Fall 2021 Sustainability Talks

AcornsFor many years, the Mitchell Center has hosted an innovative Sustainability Talks series during the fall and spring semesters. The goal of these talks is to provide students, faculty, and interested citizens with opportunities to learn about: 1) the multi-faceted nature of sustainability problems; 2) the value of connecting different forms of knowledge and know-how in efforts to understand and solve such problems; and 3) the ways in which partnerships between universities and diverse stakeholders can facilitate efforts to identify and implement useful solutions.

All talks are Mondays at 3pm and are available via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine. For Zoom attendees, registration is required for each talk. Please go to individual event pages to register. Many talks are recorded and can be found on our Vimeo site after the event.

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September 13
Team Science and Lessons from Kindergarten – The Essence of Collaborative Research
Pips Veazey, Director, University of Maine Portland Gateway
This talk is available on YouTube
Slides for this talk are also available

September 20
Digging for Buried Treasure: Hidden Gems in Maine’s Reuse Markets 
Cindy Isenhour, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology & Climate Change Institute
Brie Berry, Postdoctoral Researcher, UMaine
This talk is available on YouTube

September 27
Rendezvous for Sustainability: Creating Space for Science-based Collaborative Solutions
Catherine Ashcraft, Assistant Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment, Faculty Fellow, Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire
Weiwei Mo, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire
This talk is available on YouTube

October 4
Why We Need History to Create a Sustainable World: Views from Wabanaki History
Micah Pawling, Associate Professor, History and Native American Studies, UMaine
This talk is available on YouTube

October 18
Leveraging the Clean Energy Triangle — Technology, Policy and Finance — to Fight Climate Change: Lessons from Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C.,and Wall Street
Dan Reicher, Senior Research Scholar, Stanford Woods Institute for Environment, Stanford University
This talk is available on YouTube

October 25
Collaborating Toward Climate Solutions
Parker Gassett, Marine Extension Associate, Maine Sea Grant
This talk is available on YouTube

November 1
Access for All? Examining Water Insecurity and Health in the United States and Canada
Kiley Daley, Adjunct Instructor, Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Associate, Climate Change Institute, UMaine
This talk is available on YouTube

November 8
Rematriation, Indigenous Women, and Traditional Indigenous Land Concepts in the Land Back Movement
Facilitator: Darren Ranco, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Mitchell Center; Chair of Native American Programs, UMaine
Panelists: Mali Obomsawin (Odanak Abenaki Nation) of the Bomazeen Land Trust, Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot Nation), executive director of the Land Peace Foundation.
This talk is available on YouTube

November 15
Lightning Talks
Eight students will present five-minute talks on their sustainability research in Maine. Topics include promoting health through alternative energy solutions, cost savings and waste reduction of reusable packaging systems, priorities for sustainable aquaculture expansion, management of shoreline change, and more.
This talk is available on YouTube

November 22
Storytelling: A Tool to Inform Collaborations
Michelle de Leon, Master’s Student, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, UMaine
Hannah Robbins, Communications Manager, Maine Sea Grant
Amalia Harrington, Marine Extension Associate, Maine Sea Grant
This talk is available on YouTube

November 29
The Role of Municipal Government in Implementing State Policy Priorities
Cathy Conlow, Executive Director, Maine Municipal Association
Kate Dufour, Legislative Advocate, Maine Municipal Association
This talk is available on YouTube