Welcomer quoted in MPBN report on using schooner to ship goods, educate residents
Stephanie Welcomer, an associate professor of management and associate dean of the Maine Business School, spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for the report, “Maine farmers sail to new markets the old-fashioned way.” As part of the Maine Sail Freight project, a 90-year-old, twin-masted schooner sailed into Portland harbor Thursday morning to pick up three tons of Maine-grown farm produce to bring to Boston, according to the report. While it’s part of a historical re-enactment, project organizers say they’re also interested in making a serious point about food systems and regional economics, and the idea is to educate people about local food systems and how relevant they are, even in a globalized economy, the report states. Even though Welcomer said she doesn’t think moving the bulk of our food around by sail is sustainable, the project does an important job of demonstrating how reliant all food production and distribution systems are on a fossil fuel-based transportation model. “And as we know, with climate change it’s important to think about how we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” she said, adding it involves coming up with new business models for the 21st century.