More communities are developing ordinances meant to protect residents from toxic chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects. by Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Even though Paul Schlein is a careful, detail-oriented sort, he didn’t fuss over his testimony before heading to Augusta late last month for a hearing on a Read More
Search Results for: pesticides
Robin Hunting—and Eating—and the Year of the Bird
You may know that the early settlers to North America named the American Robins we know and love today. But did you know they also ate them? When the first European settlers saw the bird, they named the species “robin” based on the robins they knew back in Europe. That species, now called the European Read More
LePage’s Bill to Limit Local Control of Pesticide Use Appears Headed for Defeat
It’s the governor’s second attempt at pushing the pesticide policy. by Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — A bill proposed by Gov. Paul LePage that would prevent Maine municipalities from limiting or banning pesticide use appears headed for defeat after a legislative committee voted 9-2 against it Wednesday. About 20 Read More
Mainers Celebrate 45th Anniversary of Clean Water Act
Describe Enormous Progress and Serious Threats to Clean Water in Maine NRCM news release Lewiston, ME — Today on the banks of the Androscoggin, once labeled the most polluted river in America, a diverse group of Mainers described the importance of the Clean Water Act. The Act became law on October 18, 1972, when Congress Read More
Brunswick Adopts New Pesticide Rules
Original ordinance from 2007 limited use in town by Juliette Laaka Times Record news story Brunswick will now give preference to organic pesticides over chemical treatments on all town-owned land, thanks to ordinance amendments adopted by the town council on Monday. The original land care ordinance, adopted in 2007, limited the use of pesticides on Read More
Maine Environmental Group Slams Trump’s Proposed EPA Budget
by Fred Bever Maine Public news story State environmental activists took to Scarborough Beach on Thursday to condemn President Donald Trump’s plan to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by 30 percent. The Natural Resources Council of Maine staged the event to highlight the direct effects that it says Trump’s proposal would have on Maine: Read More
Saco Bans Single-use Plastic Bags!
Earlier this spring, Saco became the ninth Maine town to enact an ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags. Saco’s ordinance will apply to all businesses in the town and follows on the heels of the city’s efforts to curb the use of single-use foam containers. Several Maine towns, including Saco, have now banned the use Read More
NRCM Leadership, Then and Now
By NRCM Board President Kate Rush and founding NRCM Board member Bill Townsend One afternoon this summer, I had coffee with Bill Townsend, a founding Board member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Serving as the second President of the Board, Bill has served as a board member or advisor for NRCM since 1960, 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