Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

With fecal bacterial contamination and naturally occurring Vibrio pathogens on the rise, there’s a lot working against the economic viability of Maine and New Hampshire’s shellfish flats. And the growing problem raises the specter of serious public health consequences. In an effort to manage the threat, the states of Maine and New Hampshire close thousands […]

Karen Bieluch, a doctoral graduate who was based at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, has accepted a new position at Dartmouth College. Bieluch recently began work as a Practice Based Learning Specialist in Dartmouth’s Environmental Studies Program (ENVS). She collaborates with ENVS faculty and staff, as well as stakeholders in Dartmouth […]

Two wind power turbines proposed for the waters off Monhegan Island would not scare away the tourists who flock to the island, according to a summer-long study by researchers at UMaine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. Over 90 percent of the 180 tourists surveyed said they would continue to visit Monhegan whether […]

About 600 fourth, fifth and sixth grade students and their teachers from 11 area schools flowed into UMaine’s Field House Tuesday for a day of fun and interactive learning about clean water, wetland ecosystems and the importance of stewarding Maine’s most rapidly renewable resource. The Northern Maine Children’s Water Festival is organized through a partnership […]

Researchers with UMaine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), a program of the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, have built a dynamic digital platform that will give cities a more effective tool for forecasting and planning. Covering over 80 municipalities in the Portland and Bangor regions, the Urban Sim-based model, developed by researchers at University of Southern […]

Successful river restoration requires a lot more than a focus on improving the biophysical. Renewal of these important freshwater resources requires buy-in from local communities and organizations as well as close consideration of  social dimensions. Eileen Johnson, a recent doctoral graduate based at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, studied these essential […]

Sustainability science is not, at its core, about innovation or high-tech advancement. It is, first and foremost, an exercise in humility, an approach that requires the elusive skills of listening and patience. Academic agendas? Leave them at the door. “It may not be what we went into science and technology looking for,” said William Clark of […]

Most people know water runs downhill from mountain to sea. But they may not be aware of what gets picked up along the way, things like human waste, animal feces and storm water full of nutrients and pesticides from farm fields. In the past this was thought to be a good thing. The water washed […]

Hollie Smith and colleagues made surprising findings when they examined where Maine state legislators get routine science information and how they use it. Her team discovered that media coverage seems to drive science-related bills presented at the State Legislature. Researchers also found and that exposure to these science topics led legislators to want more personal […]

With water quality in slow decline and development pressure challenging already fragile ecosystems, basic measures are needed to save the Belgrade Lakes Watershed from serious harm and the resulting economic consequences. A team from Colby College realized that before phosphorous pollutants and algae blooms could be purged from the lakes and more rigorous development standards […]