December 1, 2022
Area Towns Selected for Climate Program
GOULDSBORO — The Island Institute will be working with Gouldsboro, Swan’s Island and Cranberry Isles to oversee implementation of the state’s Community Resilience Partnership (CRP). The CRP, a program of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, is designed for communities who are considering energy transitions and wish to become more resilient to extreme weather, flooding and rising sea levels. “These three communities have unique challenges, and we’re excited to assist them as they move through the community process of developing and enacting energy transitions and climate resilient…
March 8, 2022
Maine Voices: Making Maine’s high-speed internet dreams come true
An engaged community can fundamentally alter the economics of a broadband project
Maine communities have a long history of self-determination. Access to high-speed internet is no different. As local broadband committees, statewide partners and private-sector providers all look to close the digital divide, communities play a central role. An engaged community can fundamentally alter the economics of a broadband project.
October 24, 2021
Bill Nemitz: Not happy with your internet? Now’s the time to do something about it
Maine's $150 million broadband expansion will go first to those communities that have a plan
Looking for a little good news? Here’s some: Thanks to federal and state funding, Maine currently has $150 million to bring high-speed internet to places that don’t have it and…
August 20, 2021
More people have moved to Maine’s remote islands in the last decade
The population of Maine’s offshore islands, which incurred steady declines in the decades after World War II and still face myriad challenges in sustaining their year-round communities, jumped by nearly…
August 2, 2021
Archipelago celebrates summer in Maine with ‘Currents and Channels exhibit
ROCKLAND - Join Archipelago, the Island Institute’s store and gallery, for its summer gallery show, “Currents and Channels: Four Coastal Maine Artists,” on display through Sept. 25. “Currents and Channels”…
July 28, 2021
Rockland mulls impact of proposed three-fer property sale on working waterfront
The proposed sale of three commercial waterfront properties in Rockland could bring new development and new tax revenue, but could also put pressure on shrinking working waterfront space, perhaps changing…
July 28, 2021
Fisheries in Maine Rally to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint and Increase Sustainability
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…
July 21, 2021
Island Institute hosts evening of climate-focused films July 28
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…
June 26, 2021
From Maine’s warming waters, kelp emerges as a potentially lucrative cash crop
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…
June 17, 2021
Grassroots group seeks collaborative solutions for climate adaptations
If you’ve noticed milder winters, warmer waters, and a spike in sweltering summer days, you’re not alone. “Many, many people, hundreds of people, told us that they’ve noticed over their…