Vanessa Anderson (MMA 2018) presented her research on ‘Green Ports’ to the Harbor Management Commission (HMC) at Providence City Hall on Wednesday, February 7th. The Harbor Management Commission enforces provisions of the Harbor Management plan for the City of Providence and serves as the regulatory body for the Port of Providence. The ‘Green Port Initiatives: A Review of Best Practices for the Port of Providence’ report was completed at the request of the HMC as the city and port are looking towards green initiatives to serve as a basis for economic development. Vanessa worked on the project as her MMA major paper, under the supervision of Prof. Austin Becker.
During the 30 minute presentation, Vanessa provided an overview of green practices that are recommended by national and international bodies and examples from case studies throughout the U.S. In addition, she outlined potential funding sources for green initiatives and concluded with a set of recommendations to consider for the Port of Providence.
Relevant stakeholders in attendance included members from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Save the Bay, Rhode Island DEM, and the Office of Economic Development for the City of Providence. Vanessa says, “We are pleased that the project spurred a dialogue in regards to environmental initiatives for the city and port to consider and brought together experts across agencies.”
Meeting agenda including audio of the presentation can be found at the link below. For a copy of the report please contact Vanessa directly at vanderson3@my.uri.edu.