Independent Writer
Ecological Values / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published June 18, 2020
Braxton Winston, an at-large member of the Charlotte, N.C., City Council, vividly recalls his first encounter with tear gas at a peaceful protest four years ago. “Struggling to breathe. Skin burning. Vomiting. Trying to...
Climate Change/Energy / Health / Pollution/Waste
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 25, 2020 · Last modified June 18, 2020
Before getting new glasses this winter, I’d forgotten what it was like to see distant objects in sharp relief. The glasses improved my vision but far-off vistas remained hazy – until the pandemic shutdown...
Economics / Food / Health / Slower Living / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 7, 2020 · Last modified June 18, 2020
The current gardening boom has parallels to the widespread “War Gardens” and “Victory Gardens” grown during and after WWI, when the nation struggled with food shortages and the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more...
Climate Change/Energy / Ecological Values / Health / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published April 16, 2020
Last week’s storm decimated the trees in our yard, exposing raw tissue where limbs severed. Branches, graced by buds that will never open, lay scattered on the killing snow. Taking in the scene, I...
Food / Health / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published March 26, 2020 · Last modified April 16, 2020
Among the boundless concerns provoked by COVID-19, food supplies are top of mind for many Maine residents. The fear for consumers can be visceral: With store shelves emptying quickly, will there be enough to...
Climate Change/Energy / Coastal Issues
by Marina Schauffler · Published March 5, 2020 · Last modified January 30, 2024
Corks. Plugs. Floodgates. The metaphors used to characterize two glaciers at the edge of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) – Thwaites and Pine Island – are tame relative to the scale of these...
Climate Change/Energy / Sustainable Practices / Technology / Transportation/Travel
by Marina Schauffler · Published February 13, 2020 · Last modified February 16, 2020
On the road to all-renewable power, Maine is moving like a car near the base of a long, snowy hill. It’s accelerating now, knowing it may lose momentum and traction in the ascent. One...
Ecological Values / Sense of Place / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published January 30, 2020 · Last modified February 16, 2020
Maine communities stand to lose a lot with the arrival of emerald ash borer (EAB), an Asian parasite that attacks white, green and brown ash (Fraxinus spp.) — killing most trees within a few...
