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Artwork by Ed Nolde, Artist & Sierra Club Maine Volunteer April 2025
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Photo by Becky Bartovics Celebrate Earth Month With Sierra Club Maine!
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What better way to celebrate Earth Day and Earth Month than with Sierra Club Maine staff, volunteers, members and supporters? We hope you’ll join us! Tuesday, April 8, 6:30pm: Film Screening at Belfast Free LibraryEnjoy a screening of A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet, the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement—grassroots and global activism spanning fifty years from conservation to climate change. From climate change to the promise of transforming our civilization, the film tells vivid stories about people fighting—and succeeding—against enormous odds. This free event is co-sponsored by Sierra Club Maine and the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition. REGISTER HERE!Wednesday, April 9, 5-6pm: Legislative Team Introduction at Belfast Free LibraryJoin us to hear Jonathan Fulford, Sierra Club Maine Chapter Volunteer Leader, discuss how to become an active part of Sierra Club’s Legislative Team; how to get background information on environmental bills, communicate with legislators, write and submit testimony, and feel empowered by doing so. Jonathan has led the Chapter's efforts on some of the most significant environmental bills in the State House over the past five years. REGISTER HERE!Saturday, April 26, 10am-12pm: Community Clean Up at Back Cove Trail, PortlandBack Cove Trail is one of the oldest and most popular of Portland’s trails, and is ideal for walking, running, biking and dog walking. Let’s work together to ensure a clean trail for all to enjoy and to protect our beautiful park and wildlife! Elizabeth Collado, Supervising Park Ranger for the city of Portland, will provide a brief history of the trail. REGISTER HERE! Saturday, April 26, 10am-1pm: Gratitude Hike on Sears IslandPartake in a special hike on Sears Island in Searsport. We’ll walk ~3 miles to a bench dedicated to a man particularly memorable for his resolve to protect this special place, and veterans of these campaigns will tell a few stories as we stop for a light lunch. Terrain is easy to moderate, no more than a 150 foot elevation gain. This event is co-sponsored by the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition. REGISTER HERE! Saturday, April 26th, 10am-2pm: Resource Fair at Mill Creek Park, South PortlandSierra Club Maine will be participating in South Portland’s first annual Earth Day Resource Fair! We’ll have lots of resources and an opportunity to make your own seed ball. No need to register—please stop at our table and say hello to our amazing volunteers! Coordinated in partnership with the South Portland Land Trust, the South Portland Parks, Rec, and Waterfront Department, and the South Portland Sustainability Department.
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Image via Maine Turnpike Authority Gorham Connector Project Officially PausedArticle by Craig Bramley
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On March 6, 2025, the Maine Turnpike Authority signaled that it is pausing efforts to build the Gorham Connector, a highway expansion the Sierra Club has publicly opposed. For nearly 20 years the Maine Turnpike Authority (“MTA”) has been in discussion regarding or actively planning to build a five-mile, four lane highway between the Maine Mall area of South Portland and Gorham. This project has been vigorously opposed by a coalition of environmental and smart growth organizations, including Sierra Club. The highway would encourage increased motor vehicle transportation and dispersed housing development, endanger the viability of the native trout population of Red Brook, and pass through Smiling Hill Farm, all in hopes of saving commuters as little as four minutes of commuting time. The project would have cost more than $350 million dollars and depended on tolls collected on all turnpike users. Stopping this project is a huge win for Maine’s environment and efforts to encourage sustainable growth in Southern Maine. It is also a great example of what can be accomplished through grassroots organizing and coalition building. Sierra Club staff and volunteers have been actively working in opposition to the Gorham Connector for three years and have joined with other volunteers and organizations as part of Mainers for Smarter Transportation (“M4ST”), a group formed specifically to work in opposition to the project. Through M4ST and the work of coalition partners like Sierra Club, over 12,000 Mainers signed a petition opposing the Gorham Connector. Continue reading here.
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Photos via Maine Public Radio Loving the North Woods:
25 Years of Historic Conservation in Maine
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In 2002 the Sierra Club launched the Maine Woods Campaign to secure wilderness protection along the northernmost 100-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
"In her new book, Loving the North Woods, Karin Tilberg writes about a remarkable period for land conservation in Maine. Over a 25-year period, from 1990 to 2015, millions of acres of Maine’s forestland came up for sale, and conservation groups rallied to protect them from development. Tilberg, former president of the Forest Society of Maine, recounts the forces and people behind this monumental shift in land ownership in Maine."
Karin was recently interviewed on Maine Calling; listen here now.
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Graphic by Zach Liljeholm Natural Affinity Show Connects
Empathy With Climate Activism
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Taking place on April 8th, 6:30-9pm in Portland, Natural Affinity explores how empathy impacts climate activism, and how a more intimate relationship to nature can build a better environmental future. This show includes an exhibition of student artwork from Maine colleges organized by Zach Liljeholm, exploring the theme of “Empathy with Nature.” The reception will be accompanied by music with DJ Ben Spalding. Come rediscover your relationship with nature through embodiment, dance, and admiration, then take your passion to the beautiful outdoors! Visit SPACE Gallery’s website for more information.
