Eight island homes received professional home energy assessments and basic weatherization upgrades at a reduced cost during the Vinalhaven Energy Club’s first “Weatherization Week,” a program sponsored in part by the Island Institute with the support of Efficiency Maine. From July 16 through 20, participating homeowners received a home energy audit plus six man-hours of
Unbridging Barrier Islands – A Sandy Moment
Who knows what rich brew of psychological, spiritual and sexual urges draw humankind to shorelines in ever increasing numbers? But it is a fact that over half of the population of the U.S. now lives in the coastal zone—a 30 percent increase over the past three decades—and more of us are moving to America’s shores
Alewife Questions Abound in East Machias River
The St. Croix River in Washington County may host some of the most counted and studied alewives in the country. The controversy over whether to restore alewife access throughout the river has spawned multiple studies, and stakeholders have a plethora of data to crunch about the river’s alewife population. But just a few miles east
Happy Anniversary!
We like to remember the big “firsts” in our lives, whether they are date-specific like birthdays and wedding anniversaries, or age-specific like taking first steps, losing the first tooth, or buying a first car. When the month of October arrives on Little Cranberry Island, a small group of women celebrate another year of membership in
Putting Down the Family Car
Over the weekend, I had to put down the family car. Figuring out why I would hang on to a 16-year-old VW Golf well past the point when any of its dashboard panels worked, guessing your speed and gas reserves, would probably require years of therapy. Still the decision was painful. It might have something
State Puts Climate Change Planning on Shelf; Towns Fend for Themselves
A howling storm, tidal surge, downed power lines, beaches swept away, coastal residents evacuated. Hurricane Sandy? Yes, but it is also the story of the Patriots Day storm of 2007 along the southern Maine coast. Experts say both storms are harbingers of yet more severe storms to come, made worse by the effects of a
Chebeague Island Post Office Faces Cut in Hours
Chebeague Island residents are bracing for a cut in the schedule of their island’s post office. In September, island residents received a letter from the United States Postal Service asking residents to choose either to close the post office or to cut the post office’s hours back from an average of 7.3 hours a weekday
Bar Harbor Label Gives Look’s an Expanded Market
Winter may be soup season, but at Look’s Gourmet Food Company in Whiting, chowders and bisques are cooking year-round. This small business way up the coast near the Canadian border is now recognized as the fastest growing seafood soup manufacturing company in the country. More than soup, Look’s also processes and cans Maine lobster and
New England’s Island Energy Future
All islands are different, but have a lot in common. That is one of the mantras we repeat all the time at the Island Institute, and was a theme of a conference week and a half ago, when over 50 islanders from around New England gathered in in person and via video links to discuss
Lobster Industry Aims Bigger on Marketing
The Maine lobster industry wants to get more people around the world to eat its delicious, nutritious and versatile signature product. To make that happen, the industry is exploring the possibility of committing one percent of the harvest’s landed value, or about $3 million annually once full funding levels are reached, to improve its promotion