Plastic is polluting our environment, killing birds and sea creatures, and contributing to our climate crisis. But, did you know that reducing plastic is something you can do to support public health, the local economy, and human rights, too? We need to work together to turn off the tidal wave of single-use plastic waste. Plastic-free Read More
sustainability
News & Noteworthy — May 2020
May 26, 2020 Here are some of the important news stories related to Maine’s environment of the past two weeks: As Beaches Reopen, a Record Number of Piping Plovers are Nesting — Portland Press Herald This Amish Farm’s In-ground Greenhouse is the First One of Its Kind in Maine — Bangor Daily News Meet the Read More
What Will Our Streets Look Like in the Future?
As the world grapples with the impact of COVID-19, bicycle and pedestrian advocates across the globe have a tremendous opportunity to prove that clean, human-powered transportation is a viable aspect of an environmentally and economically sustainable future. The age-old argument against closing streets down to vehicular traffic is “business will suffer if customers are unable Read More
Four Ways to Improve Our Worsening Waste and Recycling Crisis
Even eternally optimistic people struggle to remain positive sometimes. I know because I am one of them. And as someone who has thought about recycling and waste policy daily for the past decade, my positivity has never had a greater test than in 2020. Most people understand that reducing waste and recycling is an environmentally Read More
Earth Week 2020 Daily Resources
April 22, 2020, marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. To celebrate how far we have come in protecting our environment, staff at the Natural Resources Council of Maine created daily digital care packages from across our program areas that we provided to our members for each day of Earth Week. These resources—informative webinars, inspiration Read More
50 Ideas to Celebrate 50 Years of Earth Day
These are challenging times and it’s important to celebrate when we can, even if we cannot do so in person. For example, April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. That’s something to celebrate, for sure! The Natural Resources Council of Maine had been in the process of creating events with our members and Read More
5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home While Practicing Social Distancing
Chances are that you went to the grocery store (at least once) recently and impulsively bought way more food than usual. And I suspect that may have led to an unanticipated consequence: food waste. (Or perhaps you just guilt-ate way more than you should to prevent your food from going bad!) Reducing food waste is Read More
In Support of LD 2104, An Act to Support and Increase the Recycling of Packaging
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Nichols and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak in strong support of LD 2104. I have provided a folder attached to Read More
Bill Would Help Save Maine’s Struggling Recycling Programs
NRCM news release Augusta, ME (February 25, 2020) – A bill being heard by lawmakers on Wednesday will help save taxpayers money and improve Maine’s struggling recycling programs by asking large corporations to share in responsibility for managing the flood of wasteful packaging entering the state. LD 2104 would apply a proven solution called Extended Read More
