The number of Maine schools that are diverting food waste is growing! Some schools have signed up for a composting service, while others compost their food waste on site. Other schools send their food waste to an anaerobic digester or partner with local pig farmers. If you don’t see your school on the list we Read More
food waste
Why Develop School Food Waste Reduction Programs?
Maine K-12 schools generate an estimated seven million pounds of food waste annually (1). That is a staggering amount for our small state, and it reflects the larger, global food waste problem. At home, almost one-third of the garbage Mainers throw out is food waste and scraps. Meanwhile, one in five Maine kids may not Read More
Plan Not to Waste
Prevent food waste this Thanksgiving by planning your menu by portion size: The average person will eat about a pound of turkey, a quarter pound of green beans, and an eighth of a nine-inch pumpkin pie. To view more tips, click here. To subscribe to our Tip of the Day RSS feed, click here. Read More
Maine School Cafeterias Reducing Plastic Pollution and Waste
We are all familiar with the challenges of using plastic cutlery. These utensils notoriously fail at the only task they are made for: cutting and picking up food. In addition, they create a lot of single-use trash, are not recyclable, and there are reusable options. In recent years, schools have brought plastic cutlery into lunchrooms. Read More
Go Green at the Office!
Reduce food waste by creating a compost bin in the kitchen at your office. Coworkers can take the bin home and add it to their own compost piles. To view more tips, click here. To subscribe to our Tip of the Day RSS feed, click here.
September 29, 2018: ecomaine’s Annual Recycling Open House, Portland
The Natural Resources Council of Maine was pleased to again participate in ecomaine’s annual recycling Open House and e-waste collection event on Saturday, September 29 at their location at 62 Blueberry Road, Portland (just off Exit 46 of I-95 near the Portland International Jetport). The morning included: Tours of ecomaine’s facilities Free electronic waste (e-waste) collection Read More
Lessons in Food Waste at Hall-Dale Middle School
In June, we were fortunate to be visited by members of the NRCM staff including Beth Comeau, Lisa Pohlmann, and Lily Bailey, the intern who was assigned to work with and support the Hall-Dale Middle School Environmental Club. The NRCM staff members were very enthusiastic as they asked the students to reflect on our food Read More
Hall-Dale Continues Composting Challenge
Environmental Club members have continued to work toward consistent cafeteria composting at Hall-Dale Middle School, but not without encountering challenges along the way. Our original farmer had a very busy schedule—between taking care of his animals and picking up food waste from others around town, he could not always get to us in a timely Read More
Environmental Issues in Maine at the State and Federal Levels
The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) closely monitors policy developments related to environmental issues in Maine and at the federal level. We actively promote policies to protect against air pollution and water pollution, ensuring clean air and clean water in Maine. We work to conserve land for public access and for healthy Maine wildlife Read More
