If you’ve been following along with us, you may know that Maine was the first state in the nation to pass an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law for product packaging. After a multi-year, exhaustive stakeholder engagement process led by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the rules for this program were officially approved in Read More
About Vanessa Berry, Sustainable Maine Program Manager
Maine EPR for Packaging Law Close to Reality
In 2021, Maine adopted a first-in-the-nation Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law to reduce taxpayer costs and improve recycling by encouraging producers to create less wasteful packaging. Put simply: It’s unfair that Maine taxpayers and communities are on the hook for the wasteful packaging produced by large companies—much of it single-use plastic—that ends up Read More
LD 2134, Responsibility for Actions to Increase Use of Reusable and Refillable Beverage Containers
Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Vanessa Berry, and I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I am here to offer testimony neither for nor against LD 2134. First, I’d like to thank the Read More
LD 295, An Act to Ensure Accurate Recyclability Labeling of Plastic Containers and Plastic Packaging Material
Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Vanessa Berry, and I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I am here to testify in support of Representative Gramlich’s amendment to LD 295. Plastic pollution is a Read More
Support of LD 2091, Businesses’ and Consumers’ Use of Returnable, Reusable and Refillable Containers for Food, Beverages, and Nonfood Items
Senator Ingwersen, Representative Pluecker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, my name is Vanessa Berry, and I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I am here to testify in support for LD 2091, which would help businesses reduce waste from packaging Read More
How to Tackle Maine’s Waste Problem
Two recent events that impact how communities deal with trash in Maine have highlighted the systemic stresses on our local waste management systems. First, a decision by the City of Auburn to stop its recycling program, opting to dispose of recyclable materials instead, is devastating for many community members who have committed themselves to improving Read More
LD 1682, An Act to Create the Maine Experiential Education Program
Testimony in Support of LD 1682, An Act to Create the Maine Experiential Education Program Senator Ingwersen, Representative Pluecker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, my name is Vanessa Berry. I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity Read More
Top 5 Sustainable Things to “Check Out” at Your Library
Libraries are a great place to build community and read the classics, but they’re also a vital part of our sustainable future by providing access to resources and information from all over the world at little-to-no cost to visitors! My husband and I moved to Gardiner almost two years ago and recently made it Read More
LD 957, An Act Requiring Water Bottle Filling Stations in New and Renovated Public Schools
Testimony in Support of LD 957, An Act Requiring Water Bottle Filling Stations in New and Renovated Public Schools Senator Rafferty, Representative Brennan, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, my name is Vanessa Berry. I am the Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I Read More
