Environmental Writer
Climate Change/Energy / Coastal Issues
by Marina Schauffler · Published September 10, 2023 · Last modified September 12, 2023
Planetary change may now be outpacing both scientific understanding and political will. Abrupt climate change is most evident, ironically, in hindsight. Relying on ice core records, scientists can track the dynamics of past temperatures,...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published August 6, 2023
Construction is booming where wildfires leveled homes in California and hurricanes left rubble in Florida — even as major insurance companies stop writing new policies in these states, deterred by the growing likelihood of...
Ecological Values / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published July 9, 2023 · Last modified August 6, 2023
Battery-powered mowers and hedge trimmers at the new South Portland Electric Tool Library (SPETL) are checked out almost as soon as they’re returned. Demand is high among local residents for fume-free and relatively quiet...
Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published June 11, 2023 · Last modified June 15, 2023
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals with a devastating fusion of longevity and toxicity, highlight the hole at the center of the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol. Discussions of a zero-waste or circular economy often fail...
Climate Change/Energy / Education/Family / Housing / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 14, 2023 · Last modified May 15, 2023
My cousin Linda Labaree could hardly contain her enthusiasm over learning that her home could readily be converted to heat pump technology. “The relief I feel comes from having an opportunity to make an...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Pollution/Waste
by Marina Schauffler · Published April 2, 2023 · Last modified April 6, 2023
On the first morning of spring, with temperatures hovering around freezing, a large flock of retirees descended like robins on a former farm field in Belfast, the site of a sprawling Bank of America...
Climate Change/Energy / Sustainable Practices / Technology / Transportation/Travel
by Marina Schauffler · Published March 12, 2023
With global carbon pollution at an all-time high and transportation the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Maine and the U.S., it’s encouraging to see the auto industry pivoting to electric vehicles (EVs) and more people acquiring them. Maine is installing new...
by Marina Schauffler · Published February 12, 2023 · Last modified February 16, 2023
Reading Matt Simon’s disturbing new book, “A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies,” I found a question running through my head like a refrain: Why did we not...
by Marina Schauffler · Published January 15, 2023 · Last modified May 15, 2023
Going back in time can reveal how far we still have to progress. In researching per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for a recent article series, I found myself ricocheting between the present and the...
