Recordings

Strand Theater October 13, 2022 Panel: Clean Energy Solutions for the Working Waterfront

Emma Wendt of Island Institute moderates a panel discussion with Boe Marsh of Community Shellfish, Matt Tarpey of Maine Electric Boat Company, and Lia Morris of Island Institute’s Blue Economy team. This panel discussion followed a free screening of our new Climate of Change short film “Clean Energy Solutions for the Working Waterfront” at the Strand Theater in Rockland, Maine on October 13, 2022.

Climate Symposium 2022 Panel: Clean Energy Solutions for the Working Waterfront

Following the exclusive screening at the Island Institute’s inaugural Climate Symposium of our new short film, Climate of Change: Clean Energy Solutions for the Working Waterfront, stake holders featured in the film participated in a panel discussion. Boe Marsh of Community Shellfish Co., Ben Conniff of Luke’s Lobster, and Matthew Tarpey of Maine Electric Boat Company and Marine Solar Technologies discuss how climate change impacts our working waterfront here in Maine and the steps they are taking to adapt and create a resilient future.

Let's Talk: Ocean Climate Change—Science, Action, and Hope

Island Institute Marine Scientist Dr. Susie Arnold leads a virtual discussion about ocean climate change in Maine and some of the strategies being implemented locally to mitigate and adapt to change. Learn about Maine’s latest climate data, what it means for our coastal residents, and what the Island Institute and other partners are doing to help communities take action. Importantly, Susie discusses why it’s important to stay hopeful despite the challenges we face from climate change.

Let's Talk: The Superpowers of Seaweed

This virtual panel discussion looked at the “superpowers” of seaweed and the research being done in Maine to study its potential to protect shellfish from the impacts of ocean acidification. Through audience questions, panelists also explored the various benefits of seaweed and the opportunities for using it as a tool to address climate change—on the Maine coast and beyond.

Panelists included: Susie Arnold, Ph.D., Marine Scientist, Island Institute; Nichole Price, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist and Benthic Marine Ecologist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; and Briana Warner, President and CEO, Atlantic Sea Farms.

2021 Workforce Pathways Conference

The Workforce Pathways Conference was two-day, virtual conference, organized by the Island Institute and held online on October 7-8, 2021. With the theme of “Connecting the Dots from Kindergarten to College and Career,” the goal was to connect island and coastal educators and industry leaders to help guide Maine students and adults toward promising workforce pathways, improve individual livelihoods, and strengthen communities.

View this keynote presentation by Maine State Economist Amanda Rector, or view all the recordings here.

Community Conversations - Chebeague Island

In this virtual community conversation, staff from the Island Institute met with residents of Chebeague to hear about the challenges and opportunities they see for the island, share solutions from other island communities, and give an overview of some of the Institute’s work to navigate change—including the challenges ahead for Maine’s marine-based economy, sea level rise, and opportunities around broadband connectivity.

Virtual Island Summit 2021

Building Leadership as a Community Development Strategy for Small Islands

Resilient leaders are those who can take action in the face of uncertainty and rapid change. Listen to our panel discussion from the 2021 Virtual Island Summit as community leaders, groups, and innovative organizations tell the story of how they are leading the way in creating resilient communities—by building from the inside out and fostering strong leadership across generations.

The Long Coast

The Island Institute, Maine Island Trail Association, and the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association came together for a conversation around The Long Coast, a documentary by Wicked Delicate Films about the people who make their living on the water in Maine and whose lives are inextricably connected to the ocean. Moderated by Natalie Springuel of Maine Sea Grant, the evening discussion focused on the film, the fishing industry, and the future of seafood in Maine.

Artists & Makers Week 2021

Artists & Makers Week 2021 was a weeklong, virtual celebration featuring live and pre-recorded events and web-based resources to support Maine’s artists and makers. From a deep dive into the ins and outs of Instagram, to an inspiring keynote session and a collaborative community art project, check out these amazing opportunities to learn and create any time of the year.

Want to learn more about Maine’s creative economy? Check out our Creative Economy Hub here.

Business for Purpose and Profit

Business for purpose and profit is a way of thinking about for-profit business that is grounded in the concept that when businesses “shift to the middle” and occupy that space between a typical for-profit corporation and a nonprofit organization, they can have a positive impact on people, the planet, and their profits. This panel discussion with industry leaders highlights their insights and perspectives on the value of social enterprise and the various ways businesses can balance both purpose and profit and use business as a force for the common good.

Let's Talk Maine Seafood

Check out this fun, informative webinar and learn how to prepare an entire meal featuring the best of Maine seafood, using traceable, sustainable food sources from the coast of Maine! Join three industry leaders from their home kitchens to learn about the variety of sustainable Maine seafood available today, tips for preparing it, and the many ways you can support your local fisherman all year long.

