Maine Environment: Frontline Voices Natural Resources Council of Maine

The last few years, our work at the State House in Augusta has delivered enormous progress for Maine’s environment. So, how is NRCM gearing up to continue this momentum and what are the priorities we’ve set for this year’s short legislative session? From curbing the use of polluting gas to encouraging reuse, investing in our trails, and tribal sovereignty for the Wabanaki people, NRCM’s Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins the podcast to discuss the issues and bills we’ll be tracking, and how we hope to work together with you – people who love the nature of Maine – to achieve great things for our woods, waters, wildlife, and communities.

It’s the holiday season, which means a lot of gifts, a lot of food, and….a lot of waste. Mainers by nature are frugal and don’t like waste. It’s part of who we are. But when we go to the store or buy online we’re faced with a deluge of plastic and other wasteful packaging. And it drives most of us crazy. What can we do about it? We speak with Laura Marston, the owner of the Maine-based, plastic-free, zero-waste business Go Go Refill and Vanessa Berry, NRCM’s Sustainable Maine outreach coordinator to talk about tips and ideas for reducing waste at home. For more waste reduction resources, including a map of zero-waste retailers visit nrcm.org.

The U.S. government recently released the Fifth National Climate Assessment, the nation’s preeminent policy-neutral report highlighting the latest science about climate change impacts, risks, and responses. We speak with David Reidmiller, the director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) who co-authored the Northeast chapter about how climate change is affecting Maine communities and what gives him hope for the future. GMRI is an independent, non-partisan marine nonprofit that supports the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it.

The Land for Maine’s Future program is Maine’s most successful and popular land conservation program, helping to support hundreds of conservation projects that have exceptional natural or recreational value or support Maine’s heritage industries of farming, fishing, and forestry. In 2021, the Legislature appropriated $40 million in state funding for LMF, which is being used to support many new projects. In this episode of Frontline Voices, we speak with Steve Walker, the new director of Land for Maine’s Future program, to learn more about the types of projects that have been supported, the benefits they deliver to Maine people and communities, and what the future holds for this extraordinarily popular program.

Zero-emission cars and trucks are becoming increasingly popular but many prospective buyers are finding that supply can’t keep up with demand. Stronger standards for clean cars and trucks would give consumers in Maine more opportunities to buy electric vehicles and slash toxic tailpipe pollution that is harming human health and making climate change worse. In this episode, we speak with Scott Vlaun of the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy about his organization's experience working to encourage and support zero-emission vehicles in rural Maine, as well as their work to advance a just clean energy transition.

This year's legislative session was another strong demonstration of how Maine's strong conservation ethic continues to define our way of life, drive economic growth, and influence new laws passed at the State House in Augusta. Thousands of Mainers spoke up and took action to protect our environment, strengthen the resiliency of local communities, and accelerate a more equitable clean energy future. NRCM's Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim details how legislators listened to these voices by passing a wide range of new laws that recognize Maine’s environment and economy are inextricably linked.