Blog

We have spent the last year making progress toward our long-term goal of catalyzing the electrification of commercial boats on Maine’s working coast. This transition from gas- and diesel-powered engines to electric motors comes with questions and challenges—but also tremendous benefits for businesses and coastal communities.

For the second time in my career, I’m venturing into new work as a transplant “from away.” The first time was 27 years ago when I moved from a small, rural village in New Hampshire to a mid-sized city in southern Appalachia. My younger self, the one who had only ever briefly ventured out of New England, was easily identifiable as a newcomer. What started as a brief migration to spread my wings and soak up some warm weather turned into decades of service opportunities spanning the fields of public health, public education, community development, public policy, and economic development. I never imagined I would be welcomed, and then immersed, so much as to eventually become a city council member and a Deputy Mayor.

This month marked the second anniversary of Maine Won’t Wait, the Maine Climate Council’s 4-year climate action plan. Partners from across the state are working hard to put the plan…

If you’ve turned on the radio or watched the news lately, you may have heard about the proposed regulatory changes to the lobster fishery here in Maine. A recent federal…

With hurricane season hitting our southern neighbors earlier than usual, the impacts of climate change were top-of-mind entering the Island Institute’s Climate Symposium on Friday, September 16th. Over 140 mostly…

In spring 2021, we undertook a carbon footprint study with the Maine-based seafood company and partner of the Island Institute, Luke’s Lobster. As two organizations who care deeply about the…

Island Institute does not support the recent decision by Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch to “Red List” the U.S. lobster fishery. They are wrong about our fishery, and we encourage…

The 6th biannual National Working Waterfront Network’s Conference kicked off in Boston this past week! As one of the event sponsors, the Island Institute was proud to attend and represent…

The cost and reliability of energy is a real concern for communities across the country. With skyrocketing gas and oil prices and increasing disruptions from severe weather events as a…

Kelp season seems to come all at once on the coast of Maine. In part due to the nature of the organism and its habitat, and in part due to the needs of kelp harvesters and processors, you can count on most farms being harvested within a couple of weeks in May and June.