In The News

The U.S. Department of Energy's WINDExchange Summit in Orlando on May 18 provided an opportunity for the audience to learn more about the current status of the wind energy industry. The audience included members of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), national lab representatives, Regional Resource Centers, state energy officials, and professional and institutional partners.

The Maine Broadband Coalition takes a pro-active approach on many bills pending this session in Augusta. A collection of Maine businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations has formed the Maine Broadband Coalition to help state policy leaders improve the quality and speed of Internet services.

Our marine programs director Nick Battista and marine programs associate Rebecca Clark guest-authored a post at the influential blog Talking Fish. In it, they argue that the success of the national ocean planning process depends on the inclusion and resolution of community members' opinions and concerns.

When Holly Zadra suggested that Pittsfield’s First Universalist Church divest its holdings in fossil-fuel corporations, she recalls that church councilors responded with awkward silence “as if I’d said something impolite.” People naturally resist discussing their complicity in an energy system that is destabilizing the planet.

The New York Times reporter Diane Cardwell follows the participants in the CIERA program—the first of many planned collaborative projects between the Island Institute and College of the Atlantic—as they travel from Maine to the island of Samsø, Denmark, which is powered by 100% renewable energy.

James McCarthy's Mainebiz article illustrates Island Institute programming in action, including our highly visible Island Fellows Program. 

The New York Times columnist Andy Revkin, in his Dot Earth blog, looks at the CIERA program currently being run by the Island Institute and College of the Atlantic as part of the Fund for Maine Islands.

Alan Caron writes about the small business owners, entrepreneurs, dreamers and doers that gathered on Chebeague Island to talk about Maine’s economic future, brought together by the Island Institute and the many dedicated volunteers who live on the island.

Bangor Daily News' Abigail Curtis writes about the USDA grant, which will be used to purchase video conferencing devices and hub equipment for distance learning opportunities in 15 island and coastal schools.

MPBN's Jay Field reports on commercial fishermen from Great Britain offering their Maine counterparts advice on protecting their interests, as the state's first offshore wind development moves forward.