Pam Marsden of Bristol took this photo at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. It was awarded Best of Show by the Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island.

The Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island have announced the winners of their eighth annual amateur photo competition.

The judges for the contest were Jim Hazelwood and Matt Wunsch.

Contestants were asked to submit photos taken at one of the five refuges in Rhode Island: Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge in Charlestown, Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown, John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingstown, Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown or the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Best of Show was awarded to “Pipe Dream,” taken by Pam Marsden of Bristol, at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge.

The winners in the four categories were:

Wildlife: 1st and 2nd place, Jack Kelly of Newport; 3rd place, Kelly Hood of Portsmouth.

Flora: 1st place, Susan Ruggieri of Charlestown; 2nd place, Fred Baker of Charlestown; 3rd place, Gregory Cummings of Fanwood, N.J.

People Participating in Refuge Activities: 1st place, Susan Ruggieri of Charlestown; 2nd place, Brad Barry of Portsmouth; 3rd place, Dani Boden of Florida.

Wildlife Habitat/Landscape: 1st place, Susan Ruggieri of Charlestown; 2nd place, Dani Boden of Florida; 3rd place, Cynthia Jennerwein of Hope Valley.

Awards were presented to all winners at an opening reception at the Courthouse Center for the Arts in West Kingston, where the photos will remain on exhibit until Oct. 15.

The winning photos will then be on exhibit at the Kettle Pond Visitors Center in Charlestown until mid-November.

Helping R.I. schools go green

The Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living will host the first Rhode Island Sustainable Schools Summit on Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Shepard Building, Washington Street, Providence.

The summit will launch a network of schools, administrators, teachers, staff, parents and community members working to make their schools and school systems economically and environmentally viable.

The event, cosponsored by National Grid, the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, the Rhode Island Environmental Association and the Rhode Island High Performance Schools Working Group, will feature ways for schools to reduce their ecological “footprint.”

As a followup to the summit, attendees are also invited to an evening with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. He will speak Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Community College of Rhode Island, Warwick campus.

In addition to the Apeiron Institute, this event is cosponsored by the Coastal Institute of URI, Save the Bay, Roger Williams Zoo, the Rhode Island Environmental Educational Association, the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the Nature Conservancy.

Both events are free but require registration. For more information, or to register, visit www.Apeiron.org or call (401) 228-7930.

Café moves toward goal of zero waste

Blue State Coffee, 300 Thayer St., Providence, now offsets all of its electricity use with wind power. The café has also completed a successful experiment to test whether its coffee cups and other waste are commercially compostable, on its way to its goal of running a “zero-waste” business.

“We pay extra for one hundred percent wind power through People’s Power & Light — but it turns out to be only the cost of one latte per day,” said Alex Payson, Blue State Coffee manager. “If one more person comes into the shop because we’re green, it’s worth it.”

Brown University students, under the tutelage of Kurt Teichert, lecturer and manager of environmental stewardship initiatives at Brown University, designed a zero-waste program for Blue State Coffee.

Part of the plan is to phase in all-compostable and biodegradable paper goods. Composting is a way to turn food waste — such as coffee grounds and paper waste — back into humus, an essential component of healthy soil. Working with Rhode Island’s Earth Care Farm, Blue State conducted a composting experiment — and found the paper products lived up to their promise: they can be made into a soil amendment suitable for organic farming. Once he finds a source for compostable cup lids, Payson intends to compost all the café’s waste.

A day to drop off your e-waste

Every Company Counts and the Secretary of State’s First Stop Business Information Center will hold an e-waste collection day tomorrow at the second annual We Mean Business Expo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick.

Unwanted computer and electronic equipment will be collected from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Crowne Plaza.

Most items will be accepted for a donation of least $1 per item to benefit the International Rett Syndrome Foundation’s The Race for Grace.

However, some items, such as televisions, copiers and air conditioners, will require a separate disposal fee: TVs, $10; TVs in wood casing, $22; intact air conditioners, $14-22; large copy machines, $17; small back-up batteries/UPS, $12; large back-up batteries/UPS, $20. No alkaline batteries or white goods will be accepted.

Watershed Council plans bike ride

You can join the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. for a five-mile after-work bike ride along the newly paved off-road portion of the Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway. The ride will begin at Riverside Park on Aleppo Street, off Manton Avenue, in Providence and continue up Lyman Avenue in Johnston before ending back at Riverside Park. The ride is safe for children.

Paddling on the Woonasquatucket

On Thursday, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is leading a canoe/kayak trip and walk on the Woonasquatucket River, Stillwater Pond and the Stillwater Scenic trail in Smithfield. This easy paddle and walk will give participants a chance to paddle in the deepest valley on the Woonasquatucket Watershed, under the Smithfield Viaduct and into Stillwater Pond, and then a walk on the scenic trail before returning to the boats to paddle back to the starting point.

The council has some canoes and kayaks available, but participants are encouraged to bring their own. A flashlight is needed and life jackets and paddles must be brought by those using their own boats.

A $10 donation is suggested for those using Council boats. For those bringing their own boats, donations are welcome.

For more information or to register, call Bruce Hooke at (401) 351-5747 or e-mail bhooke@woonasquatucket.org. Advanced registration is required.

The Environmental Journal is a listing of brief news items about the actions of individuals, organizations and businesses that affect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the landscape that surrounds us. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact environment reporter Peter B. Lord at 277-8036, or by email at plord@projo.com or by writing him, care of The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, R.I. 02902.