H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING APRIL 2001 TO BE " EARTH MONTH" IN RHODE ISLAND
WHEREAS, Earth Day began in 1970 as a long-term endeavor to awaken all people to work together to save our planet, and to develop sustainable practices that protect our health and welfare and insure lasting prosperity; and
WHEREAS, State and local governments currently participate in numerous recycling, energy conservation, water conservation and hazardous waste programs that depend on widespread understanding and participation in order to be successful; and
WHEREAS, In the course of a very short history we have made tremendous progress; we no longer have rivers catching on fire, our skies are cleaner and our environmental expertise and technology are in demand throughout the world to prevent pollution and sustain natural resources, but much remains to be done; and
WHEREAS, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations calls itself the "Ocean State" and has a long and proud maritime history and culture; and
WHEREAS, We recognize the need for quality science and technology in all that we do and the University of Rhode Island, with its land and sea grant system and Coastal Partnership is the base of our knowledge and that Brown University and Roger Williams University and the Rhode Island School of Design, Salve Regina University along with many other private and public education institutions engage in marine science, technology, policy, research, and education will transfer better solutions ensuring conservation and sustainability of our natural resources; and
WHEREAS, Statewide Planning has an inventory of state industrial properties and that Quonset Point and Davisville presents a unique property that has access to salt water and land which will provide extraordinary opportunities to create and develop a Marine Technology Park; and
WHEREAS, The Technology Park would create industrial ecology across traditional disciplinary boundaries and place planning and construction in a whole new light where networking "waste streams" becomes a crucial new goal to prevent pollution at its source; and
WHEREAS, Rhode Island's Economic Policy Council's Strategic Plan recognized marine technology and aquaculture and has developed a system to commercialize research and development through the establishment of the Slater Center; and
WHEREAS, The Ocean State is looking ahead, in design and construction of integrative systems that would require that we neither assume that pollution must happen nor depend on the assimilative capacities of the sea, air and land. Doing so would represent a quantum leap from the present, where the ability of the sea and air to absorb innumerable land-based sources of harm has been too long assumed; and
WHEREAS, We stand at the dawn of a new century and recognize the enormous potential that a clean, health, prosperous and sustainable planet Earth holds for improving the quality of life in Rhode Island; and
WHEREAS, Earth Month 2001 keeps the original spirit of Earth Day alive, giving individuals the resources they need to make the vision of a cleaner, healthier planet for the 21st Century a reality; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby proclaims April 2001 to be "Earth Month" in the State of Rhode Island and calls upon its citizens to observe this month with programs, ceremonies and activities in celebration of this remarkable endeavor to save our planet.