Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

The Boston Globe highlighted Rachel Schattman, a former vegetable farmer, UMaine sustainable agriculture professor, and Mitchell Center Faculty Fellow, for her research on how climate change affects wild blueberry production. She is helping Wyman’s Blueberries adapt to changing weather patterns to ensure a stable harvest. Her research is key to maintaining the industry’s productivity amid […]

Allison Gardner, an associate professor of arthropod vector biology at the University of Maine and a Mitchell Center Faculty Fellow, spoke with The New York Times about the mechanics behind mosquito bites and their itching. For relief, Gardner recommends using aloe, hydrocortisone or preventive measures like wearing a net over the face.

Dr. Linda Silka, Professor Emerita at UMaine’s School of Economics and Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Center, recently received an award for her distinguished service from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI). The award recognized her noteworthy, enthusiastic, dedication and enduring commitment to the organization. Silka is a career-long member and […]

From lobster to haddock and seaweed, seafood plays an important role in the U.S. economy, diet and culture. The nation is one of the top producers of marine and aquatic foods worldwide, but also the second largest seafood importer. Through extensive data analysis and calculations, University of Maine researchers found the U.S. could achieve seafood […]

Along the shores of Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor and the Schoodic Peninsula are the vast, briny waters of Frenchman Bay. With 98 square miles of water and 39 islands, the bay is vital to shorebirds, fish, lobstermen and outdoor recreationists. University of Maine researchers, however, have discovered that Frenchman Bay and its tributaries are […]

Cindy Isenhour, faculty fellow at the Mitchell Center discussed the environmental impacts of ‘fast fashion’ during a recent Maine Calling show. Fast fashion is the mass-production of low-quality items. Slow fashion calls for more recycling and re-use of clothing and other goods

The Portland Press Herald interviewed Dianne Kopec, a PFAS research associate and special project assistant, on data from the state aquatic toxicology unit rendering fish unsafe to eat after a month of exposure to forever chemicals in water. “Their data should be taken seriously by officials deciding where to encourage fishing and how to alert […]

Mitchell Center Senior Faculty Fellow Linda Silka has been voted in as President-Elect for the environmental division of the American Psychological Association. Division 34: Society for Environmental, Population and Conservation Psychology members apply psychological knowledge and practice to improve interactions between humans and our natural and built environments. Topics of interest include (1) human behavior […]

Organic waste, which constitutes over 40% of solid waste in Maine, poses serious environmental, economic, and societal issues. In December 2023, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection commissioned an extensive study to gain deeper insights into the origins, quantities, types, and quality of surplus food, food scraps, and food waste tied to processing practices. The […]

Aroostook is Maine’s biggest creator of farm food waste, study finds A recent article in the Bangor Daily News featured a newly released Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) 2024 Food Loss and Waste Generation Study. The DEP worked with Resource Recycling Systems, faculty Susanne Lee and Travis Blackmer from the UMaine’s Senator George J […]