When last year’s winter storms devastated the coast, Sam Belknap’s family wharf on Round Pond harbor in Bristol was saved by its concrete floor. The floor, which Belknap’s family poured years ago when they put in a seafood processing room, provided enough weight to keep most of the wharf from floating away.
Tag: Clean Energy
As aquafarming continues to grow in Maine, new coalition looks to educate
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
A new coalition is coming together to support Maine’s growing aquaculture industry, aiming to clear up misconceptions and highlight the economic and environmental benefits of seafood farming.
Rockland nonprofit launches toolkit to aid transition to electric marine propulsion
Posted by Laura England & filed under In the news.
Island Institute, a Rockland nonprofit, launched an online electric boat toolkit to help marine business and coastal municipalities transition to electric marine propulsion and away from traditional diesel or gas motors.
The US’s Easternmost City Could Be a Model for the Country’s Renewable Future
Posted by Laura England & filed under In the news.
In 2021, the city of Eastport, with support from Island Institute, was awarded an Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project grant from the Department of Energy with , which funded work to develop localized energy generation and storage.
Now, a community-driven initiative is developing solar and tidal power to feed a microgrid. It would allow the island community to weather hours of outages, detached from the main electrical grid without the high costs and carbon footprint of diesel. The grant launched the feasibility studies and produced the plans for the transition that Eastport is in the middle of building out.
Island Institute Welcomes Jessica Reilly-Moman as Director of Climate and Community
Posted by Laura England & filed under Press Release.
Island Institute is pleased to announce that Jessica Reilly-Moman, Ph.D., will be joining the organization as the Director of the Center for Climate and Community. A dedicated social scientist, ecologist, and writer, Dr. Reilly-Moman brings over twenty-five years of experience and a deep passion for accelerating climate action for coastal communities.
Electric Outboard Course Sparks Enthusiasm with Expert Instruction and Engaged Learners
Posted by Laura England & filed under Blog.
After 20 years as a K-12 island educator, I often experienced the joy of student learning. Now that I mostly work with adults, I find myself missing the outward display of happiness that young students exhibit in a learning setting. While adults certainly experience joy when they learn something new, it is often a more subdued response, especially in formal settings like classrooms and professional development sessions.
Supporting Coastal Entrepreneurs
Posted by Jack Sullivan & filed under Blog.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an award on October 17 to Island Institute for nearly $87,000 from its Rural Business Development Grant program. These funds will go towards supplementing the Tom Glenn Community Impact Fund’s revolving loan fund.
Maine State Ferry Service Reports Released
Posted by Renny Sabina & filed under Blog.
National firm KPFF Consulting Engineers completed their reports on the Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS) in March, a culmination of 2 years of work collaborating with Island Institute, islanders, and the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT). This effort largely does two things: 1) gives a clear baseline of where the service is today in a format easily understood and publicly available and 2) opens the door to whole-systems thinking around where the service could go based on Maine islander needs and comparable systems.
Ticking the box or designing for meaningful change?
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Equity. It’s a concept that many value but can struggle to put into practice. When it comes to the state of Maine’s efforts to develop strategies to aggressively respond to climate change, what does it look like to design with a commitment to equity and to meeting the needs of all Mainers at the center? While much of the world came to a screeching halt this spring, members of the Maine Climate Council’s working groups doubled down on their efforts to develop recommendations on how to reach the state’s climate goals.
Maine islands look to microgrids for energy independence
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under In the news.
Maine’s unique geography is creating opportunities for microgrid developers. The state’s coast is dotted with thousands of islands, many inhabited with populations ranging from a few dozen to more than 10,000.
These island communities have long had to be creative and resourceful to obtain electricity, but power is often costly. Several are now looking to microgrids as a way to cut costs and rely less on outside sources for power.
