PROVIDENCE — More than 900 employees at Miriam Hospital signed declarations of green citizenship last week as the hospital held a Green Awareness   Day, part of a multi-pronged effort to make the hospital and its community more sustainable.

The green citizenship declarations commit employees to recycling and reducing waste, being more energy efficient, conserving water, reducing pollution, controlling waste and reducing their carbon footprints.

The employees agreed to follow those principles both at work and in their daily lives away from work.

The hospital also identified more than 40 “environmental champions” who will lead efforts in each department to recycle more and reduce paper use.

“The fact that we could reduce wastes and pass on savings to the employees — it’s a win-win situation,” said Susan Cheng, vice president for support services at the hospital.

The hospital has also launched substantial physical changes to make itself more sustainable.

It has cut the energy it uses for air conditioning by changing to a new system, according to David Fontes, facilities director. It has converted to more energy-efficient lighting and installed low-flow toilets and other plumbing changes designed to reduce water usage by four million gallons a year.

The biggest change may be a new agreement to bring a natural gas line to the hospital and switch to gas heat for the next eight years. The changeover is expected to reduce air emissions by 80 percent and to save 60,000 to 80,000 gallons of oil annually.

The hospital has also changed its kitchen services by eliminating plastic foam containers, encouraging diners to put side dishes on their main plates and switching to biodegradable cleaning products.

“Some of these things are the right thing to do,” said Cheng. “We want to go green and we feel there is entirely too much waste.

“I do think in the long run we’ll help the community, too, as our employees extend some of these practices into their homes.”

Spokeswoman Jessica Grimes said the hospital had just completed its first green day Wednesday when Cheng said, “We need to do another.”

DEM hunting Chinese beetle

The Department of Environmental Management is asking nurserymen, commercial pesticide applicators, arborists and other tree health specialists to notify the department if they observe any insects resembling the Asian longhorned beetle, or see symptoms or damage related to this beetle, in Rhode Island.

An invasive insect that is native to China and other areas of eastern Asia, the beetle was recently discovered in Worcester, Mass. The insect is a serious threat to many species of deciduous hardwood trees and can cause widespread mortality of poplar, willow, elm and maple trees. In addition, nursery stock, logs, green lumber, firewood, stumps, roots, branches and wood debris of a half-inch or more in diameter are subject to infestation. The beetle was first discovered in the United States in 1996 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has also been found in New Jersey and Chicago. It is believed that the beetle was brought to the United States in wooden packing material used in cargo shipments from China.

The beetle is large, ranging from ¾ inch to 1¼ inches in length, with very long black and white antennae. The body is glossy black with irregular white spots. The distinctive antennae that give the beetle its common name are as long as the body itself in females, and almost twice the body length in males.

Adult beetles emerge from late spring to early fall and feed on tree bark and tender twigs. During its larval stage, it bores deep in the tree’s heartwood, where it feeds on the nutrients. This tunneling damages and eventually kills the tree. The adult beetle then chews its way out of the tree the next summer, leaving perfectly round exit holes that are approximately three-eighths inch in diameter.

Signs of infestation include perfectly round, dime-sized exit holes; frass, a sawdust-like material comprising tree shaving and insect waste; and oozing sap. Dead and dying tree limbs or branches and yellowing leaves in areas where there has been no drought may also be signs of infestation. Research indicates this beetle can survive and reproduce in most sections of the country where suitable host trees exist.

This invasive beetle has not been detected in Rhode Island through routine field surveys conducted by the department’s forest health program. The divisions of agriculture and forest environment will provide assistance to Massachusetts in its efforts to eradicate the beetle.

The Division of Agriculture asks to be notified of any insect suspects or damage symptoms related to the beetle. If you think you have seen this insect, do not disturb infested trees or move any of the wood and report suspected sightings or damage to Liz Lopes-Duguay, senior environmental scientist in the Division of Agriculture, at (401) 222-2781, ext. 4510, or (401) 949-1770, or by e-mail to liz.lopesduguay@dem.ri.gov.

Conservation district dinner set

Northern Rhode Island Conservation District will hold its annual dinner meeting Sept. 5 at 4 p.m. at Addieville Farm East in Mapleville.

A walking tour of past and ongoing conservation projects will be led by Addieville owner Geoff Gaebe and forester Marc Tremblay. The tour begins at approximately 4:15 p.m., weather permitting. Another option, also at 4:15, is clay-shooting instruction, offered for an additional fee. Lawn games are also planned. Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30. The reservation deadline is Wednesday. For more information, call (401) 949-1480.

Household hazards to be collected

The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation will hold an Eco-Depot collection Saturday, Sept. 6, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the Central Landfill, 65 Shun Pike, Johnston. This is a free service for Rhode Island households.

Eco-Depot is a household hazardous-waste disposal program in which residents may turn in materials that are too toxic, explosive, volatile or poisonous to be put in the trash. To view a complete list of accepted materials, visit www.rirrc.org.

An appointment is needed for drop-offs. Call (401) 942-1430, ext. 241, or sign up at www.rirrc.org and click on the Eco-Depot logo on the right-hand side of the page.

Visitor center hosting families

The Kettle Pond Visitor Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown, is offering the following activities:

•Friday is Craft Day for ages 6 to 12. Meet at the visitor center at 2 p.m. to make nature journals. Call (401) 364-9124, ext. 48, to register.

•Saturday is movie time for all ages. Meet in the visitor center’s theater at 10:15 a.m. for a viewing of Warner Brother’s Open Season. No registration is necessary.

•Also Saturday: An animal hunt for ages 6 to 12 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Meet naturalist Kate Eastman at Burlingame. Call (401) 364-9124, ext. 48, to register.

Seining activity open to all ages

The Audubon Society is sponsoring a free seining program for all ages with Janna Greehalgh, from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, at Grassy Point in Ninigret Park, on Route 1A in Charlestown, tomorrow evening from 6 until dark. Follow the signs to the Frosty Drew Nature Center and keep driving to the end of the road to the parking area at the east entrance to the refuge. Registration is not required.

TV’s ‘Victory Garden’ resumes

A new season of The Victory Garden, television’s longest running gardening show, premieres Saturday, Sept. 6, on PBS (check local listings).

The show is hosted by Jamie Durie, an international award-winning garden designer, horticulturist and Australian television personality, and features segments with chef Michael Nischan and gardening correspondent Paul Epsom..

For more information, visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden.

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 (401) 277-8036, by e-mail at plord@projo.com or by writing him, care of The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.