January 25, 2021
Legislative Update: Winter 2021
2021 started with our country, and our government, facing some significant challenges and issues of importance: the spread and increase in cases of COVID-19, rioting at the Capitol, and unprecedented attention being called to address issues of systemic racism and inequality. On January 20th, President Biden was inaugurated and control of the Senate agenda shifted as two new Democratic Senators from Georgia were seated. As a former Hill staffer who started work at the beginning of 2009, amidst the financial crisis and transition to the Obama administration, I saw firsthand…
January 21, 2021
Young leaders can make a difference
Young Leaders Series seeks to empower local youth and provide them with the tools to create positive change
As we began to talk about hosting a leadership training for young people, I kept thinking about something former Mount Desert Island High School student Thomas Korsanje said to me…
January 15, 2021
Conscious capitalism
The Benefits of B Corps and Embracing the "Stakeholder Theory."
We’ve come a long way since 1970, when economist Milton Friedman told the world that companies have no responsibility to society or to the planet, only to increase profits for…
January 12, 2021
A Few of Our Favorite Things: Purpose beyond profit
Making a Difference for People and the Planet
As we begin the new year with ambitious goals for our collaboration with Luke’s Lobster, we’re reminded of the value of B Corps, and the other partners in our state,…
January 7, 2021
What the year looked like from here
We will remember 2020 for the rest of our lives. And the way we remember will be colored by where we were as it unfolded. The view from Maine's coast and…
December 23, 2020
Commercial Currents: Wrapping up 2020
A Year. I’ll leave it at that. It’s been “A Year.” You can read whatever you want into it. Claire Donnelly and I recently sat down to wrap up our current Commercial…
December 22, 2020
A Few of Our Favorite Things: Winter Reads
With the pre-holiday frenzy behind (most) of us, we wanted to share a few of our favorite books, curated by both us and our friends at Luke's Lobster, for reading…
December 21, 2020
Focus and action: reporting back on priorities
In March, as the entire nation began to adapt to what it meant to work, study, and stay at home, the Island Institute began to take action. In a March…
December 21, 2020
What hot dogs, water tests, and juice boxes teach us about giving back
Island Institute staff on the things that keep them inspired during challenging times
If your postal mailbox is anything like mine, we’ve moved on from political mudslinging to the more inspiring, unifying season of giving. My inbox is now filled with year-end giving…
December 18, 2020
FCC announces results of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
On December 7th, the Federal Communications Commission announced the results of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which provides successful bidders with a monthly subsidy to help offset their costs of…
