Cooperative Extension, College of Education, and RI Sea Grant receive statewide funding to help advance RI’s climate and energy priorities
 |
| URI has picked up funding in this year’s statewide EC4 climate funding, continuing community work by education students like David LeClair ’26 at local sites such as Audubon Bristol. (URI Photo / College of Education) |
This fall, Rhode Island’s Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) allocated $1.5 million across state partners to support Rhode Island’s implementation of the Act on Climate law, signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee in 2021.
Now, three programs at the University of Rhode Island—led by
Jennifer McCann, Rhode
Island Sea Grant; Kate Hardesty, Cooperative Extension; and Sara Sweetman, in the Feinstein College of
Education—will receive $476,312 in total funding in this year’s annual
statewide EC4 allocation.
The EC4 panel assesses Rhode Island efforts to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, guiding state agencies to aid in cutting GHGs and help strengthen the climate resiliency of local communities.
The spending
plan reflects innovations and commitments from a growing number of state agency
partners to advance meaningful climate action and invest in projects that move
Rhode Island toward a cleaner, sustainable and resilient future.
This is the first time Cooperative Extension and Rhode Island Sea Grant have been funded in the competitive process; the College of Education received funding last year and had 17 URI students work with community educators across the state to highlight, improve, and create climate literacy learning experiences for the Rhode Island public. URI also received funding to compile beach profile data in 2025, bringing the total received in EC4 funding to $819,312 to date.
“URI students provided and led programming at sites like Audubon in Bristol and the Narrow River Preservation Association,” Sweetman said, “creating exhibits and teaching visitors and students about environmental impact on local farms, animals and oceans. This helps visitors of all ages learn about local issues; the new grant will help URI students continue to build hope and inspire action in our larger Rhode Island community.
Rhode Island Sea Grant will receive
funding in this year’s EC4 allocation to work directly with municipalities like
Newport on energy resilience and planning. (Photo / B. Butlin)
The University’s EC4 funded projects will focus on municipal
energy resilience, energy efficiency and environmental education:
- $165,000
to Rhode Island Sea Grant to
accelerate energy resilience in Rhode Island municipalities. Despite
significant state investments, many municipalities remain challenged by
limited staff capacity and lack the time and ability to develop
science-backed projects and community-supported solutions. This initiative
will advance energy resilience implementation on Aquidneck Island and
strengthen municipal capacity/learning exchange statewide on topics
related to energy resilience. The Sea Grant team will combine its
expertise in energy resources and resilience to provide a project that
helps coastal communities understand and address adaptation for energy
assets, especially infrastructure, in flood-prone areas.
- $136,312
to URI Cooperative Extension to
support its Energy Literacy Initiative to expand its Community-based
Energy Navigator Program, training and empowering community-based workers
to share information about energy efficiency programs and support
residents through the weatherization process during home visits. The 2027
program will expand training to community health workers to honor the
importance of building health on the health, comfort, and cost burden on
its occupants.
- $175,000
to URI’s Environmental
Education program in the College of Education to advance climate
education across Rhode Island. The project will focus on strengthening
Rhode Island’s climate education infrastructure, expanding pathways into
climate education careers. URI’s new B.S. degree in environmental
education is designed for active learners who are passionate about the
environment, giving students the knowledge and skills to lead new
generations toward a more environmentally just and sustainable future, and
builds on URI’s role as the top producer of educators in the Ocean State.
Program leaders are pleased to see the University’s climate
work recognized and contributing to larger goals in resilience, energy and
educating the future workforce for related fields.
“This grant makes it possible for our Sea Grant program to
bring the best science and outreach to bear in two chief portfolio areas—energy
resources issues and resilience issues,” said McCann, Rhode Island Sea Grant
Extension Director. “By making use of our existing resilience-focused community
of practice in local coastal municipalities, as well as across our system of
islands, we will readily be able to share education concerning how we adapt
energy infrastructure and other assets in flood-prone areas.”
The funding will also enable URI Cooperative Extension to
build on its pilot training with community-based workers at Children’s Friend
in Central Falls and expand the program to reach additional community-based
workers serving vulnerable populations across Rhode Island, said Hardesty,
Extension educator and program administrator. “By equipping more
community-based workers with the knowledge and tools to promote home energy
efficiency, we will extend these benefits to more households, helping residents
reduce energy costs, improve home comfort, and enhance living conditions.”
Subscribe to the Rhode Island Sea Grant newsletter
for ocean and coastal news and project updates. Get updates from URI’s Cooperative Extension program.
Learn more about URI’s College of Education at https://web.uri.edu/education/
and on social media.
