Mainers from every corner of the state are stepping up to the climate challenge. Practical, creative and trailblazing teachers, bus drivers, students, communities, recent graduates and professional athletes alike are taking action to get ahead of the climate curve. Read their stories.
On MDI, the towns of Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Tremont are engaged in both individual and regionally collaborative projects funded by the Community Reslience Partnership.
Individually, the towns are conducting a mix of greenhouse gas inventories and vulnerability assessments, exploring options to electrify municipal buildings, and doing pre-development homework for a municipal solar array.
The Town of Machias in Washington County earned a $45,000 Community Action Grant to develop an Upper Machias Bay Resiliency Plan.
The Town of Norway in Oxford County was a recipient in May 2022 of a $50,000 Community Action Grant to start a coordinated climate plan for the community. The project involves engaging community members, conducting a community vulnerability assessment and an infrastructure vulnerability assessment, and adopting a climate resilience plan. Previously, the town completed a solar project at the wastewater treatment plant and installed electric vehicle chargers at key locations.
The town of Limestone in Aroostook County received a $50,000 Community Action Grant to help purchase a pair of existing solar arrays located at the former Loring Air Force Base. A second $50,000 Community Action Grant is allowing the town to repair and upgrade the solar arrays, boosting the electricity generation of the systems. The town is partnering with the Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) and together will reduce their electricity bills by 95% with energy from the arrays.
The first electric vehicle repair course in Maine launched at Southern Maine Community College as EV and hybrid adoption accelerates across the state. In the course, auto technicians from dealerships, repair shops and other automotive businesses are trained to diagnose and service electric and hybrid vehicles.