Electric boats are coming. Will Maine have mechanics to service them?

Article by Sarah Shemkus, published in Energy News Network on February 13, 2023. Electric boats will soon be docking along Maine’s rocky coast. A new training program aims to help boat mechanics prepare to service them, with the goal of speeding up the adoption of these cleaner-running vessels… Read full article here.

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… Read more »

Bill Nemitz: Not happy with your internet? Now’s the time to do something about it

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 improve service to those that do. How do you get a piece of that action? Here’s a hint: You snooze, you lose. “The communities that… Read more »

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 8 percent between 2010 and 2020. There are roughly a dozen offshore islands in Maine, reachable only by plane or boat, that have towns with… Read more »

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” looks at the Maine coast through the art of four local artists — each with unique perspectives, both geographically and conceptually, of the landscape and… Read more »

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 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 »