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Photo by Sophia Martin Green Tip of the Month:
8 Ways to Green Your Laundry Routine
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The planet might dread laundry days as much as we do. From the tiny plastic particles shed by our polyester clothes to the gobs of water and energy consumed with each wash, our laundry habits add up to some surprising environmental costs. Luckily, greening your laundry routine can be relatively pain-free, and it’s an impactful way to curb your personal environmental footprint. 1. Switch Every Load to Cold “The simplest and easiest thing to do with no sacrifice at all is to always use cold water wash,” says Noah Horowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council... The fact is that modern machines and soaps are designed to work best in cooler temps for all but the dirtiest loads. And turning the dial down adds up to huge environmental savings: As much as 90 percent of the energy consumed by our washing machines goes to heating the water. If you simply must use heat, the NRDC says that even turning the dial down to warm can cut the energy use in half. 2. Tweak Your SettingsAnother simple piece of advice is to take the time to put your machine on the right settings. “How you use your device really dictates what your environmental impact is,” says Horowitz. For example, make sure you select the right load size, so the machine doesn’t use too much water. On your dryer, always use the presets like Normal or Standard, as they engage the machine’s sensors to automatically shut off once the clothes are dry. Continue reading here.
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Beneficiary Designations: Keep it Current
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When thinking about updating estate plans, many people immediately think of updating (or creating!) a will or trust. Beneficiary designations are another piece of the puzzle, and one you don’t want to forget about. A beneficiary is the person or organization that you designate to inherit an asset after your lifetime. A will does not affect assets with beneficiary designations, such as retirement accounts and IRAs. Because they are handled and distributed separately, it’s important to review your beneficiaries regularly to make sure they reflect your current wishes. If you need to make changes, they are often easier to update than a will. Contact the financial institution that holds the account and request a change of beneficiary form. Depending on your financial institution, you may be able to make changes and submit the form online. Updating a beneficiary designation is one way to easily create a legacy for the Maine Chapter without impacting your budget today. You can even include the Maine Chapter as a partial beneficiary by designating a percentage of an account, or a contingent beneficiary to serve as a back-up to your primary beneficiary plans. All planned gifts are recognized with membership in the Rachel Carson Society. If you’d like to learn more about supporting the Maine Chapter through beneficiary designations, please contact Julia Curtis at julia.curtis@sierraclub.org or (800) 932-4270.
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Here are some of the meetings and events we have coming up. We hope to see you soon! - Events Team Meetings: Help us organize events to educate and engage Mainers across the state.
- April 4 at 10am: Political Team Meeting
- Join us for the political work of endorsing candidates and other local actions.
- April 5: Hands Off! Mobilization
- They’re dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we’ll just watch. This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way. Join Fight Back Table coalition (led by Indivisible, Working Families Party, and MoveOn) for a mobilization with 300+ actions!
- April 5: Seacoast Environmental Film Festival
- The Seacoast Environmental Film Festival is a day-long event held at the Kittery Community Center STAR Theatre, that brings together Seacoast area environmentalists, activists, educators, and interested filmgoers to watch and discuss award winning documentaries about critical environmental issues that are globally important and locally relevant. You are sure to be inspired and motivated!
- April 15 at 12pm: Clean Energy Team Meeting
- Join our team and ensure a clean and just energy future for Maine, specifically focused on renewable energy development!
- April 17, 11am-1pm: Youth Day of Action
- Across the globe, young people are leading the fight for bold climate action and climate justice. What’s on your climate agenda? Maine Youth for Climate Justice, MEEA Changemakers, JustME for JustUS, Maine Youth Power, the Young People’s Caucus and Community Organizing Alliance will be hosting our fifth annual Youth Day of Action at the State House in Augusta on 4/17. This event will be a day for youth in Maine to mobilize and present our vision and demands for our future. The day will include a rally, press conference, lobbying, and networking. Register here!
- April 23 at 4pm: Community Conversation: Hans Neu; Disowned Prophet of "Mega-Dams = Eco-Disaster"
- Over 50 years ago, Hans Neu, a leading Canadian government oceanographer warned that the continued building of large hydropower projects on subarctic and Arctic rivers in Canada and Russia could warm the climate, alter ocean currents with global implications, and bring grave harm to the fisheries of the Northwest Atlantic. Present available climate data supports the science behind his warnings. In this webinar we will resurrect the buried warnings of the scientist who was ahead of his time, but right on time! NECAPA: A Grassroots Network Team of the Sierra Club. Register here.
- April 26 at 10am: Earth Day Sears Island Gratitude Hike
- Celebrate Earth Day on Sears Island. We will walk approximately three miles to a bench dedicated to a man particularly memorable for his resolve to protect this special place, and veterans of these campaigns will tell a few stories when we stop at his bench for a light lunch. This event is co-sponsored by the Waldo County Climate Action Coalition. Learn more & register here.
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Volunteer With Sierra Club MaineInterested in helping to protect Maine’s environment? We invite you to join us at our next volunteer orientation— view our events calendar here! No matter your background, we have a role for you—no experience necessary. We are always looking 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.Questions? Email us at maine.chapter@sierraclub.org.
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