Welcome Readers!
 

Welcome to Maine Climate Action Now’s (MCAN) first newsletter. We will be publishing a monthly newsletter and sharing coalition news; features of our member organizations (you can find our member organizations here); calls to bold urgent action; and upcoming events. 

We will also be sharing our current work with you. This summer we are preparing to roll out our Climate Justice Crash Course. This intergenerationally created content will be published on our website in the fall and we’ll also be ready to share it with groups such as classrooms, student groups, and adult social action faith groups. Watch this space for further announcements.

Later in the fall we will also publish a Maine Climate Science Resource Library on our website. The intergenerationally created content will be accessible to all ages and abilities. This resource focuses on how climate change is specifically affecting Maine in a number of ways. There are links to articles, videos, websites and reports for further exploration.

Our newest work is participating in the MainersForOffshoreWind coalition. We convened and are spearheading this coalition’s Inclusion and Equity group partnering with the State. Member organization, Maine Youth for Climate Justice is organizing an educational event to bring research and discussion around community owned models of Offshore Wind to Maine. We believe that Maine can be a leader in floating offshore wind which can reduce our emissions, meet our energy needs, and grow our economy simultaneously. MCAN will work to bring inclusivity and equity to this process. You can learn more about Maine’s initiatives for Offshore Wind here. More on our work to come. 

Please share this newsletter with your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. They can subscribe here.

If you wish to contact us email info@maineclimateaction.org and share your thoughts. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @meclimateaction.  

The Pine Tree Amendment campaign is organizing to return to the legislature in 2023 in an effort to enshrine environmental rights protection into Maine's Constitution. As they develop an educational strategy they are inviting supporters and their neighbors to display their beautiful lawn art this summer to create a buzz about the legislation. 
 
To choose and sign up for a lawn sign, go to https://bit.ly/ptayardsign. They appreciate a donation of $10 that helps to cover printing costs. They will be creating educational materials for legislative candidates so that they can begin to become informed about the concept of constitutionally protected environmental rights. Pine Tree Amendment yard signs in their districts will help them to know that they have constituents who care about the issue.
 
For information about the Pine Tree Amendment visit: pinetreeamendment.org. 

Volunteer With Our Power
 

Our Power is looking for volunteers for collecting signatures this summer. This recent Portland Press Herald article continues to highlight the need for a consumer-owned utility as Maine's investor-owned electric companies are putting citizens under more burden than they can bear. Join those who have already committed to help collect signatures! Sign up here.

In conjunction with youth groups organized by our member organizations (Gateway Community Services - Color of Climate; Maine Immigrants Rights Coalition - Mano en Mano; Maine Youth for Climate Justice; Down To Earth Storytelling) and The Telling Room, MCAN held a four session workshop this spring, Crafting Your Own Climate Story. We invited youth participants from various communities to share their observations of climate change and how they are responding to the climate crisis. 

There are scholarships available generally, and especially for any groups or communities of people who would be willing to have a group consultation instead of the standard 1-on-1 with him that comes with the course. Contact Dennis through the website with questions or to learn more. 

MCAN core member organization, Center for an Ecology-based Economy, hosted over 200 people over Earth Day weekend for Collective Power for Climate Justice in Norway, Maine. 

 

People came, including several MCAN organizations’ representatives, and (in CEBE’s words) … spoke, listened, volunteered, sang, danced, hugged, learned, asked, carried, ate, taught, helped, laughed, and envisioned at 2030 Vision!

 

Here are some great resources from the Decolonizing Land Conservation workshop at the Convergence. Check out this amazing reading list the panelists: Carl Costanzi, Hadley Couraud, Lokotah Sanborn, and Ethan Miller put together.

Third Act Maine is looking for members: You can join by emailing charlesspanger@gmail.com and learn more about the Third Act Movement here.  

States Make Progress on Defining Environmental Justice Communities: Maine became the latest state to codify a definition of Environmental Justice communities with the passage of LD 2018, taking a slightly different approach than most states. 

Maine Public has hired a full-time climate reporter: Murry Carpenter will cover climate change and other environment news. You can contact him at: mcarpenter@mainepublic.org