Category: In the news

Fishing communities and seafood suppliers in Maine who depend on the ocean for their livelihood have seen the effects of climate change firsthand, as warming ocean temperatures significantly affect their catches. Luke’s Lobster is one supplier who is taking matters into their own hands, transitioning their docks and operations to renewable energy and making energy… Read more »

ROCKPORT – The Island Institute, a community development nonprofit based in Rockland, hosts a special, climate-focused film event at the Shotwell Drive-in, 40 West St., Wednesday, July 28, at 8:30 p.m. “The Climate, Our Coast, and Our Communities” features an evening of films highlighting personal stories from those living on the frontlines of climate change… Read more »

FALMOUTH, MAINE — One bright, brisk morning last month, Colleen Francke steered her skiff a mile off the coast of Falmouth and cut the gas. A few white buoys bobbed in straight lines on the water. Francke reached down and hoisted a rope. She has been lobstering for a decade and a half, she says,… Read more »

We’re already a month-plus into spring and in Maine, spring isn’t just about April showers (rain or snow) or May flowers: it also marks the start of the state’s seaweed harvest. According to the Associated Press, Maine is the spot for the United State’s seaweed farming industry, and this year already looks like one for the record books. Atlantic… Read more »

Broadband is having a moment, both here in Maine and at the federal level. State and local officials have been talking about broadband expansion for a long time. The discussion and the demonstrated need surrounding high-speed internet access — a need that is particularly great in Maine’s more rural areas — have far outmatched the public investment.… Read more »

The world celebrated its first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, and for its 51st anniversary local environmentalists and leaders were hoping to spread around their suggestions for how they care for the planet and how Mainers can do their part. Sam Belknap of the Island Institute’s Climate Solutions team said everyone can do simple… Read more »

ROCKLAND—As mud season is full underway, little pops of color in nature are turning up on roadsides and gardens. As part of Artists & Makers Week hosted by the Island Institute’s retail store Archipelago, little pops of color also appeared in artist Kim Bernard’s email inbox—the result of daily art prompts she put out to… Read more »

ROCKLAND—The Island Institute and its retail store, Archipelago are champions of the Midcoast’s creative economy and sponsors of the past in-person Artist and Makers Conferences. This year due to the pandemic, they’ve spun in a new direction, creating a virtual Creative Economy Hub for the week of April 5 to 9, 2021. Organizer Lisa Mossel Vietze… Read more »

As with many other services and policy discussions, the COVID-19 pandemic has both emphasized and magnified the need to expand broadband access. That may sound trite, but it’s true. Internet connectivity has come to be a requirement in so many aspects of life: in business, in education, in health care, in growing the economy. While… Read more »