Maine Reuse Summit recording available
From road-side flea markets and high-end antique stores to Uncle Henry’s circulars and church thrift shops—signs of Maine’s tradition of reuse are hard to miss.
ResourcefulME is a multi-year research project that explores the social, environmental and economic value of Maine’s vibrant reuse economy. Using a unique combination of in-depth, on-the-ground conversations, archival research, and spatial economic modeling, the research team is learning more about the history, contemporary relevance, and future potential of Maine’s secondhand economy. The project is led by Cynthia Isenhour, associate professor of anthropology and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, and the team includes Travis Blackmer, undergraduate coordinator in the UMaine School of Economics and a Mitchell Center faculty fellow, and Brieanne Berry, doctoral candidate in anthropology and environmental policy at UMaine.
On June 9, 2021, the team hosted the Maine Reuse Summit to present some of the findings of their research and talk about reuse with participants, policy makers, waste experts and other researchers.
A recording of the Summit is now available at the Resourceful ME website.