2020 Island Teachers Conference

Striving for Equity: Rural Educators as Courageous Leaders

Offered completely online for the first time, our annual Island Teachers Conference focused on equity issues as they relate to the coronavirus, systemic racism, and rural education more broadly. Through two days of engaging and interactive online presentations, the goals of the event were to: increase awareness about equity issues in our rural schools and communities; center the voices of diverse individuals and highlight school-based equity work of education organizations within our communities and the state of Maine; share resources to help us all better address equity issues in ourselves, our schools, and our communities; and offer and encourage personal and professional reflection and self-care.

Coastal Maine Voices:
Looking to the Future

Hannah Pingree on Maine’s Path Forward

Join us for this special online event as we talk to Hannah Pingree, director of the Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, about insights on the pandemic and how climate outcomes for Maine can be aligned as we look to the future. Additional conversation include economic activity along the coast of Maine, broadband’s path forward, the state of affairs in Augusta, and general questions about life on an island.

Coastal Maine Voices:
Island Columnists

The dynamics of island life, explained by island insiders

Join us for this special online event as we engage in a lively rapport with four of The Working Waterfront’s island columnists gathering to talk about the unique qualities of their communities. We tackle the delicate but critical relationship that has always existed between year-round islanders and seasonal residents, explore how island towns govern themselves, and hear some of the lessons our island columnists have learned as they tell their community’s stories each month.

Coastal Maine Voices:
Our Maine

Perspectives from five fine art photographers

Take part in a special online visual journey and conversation with five fine art photographers as we explore perspectives on Maine through each of their lenses.

Coastal Maine Voices:
Let's Talk Lobster

Challenges and opportunities of a core Maine industry

Learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing Maine’s lobster businesses in 2020, and the recent impacts felt by this core Maine industry. We discuss the shifts and challenges that are reverberating through the industry in a number of ways, from market depletion to workforce safety, as well as opportunities arising from hard times.

Community Learning for Maine: Website Launch & Virtual Tour

This webinar offers a quick virtual tour of the new Community Learning for Maine (CL4ME) website. CL4ME is a Maine-based web resource that aims to support schools, organizations, and communities through crisis-schooling and beyond, working together to build long-term school-community collaborations and vitality. This tool unifies Maine’s unique organizational assets to support a wide variety of instructional methods and programs that connect what is being taught in schools to the surrounding communities.

Building a Resilient Business in Uncertain Times

This virtual panel discussion cut across sectors and brought together Maine business owners and community leaders working hard to respond effectively to the global pandemic. During this video conference, a panel of local business leaders addressed the pivots and innovations they worked through at the start. Hear what they did to be agile and resilient during this time of uncertainty.

What the World Can Learn from Maine's One-Room Island Schools

Mandy Metrano, Monhegan Island’s teacher and Yvonne Thomas, Island Institute Education Specialist discuss the lessons that can be learned by remote island schools. With schools closed and digital learning as the new normal, there are tips to be learned and resources to be shared that can address the complexities and challenges that come with remote educational relations.

Virtual Learning Projects and Protocols from the Outer Islands TLC

In this follow-up to our webinar, “What the World Can Learn from Maine’s One-Room Island Schools,” participants will gain a more in-depth understanding of the specific components of the Outer Island Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC). We share the processes and protocols we use for virtual student academic/social collaborations and professional learning and support for teachers.

Small Business Webinar: Get Paid Online

In our increasingly cashless world, and during the global pandemic, small businesses have been trying to find ways to get cash in the door. This workshop is an overview of ways to take a payment using the power of the internet.

2020 Waypoints Forum: Courageous Leadership in Disruptive Times

4 VIDEOS

The 2020 Waypoints Forum offered an opportunity to address the multitude of challenges facing our coast. The theme, “Courageous Leadership in Disruptive Times” tied in the importance of courageous leadership with the workforce and economy of Maine’s working waterfronts, which will be pressured as never before in the coming decades.

2019 Broadband Summit

8 VIDEOS

Maine’s annual broadband summit is focused on inspiring and empowering community leaders to address the challenges of bringing reliable, high-speed internet to Maine.

ShoreUp Maine 2019: Sea Level Rise—Who Pays & How?

5 VIDEOS

ShoreUp Maine 2019: Sea Level Rise—Who Pays and How? was a daylong conference highlighting innovative strategies to help communities pay for projects to increase their resilience to sea level rise and severe storms.

2019 Artists & Makers Conference

6 VIDEOS

The 6th annual Artists & Makers Conference  welcomed close to 200 artists and makers from across the state to Hedges Hall at Point Lookout in Northport for a full day of information, networking, and presentations tailored to the needs of Maine’s arts-based businesses.

2019 Waypoints Forum: Collaborating for Maine's Changing Coast

4 VIDEOS

The Island Institute hosted the third annual Waypoints Forum, an afternoon of discussions focused on the future of our coastal and island communities and the challenges facing Maine’s rapidly changing coast. The theme—”Intersections and Impacts—Collaborating for Maine’s Changing Coast”—highlighted the defining issues impacting our working waterfronts, our workforce and economy, and our coastal communities preparing for threats from sea level rise and climate shifts.