Meet the new Island Institute Fellows and catch up on the current cohort’s community-driven projects.
Tag: Innovation
Reading the Shoreline
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
ShoreCorps Steward Emma Polhemus worked with Island Institute staff and island communities in Casco Bay to assess shoreline erosion and offer potential paths forward.
Innovation is Just a Ferry Ride Away
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
What can Maine learn from Nova Scotia about electrifying a commercial boat? Island Institute’s marine electrification team traveled to Halifax to exchange ideas and bring home insights to advance the electrification of Maine’s working waterfronts.
A Coastal Maine Town’s Investment in Energy Reliability
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
Brooklin sits at the southern tip of Maine’s Blue Hill Peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides and connected to the mainland by roads that cross saltwater bridges. Much of the town’s development is concentrated along the shoreline, where increasingly frequent and severe coastal storms threaten reliable access to power.
Microgrids 101
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
Microgrids are having a moment in rural communities—and for good reason. Island Institute’s resilient energy team breaks down what microgrids are and how they fit in coastal Maine’s unique and often challenging energy landscape.
Reflections from the 2026 Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
Island Institute co-planned and facilitated two sessions at this year’s Fishermen’s Forum. We asked our programs staff to reflect on the conversations, lectures, and lessons of this year’s Forum. Here’s what they had to say.
Takeaways From the Forefront of Energy Innovation
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
At the beginning of the month, several Island Institute team members attended a workshop put on by the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. They share what they learned at the workshop, both from partner organizations and new energy systems.
Visibility Clears
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
As conversations about the future of Maine State Ferry Service are progressing, Island Institute’s Nick Battista emphasized that the Ferry Service is a vital component of civic infrastructure that connects island communities to essential services and opportunities.
Fellows Secure Major Grants for Island & Coastal Communities
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under Blog.
At the start of the month, Governor Janet Mills announced the award of $8 million in grant funding through the state’s Community Resilience Partnership (CRP) to help communities protect people, businesses, and infrastructure from flooding, storm surge, and other climate effects. Three Island Institute Fellows––Claire Oxford, Thomas McClellan, and Alice Cockerham––helped their host communities apply for, and receive, thousands in Community Action Grant (CAG) funding.
Maine’s hardy lobster fishery had, seemingly, seen it all. Then came Trump’s trade wars.
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Good seasons and bad. The ups and downs of government regulations. The growing threat of warming seas. But this year, the state’s thousands of lobstermen, and the thousands more whose livelihoods depend on the industry, are staring down a storm the likes they’ve never seen before. As President Trump wages an unprecedented protectionist campaign to impose or tease steep tariffs on nearly every trading partner, an industry that thrives on the free flow of global trade — and disposable cash in Americans’ wallets — could suffer disproportionately.
