NRCM teamed up with Lamey Wellehan and Baxter Brewing for a fun morning of plogging—picking up litter and walking/jogging—in Lewiston/Auburn. We met at the parking area of Baxter Brewing and after a few words from Lamey Wellehan and NRCM, participants departed at 11:00 a.m. to plog until noon. Here is the trail map. Walkers and Read More
litter
March 21, 2019: “Rubber Jellyfish” Film Screening, Falmouth
Natural Resources Council of Maine and Maine Audubon hosted a screening of “Rubber Jellyfish,” a film about balloon litter and its harm on the environment and wildlife. Kennebunk High School student Will Jones also spokeabout his passion for and work on this important issue. “Rubber Jellyfish” film screening Thursday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. 20 Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 544, An Act To Create Extended Producer Responsibility for Post-consumer Waste Generated from the Use of Tobacco Products
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 544, which is part of a Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 937, An Act Regarding the Sale and Abandonment or Release of Balloons
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 937, which is one of several Read More
What You Can Do about the Unfolding Recycling Crisis
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
July 14, 2018: “Bag It” Movie Screening, Bethel
Have you ever thought about how much plastic our society consumes? Plastic bags, straws, food wrappers, cups, utensils, and other “disposable” single-use plastics made from oil are filling our landfills and polluting our oceans. How can we all take steps in our own lives to reduce our plastic consumption? This epidemic is the focus of Read More
April 22, 2018: Community Trash Clean-up, Waterville
Waterville Community Trash Cleanup Sunday, April 22 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Castonguay Square outside City Hall NRCM Outreach Coordinator Todd Martin and others led a a community trash cleanup event in Waterville on Earth Day. Trash bags and gloves were provided for free to volunteers. We were proud to work with the Kennebec Messalonskee Read More
Bottle Bill Would Lower Deposit for Wine, Spirits
By Christopher Williams Sun Journal news story Advocates of a proposal that would lower the deposit on wine and liquor bottles by 10 cents say the measure would equalize returnables and simplify the process. State Rep. Ellie Espling, R-New Gloucester, the bill’s sponsor, wrote in a statement that she seeks “to implement a uniform refund Read More
Some Legislators Want to Help Road Slobs
By George Smith Bangor Daily News blog If you read this column often, you know how much I dislike road slobs, who toss their garbage out their vehicle windows onto my woodlot. I walk the road from my house to my woodlot every couple of weeks and fill one bag with garbage and another with returnable Read More