September 2026 E-News

September 2026

In this issue:

• Save our Forests! Comment on Trump's Repeal of the Roadless Rule
• Speak for the North Woods: Maine's Land Use Planning Commission Comment Period
• Community Conversation: Seeing and Doing Conservation Through Cultural Lenses
• Efficiency Maine Trust Incentivizes Home Battery Installations
• Maine Clean Energy Week
• Cassidy Point Coal Pile Site Looks at an Exciting Revival
• Volunteer at the Common Ground Country Fair
• Join Our Annual Celebration!
• Maine People's Alliance Celebrates Members and Progressive Values
• Green Tip of the Month
• The Month Ahead
• Volunteer With Sierra Club Maine

Save our Forests! Comment on Trump's Repeal of the Roadless Rule

By  Sierra Club

Speak for the North Woods: Maine's Land Use Planning Commission Comment Period

By Matt Cannon

The Land Use Planning Commission encourages anyone who lives, works, owns property, or recreates in the Service Area to participate in their Comprehensive Land Use Plan survey and help shape the future of land use planning in Maine's unorganized territories.

The Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC or the Commission), a part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, provides permitting, planning, zoning, and code enforcement for the unorganized and deorganized areas of Maine, including all the townships, most plantations, and a few towns. The Commission’s Service Area, sometimes called the Unorganized Territories (the UT), covers nearly half the State, more than 10.4 million acres! It includes a year-round population of around 12,000 people and contains the largest contiguous undeveloped area in the northeast. 

The law that created the LUPC requires that the Commission prepare an official comprehensive land use plan (CLUP), which serves as a policy guide for zoning and development in the LUPC Service Area. The current CLUP was adopted in 2010, and now it is time for the Commission to identify new priorities and respond to the current issues and trends in the UT. 

Complete this survey! Help the Commission prioritize issues for the CLUP update, and share your thoughts about the UT, the LUPC, and the CLUP update process. For additional background information, or to sign up to receive information about the process, please visit the CLUP update website: http://maine.gov/dacf/clupdate. For the Commission's current rules please visit https://www.maine.gov/dacf/lupc/laws_rules.

Community Conversation: Seeing and Doing Conservation Through Cultural Lenses

By Sierra Club Maine

This talk stems from a symposium at Antioch University-New England entitled “Conservation Without Borders: The Impact of Conservation on Human Communities.” Papers from the symposium were later published as a special feature in the journal Environmental Management under the heading: “Conservation Without Borders: Building Communication and Action Across Disciplinary Boundaries for Effective Conservation.” The symposium brought together conservation researchers and practitioners utilizing diverse disciplinary lenses to consider how they might more effectively collaborate for a more integrated approach to tackling conservation challenges. The symposium focused on four types of lenses—ecological, anthropological, economic, and political—with speakers presenting their disciplinary perspectives or “lenses” on conservation challenges. I will offer perspectives from an anthropological lens beginning with discussion of various vantage point gained from my own experience, followed by more general concerns many anthropologists hold with respect to conservation, focusing both on critiques and contributions the discipline offers. I conclude with several concrete examples of conservation projects that are integrating multiple disciplinary lens in their work to foster a more just and lasting conservation before offering a few final reflections on the need for reflexive questioning and disciplinary humility to allow conservationists to better work together to stem the growing commoditization and degradation of the earth’s ecosystems.

Dr. Richard Peterson is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies at the University of New England. He holds an interdisciplinary doctorate in Environmental Studies, centered in environmental anthropology and environmental ethics, and is author of the book, Conversations in the Rainforest: Culture, Values, and the Environment in Central Africa. His research has focused on the incorporation of indigenous ecological values, knowledge, and practices into conservation projects and other environmental initiatives in Africa. In addition to his book, he has published his work in numerous book chapters, journal articles, and conference proceedings. He and his family live in Portland on the edge of the 85-acre Fore River Sanctuary. He enjoys making furniture and taking long forest walks and is very grateful to have landed in Maine.

Presented by: Dr. Richard Peterson, Professor Emeritus at the University of New England

Sign Up!

Efficiency Maine Trust Incentivizes Home Battery Installations

By David von Seggern

What to do about the numerous and often long electrical outages in Maine?  While most residential electricity customers are still without backup power, many have taken to diesel-fuel or propane generators to protect their homes and their well-being during these outages.  But, increasingly, customers are favoring battery units for this backup.  

