Want to start living a lower-impact, higher-quality lifestyle? Receive an easy tip every day from the Sierra Club about a small change that can make a big difference.

Simple steps like replacing conventional lightbulbs with more efficient ones, keeping your car tires properly inflated, or adjusting your thermostat a degree or two can save you money, reduce waste, and help save the planet.

Tips like this one. . . According to Consumer Reports, prerinsing your dishes wastes up to 20 gallons of water per load -- and doesn't get them any cleaner.

Welcome to Medium Life:
Recent Adventures in Namibia
June 21, 2007; 7:00 p.m.

Presented by photographer Alexander Nesbitt. Get inside details on a slightly harebrained journey, along with reflections on life in the developing world. Long a fan of looking at our dysfunctional, consumerist culture from foreign vantage points, Nesbitt brings a world-savvy view and a great sense of solo adventure to a wild, 4-wheel-drive plunge through the bush roads of northern Namibia.

Piping Plover
July 19, 2007; 7:00 p.m.

Presented by Wendy Edwards of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The piping plover is a small, stocky, sandy-colored shorebird that returns to our area to breed every spring. Wendy coordinates efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Rhode Island for this species. Whether you are interested in aiding the biological surveys or in simply learning more about this small beachgoer, we invite you to join this program.

'Round the Rock
July 26, 2007; 7:00 p.m.

Presented by Wendy Killoran, avid sea kayaker. Wendy will present her 3.5 month sea kayak journey around Newfoundland, called 'Round the Rock. A speech, followed by a multi-media slide show will reveal the stark beauty, the daunting shorelines, numerous challenges and the incredible hospitality of the people she encountered. Upon returning to her launching point at Isle aux Morts, Wendy completed a mainly solo journey of approximately 2700 kilometers on the demanding North Atlantic Ocean. Hear her tales of adventure.

Gallery 297 in historic Bristol, Rhode Island is hosting an invitational exhibition of 34 of the region's most outstanding artists to benefit the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
August 1 - 31, 2007
Opening Reception: Sunday, August 5, 1 - 3 pm

Participating Artists are: Harley Bartlett, Grace Bentley-Scheck, Joan Boghossian, Judy Chaves, Thomas Deininger, Kendra Bidwell Ferreira, Carol Strause FitzSimonds, Nancy Gaucher-Thomas, Michael Gloor, Elizabeth A. Goddard, Richard Grosvenor, Lee Bergwall Hanks, Richard Harrington, Eric Hovermale, Jennifer Holmes, Trish Hurley, James Kubiatowicz, John MacGowan, Johanna McKenzie, Arlene McGonagle, Jonathan McPhillips, Michael Miller, Dora Atwater Millikin, Pam Neal, Sarah Powers, Jeanne Tangery, Felicia Touhey, Bettie Sarantos, Roberta Van Der Molen, Kathleen Weber, Elizabeth Bonner Zimmerman

Gallery 297 fills the upper level of the Green River Silver Co. at 297 Hope Street in Bristol, RI. Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, Noon-5pm.

At a time when the nation must spend billions to rebuild the Gulf Coast and restore coastal wetlands, retailers turn a blind eye to the shady practices of their suppliers and keep their floors stocked with cypress mulch. It's time they stop.

Audubon members are invited to a free screening of Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs; on either Tuesday 6/19 at 6:30 p.m. or Thursday 6/21 at 7:30 p.m.

This film follows researchers and explorers as they piece together the archeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies. These relics of the past create a window into the fascinating and mysterious world of the pharaohs.

In addition to increasing our understanding of the culture, religion, medicine, and daily life thousands of years ago, scientists today are reconstructing mummy DNA and deciphering ancient texts to gain insight into modern human genetics and advance medical treatments. To unwrap the secrets of the pharaohs is to perhaps glimpse the future of our own civilization.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the Nature Conservancy invite you to join them in learning more about the endangered piping plovers and least terns nesting at Goosewing Beach in Little Compton.

