Together we will raise a glass in celebration of our many successes from 2021 and take a closer look at Maine’s ocean waters. The Gulf of Maine, which we rely on for food and economic security, is also one of the fastest warming bodies of water in the world. Together, we will watch a series of short Maine films, learn from local experts, and hear personal stories on Maine’s changing coast. Films to be shown include:
Changing Seas: A film series by Riley Stevenson & Matilda Allen
The Gilded Trap: A film by Ashley Siana
The Sea Farmers: Tidal 9 Fisheries
Our panelists include:
Riley Stevenson, Climate Activist
Michèle LaVigne, Associate Professor of Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College
Bri Warner, President & CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms
Bob Baines, Lobsterman & Kelp Farmer, Spruce Head
Jason Goldstein, PhD, Research Director at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
Join us Tuesdays at 12pm for virtual community conversations! These events are a great way to engage on important issues in the comfort of your own home.
We’ll kick off our season with “The National Popular Vote, Explained” on October 5th. Our guest speaker, Margo Donnis, will explain what the National Popular Vote is, and how it can be put into effect without changing the US Constitution. Register today!
Help Gather Signatures for a Consumer Owned Utility!
Have you signed up to collect signatures with Our Power yet? Now is the perfect time to sign up, attend a volunteer training, and get ready to start circulating our petitions to create a consumer-owned utility for Maine.
In the coming weeks, the Our Power campaign will need hundreds of volunteers to collect signatures to make the vision of consumer-owned power in Maine a reality. Sign up to be a volunteer signature collector on Election Day here!
In the face of the climate crisis, please help us democratize our energy system by removing Central Maine Power and Versant profiteers and creating a consumer-owned utility. Through this effort, we will invest in our critical infrastructure and build a sustainable and resilient electric grid that puts Mainers first.
If you have any questions about signature gathering, please contact Andrew Blunt, Our Power's Organizing Director.
Sierra Club’s Council of Club Leaders
The Sierra Club’s Council of Club Leaders are tasked with serving as liaisons between the Sierra Club Board of Directors and the 64 Chapters across the county. Made up of Chapter representatives and their alternates, they meet annually with Sierra Club national staff and leadership to learn about current Club issues, elect new Council leadership, and decide on resolutions derived from Chapter initiatives that impact national Sierra Club policy. As the Maine Chapter’s representative I attended the Council of Club Leaders meeting one weekend in September. It was a great opportunity to find out more about the Club and engage with others across the country. Read the rest of Becky’s article here.
Feedback Requested: Sierra Club Maine Multi-Year Equity Plan
Sierra Club Maine’s Equity, Inclusion and Justice Team is in the process of finalizing our Multi-Year Equity Plan, and we need your input! Please take a moment to review the draft, and fill out this feedback form . Does our draft plan meet your expectations and needs for our organization? Are there practices you would like to see included? We want to hear from you!
Federal Action on Infrastructure and Democracy
Congress is currently voting on the Build Back Better Act (formerly budget reconciliation bill) and the Freedom to Vote Act, and they need to hear from you! This budget reconciliation bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver transformational investments in climate action and infrastructure that will enable us to effectively tackle the climate crisis, create millions of family-sustaining jobs, and fight injustice.
Maine stands to benefit immensely from this package, creating the clean energy economy that we need. See more details on our priorities here. You can also view how the reconciliation bill supports Maine’s Climate Action Plan here.
We are still doing everything we can to protect our democracy by supporting the Freedom to Vote Act. It maintains the critical aspects of the For the People Act, and should garner bipartisan support. We thank Senator King for his leadership on this effort! Unfortunately, we do not expect it to pass; Republicans seem united in their opposition to protecting voting rights. We still urge Senator Collins to support this compromise bill, and hope you can contact her:
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-2523 Email
Please also thank Senator King for his work on this bill:
133 Hart Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5344 Email
You Can Make a Difference
Sierra Club Maine has been working with communities across the state for over 40 years. As a volunteer-run, grassroots organization we believe in the power of people working together to make change happen. That's why we need your help! Your passion, skills, and experiences will help us continue to:
Fight the climate crisis
Promote clean air and renewable energy
Elect pro-environment candidates
Hold public officials accountable
Protect and enjoy Maine's woods and waters
Ensure a clean and just economy
Volunteers of all levels are encouraged to join! To get started, complete our volunteer interest form here. Our next volunteer orientation is October 27th, 12-1pm—register today! If you have any questions, please contact us at maine.chapter@sierraclub.org or 207-761-5616.
Green Tip of the Month
As temperatures drop, so does the pressure in your tires. Loss of pressure causes tires to become less round, requiring more energy to begin moving and maintain speed. Remember to check your tire pressure in the fall to avoid lowering your vehicle's fuel efficiency. You should be able to find your vehicle's recommended tire pressure in the car manual or driver's side door.
These facts remain true for bike tires as well. Make sure your pedal power is most efficient and check your tire's psi, typically found on the sidewall of your tire. If you're without a bike air pump, stop in to your local bike shop who should be happy to help.
Your gift from your donor advised fund to Sierra Club Maine will immediately be put to work protecting Maine’s environment. Every year, we work with hundreds of committed volunteers across the state to have an even greater impact and return on your investment. Donor advised funds are made to the Sierra Club Foundation and only designated to Maine if you instruct the Foundation to do so. For more information, please contact us at maine.chapter@sierraclub.org or 207-761-5616.
The Month Ahead
Here are some of the meetings and events we have coming up. We hope to see you soon!
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact guarantees the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our guest speaker, Margo Donnis, will explain what the NPV is, and how it can be put into effect without changing the US Constitution.
Entomologist Douglas Tallamy identifies a minimum of 70% native plant biomass in our landscapes needed to safeguard wildlife habitat, support biodiversity, and mitigate the effects of climate change. Wild Seed Project recently launched an initiative that motivates people to meet this threshold through a holistic approach it is called rewilding and anyone can do it whether you have farmland, a yard in the suburbs, a hell strip in an urban neighborhood, or no land of your own. Anna will walk you through what it means to rewild in 10 action steps.
Please join us for our first quarterly statewide meeting of climate and community action teams across Maine. At this first meeting, we will get to know each other and the projects our teams are working on. We will have presentations from various teams about their current projects, and space for folks to get feedback and support on their work. This is the first gathering of what we hope will be an ongoing space for information sharing, movement building, and community support on local projects all over the state! We hope you will join us.
Join us for a two mile group walk through a forest near the headwaters of Brave Boat estuary. As we walk through the preserve owned by Kittery Land Trust we will stop at a few spots to to explore plants and animals as they prepare for winter.
