Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

A new article in the Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences (PNAS) documents nearly 15 years of crucial, dynamic vernal pools research and management by UMaine’s Aram Calhoun who is leading an interdisciplinary team at the Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), a program of the Mitchell Center. In the article, published this week online at www.pnas.org, Calhoun […]

Senator George Mitchell and David Hart will appear at the Jesup Memorial Library on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 PM to speak about the economic and environmental conundrums facing us on MDI, and how we can work together to address these issues. For example, we need more housing on MDI, but we want to preserve […]

In a July 11, 2014 op-ed for Bangor Daily News, SSI researcher Rob Lilieholm reflects on the history and changes in the Penobscot watershed, and on the future for towns along the river in a time of great transition. “Those who came before us used the river for fish and transport, and they harnessed its […]

Linda Silka, SSI team member and Director of UMaine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, spoke about the role of innovation in the State’s economy in a recent interview with MPBN. She reflects on the importance of bringing people together with different skill sets and experiences in order to promote such innovation.  The latest issue of […]

SSI researchers Shaleen Jain and Esperanza Stancioff were featured in a June 23 article in the Bangor Daily News which discussed the increase in frequency and intensity of coastal storms and, more specifically, their impact on culverts. The researchers have been working to understand the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and infrastructure, working […]

Mainers prefer to buy local food from in-state farmers, fishermen and businesses, according to a new survey. The findings are indicative of a sea change happening in the food industry, says SSI/Mitchell Center researcher Timothy Waring, who was part of a multi-institution team that prepared the report. And Maine is on the leading edge. In […]

Research published recently in the International Journal of Sustainable Development by Bridie McGreavy and Laura Lindenfeld examines how films featuring global warming and climate change can affect public understanding and sustainable development values. The researchers analyzed three films that feature global warming prominently, and examined how race and gender representations in entertainment may affect our […]

The current edition of UMaine Today features the research of two SSI graduate students. Spencer Meyer is featured for his work on the Maine Futures Community Mapper, which earned him and his advisors the 2014 President’s Research Impact Award. A member of the “Mapping a Sustainable Future” team, Spencer graduated with a PhD from UMaine […]

Two studies by researchers at UMaine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) uncovered compelling data on women’s knowledge of both the dangers and health benefits of eating fish while pregnant. The first study found that Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) advisory led women to decrease their consumption of fish, while a follow-up study found […]

Karen Hutchins Bieluch’s doctoral research focused on building smarter, stronger community partnerships to promote sustainability. It went to the heart of the mission at UMaine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative at the Sen. George J. Mitchell Center. Take her survey of municipal officials in the state of Maine. Her work with these critical stakeholders resulted in an […]