When I found out that the University of Rhode Island's Kingston Campus was planning construction on the North Woods across Flag Road I was concerned. As a student of the university studying wildlife and conservation biology I would have hoped to have heard something of this sooner. I suppose though that I have heard about this rather early on because of the people I speak with daily on campus and the friends I have who are students of URI as well, none of them knew about this proposal either. The main thing that I did know about the University of Rhode Island concerning the environment was that staff and administrators were working towards a "Green Campus". You can even find that piece of information on their website. Though I recommend that you do, if you don't care to go searching yourself, here are some excerpts from the website regarding "going green":
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The Kingston campus itself should serve as a model of sustainable design. The functioning of natural systems on campus should be both protected and highlighted as a tool for learning..."
"The University campus is a wonderful repository of botanical and ecological knowledge. The Christopher Memorial Arboretum provides funds to maintain and protect the plant variety on campus, and Plant Science classes regularly use the campus as a teaching tool. The University should take advantage of all opportunities to enhance the teaching potential of the campus and its ecosystems."
"Some of the most attractive areas on campus are also the most ecologically sensitive...These natural resources should be protected from invasion by new construction or ecologically damaging activities."
Is there a specific person or organization to whom students can direct complaints about the proposal?
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that URI is continuing to develop in and around the North Woods. Since the addition of the North Woods residence hall on the opposite side of Flagg Road, there's already been a noticeable drop in aesthetic value to the area, and certainly a boost in noise and pollution as vehicular and foot traffic increases. More construction can only exacerbate the damage.
This all seems very poorly timed in conjunction with the "Going Green" initiative, especially considering the amount of gas students will now spend taking field trips to see tree stands that were once a mere walk away.