PODCAST · news
The Blab Lab
by ecoRI News
A podcast about environmental goings on from the reporters at ecoRI News.
Episodes
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Composting at Home
South Kingstown recycling coordinator Charlotte Canner shares tips for composting your kitchen food scraps at home with host and ecoRI News reporter Rob Smith.
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Rhode Island's 'Camp David' to Reopen for Research, Recreation
ecoRI news reporter Colleen Cronin talks to state Department of Environmental Management Director Terry Gray about a new partnership with the University of Rhode Island to open the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich.
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How R.I. Classrooms Take On Climate Change
ecoRI News reporter Rob Smith speaks with Rhode Island Environmental Education Association Executive Director Jeanine Silversmith about environmental education.
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Teen Transit Advocate Does His Homework on the R.I. Statehouse Floor
Cedric Ye has become a fixture of the Rhode Island transit advocacy scene. He talked to ecoRI's Colleen Cronin about the problems and opportunities he sees in the Ocean State's public transportation system.
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Tear Down That (Sea)Wall
In 2023, Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown, R.I., built an illegal seawall to protect its 14th hole from coastal erosion. The board of Rhode Island’s coastal regulatory agency (CRMC) ordered the club to take the wall down, but Quidnessett has yet to comply. The battle has exposed...
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Federal Cuts Hit State Environmental Programs
After the federal government terminated two grants, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management struggled to align its programs with the administration’s priorities while still maintaining a commitment to initiatives such as environmental justice. ecoRI News reporter and Blab Lab host...
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This is Wild!
Blab Lab host and ecoRI News reporter Rob Smith speaks with senior reporter Frank Carini to discuss Carini’s ongoing series on southern New England’s endangered species — many of which are threatened by habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. Frank also shares some tips for what you can do…
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Hot Topic: Wildfires in The Ocean State
In recent years, Rhode Island has experienced, on average, about 70 wildfires. Ecosystem disruption fueled by climate change is only going to make the state more susceptible to these fires. ecoRI News reporters Rob Smith and Colleen Cronin tackle this hot topic with director of the Rhode Island...
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Bye Bye, Barge: State Removes an Eyesore from the Providence River
The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) just evicted someone who really deserved it. Since 2017 a derelict crane-topped barge has been partially sunk in the Province River near Public Street. The barge presented a navigational hazard and ecological concerns — and has been a serious…
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RIPTA's New CEO
Chris Durand, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s newly appointed CEO who helped the agency avoid service cuts during a driver shortage answers questions about free transit, future funding sources for Rhode Island's bus system, and reveals his favorite bus line.
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Trump Slump: Will Rhode Island backtrack on climate progress?
ecoRI News reporter and Blab Lab host Colleen Cronin talks with director of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Terry Gray about how the incoming Trump administration may impact Rhode Island's climate goals and policies.
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Ep. 26 Managing Climate Anxiety Post Election
ecoRI News reporter and Blab Lab host Colleen Cronin speaks with Kate Schapira, teacher, activist and author of "Lessons From the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth." The book to guides readers through personal and general climate anxiety, frustration, helplessness and grief, toward a sense of…
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Ep. 25. Q&A with DEM's Terry Gray: Your Questions Answered
ecoRI News reporter and Blab Lab host Colleen Cronin poses listener questions to Department of Environmental Management director Terry Gray. Their wide-ranging discussion covers everything from Aquapalooza to plastics recycling.
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Ep. 24. Will Rhode Island Meet Its Climate Goals?
Host and ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin sits down with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management director Terry Gray to understand where the state is in terms of meeting its climate goals and what happens if it falls short.
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Ep. 23. Stormwater Solutions Plus Legislative Session Roses, Buds, and Thorns
ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin speaks with Rhode Island’s director of environmental management, Terry Gray, about some new stormwater initiatives. She also gets Terry’s take on what went well — and what didn’t — during the recently concluded 2024 legislative session.
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Ep. 22. Possibly/Blab Lab Mashup ... and a Giant Space Umbrella
ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin speaks with the team behind the environmental podcast Possibly to discuss the history of the podcast and Possibly's latest episode, which explores whether a giant space umbrella could slow global heating.
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Ep. 21. Extended beach season, whale death, and conservation vs. affordable housing
ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin sits down with Rhode Island's director of Environmental Management, Terry Gray, to discuss how climate is lengthening beach season, beach renourishment, a recent whale death, open records, and balancing affordable housing with land conservation.
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Ep. 20. Gray Matters: A Conversation with Rhode Island's Environmental Director
ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin sits down with Terry Gray, director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, to talk about his agency's biggest challenges and successes, exclusion of land conservation funding from the latest state green bond, and his favorite hiking spots.
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Ep. 19. Newport Water: Impaired, But Drinkable
On Aquidneck Island, all of the municipal drinking water sources are impaired. The water is safe to drink, but only thanks to an intense purification process that is getting more and more costly. ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin and publisher Joanna Detz discuss the causes of water pollution…
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Ep. 18. Where Have All The Quahogs Gone?
ecoRI News reporters Rob Smith and Colleen Cronin examine why quahogs are vanishing from Narragansett Bay. Some shellfishers are saying the bay is "too clean" to support a robust quahog population.