The day will begin at 9 a.m. with breakfast (at own expense) and orientation at the Commons Lunch Restaurant on the Commons in Little Compton. We will then carpool to Goosewing Beach for a guided tour of the protected area with Polly Turner, Education/Outreach Coordinator with the Nature Conservancy. The area protects several piping plover nests as well as 50-60 nesting least terns. At this time of year you may even see piping plover hatchlings darting around the beach.

The program is Wednesday, June 20 at 9 a.m. and free to ASRI members. Space is limited to 15 participants so please register by calling (401) 949-5454 x3041 or clicking on the link below.

Take a great expedition, hike in a swamp and much, much more in the spring issue of the Nature Tour and Programs Guide.

See a copy online by clicking on the link below.

Don't miss this great opportunity for your children this summer.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island offers a fun and educational learning experience for campers as young as 3 to as old as 63. We are excited to offer you some new camps this year - Night Camp, Traveling Nature Camp, and even Family Camp. Some of our other popular camps like Early Birds and Explorers also have openings. Audubon offers camp in three convenient locations; Smithfield, Bristol and Seekonk. Our camp instructors are experienced in the fields of environmental studies as well as education and have extensive experience working with children. We also maintain a low camper to staff ratio insuring a quality and safe experience for all. So be sure to join us this summer for nature hikes, games, habitat studies, crafts, and much more!

Act fast as these spots are filling up fast! For details or call (401) 949-5454 x3014 to register today!

The Rhode Island Butterfly Survey is part of a larger effort, coordinated by NABA, to survey butterflies in North America.

In early July, volunteers across the continent conduct a one-day census of all the butterflies observed within a selected 15-mile diameter count circle. Audubon coordinates this effort in Rhode Island.

"The NABA Butterfly Survey is a wonderful opportunity for individuals with varying levels of experience to enjoy these fascinating organisms and their habitats while providing useful scientific data," comments Larry Taft, ASRI's executive director. During last year's count, which included survey circles in Washington, Kent, and Providence County, volunteers recorded 1094 individual butterflies and 41 species.

This year with the addition of a second date for survey circles centered in Bristol and Newport County, organizers are hoping to see both more numbers and more species.

"This year, who knows what we'll get?" says volunteer organizer July Lewis. "There's a lot of great habitat in the East Bay, such as the Haffenreffer Museum grounds, Norman Bird Sanctuary, and Sachuest Point. We've got a lot of volunteers, but we could certainly use more. There are some nice areas, such as the East Bay Bike Path, that haven't yet been covered.

The counts will be held Saturday, June 23 9:30-2 in Bristol and Newport Counties and Saturday, July 14, 9:30-2 in Providence, Kent, and Washington Counties.

At this event, amateurs and experts will go into specified survey areas to identify and record all the butterflies they can in one day. The event is open to the public, and amateurs are welcome. There is a $5 participation fee for adults, and there is no charge for children under 12. Participants may choose to survey for the whole day or a shorter time if they choose.

Participants should attend one of the following orientation meetings/butterfly ID workshops to prepare for the count:
Wednesday, June 20 6-7:30 pm
Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 East Main Rd., Portsmouth
Friday, July 6, 7-8:30 pm
Audubon's Fisherville Brook Refuge, Pardon Joslin Rd., Exeter
Monday, July 9, 7-8:30 pm
U.S. Fish & Wildlife's Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charleston
Tuesday, July 10, 7-8:30 pm
Audubon Headquarters, Powder Mill Ledges Refuge, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield

To register for the event and arrange a survey site use the link below to contact July Lewis or call 401-949-5454 x 3044.

Seven new volunteers have completed the annual trail guide training which was offered at the Environmental Education Center on June 2nd. The two-hour training session, which was led by Anne Dimonti, the Center Director, is offered to all interested volunteers who complete the Exhibit Hall Guide training and want to expand their abilities to leading groups on outdoor tours.

The members of the trail guide training team for the EEC are:
Roberta Coyne, Lisa Elliott, Jennifer Hawkins, Austin Meredith, Ellen Shea, Linda Sheehan, and Charles Vacca.