Blog

As we enter a new year, we know that many people are making resolutions around their personal health and well-being for the months ahead. So, in this edition of “Our Favorite Things” with Luke’s Lobster, we’re highlighting a few small businesses and organizations focused on helping us feel well and be well—ranging from island-made skincare and teas featuring Maine seaweed, to a nonprofit dedicated to the health and wellness of coastal communities. We hope you’ll enjoy learning about their missions and discovering some of the amazing products and services they offer.  …

Today’s youth and our future generations play a huge role in the viability and sustainability of our communities—both here on the coast of Maine and beyond. In our next installment…

In our next installment of “A Few of Our Favorite Things” with Luke’s Lobster, we’re featuring some wonderful for-profit businesses in Maine that are doing good things for our coast and our…

This week, we're once again teaming up with Luke's Lobster to share some of our favorite things about Maine with you. Maine's pristine coastlines, harbors, and working waterfronts are part…

What do 40,000 heat pumps, 5,577 electric vehicles, and 2,043 homes weatherized all have in common? If you guessed that they are all highlights from a year of climate action…

It seemed like a no more than a week would go by and we would be at it again; handling calls or emails from individuals, businesses, and communities about the…

This year on Giving Tuesday, in collaboration with our friends at Luke's Lobster, we’re reigniting our series, “A Few of Our Favorite Things,” highlighting the organizations, people, and places that…

I first discovered Jay Fleming back in 2017 shortly after I became the Island Institute’s multimedia storyteller. My research led me to a contemporary counterpart who has been doing similar work for many years in the Chesapeake Bay region where the fisheries...

Whether you live on an island in one of the Great Lakes or off of the coast of Maine, the commute to and from your community is over water. However, ferry, water taxi, and air services provide more than just transportation to and from island communities. They act as emergency medical transportation, provide school and extracurricular transportation, and deliver mail and other essential freight such as groceries and prescriptions.

Throughout our nearly 40-year history, the Island Institute has often played a role to help connect Maine’s island communities to other, similarly situated communities in the U.S. and beyond. By participating in networks, learning exchanges, and even research publications, we’ve seen the value in helping Mainers expand their networks and even build their confidence as leaders by providing an avenue for them to share the stories of their hard work.