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Sarah Lakeman, Sustainable Maine Project Director

Sarah is a widely respected expert in the field of sustainability. Her testimony at hearings before the Maine Legislature strengthens any proposal relating to solid waste management. A highly sought-after presenter, Sarah also shares her expertise with people around the state who are working to make their community more sustainable by putting into place ordinances that address shopping bags, polystyrene food containers, and other single-use plastics. Before joining NRCM in 2014, Sarah spent several years providing education, training, and technical assistance to communities wanting to encourage people to reduce, reuse, and recycle. She has a bachelor’s degree from UNH in Environmental & Resource Economics and a master’s degree from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she specialized in Economics and Politics of the Environment and Water Resources Management. Aside from “talking trash,” she enjoys both hiking up and sliding down mountains, drawing pictures, and bonding with friends and family. She lives in Cumberland with her husband and two young sons.

NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 360, An Act to Increase the Reimbursement to Bottle Redemption Centers

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Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of LD 360, which I believe is the Read More

NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 289, LD 621, and LD 505: Bills to Prohibit Use of Disposable Foam Food Containers

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Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of LD 289, LD 621, and LD 505. Read More

NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 102, An Act to Improve the Manufacturing of Plastic Bottles and Caps

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Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of LD 102, An Act to Improve the Read More

What You Can Do about the Unfolding Recycling Crisis

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It’s been more than a year since China announced that they will no longer buy the world’s contaminated recyclables, and we are feeling the effects here in Maine. Unless the baled recycled materials (stuff we put in our household recycling bins, among other sources of recyclables) meet a very strict, almost perfect, quality standard—only 0.05% Read More

Plastic Bag Bans Signal Imminent Shift Away from Convenience Plastics

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People everywhere are talking about plastic pollution more than ever. Researchers all over the world are studying the unnerving prevalence of plastic in the environment and documenting its devastating impacts on our ecosystems—and their findings are startling. You may have heard the terrifying estimate that plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050; or Read More

NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 1703, An Act to Create Equity for Wine and Spirit Container Deposits

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Senator Saviello, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify in opposition to LD 1703. NRCM has had a long history working to Read More

NRCM Statement on Strong Bipartisan Vote to Add “Nips” Liquor Bottles to Maine’s Bottle Bill

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Statement of Sarah Lakeman, Sustainability Project Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “NRCM applauds Maine lawmakers for taking a strong, bipartisan stance against roadside litter and in support of Maine’s Bottle Bill by adding ‘nips’ to the redemption program. Today the Maine Senate voted to support adding nips to Maine’s Bottle Bill by a vote Read More

NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 1505, “An Act to Create Consistency in the Regulation of Pesticides”

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Senator Davis, Representative Martin, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify in opposition to LD 1505. The Maine Board of Pesticides Control lists on Read More

NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 1578, “An Act to Update Maine’s Solid Waste Management Laws”

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Senator Saviello, Representative Welsh, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of LD 1578—but I do have some concerns and suggested amendments Read More