. Avory can also be heard occasionally filling-in as the weekend news host/anchor.
Before joining the station, she was a general assignment reporter at Wisconsin Public Radio and completed two reporting internships at Philadelphia's public radio station, WHYY.
Avory is a Philadelphia native and proud Temple Owl.
When she's not reporting on the environment, she loves listening to K-pop, eating breakfast for dinner and dancing the weekends away.
Posted inArticle, Environment
N. Providence Unveils New Solar Panel Array
A new solar array in North Providence is now finished. More than 6,700 solar panels on top of an old landfill that’s been unused for 35 years will power all of the municipal buildings in the town. Ralph Palumbo, president of Southern Sky Renewable Energy, the project’s developer, said the panels are special because they make good […]
Posted inArticle, Politics
Gov Debate For Radio
Four candidates competing to be the next governor of Rhode Island took to the stage last night (Monday) during a gubernatorial debate at the University of Rhode Island. The event was sponsored by URI, The Public’s Radio and The Providence Journal. As Avory Brookins reports, this was the second gubernatorial debate before the general election […]
Posted inArticle, Environment
North Atlantic Right Whale Meeting Wraps Up With Recommendations For Reducing Entanglements
Members of the lobster industry and environmentalists are asking federal regulators to improve a plan meant to reduce the likelihood of North Atlantic right whales getting entangled in commercial fishing lines, which can cause them to die. The whales are an endangered species. There is only about 450 of them left, and last year, more […]
Posted inArticle, Education, Politics
Native Youth Activists Speak Out Against Oppression During Indigenous Peoples’ Day Weekend
While many people celebrated the explorer Christopher Columbus on Monday and over the weekend, some New Englanders paused to mark the impact Columbus’s voyage has had on native people. Brown University kicked off a weekend celebration of indigenous peoples with a panel discussion of young Native activists. Byron Shorty from the Navajo Nation in Arizona […]
Posted inArticle, Environment
Danish Renewable Energy Company Agrees To Buy RI-Based Deepwater Wind
A renewable energy company from Denmark has agreed to buy Rhode Island-based Deepwater Wind, developer of the first offshore wind farm in the country off of Block Island. Orsted, which developed the first offshore wind farm in the world back in 1991, plans to buy Deepwater Wind for $510 million. The move comes after both […]
Posted inArticle, Environment
As Farm Bill Expires, ‘Inadequate’ Crop Insurance For NE Shellfish Farmers Remains In Place
Shellfish farmers in New England are stuck for now with crop insurance options that some senators call “inadequate.” Congress failed to reauthorize the federal Farm Bill before it expired on Sunday, and the Senate’s version of the bill would have expanded crop protections for shellfish farmers. The idea is that shellfish like oysters and clams […]
Posted inArticle, Environment
New Study Shows Climate Change Could Reduce Scallop Population
Researchers in Massachusetts say under the worst case scenario, climate change could reduce the scallop population by more than 50 percent in just a few decades, which could be bad news for New Bedford’s lucrative fishing port.
Posted inArticle, Environment
Climate Is Still Changing
The climate is still warming. And this is why it’s bad. But here are some reasons why it’s not an absolutely terrible thing. And here’s a way scientists say we can try to curb it, but it’s not a sure fix. Climate Change it’s a thing. We know. It’s impacting animals. It’s impacting humans. It’s […]
Posted inArticle, Environment
National Conservation Nonprofit Sues Federal Agency Over American Burying Beetle
A national conservation organization is suing the federal government for failing to respond to their public records request on the American burying beetle, Rhode Island’s official state insect protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is assessing the status of the beetle, including population trends and threats impacting the […]