For those desiring to be “green”, batteries may be the only choice; but most people will need convincing monetary reasons, and increasingly the evidence is showing that battery backup makes sense in many ways over traditional fossil-fuel generators.  Especially when combined with solar generation, battery backup appeals better, in nearly every instance, than traditional generators.  

The real attractive feature of batteries, however, is their ability to be easily tied into a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) scheme.  VPPs are aggregations of small power-producing entities such as home backup batteries or EV batteries that are controlled in unison such that they can feed power into the electrical grid at times of high demand or perhaps failure of one or more major power generators.  For a thorough understanding of VPPs, read about them at one of these websites: Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Department of Energy (DOE), or Solar United Neighbors (SUN).  Enrollment in a VPP enables the utility customer to get a monetary return on their batteries; this return can add up over a few years to as much as half of the cost of installing the batteries.  

Efficiency Maine Trust (EMT), long known for helping Mainers lessen their energy burden, has recognized the importance of batteries as backup but also as entities in a VPP that pays the utility customer for power discharged to the grid during high overall demand, called “events” by EMT.  EMT annually remits a payment to an VPP aggregator who, in turn, remits 80% of the payment to the actual battery owners.  The VPP actually benefits the entire customer base of the grid by supplying fossil-free generation when needed and by decreasing the need for building more generation infrastructure.  We advise Mainers to check out the EMT battery incentives if they are thinking of backup power for their homes or small businesses and yet believe that fossil-fuel generators are the only choice.  

Still, the upfront cost of battery backup systems ($10,000 and up) under the EMT program may be a high barrier for many low and middle income (LMI) residents.  We mention that battery backup systems in the low $1,000s are available on the market (Google search on “portable home backup batteries”), with some offerings even including portable solar panels to charge the batteries.  The caveat is that electrical work needed to meet code may add considerably to the initial low cost in purchasing a portable backup battery system.  These low-cost systems (portable solar and batteries) are not unlike systems marketed for powering recreational vehicles or small cabins.  These systems will not be eligible for the EMT battery-incentive program though. 

Additionally, Maine could enact a VPP program similar to Vermont’s Green Mountain Power to supply ratepayers with batteries at low to no cost, up front. While we continue to support EMT’s program, we also advocate for bringing down the cost of home batteries and using more incentives to expand battery use, drive down power rates, and create a more resilient grid.

Regardless if one chooses to install an whole-home battery backup system or purchase a portable battery backup system, it is clear that, by many criteria including cost, these fossil-free systems have advantages over traditional backup generators.

A longer, more descriptive version of this article is available.  

Maine Clean Energy Week

By Matt Cannon

Maine Clean Energy Week opens on Monday, September 14 in Augusta with an invitation-only Kickoff that features twelve keynote speakers drawing local and national media attention. The people shaping Maine's energy policy, economy and future will be in the room. This is the kind of morning where you walk out feeling like the state just shifted, this is the future you want to build.

On Thursday, September 17 Panel Day comes to Portland with five real conversations Maine needs to have. Imagine the candidates running for Governor, U.S. Senate and both Congressional seats in one room before November. We’ll cover where Maine is at on building a transmission line to unlock 1,200 MW of renewable energy, offshore wind, hydropower, storage, building Maine’s clean energy workforce and more. (Click here for the draft list of panels.) Alongside the live streamed panels, the Innovation Showcase, Residential Showcase, Startup Fair and Municipal Vendor Showcase will fill the event with the decision makers, investors, procurement directors and customers who came specifically to find what you offer. (Click here for the exhibitor showcase form.)

Cassidy Point Coal Pile Site Looks at an Exciting Revival

By  Matt Cannon

Last year, volunteers and staff at the Maine Chapter worked tirelessly to retire the coal storage facility on Cassidy Point in Portland. The facility, which had been impacting residents with it's toxic dust and polluting the surrounding neighborhoods and waters, was officially ordered to be covered and eventually evicted late in 2025. Now, the community looks at an exciting new life for the site as the Portland Hearts of Pine announce plans for a new home. Read More about the anticipated new sports facility on Maine Public.

