Grad student, community group lead drive for sustainability license plate
In Maine, owners of cars and trucks can buy specialty license plates that publicize — and financially benefit — conservation, military troops, breast cancer support, animal welfare and other causes.
If University of Maine economics graduate student Garrett Raymond and the university-based Maine Community Energy Advocates get their wish, Mainers soon could have another option: Sustain Maine.
The plate, designed by UMaine new media student Jessie Huff, is intended to raise awareness of, and money for, community-based energy projects that produce renewable energy and improve energy efficiency.
Several such projects in Maine have included Peaks Island residents group purchasing energy-efficient heat pumps, and WindowDressers’ workshops highlighting how to assemble insulating window inserts.
Huff’s Sustain Maine plate design has a blue background and features a light bulb base topped with two evergreen trees and a moose, surrounded by soft yellow light.
Each existing Maine specialty plate generates about $240,000 annually for its cause. For Sustain Maine to be able to do the same, the state requires that Maine Community Energy Advocates secure 2,000 paid pre-orders from licensed Maine drivers. For more information and to pre-order a plate, visit the Sustain Maine website.
“We started this project because we wanted to improve funding opportunities for programs that bring communities together, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help Maine families save money while meeting their energy needs,” Raymond says.