Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $92.2 million in competitive grant funding through the 2018 Farm Bill’s Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), as part of a USDA initiative to assist food producers affected by the pandemic. Funding included $77 million for the Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Food Promotion Program. Both […]

Following on the heels of the Maine Reuse Summit held on June 9, UMaine researchers Cynthia Isenhour and Brieanne Berry have been featured in recent media coverage on reuse in Maine. Isenhour is associate professor in the Dept. of Anthropology and the Climate Change Institute and a Mitchell Center faculty fellow. Berry is pursuing a […]

In a new study, UMaine researchers Tim Waring and Zach Wood found that culture helps humans adapt to their environment and overcome challenges better and faster than genetics. “In the very long term, we suggest that humans are evolving from individual genetic organisms to cultural groups which function as superorganisms, similar to ant colonies and […]

Sandra De Urioste-Stone, associate professor of nature-based tourism in the School of Forest Resources and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, has been named Assistant Vice President for Research at UMaine. De Urioste-Stone’s collaborative work has contributed to more than $9 million in external and internal research grants, including funding for the creation of the National Science […]

Sarah Risley, a UMaine graduate student in the School of Marine Sciences who is based at the Darling Marine Center, will lead a team of undergraduate and high school students on a new project funded by the Mitchell Center. The team will record the number, type and size of shellfish species at several sites along […]

Mitchell Center members share a passion for tackling complex sustainability problems that matter to people and communities through collaboration with diverse stakeholders and across many different areas of expertise. They come from a wide range of disciplines—from engineering and economics to fisheries and agriculture to business and communication—and take an interdisciplinary approach because that’s what’s […]

A June 2 article in UMaine News focuses on the work of Mitchell Center researchers who are helping identify sources of and management strategies for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In response to concerns raised by many different stakeholders, the interdisciplinary team of scientists is gathering and documenting knowledge of where PFAS are in Maine […]

The latest edition of UMaine’s Office of Sustainability newsletter includes an article by undergraduate student Julia Iannuzzi titled, “Food Waste and Solutions for Combating the Crisis”.  The article provides an overview of food waste and a look at how the Mitchell Center’s food waste team, led by Susanne Lee, is taking on the challenge in […]

Maine Public recently spoke with Darren Ranco, an associate professor of anthropology and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, and Jacquelyn Gill, an associate professor of paleoecology and plant ecology for a segment on All Things Considered hosted by Jennifer Mitchell. The interview focused on a new global study involving Ranco and Gill finds that the participation […]

A recent blog post by David Hart and Linda Silka focuses on how universities can use their broad array of expertise to help in understanding and addressing complex challenges, including pandemics, environmental degradation, poverty and climate change. The blog was published in “Integration and Implementation Insights“, a community blog providing research resources for understanding and […]