We attended Portland, Maine’s ‘Feeding the 5,000’ Festival on Oct. 7 by George Semler The Daily Meal news story On Friday, October 7th, Portland, Maine became the 41st global city to reenact the biblical miracle of the loaves, feeding a 100-percent gleaned vegan vegetable stew to just under 5,000 people in and around Monument Square Read More
Sarah Lakeman
Company Guarantees Trash Reduction for Maine Towns that Switch to Pay-per-bag
North Carolina-based WasteZero promises that its pay-as-you-throw model will reduce waste by more than a third in its first year. By Peter McGuire, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A private waste management company looking to expand in Maine is guaranteeing that communities that sign on to its pay-as-you-throw waste disposal system will reduce Read More
Controversial Hampden Waste Facility Gets Clearance
The Natural Resources Council says it is ‘dumbfounded’ by the state Department of Environmental Protection’s decision. by Madeline St. Amour, Morning Sentinel Portland Press Herald news story The Department of Environmental Protection has issued the final permits for a first-of-its-kind waste management plant in Hampden that would convert trash from more than 100 central Maine Read More
Legislators Question Viability of Fiberight Waste Proposal
Eight members of a legislative committee are calling on the Department of Environmental Protection to withhold a permit for the controversial waste-to-energy project until concerns over state law and funding are addressed. By Madeline St. Amour, Staff Writer Central Maine newspapers news story A controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in Hampden that would handle Read More
Midcoast Towns Struggle with Trash Tug-of-War
by Andy O’Brien Free Press news story In the coming weeks, Camden, Rockport, Hope and Lincolnville will hold special town meetings to decide where to send their 6,000 tons of annual household trash after March 31, 2018. That date marks the expiration of a lucrative electricity contract between the utility Emera Maine and the Penobscot Read More
Maine Lawmakers Hear Mixed Testimony on Composting, Recycling Bill
A committee considers one of the most significant updates of Maine’s solid waste management laws, a plan to divert more waste from landfills into recycling or composting programs. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Cities and towns could have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 1578, “An Act to Update Maine’s Solid Waste Management Laws”
Senator Saviello, Representative Welsh, 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. I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of LD 1578—but I do have some concerns and suggested amendments Read More
Love Maine, No Butts about It!
Portland, Maine must be grateful that Mike Roylos, former owner of the Spartan Grill on Congress St., was tired of sweeping up cigarette butts from the sidewalk in front of his restaurant. Roylos was so frustrated by the inconvenience, pollution, and unsightliness of the cigarette butts littering Portland’s cobblestoned streets, that he created the “Sidewalk Read More
Welcome to NRCM’s Spotlight on Sustainability in Maine
Sustainability is a goal. It’s a quality that we humans need to uphold in order make sure that future humans (and animals, of course) have what they need to live healthy lives after we’re gone. Think of the survival basics like clean water to drink, clean air to breath, resources to make food, clothing, and Read More
