Spring 2025 Talks

Bunch of red and yellow tulips

For many years, the Mitchell Center has hosted an innovative Sustainability Talks series during the fall and spring semesters. The goal of these talks is to provide students, faculty, and interested citizens with opportunities to learn about: 1) the multi-faceted nature of sustainability problems; 2) the value of connecting different forms of knowledge and know-how in efforts to understand and solve such problems; and 3) the ways in which partnerships between universities and diverse stakeholders can facilitate efforts to identify and implement useful solutions.

All talks are Mondays at 3pm and are available via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine. For Zoom attendees, registration is required for each talk. Please go to individual event pages to register. Many talks are recorded and can be found on our YouTube site following the event.

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February 3

Energizing Equal Access: Partnering on Research for Resilience in Maine Communities and Wabanaki Tribes
Sharon Klein and Caroline Noblet, School of Economics, University of Maine

February 10

Retooling State Government in an Era of Loose Networks: An Invitation to Collaborate
Samantha Horn, Director, Maine Office of Community Affairs

February 24

Casting a Wide Net: Diversity of Perspectives Improves Management of Gulf of Maine Ecosystems
Jocelyn Runnebaum, Marine Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy in Maine

March 3

At Last, Restoration of Maine’s Longest River: the Unprecedented Cleanup of the Mighty Penobscot
Lauri Gorton, Program Manager, Greenfield Penobscot Estuary Remediation Trust LLC

March 10

Wicked Storms and Rising Oceans: Leading an Island Community in Peril
Kathleen Billings, Stonington Town Manager

March 24

The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station at Katahdin Woods & Waters
Panel discussion with Wabanaki leaders

March 31

TBA

April 7

Closing the Loop: Opportunities for Industrial Circular Economy Exchanges in Maine
Cindy Isenhour, Reed Miller, and Jean MacRae, University of Maine

April 14

Managing for sustainability and climate resilience: The future of agroecological wild blueberry management in Maine and maritime Canada
Rachel Schattman, Sustainable Agriculture, University of Maine

April 21

Reconciling with Resilience: How Maine can bounce back from floods
Emmett Gartner, Maine Monitor