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 in straight lines on the water. Francke reached down and hoisted a rope. She has been lobstering for a decade and a half, she says,… Read more »
Category: In the news
Grassroots group seeks collaborative solutions for climate adaptations
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
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 lifetimes that Maine is warming up,” said Dr. Cassaundra Rose of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. “Climate change is already a… Read more »
Maine’s Seaweed Farmers Are Already Having a Record-Setting Year
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
We’re already a month-plus into spring and in Maine, spring isn’t just about April showers (rain or snow) or May flowers: it also marks the start of the state’s seaweed harvest. According to the Associated Press, Maine is the spot for the United State’s seaweed farming industry, and this year already looks like one for the record books. Atlantic… Read more »
Broadband talk is finally connecting with more significant investment
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
Broadband is having a moment, both here in Maine and at the federal level. State and local officials have been talking about broadband expansion for a long time. The discussion and the demonstrated need surrounding high-speed internet access — a need that is particularly great in Maine’s more rural areas — have far outmatched the public investment.… Read more »
Turn off the lights, buy local, ride your bike: How to make every day Earth Day
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
The world celebrated its first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, and for its 51st anniversary local environmentalists and leaders were hoping to spread around their suggestions for how they care for the planet and how Mainers can do their part. Sam Belknap of the Island Institute’s Climate Solutions team said everyone can do simple… Read more »
Art prompts spur community to get creative during Artists & Makers Week
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
ROCKLAND—As mud season is full underway, little pops of color in nature are turning up on roadsides and gardens. As part of Artists & Makers Week hosted by the Island Institute’s retail store Archipelago, little pops of color also appeared in artist Kim Bernard’s email inbox—the result of daily art prompts she put out to… Read more »
Artist & Makers Week goes virtual for the creative economy
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
ROCKLAND—The Island Institute and its retail store, Archipelago are champions of the Midcoast’s creative economy and sponsors of the past in-person Artist and Makers Conferences. This year due to the pandemic, they’ve spun in a new direction, creating a virtual Creative Economy Hub for the week of April 5 to 9, 2021. Organizer Lisa Mossel Vietze… Read more »
Maine can’t afford a fractured approach to expanding internet access
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
As with many other services and policy discussions, the COVID-19 pandemic has both emphasized and magnified the need to expand broadband access. That may sound trite, but it’s true. Internet connectivity has come to be a requirement in so many aspects of life: in business, in education, in health care, in growing the economy. While… Read more »
After 18 years, Island Institute leader Rob Snyder steps down
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
The longtime leader at the Island Institute is moving on from his 18-year tenure with the Rockland nonprofit, eight of those as president. Rob Snyder will leave at the end of April for a job in the private sector. Effective March 15, Rob Beams, chief operating officer at the Island Institute, will serve as interim president. Snyder’s… Read more »
Broadband mapping money in Mills’ budget hailed by business, development leaders
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under In the news.
Gov. Janet Mills’ proposal to add $1.8 million to Maine’s supplemental budget, earmarked for mapping and technical support, is being hailed by business and development leaders as necessary to help the state recover from the pandemic, as well as bolster the state’s economic growth. The supplemental budget money will help pinpoint geographic areas in need… Read more »
