Artwork by Ed Nolde, Artist & Sierra Club Maine Volunteer
September 2023
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Matt Cannon testifies in favor of clean vehicle standards
Maine is Ready for Clean Vehicle Standards!
By Matt Cannon, State Conservation & Energy Director
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I joined dozens of health, business and climate advocates on Aug. 17th at the Augusta Civic Center to call on Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) to adopt both the full Advanced Clean Cars 2 and Advanced Clean Trucks standards. Though there was some opposition, there were no other solutions offered that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our largest polluting sector in Maine: transportation. We hope the BEP adheres to current state policy and adopts these rules. These are feasible, realistic goals over time to ensure zero emission vehicle supply in Maine.
In the meantime, we continue to work on getting federal dollars to Maine to continually reduce costs for EV consumers and plan for a resilient grid of the future. A few quick updates on the standards:
In Maine, ACC 2 and ACT are the only feasible pathways to eliminating pollution from our largest emitting sector: transportation. The transportation sector accounts for 49% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuels with about 60% of that being caused by light-duty vehicles
(i.e., passenger vehicles, the cars and trucks that you and I drive around). The ACC II program will rapidly cut light-duty vehicle emissions by requiring an increasing number of vehicles sold each year to be zero-emission, starting with model year 2027. According to the State’s Clean Transportation Roadmap, adoption of the ACC II and the ACT standards are critical for the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions and hit its climate targets.
The states who adopt ACC 2 / ACT will be first in line for the newest electric vehicles. Without it, EVs will not be delivered to Maine in time to meet our climate goals. |
Image by Dominique Leviere
Visioning a Resilient Future:
30x30 Webinar 10/11
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Join us for a webinar to discuss the status of Maine’s farmland protection and access efforts, and what must come next as we move towards visioning a resilient future for Maine communities. On October 11th at 1pm Matt Cannon, Sierra Club Maine's State Conservation and Energy Director, will facilitate a vibrant conversation on this important topic, featuring:
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Commissioner Amanda Beal, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry
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Senator Craig Hickman, Maine’s 131st Legislature
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Shelley Megquier, Maine Farmland Trust
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Chelsea Gazillo, American Farmland Trust
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and more!
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Sierra Club Maine Endorses Question 3 -
Call for Volunteers!
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This November, join Sierra Club Maine in voting YES on Question 3. |
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In order to create a world that is grounded in climate justice, we must have energy democracy. In Maine, where big energy monopolies CMP and Versant continue to centralize their business model on profits and fossil fuels at the expense of citizens, energy democratization will shift the power to the people. It is for these reasons that Sierra Club Maine has endorsed Question 3 to create the consumer-owned Pine Tree Power.
Interested in helping out? We’re looking for volunteers! Contact ania.wright@sierraclub.org to get connected, or go directly to the Pine Tree Power Campaign website’s take action page.
Question 3 isn’t just vital to lower Mainer’s utility bills, it’s also critical to meeting our climate and clean energy goals. The current Maine investor-owned utilities, CMP and Versant, have failed to respond to the climate crisis, fighting clean power at every turn and leaving Maine with the least reliable grid in the nation and some of the highest rates in the nation. They have shown that they will fight the growth of locally-owned clean energy in order to preserve profits and centralized control of fossil fuels. Continue reading here, and check out our
national press release here.
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GrowSmart Maine's Annual Summit 10/19
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Join GrowSmart Maine’s Annual Summit on October 19th! The Summit focus, Creating Places for Connecting People, will begin with one national keynote, Dr. Jeremy Nobel, of the Foundation for Art & Healing, outlining the loneliness epidemic noted in the
recent report by the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. He is paired with Maine-based Keynote speaker Jane Lafleur, and then with a community showcase of examples and perspectives from Maine on how land use patterns have depleted our sense of community connections and more importantly, how we can repair damage done. These changes will also have clear benefits related to climate action and farmland protection. See more and RSVP here
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Redefining Conservation:
30x30 Podcast/Webinar Series
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The 30x30 team is excited to launch a new educational podcast about the 30x30 campaign and what our vision is for conservation of 30% and more of Maine’s forestry, wildlife, and water protections. The podcast is called ‘Redefining Conservation.’ We are planning on interviewing multiple key stakeholders, community organizers, and movement builders who will be part of creating our shared conservation future in Maine. Our 30x30 team is planning to release our episodes at the beginning of October, so look out for those and be sure to bring your support! Find out more here.
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Meet Sierra Club Maine's
Building Electrification Intern, Idey Abdi
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As a Building Electrification Intern a significant portion of my time is dedicated to researching various programs across the United States that aim to empower marginalized communities in their fight against environmental challenges. Through this research we will see what we can implement in Maine that will be beneficial to our target communities.
