Minimizing Reliance on Credit Cards
When a gas pump rejected my credit card, I assumed its card reader was broken. Later that afternoon, another store clerk returned my card unused and told me, “It may be shut down for...
Author: Marina Schauffler
Making a Difference
Portland teacher Gus Goodwin has more than two decades of classroom experience, but recently students caught him by surprise. He was swept up in what he calls a “very powerful experience, one of the...
Eating for a Healthier Earth
Lose weight. Exercise daily. Save more. It’s that time of year when holiday to-do lists morph into new year’s resolutions. Self-improvement goals are worthy, but it’s time to think bigger. Fortunately, there’s a resolution...
Decoupling Christmas from Consumerism
It was only two weeks ago, but I’m already nostalgic for Thanksgiving. I miss that tranquil time when nearly everything shuts down, and the only agenda involves the communal preparation and enjoyment of harvest-time...
Facing the Reality of Rising Seas
From the vantage point of Maine’s rocky coast, rising seas may seem like a prospect remote in space and time. We’re conditioned to respond to felt dangers–things that go bump in the night–not chart...
Pope’s Encyclical: a Call to Profound Change
Stroll through the crowds at Maine’s Common Ground Country Fair and you’re likely to see farming devotees and zealous gardeners alongside faithful novices eager to learn the tenets of sustainability. Fairgoers in search of...
Envisioning a Changed World through Art
“I sing now like the North American brown thrasher who at one point in its song orchestrates four different notes: one grieves, another frets, a third prays, but a fourth celebrates.” Greg Delanty, “The...
Working without the Commute
Even as we acquire the latest gizmos and systems, we don’t always upgrade our own modes of operating. Technology has transformed the traditional workplace, yet most employers still insist that workers be on-site for...
