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October 2018
Talk – It’s Not Easy Being Green: Environmental Engagement in the Past and Present
Speaker: Mark McLaughlin, Department of History, UMaine For many conservationists and environmentalists, the Holy Grail in terms of trying to make real and long-term change happen is effective engagement with policymakers and government officials. However, this is often not an easy or simple task, and many of the barriers that conservationists and environmentalists encounter today are the same ones that have been in place for more than half a century. Dr. Mark McLaughlin will draw from his research on forestry…
Find out more »November 2018
Talk – Conservation: No Longer Just for Do-Gooders
Spencer Meyer, Senior Conservationist, Highstead Spencer will share his passion for the new Sebago Clean Waters initiative, which is bringing local, regional and national stakeholders together to create new investments in clean drinking water, healthy forests, and community conservation in the Sebago region of Maine. This initiative is one of about 30 water funds around the world that are linking conservation uplift with the business case to reinvest in watersheds that provide our clean drinking water. The Sebago watershed provides…
Find out more »Sustainability Lightning Talks
Call for Abstracts Lightning Talks will focus on student research in Maine. All students involved in sustainability research are encouraged to send in an abstract for a lightning talk. We especially welcome abstracts from students involved in Mitchell Center research projects, including the NEST Future of Dams project as well as projects supported by the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Research Grants program. A panel of Mitchell Center faculty will select up to 8 presentations from the submitted abstracts. Lightning Talk Rules:…
Find out more »Talk – Crossing boundaries to better understand forest sustainability
Crossing boundaries to better understand forest sustainability and the influence of forest certification Erin Simons-Legaard, Research Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources, UMaine Multiple, often conflicting forest values are maintained only when management actions are integrated over large areas. To-date, two key mechanisms have been utilized as safeguards for forest sustainability in Maine: regulations (such as Maine’s Forest Practices Act) and certification through programs such as those sponsored by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative or the Forest Stewardship Council. Maine is…
Find out more »December 2018
Talk – Can Homesteading Provide Sustenance and Surplus in an Age of Scarcity?
Steve Coghlan Associate Professor of Freshwater Fisheries Ecology, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine; and Director, Maine Chapter of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy Human population growth is on a collision course with biophysical limits of Planet Earth and economic limits of modern industrial-financial capitalism, but current political institutions seem incapable of identifying and responding to these existential crises. This has motivated some people to plan for a future of resource…
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