Welcome! We’re glad you’re here.
We’re Molly Enking and Pete McGuire from Maine Public’s Climate Desk. We cover the ways the climate crisis is shaping Maine and our larger world: from warming waters, shorter winters, migrating species to the ups and downs of clean energy development.
We’re thrilled to be coming to an inbox near you on Earth Day to introduce Planet Maine, our newsletter covering all things climate, clean energy and environment.
You can expect a twice-monthly digest of our most pressing climate coverage – pretty much a one-stop shop to stay informed about one of the most important topics of our time. In a given issue, you’ll find deeply researched journalism and a sprinkling of statistics, along with one meaningful change you can make in your daily life.
Our goal is to provide news, perspective, and dose of reality, without leading to burnout. We aim to inform and inspire. We hope this will help you to stay clear-eyed, educated, and keep moving forward.
Above all, we want this newsletter to be useful to you! So if you have any questions you want answered, topics you are curious about or feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Most importantly, don’t forget to subscribe by clicking on the button below, and please forward this newsletter along to others who may be interested.
See you soon,
Molly & Pete
It’s Tuesday, April 22: Earth Day!
Students interested in climate action gathered at not one, but two events this month: an educational summit in Orono, and a Youth Day of Action at the State House in Augusta.
At the University of Maine in Orono, some 300 students gathered for the Youth Climate Summit, a day of speakers, workshops, and resources targeting the next generation of leaders. Breakout sessions were run by UMaine students, and in some cases, the high school students themselves.
“The amount of young people that came today gives me hope,” said Bay Nadeau, a high school senior from Searsport. “And that there's so much passion in this area around trying to help make our planet a better place for all, and trying to preserve a greener, cleaner future.”
Young people are increasingly at the forefront of climate change activism. Around 70% of people ages 16-25 are extremely worried or very worried about the climate, according to a study covering 10 countries and published in The Lancet in 2022.
At some of the sessions in Orono, the students shared tactics and gave presentations on environmental projects that had been successful.
The WindPlanners is an environmental group at Camden Hills High School, so named because the first group of students organized to install a windmill to power their school about a decade ago. This current class of members has turned to its next project: composting food waste from the cafeteria.
“Make friends with your lunch ladies,” Cameron Pinchbeck, a senior, told the students gathered at The Windplanners’ breakout session. “And science teachers. They’ll be most helpful in getting a project like this off the ground.”
Near the end of the workshop, students compared notes on how to keep their clubs and projects going long after they graduate. The key, The WindPlanners said, is twofold: to keep recruiting younger students to make sure there’s a big enough coalition to carry on, and to listen to and elevate their goals — knowing they may not be the same goals or projects you had worked on in the club.
For example, the new class may be more interested in getting EV chargers installed at the school than compost — and you have to be OK with that, and support it, said Pinchbeck.
Another topic of discussion among the group: how to balance the sheer scale of the climate crisis with the approachability needed to draw members in.
“I think that it can be really tempting to start from a place of fear, and be like, ‘Oh, everything's really bad, like, we need to fix things, there's so many problems.’ And I don't think that that draws people in,” said Raya Luehman.
Instead, Luehman said, a better way to draw people in can just be showing them how great a community it is to be a part of.
“You just kind of say, ‘Hey, you want to come to this event with me?’ And then you get your friends to come, and they tell their friends and spread the word of mouth that way, she said.”
Luehman, a junior at Camden Hills and member of The WindPlanners, said for her, there’s nothing more rewarding than climate activism.
“It's our future, and we live on this planet, and it's the only one we've got. And if we continue the way that we're going, like, it's not looking too bright,” she said. “So I feel really passionate that we need to make change, and we need people to be aware of what's going on.
“And, honestly, being aware isn't enough,” she said. “We need people to do things. I can't tell people to do things without doing them myself, and I just love knowing that I'm hopefully making some sort of difference.”
Maine Climate & Environmental News Highlights
Maine's shifting songbirds reflect a warming climate
Across the country, common bird species are moving along with the changing climate. The Environmental Protection Agency found that between 1966 and 2013, hundreds of widespread species moved the center of their winter range 40 miles north.
Amid concern over microplastics, a Maine company creates a kelp-based laundry pod alternative
Over 25% of Americans have switched to laundry pods and detergent sheets since they came on the market more than a decade ago. Now, a Blue Hill-based startup is working on a plastic-free, kelp-based alternative.
Maine offshore wind array on pause
The developer of Maine’s first offshore wind array has paused the project amid the Trump administration’s backlash against the industry. Maine's plans to have 100% clean electricity by 2040 had relied on a significant buildout of offshore wind power.
NOAA cuts raise concerns at the Fishermen's Forum
At a panel on managing fish in Gulf of Maine waters, one NOAA speaker was absent, and the other declined to answer questions about how changes at the federal agency might impact local fishing.
Feds restore Maine solar for all grant funding
State energy officials have regained access to a $62 million dollar solar power award frozen in the early days of the Trump presidency. The Solar for All grant is intended to help low-income and disadvantaged households access solar power and energy storage.
Hiring freeze is lifted for seasonal staff at Acadia National Park
Layoffs and a federal hiring freeze for national parks across the country have cast confusion over Acadia National Park's approaching summer season.
phase in/phase out is our regular segment offering deeply researched advice for individual action.
We know that placing an emphasis on individual responsibility has been frequently used as a distraction when it comes to the climate crisis. Personal action is, of course, not going to make a bigger dent than robust government policy.
That said, Americans produce around 21 tons of carbon a year on average, about four times the global average. There are individual choices we can make, and actions we can take, that will make a meaningful impact.
Research overwhelmingly shows that one of the top things individuals can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to cut back on meat and dairy consumption. Notice we said reduce — not necessarily eliminate! Even cutting back has enormous environmental benefits.
While meat and dairy make up just 18% of calories humans eat, animal agriculture uses a huge amount of farmland — 83% globally! — and is responsible for 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. Some research shows that even the lowest impact meat and dairy products still cause more environmental harm than the least sustainably grown vegetables and grains.
That being said, changing habits is hard — especially diet (and there are, of course, folks who may need to continue eating meat or dairy for medical reasons).
To dip a toe in, you could…
- Host a “plant-based” potluck and have guests share their recipes on notecards in front of each dish
- Embrace meatless Mondays and fish Fridays
- Introduce one new vegan dish per week for the rest of the year — keep those you love in rotation permanently, and ditch the duds. If you’re in need of inspiration, the New York Times or Serious Eats are good starting points for building a collection of staple meals.
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