When I first started teaching at South Portland High School in 2000, one of the teachers was unable to incorporate the school’s fledgling recycling program into her classroom and asked if I wanted to take up the task. I was immediately interested because I had worked to implement recycling programs when I attended Stonehill College Read More
Spotlight on Sustainability in Maine
Every day, Maine people and communities embrace better, more sustainable ways to inhabit our great state. Spotlight on Sustainability in Maine is NRCM’s new statewide web hub, devoted to gathering and sharing information about the people, places, and initiatives making a positive difference for Maine's environment. From fresh local foods to clean solar energy to turning trash into treasure, there are many ways to say “sustainable” in Maine.
Our sustainability radar is always on, and we love to share. Do you have information about a great project helping to make Maine a more sustainable place to call home that you would like to see featured on NRCM’s blog? Guest posts and alerts about interesting sustainability stories are always welcome! If it is good news for our environment and involves Maine or Mainers, it belongs in the spotlight. Please contact Sarah Nichols, NRCM Sustainable Maine Director at snichols@nrcm.org or (207) 430-0170 or Chrissy Adamowicz, NRCM Sustainable Maine Outreach Coordinator at cadamowicz@nrcm.org or (207) 430-0144.
Citizens in Belfast Protecting the Commons!
Not long ago, a few people in Belfast got word that the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation had proposed a plan to spray an unidentified herbicide on the cracks between paving stones on a certain pathway upon what is known as “The Commons.” The Commons is a beautiful, open, public area encompassing a grassy Read More
Teaching and Living Sustainability in Falmouth Elementary Schools
I am a first grade teacher in the largest K-5 elementary school in the state, Falmouth Elementary School. I have brought many sustainability efforts to the children and adults at the school. This endeavor began more than 10 years ago with the introduction by ecomaine of single-stream recycling in Falmouth. Once the program was available in Read More
Maine Farmers’ Markets: Not Just a Summer Thing!
Let’s be honest: The easiest time to fall in love with Maine farmers’ markets is amidst the luscious towers of tomatoes and melons in August, not the coolers of meats and crates of root vegetables in January. You might not have even realized that there IS a farmers’ market near you in January! But every Read More
Plastic and Foam Containers Have an Impact, in Maine and Globally
Do you know that the plastic bag you innocently accept when the cashier hands you your groceries could actually be the death of you? I first learned about marine litter when I was 13. I was given an inscribed copy of the book Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Read More
Waste Not, Want Not
91. That’s the number of times the Empire State Building could have been filled from top to bottom with the amount of food wasted in the United States in 2010. And the problem gets worse every year. United States Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, representing Maine’s First Congressional District, recently unveiled and introduced legislation to tackle this Read More
Falmouth Protects Falmouth
Congratulations to the Town of Falmouth for recently adopting an ordinance that establishes a five-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags! Beginning April 1st, 2016, any business with a facility of more than 10,000 square feet will need to charge the fee for single-use shopping bags. The Falmouth ordinance does several important things, not Read More
Tomorrow’s Citizens March for Climate Action Now!
Students at King Middle School recently participated in a climate action march to coincide with the COP 21 climate talks, happening in Paris, France. More than 400 students at the Portland middle school were joined by the mayor, the media, and members of NRCM and other groups. The students marched from their school to Portland Read More
Everyone Can Pitch In By Not Pitching In
This summer, the City of Waterville adopted a “carry in, carry out” policy at all of its public parks. Waterville adopted the policy after Parks and Recreation Department Director Matt Skehan did some research into other recreation areas with the policy, including other municipalities as well as national parks. Skehan, and in turn the City, was Read More
