Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

Mitchell Center scientist Sarah Nelson has been working with National Park staff to coordinate sampling of dragonfly larvae across the U.S. parks, leading field trips to sample dragonflies and water, and shipping samples to UMaine for laboratory analysis at the Sawyer Environmental Chemistry Research Lab. For the past five years, she has worked with agencies […]

John Peckenham, Director, Maine Water Resources Research Institute and Assistant Director, Senator George J. Mitchell Center, presented on the metrics of source water protection as part of the American Water Works Association conference held recently in Nashville. As part of the Conferences’ technical workshops, Peckenham was part of a session titled, “Know Your Watershed – […]

Though Maine still has the oldest population in the nation, it is becoming more ethnically diverse. This is just one of the key findings from “Changing Maine: Maine’s Changing Population and Housing 1990-2010,” a new report by the SSI Sustainable Urban Regions Project (SURP) team. The report provides insights into Maine’s population growth, demographics, households, […]

At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston on February 18th, the University of Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) led a symposium focused on innovative university programs designed to address the challenges of sustainable development.  The symposium included presentations by six academic leaders from across the U.S. […]

A small team of Old Town High School science students is collaborating with University of Maine researcher Sarah Nelson who is using dragonflies larvae as bio-sentinels for mercury in wetlands, stream watersheds and lakes across the Northeast. In their classroom laboratory, the science students have set up mesocosms — mini-ecosystems in the form of tanks […]

Though Maine still has the oldest population in the nation, it is becoming more ethnically diverse. This is just one of the key findings from “Changing Maine: Maine’s Changing Population and Housing 1990-2010,” a new report by the SSI Sustainable Urban Regions Project (SURP) team. The report provides insights into Maine’s population growth, demographics, households, […]

Like many towns in Maine, Topsham is contending with a common dilemma: how to grow in ways that don’t diminish the very things that people cherish about their community, like open space, wildlife and special landscapes. “There is the constant tug between conservation and economic development,” says Rich Roedner, Topsham planning director. “How do you […]

SSI’s Colby College research team was recently featured on MPBN’s Maine Things Considered. Led by chemistry professor Whitney King, the Colby project is looking into ways to reverse the decline of Maine’s Belgrade Lakes. The episode, which aired on August 23, is available on MPBN’s Website. For more information on the SSI Colby project.

The issue of the Maine Policy Review devoted to the Sustainability Solutions Initiative is now available on-line and in hard copy. Highlights of this issue include an essay on “Sustainability: The Challenges and the Promises” by Senator George J. Mitchell and an interview with Robert Kates, Pathfinder in Sustainability Science and Chair of SSI’s Science […]

SSI Leader David Hart was invited to give a presentation at The National Academies Symposium, “Science, Innovation, and Partnerships for Sustainability Solutions”. The Symposium took place on May 16-18, 2012 at the Pew DC Conference Center in Washington, DC. The symposium included presentations by some of the thought leaders in sustainability science along with keynote […]