Rendering of the solar carport canopy at our Smithfield campus on the Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge. With federal incentives and tax advantages disappearing under current federal policy by July of next year, there is urgency to get this project started now, not later.
November 25, 2025
RePower Audubon: Action Speaks Louder than Words
Jeff Hall, Executive Director
As global leaders gathered in Brazil for the COP30 climate conference, the world was looking for bold commitments and meaningful progress. Unfortunately, the United States was largely absent except for Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the sole representative of the U.S. federal government. The Trump Administration’s rollback of clean-energy policies is undermining national efforts to lower carbon emissions at the very moment action is needed most.
Recent Rhode Island Current reporting only underscores the stakes. Rhode Island's latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows that emissions increased by 1.4% in 2023.
The analysis makes clear: if emissions continue at the current rate, the state will miss the 2030 benchmark under the Act on Climate law and place its 2050 net-zero mandate in jeopardy.
But even as national policies falter and state progress slows, Audubon Society of Rhode Island is not slowing down. Quite the opposite—we are accelerating.
Image by Richard Staples
Leading by Example
At Audubon, we believe that action speaks louder than words. Through our RePower Audubon initiative, we are proving what climate leadership looks like at the organizational level.
- Eliminating 97% of natural gas usage at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium by converting to high efficiency all-electric heat pumps. Only our aquarium’s backup life support generator is powered by gas.
- A carport solar canopy is coming to the Nature Center campus that will provide 100% renewable energy for the entire Bristol facility—an achievement that will stand as one of the first of its kind for a Rhode Island nonprofit.
- Transitioning our landscaping and maintenance equipment to electric alternatives. Gas-powered blowers, mowers, and tractors are being replaced with cleaner, quieter, zero-emission models.
- With a just announced grant from The Champlin Foundation, we will eliminate natural gas from our Smithfield Headquarters by the first quarter of next year…ready to run on renewable power.
RePower Audubon is working ... reducing emissions, modernizing our facilities, and showing Rhode Island what a sustainable future looks like.
But we’re not done.
To fully decarbonize our operations, we must commit to a second solar carport canopy at our Smithfield headquarters campus. This will allow us to provide 100% renewable energy for the entire organization—a transformational step toward true net-zero goals.
With federal incentives and tax advantages disappearing by July of next year, there is urgency to act now, not later.
Why Your Support Matters
The climate crisis demands action, not excuses. Your support will allow us to show others what is possible:
- Finish electrifying our campuses
- Accelerate renewable energy construction
- Reduce long-term operating costs
- Deliver climate leadership that Rhode Island can count on
Together, we can show that even when federal direction falters, local action can—and must—move forward.
Good Birding,
Jeff Hall
Executive Director
