Climate action can't wait. To stop climate disruption we need all hands on deck. Local climate action teams are taking the initiative to do all they can to cut our fossil fuel usage. CATs can learn from each other and from projects in other communities. We are gathering resources and "best practices" to share with our teams and providing links to them below. Check back often, as we plan to add more helpful information as we come across it. If you know of other resources you would like to share, let us know. If you need information that you cannot find, let us know.
Read Our Climate Action Advisory Team's latest Publication:
"Building Thriving Communities": How Maine Communities are Safegaurding their Future
GENERAL RESOURCES
- Guide for Starting Your Local Climate Action Team
- Grassroots Community Organizing
- Sierra Club Maine's Climate Action Teams: From Cool Communities to Green Sneakers to Climate Action Teams
SOLAR
- What is a Community Solar Project?
- Community Solar Farms (Revision Energy)
- Community Solar Farm and Solar Policy (Portland)
- Solarizing Portland: Expanding the City’s Use and Access to Solar Energy
- Municipal Solar (Wiscasset)
- Municipal Solar (Bar Harbor)
- Solarize Freeport presentation
- Solarize Freeport RFP
- Solarize Freeport Forms
- Guide to Community Solar (USDA)
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
- Community/School Gardens (Reiche School, Portland)
- Western Foothills Region Sustainable Initiatives (Center for an Ecology-Based Economy)
- Ready for 100% Fossil Free Campaign
PLASTIC BAGS & STYROFOAM CONTAINERS
- Plastic Bag Reduction Program (Brunswick)
- Plastic Bag Reduction Program (Falmouth)
- Idea for alternative packaging: Use biodegradable mushroom packaging
- The Bag Bill: Taking action on a ubiquitous ecological blight. Article by Ian Frazier in The New Yorker, May 2, 2016.
- The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a non-profit whose mission is to reform how materials are packaged. Lots of good info. here.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
- The Energy Efficiency Roadshow consists of a tri-fold display with all kinds of information about the value of energy efficiency and how to achieve a comfortable home that saves energy, money, and the planet. It could be coupled with a public presentation or forum on energy efficiency and weatherization steps homeowners can take. This can be borrowed for a few weeks or a month. Call the office for more information, 761-5616.
- Tips and Tricks to Save Energy for DIY Homeowners: A 2-page handout of things anyone can do to save energy around the home...from really simple to "call a professional". It all adds up.
- Green Sneakers Guidebook: This contains the compiled wisdom of many years working in communities, helping homeowners weatherized their homes and take the next steps to real energy and monetary savings while helping to cut carbon pollution. Includes suggested strategies, reproducible handouts, and more.
- How to Make Low-Cost Energy-Efficient Interior Storm Windows: with thanks to the Midcoast Green Collaborative.
- Efficiency Maine - rebates, incentives, lists of certified energy efficiency professionals who do energy assessments & air sealing, etc. New! bigger rebates and less hoops to jump through to get them -- especially designed for low-income families.
Check out: http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/income-eligible-residential-customer-rebates/
- VIDEOS: Need some help from an expert? Efficiency Maine has posted several really helpful videos that could be used for presentations or relayed to those who need them most. Here are a few:
- Air sealing your home: http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/home-energy-savings-program/air-sealing/
- Low interest loans: http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/energy-loans/
- Collective purchase: http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/collective-purchase/
- Heat pumps: http://www.efficiencymaine.com/heat-pumps/
- Sierra Club Maine VIDEOS. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7w1G_5IpdSwF5t_VJm1
Micro-grids and other Maine municipal climate change and clean energy solution ideas. Kathleen Meil, Policy Advocate for the Acadia Center
Roadmap to 100% Clean Energy City based on GridSolar’s success in their non- transmission alter- natives project in the Boothby Harbor region. Steve Hinchman, general legal counsel for GridSolar LLC
Efficiency Maine’s Collective Buying Programs for Residential Homeowners and More Michael Stoddard Executive Director, Efficiency Maine
An Integrated Approach to Healthy, Sustainable & Affordable Buildings for New Construction and Renovations . William Turner of Turner Building Science & Design LLC
- Local Maine Community Action organizations: Providing services to low income people across Maine.
TRANSPORTATION
- Bikes: Bikes don't pollute. Make sure your community has safe bike lanes and paths.
- Gasoline Powered Vehicles: Start a No Idling Campaign. Everyday Americans waste approximately 3.8 million gallons of gasoline by needlessly idling their cars. An idling vehicle releases as much pollution as a car that is being driven. Pollution from exhaust has been linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases, allergies, heart disease, increased risk of infections, cancer, and other health problems.
- Support Electric Cars: Encourage your community to install more high level chargers for electric cars.
- Public Transport: Support the use of clean energy buses & trains