Testimony in Opposition of LD 425 and LD 572, Legislation to Repeal Maine’s Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags and the Fee on Other Bags Offered at Retail Stores Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Nichols, and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for Read More
bag ordinances
Maine Student Receives National Recognition for Plastic Pollution Project
It has always been Maine’s young people that have spoken up the loudest for us to address the problems of plastic pollution. Maya Faulstich, a student at Yarmouth’s Frank Harrison Middle School, is one of those passionate young Mainers who is trying to raise awareness and she’s turned this passion into an award-winning presentation for Read More
Reflections on the 2021 Maine Legislature
If there’s one thing that’s for certain about 2021, it’ll be like no other we’ve experienced in our decades advocating for the environment. With a new Administration in Washington and Maine’s 130th legislative session kicking off, we have an opportunity for a reset, both in tone and substance. That’s how the Natural Resources Council of Read More
Delays to Maine’s Plastic Bag and Foam Bans Not Based in Science
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced that it would, for the second time this year, be delaying a new law aimed at reducing plastic pollution by limiting the use of single-use plastic shopping bags. DEP also decided to delay a new law that would have prohibited foam food containers. The Natural Resources Read More
Reusable Bags are the New Comeback Kids
Small victories need to be celebrated, particularly when you’re up against the monstrous plastic industry and fossil fuel companies. Store managers can now allow customers to bring in reusable shopping bags, according to the COVID19 Prevention Checklist Industry Guidance provided by the Maine Department for Economic and Community Development. This is a small but meaningful Read More
Participate in Plastic-free July to Help Curb Plastic Pollution
Plastic is polluting our environment, killing birds and sea creatures, and contributing to our climate crisis. But, did you know that reducing plastic is something you can do to support public health, the local economy, and human rights, too? We need to work together to turn off the tidal wave of single-use plastic waste. Plastic-free Read More
Fossil Fuel Companies and Plastic Industry Exploiting Health Crisis for Profit
There is a lot to worry about these days. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us rightfully worried about the health and economic well-being of ourselves and our loved ones. This new worry comes on top of our existing concerns about our environment and the challenges that future generations will face due to climate change, plastic Read More
Boothbay Makes Strides in Reducing Plastic Pollution
With financial assistance from the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), the Boothbay Region Committee for a Plastic-Free Peninsula (PFP) began our activities in 2019. Our first project aimed to reduce the usage of single-use plastic bags. We decided to focus first on young people and sponsored a table at an annual Earth Day fair Read More
News & Noteworthy — July – September 2019
News & Noteworthy September 2019 Timber company dropping hotly contested Moosehead development plan The timberland company Weyerhaeuser is asking to terminate a massive rezoning plan for the Moosehead Lake region that was the focus of years of debate and regulatory battles over development in Maine’s North Woods. Gov. Mills wants Maine carbon-neutral by 2045. What Read More