My passion lies in educating and involving residents from low-income communities in the climate change movement. Having grown up in Lewiston, I am well aware of the challenging conditions tenants endure due to limited options. It reinforces my belief that disadvantaged communities must understand the underlying reasons for their struggles to effectively address the issues and advocate for safer and more affordable living conditions.
I had the opportunity to meet with two individuals from the Portland Sustainability Office. This in-person meeting provided invaluable insights into the remarkable work they are doing for the city, especially their future projects tailored to renters. The meeting was not only informative but also inspiring, fueling my determination to contribute meaningfully to this cause.
For the remainder of my internship, I plan to further my research efforts while concentrating on outreach and building connections with individuals and organizations. I hope my research and networking will aid in the creation of a program that benefits low-income renters where they can live in communities powered by clean energy and without financial burdens.
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COA student Celia Morton insulates an attic, image by David Gibson
Workers Needed for Maine's
Clean Energy Transition
By David Gibson, Sierra Club Maine Executive Committee Member,
Director of Energy at College of the Atlantic, and Building Performance Association Member
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Maine has set ambitious climate goals, including the goal for 100% clean electricity by 2040. To truly achieve 100% clean energy statewide, we need to transition every single one of the 746,000 homes and 147,000 small businesses across the state off of fossil fuels. The critical first step is properly air sealing and insulating the building envelope to reduce heat loss. Doing so reduces energy use and carbon emissions by 30-50% or more.
In the last 5 years, the Weatherization Assistance Program has insulated 1,537 homes, or ~307 each year, and in 2022 Efficiency Maine rebated 3,446 building envelope measures. Combined, these programs are helping insulate less than 4,000 homes each year, and neither program offers incentives for insulating small businesses. At current rates, it will take more than 200 years to seal and insulate all Maine buildings. This is woefully inadequate.
The biggest barrier to improving the rate of efficiency improvements is a workforce shortage. To seal and insulate all our buildings in the next 20 years, we need ~10 times the number of workers in the insulation and building performance industry. Continue reading here.
If you or someone you know is interested in working in Maine’s energy efficiency sector, please sign up here to learn about job and training opportunities.
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Donate Your Old Car, Boat, Motorcycle, or RV
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Donating an old car, boat, truck, motorcycle, or RV to Sierra Club Maine has a lasting impact on our work advancing climate solutions, advocating for clean air and water, and keeping our wild places wild. Donating is easy and someone will come to you to pick up your donation for free. Simply call 855-337-4377 or visit sierraclubfoundation.careasy.org
and make sure to designate your donation to “Sierra Club Maine.”
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Image by christiancmccorbeti
Green Tip of the Month:
Bars Can Do It Better
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When it comes to simple swaps, bars have got you covered! This is a textbook case of what's old is new again. Bar soaps used to be the only option, and more & more these days people & producers are turning to our old solid friends for a no-plastic, no-package solution.
Something is in the air right now, and lots of people are asking about switching to bars for cleaning their homes & their bodies. But the waste-reduction benefits are not the end of the conversation! Using bar soap vs. the liquid alternative saves water & energy too… WIN! WIN! WIN! Continue reading here.
Do you have a green tip that you would like to have included in a future newsletter? Please share it with us here!
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Image by Jonathan Albrecht
The Month Ahead
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Here are some of the meetings and events we have coming up. We hope to see you soon!
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Mondays, weekly, at 4:30pm: Legislative Team Meetings
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Join us to discuss the upcoming legislative session!
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Tuesdays, biweekly, at 3pm: Advancement Team Meetings
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Help us raise the crucial funds necessary for us to do our work.
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Volunteer Support Team Meetings
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Help recruit and orient new volunteers and ensure overall volunteer satisfaction.
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Thursdays, biweekly, at 4pm: Events Team Meetings
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Help us organize events to educate and engage Mainers across the state.
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September 19 at 12pm: Clean Energy Team Meeting
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Join our team and ensure a clean and just energy future for Maine, specifically focused on renewable energy development!
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October 11 at 12pm: Visioning a Resilient Future: 30x30 Webinar
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Join us for a webinar to discuss the status of Maine’s farmland protection and access efforts, and what must come next as we move towards visioning a resilient future for Maine communities. Matt Cannon of Maine’s Sierra Club will facilitate a vibrant conversation on this important topic.
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October 19: GrowSmart Maine's Annual Summit
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The recent public health crisis and our growing divisiveness have made it harder to support and maintain connections. But it is possible to create buildings, communities, and transportation systems that make connections easier. These changes will also have clear benefits related to climate action and farmland protection. You're invited to come share strategies and inspire actions that support human connection.
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Volunteer With Sierra Club MaineInterested in helping to protect Maine’s environment? No matter your background, we have a role for you! We invite you to fill out our volunteer interest form—no experience necessary.
We are always looks for photos from across the state to feature in our marketing materials. Professionals and amateurs alike are encouraged to submit images of Maine landscapes, nature, and wildlife. Please submit your photo here.
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