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Ep. 17. How Not to Be Trashy During the Holidays
ecoRI News staffers offer tips on reducing holiday waste without becoming a Scrooge.
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Ep. 16. RIDOT Redacts
ecoRI News reporter Rob Smith interviews Colleen Cronin about her public records journey to requisition data from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation for a story she reported on pedestrian fatalities. Two-hundred dollars and nine months later, she's appealed to Rhode Island's attorney...
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Ep. 15. Whose Beach Is It?
Beach season may have ended, but conflicts over shoreline access have not. ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith break down pending and settled lawsuits, and explain recent legislation that determines where the public beach begins and where private property ends.
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Ep. 14. Living Car-Free
Providence resident Greg Gerritt hasn't driven a car in more than three decades. Reporter Colleen Cronin interviews Greg about hitchhiking to carpentry jobs, walking eight to 10 miles a day, and how living car-free has made him happier, healthier and more financially secure.
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Ep. 13. Oh, Rats!
Cranston, R.I., is seeing a population boom — but its not human families that are moving in. In this episode, ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith break down some of our recent reporting on why more rats are moving to the 'burbs.
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Ep. 12. The Forever-ness of PFAS
ecoRI News reporters Frank Carini and Colleen Cronin take a stab at pronouncing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as they discuss their latest reporting on how stricter EPA standards for PFAS, cancer-causing forever chemicals, are throwing some public drinking water supplies out of compliance.
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Ep. 11. Cruise Control
Avast! Trash overboard! In this episode, ecoRI News reporters Frank Carini and Colleen Cronin navigate the dark and enviornmentally deleterious underside of the cruise-ship industry.
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Ep. 10. Peachy and Not-So-Peachy Eco Beach Reads
Heatwaves! Extreme weather! Wildfire smoke! Rising seas! It can all feel a bit overwhelming. ecoRI News reporters Rob Smith, Colleen Cronin, and Frank Carini share some of their picks for eco-related books that help them lean into (Frank) or escape (Rob and Colleen) the dire climate headlines.
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Ep. 9. Breaking: Journalism
ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Frank Carini discuss whether environmental coverage is moving the needle on our response to the climate crisis. Or is the media landscape too broken to have an impact?
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Ep. 8. We're on Fire!
ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Rob Smith cut through the haze and discuss why wildfires are becoming more frequent in Rhode Island and what's being done to prevent them.
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Ep. 7. Shining a Light on Dark Money
ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Frank Carini discuss the impacts of dark money on the local spread of misinformation around the climate crisis. Does the disclosure of this dark money even matter to a society bitterly divided and flooded with disinformation?
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Ep. 6. The ABCs of Tackling Food Waste in Schools
ecoRI News reporter Rob Smith speaks with Jim Corwin and Warren Heyman from Rhode Island Schools Recycling Club. The organization helps Rhode Island schools change their food-waste practices from the inside, diverting cafeteria food from the state’s rapidly filling landfill and making sure unused...
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Episode 5. Train in Vain: Who’s Protecting Rhode Island from a Toxic Freight Disaster?
ecoRI News reporters Colleen Cronin and Frank Carini discuss what is being done to prevent a tragedy like the one that befell East Palestine, Ohio — when a train derailed and fouled the town — from happening in the Port of Providence.
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Episode 4. Activism or Greenwashing: Earth Day Then and Now
ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin and publisher Joanna Detz talk about the original Earth Day, bring in voices of some of that day's attendees, and discuss what the day means now that the climate crisis and its impacts are felt acutely. Has Earth Day lost its punch? Or does it still serve to…
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Episode 3: How the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Lost its Teeth
ecoRI News reporter Colleen Cronin interviews senior reporter Frank Carini about his latest article that brings historical context to how and why Rhode Island's Department of Environmental was defanged by an overzealous state legislature in the 1990s, and how that experience has diminished the...
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Episode 2: What's Affordable Housing Got to do with the Environment?
ecoRI News reporters Frank Carini, Colleen Cronin, and Rob Smith discuss how affordable housing relates to the environment, a common question they get when they report on the issue.
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Episode 1. 2023 Environmental Watchlist
ecoRI News reporters Frank Carini, Rob Smith, and Colleen Cronin discuss some of the big environmental stories they're following this year.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast about environmental goings on from the reporters at ecoRI News.
HOSTED BY
ecoRI News
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Blab Lab have?
The Blab Lab currently has 37 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Blab Lab about?
A podcast about environmental goings on from the reporters at ecoRI News.
How often does The Blab Lab release new episodes?
The Blab Lab has 37 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Blab Lab?
You can listen to The Blab Lab on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Blab Lab?
The Blab Lab is created and hosted by ecoRI News.
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