Environmental Writer
Climate Change/Energy / Ecological Values / Education/Family / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published July 11, 2021 · Last modified July 14, 2021
The climate crisis is disrupting more than ecosystems, economies and societal infrastructure. It’s inverting the normal developmental progression from youthful optimism to an acknowledgment of limitations with advancing age. Older people – with diminishing...
Climate Change/Energy / Sustainable Practices / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published June 20, 2021
Shortly after passage of a 2019 bill, construction of community solar farms began ramping up in Maine and the search for subscribers began. These farms hold great potential to help Maine transition off fossil...
Climate Change/Energy / Coastal Issues
by Marina Schauffler · Published June 6, 2021 · Last modified June 8, 2021
The 1,157 wildfires that occurred in Maine during 2020 included a fire at Baxter State Park that was controlled after 45 acres had burned. Since wind-driven fires tend to be most damaging,wind speeds are...
Ecological Values / Economics / Food / Housing / Sense of Place
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 23, 2021 · Last modified June 5, 2021
The balance of deposits in Maine’s financial institutions is roughly $45 billion. That figure raises an obvious question to experts in socially responsible investing like Scott Budde, who runs Maine Harvest Federal Credit Union:...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Sustainable Practices / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 9, 2021 · Last modified June 5, 2021
As the Maine Climate Council concluded work on its climate action plan last November, one legislator issued what Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cape Elizabeth) recalled as a “plaintive plea: ‘We have to figure out how...
Ecological Values / Health / Pollution/Waste / Sense of Place / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published April 18, 2021 · Last modified June 5, 2021
In timber operations, like this one in Allagash, herbicides are typically applied after clearcutting to kill emergent hardwood species and foster growth of planted forests. Photo by Hilton Hafford. At a public hearing...
Ecological Values / Sense of Place / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published April 4, 2021 · Last modified April 15, 2021
The ethereal refrain of the white-throated sparrow runs through memories of childhood. My own children have rarely heard its call. Bird populations in the U.S. have plummeted since 1970, with 1 in 4 birds...
In the energy transition underway, Maine has strong assets and lingering liabilities. The Legislature and the Mills administration have set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse emissions and increasing reliance on renewable energy. The state...
