Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Agriculture, and UMaine’s Mitchell Center are putting on a free workshop in Caribou on organics management. Date: Friday, May 1st, 2026Time: 9AM – 2:15PMLocation: In person at NMDC Conference Room, 11 W. Presque Isle Road, Caribou, ME or via Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88445768716?pwd=JkPgFmndr0OxacFbztiOhPvs8RCr67.1) To register contact victor.horton@mrra.net or fill […]

From the gardens to the farms and forests, Eddie Nachamie has dedicated his undergraduate career toward protecting the environment. At the University of Maine, he has worked on projects to reduce food waste, preserve wild blueberries and mitigate the spread of a group of chemicals known as PFAS. As a result of his efforts, Nachamie […]

Susanne Lee and Travis Blackmer will present on their work to reduce wasted food in school cafeterias at Maine’s first-ever Green Schools Symposium. This statewide event will take place on November 7, 2025 at Thomas College, Waterville, ME. Organized by the Maine Department of Education, the symposium will celebrate innovative stories of climate leadership in […]

Wild oysters have returned to Maine after nearing extinction almost 100 years ago. Professor Heather Leslie, a marine conservation scientist and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, spoke with Civil Eats to explain what might be happening to cause the growth in their presence. A recent Civil Eats article tells the comeback story of oysters to the […]

Mainebiz.com reported the audiobook launch event for “Sea Run: A Study Regarding the Impact of Maine Policies on the Quality and Quantity of Traditional Tribal Fish Stocks and Sustenance Practices,” based on the same name of a a report co-authored by Anthony Sutton, University of Maine assistant professor of Native American food systems, citizen of […]

The Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) has awarded nearly $500K to PI John Daigle and Co-PI Darren Ranco in support of their project Sustaining basketmaking in Waponahkik through increased accessibility, processing, and storage opportunities. Daigle is a professor of forest recreation management at UMaine and leader of the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Waponahkik (APCAW) Lab. Ranco […]

Every year, Maine throws away around 361,000 tons of food—nearly 40% of production—with about 4,200 tons lost in K-12 schools alone. To tackle this, the Maine Department of Education, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and UMaine’s Mitchell Center have rolled out a “No More Wasted Food” DIY toolkit in time for Maine Wasted Food […]

Oct 8th: Community Collaboration in ResearchPips Veazey, Portland GatewaySharon Klein, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions Join UMaine’s Office of Research Development for a special presentation on increasing the broader impacts of your research through community partnerships with special guests from UMaine’s Portland Gateway and the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. Learn more about their mission, […]

PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals,” don’t behave the same way in every crop, according to new research from UMaine. Graduate student Alex Scearce, Mitchell Center faculty fellow Rachel Schattman, and their colleagues grew lettuce, tomatoes, and tall fescue in PFAS-contaminated soil and measured how much of the chemicals each plant absorbed — and where they […]

Jean MacRae, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maine and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, spoke with WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) about the environmental impact of ongoing water quality issues at Willard Beach in South Portland. “Wildlife are a little more at risk than humans,” she said.