By Ethan Andrews, staff writer Republican Journal news story Belfast — “Remember when everyone used to smoke in restaurants?” Ned Lightner asked recently. He had been talking about his work with Ban the Bag in Belfast, a volunteer movement to do away with single-use plastic bags in the city. There was plenty to say about Read More
sustainability
Cutting Down the Volume of Household Trash Begins at the Grocery Store
by Kati Corlew Portland Press Herald news story EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a monthly four-part series about a group of professors at the University of Maine at Augusta undertaking the Zero-Waste Challenge. Can they live without generating any trash for the landfill or incinerator? I’m in the grocery store frowning. A group Read More
Switching from Whiskey to Beer and the False Promise of Woody Biomass
by Stephen Mulkey, PhD “Well planned sustainable biomass power plants are a viable source of clean renewable electricity, and this is helpful for the task of phasing out coal-fired power plants. Knee-jerk opposition to all biomass projects has no sound scientific basis and is harmful to attempts to stabilize climate for the sake of our Read More
Feeding the 5,000 in Portland, Maine
by George Semler The Daily Meal news story On Friday, October 7th, Portland, Maine, became the 41st global city to reenact the biblical miracle of the loaves, feeding a 100-percent gleaned vegan vegetable stew to just under 5,000 people in and around Monument Square and the city. Tristram Stuart, who put on the first Feeding Read More
Feeding the 5000: Free Lunch for Thousands Highlights Tragedy of Wasted Food
News Release Portland, Maine – Today, Feeding the 5000 Portland, Maine filled Monument Square with crowds of Mainers eager for a meaningful midday meal. The celebration featured a free lunch served to thousands made from perfectly good food that would otherwise have gone to waste, cooking demos by prominent local chefs, and helpful tips and Read More
More Composting Resources
Maine Guide to Recovering and Composting Organics in Maine: An excellent resource from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Maine’s Compost School Biocycle: A national composting and organics recycling information hub. UMaine 2011 Waste Characterization Study : Showing that around 43% of our household garbage bags contain organic material (and 27 percent of which is Read More
Municipal Composting Programs
Municipal composting programs for food waste are few and far between in Maine, but there are many around the country and beyond. In Maine, most municipalities provide composting of leaf and yard waste, but few offer food scrap composting. Some towns partner exclusively with one of Maine’s compost collection companies to offer a discount for Read More
Home Composting Resources
Home composting is the most economical and environmentally sustainable way to manage household organic waste. Doing the work yourself, and preventing your organic materials from travelling to a compost site, saves money on any transportation and processing fees and reduces collection vehicle traffic and pollution. If you have a garden and the desire to maintain Read More
Plastics are on Track to Overtake Our Oceans Unless We Make Big Changes
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial Most of us don’t give much thought to where our trash goes. We’d better start paying attention, though, especially to the ubiquitous plastic refuse we toss aside every day. Scientists predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic, by weight, than fish in the world’s Read More