Volunteer at the Common Ground Country Fair's 50th Anniversary!

By  Corrine Adamowicz

Have you ever attended MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair?  If yes, you don’t want to miss it this year - and if not, you definitely don’t want to miss it as it’s the 50th anniversary!  The 2026 Common Ground Country Fair in Unity is held from Friday, September 25th through Sunday, September 27th, 2026!

If you've never been to the fair, it's a wonderful experience!  There's great food, live music, animal exhibitions, speakers, an organic farmer's market, sustainable living vendors from across the state, and so much more. Check out the Common Ground Country Fair info.  

As a volunteer, you may choose to receive a free entry ticket (a $25 value) good for the entire day for working a 2 or 3-hour shift.  

There is free camping at the fair with showers/restrooms. 

Please email Corrine at maine.chapter@sierraclub.org if you are interested.

SIGN UP HERE

Thanks so much for your help with this wonderful opportunity to connect with the public in a meaningful way at an event that is one of the highlights of living in Maine.

Join Our Annual Celebration!

By  Corrine Adamowicz

Get Your Tickets!
 

Register Today

Consider supporting our chapter by sponsoring this event! Sponsors will receive recognition throughout promotion mediums, and have the opportunity to be featured in our monthly E-Newsletter in our Sustainable Business Highlight! If you are interested in sponsorship benefits, please email us at maine.chapter@sierraclub.org.

Maine People's Alliance Celebrates Members and Progressive Values

By Maine People's Alliance

MPA is ordinary people working together to do extraordinary things.

Join us on Thursday, September 17th at 6pm at our barn in China, ME to recognize and celebrate the MPA members, organizations, and elected leaders from across the state who have fought hard for progressive values.

There is a suggested donation of $40 per ticket, but any amount you can contribute is appreciated! 

It's been an exciting year. We hope you can join us to celebrate together and recommit to the fight for justice and social change.

Register

Green Tip of the Month

By Francesca Liberatore

August is in full swing and Maine knows how to pull off a Farmer’s Market. What better way to support local farmers and strengthen our food networks than to buy local produce?

Buying locally-produced food helps cut out the environmental cost of travel and refrigeration, while also reducing the amount of packaging that so often includes non-biodegradable materials like plastic containers and bags. It means you know where your food comes from and how it was grown or produced; most small farms tend to avoid the use of chemicals that affect our ecosystem and raise animals more humanely. Supporting them means we are also caring for the land they are on by keeping it healthy and active. The reasons to buy locally are literally endless!

You can find a list of your local farm stands here, and a list of farmer’s markets near you here. There are also so many free or affordable options when it comes to supporting local food systems. The Fresh Food Network provides a list of free food resources for your area that include community fridges, community gardens, food banks and farmer’s markets. Many local farms leave free produce at markets, at food pantries and even in local hospitals! 

In Downeast Maine The Magic Food Bus delivers free local produce, resources and books to several towns. Check out their schedule here.

Maine Harvest Bucks supports anyone buying food with SNAP/EBT to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers – it is available at several farmer’s markets, CSAs and farmstands all over the state.

Prefer to find your local CSA? Look no further than this directory, just type in ‘CSA’ in the search bar. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to support locally grown food.

Happy sampling!

Do you have a green tip that you would like to have included in a future newsletter? Please share it with us here 

The Month Ahead

Here are some of the meetings and events we have coming up. Hope to see you soon!

• Events Team Meetings - All events are listed on the main page of our Chapter website; please scroll down to see the Events Calendar. Help us organize events to educate and engage Mainers across the state.

  • 9/10 at 12pm
  • 9/24 at 12pm

• 10/14 at 12pm:  Volunteer Orientation

  • Learn how you can help protect Maine’s environment

• 9/30 Club Chat
  • An opportunity for you to get updates from our Chapter staff team, to have your questions answered, and to offer your feedback and ideas. 
• 9/4 Highland Lake Paddle
  • Join the Maine Chapter for a relaxing evening paddle on Highland Lake in Bridgton, ME. This event is BYOB (Bring Your Own Boat)

See Our Full Events Calendar

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Interested in helping to protect Maine's environment? Join us at our next  Volunteer Orientation!  No matter your background, we have a role for you--no experience necessary.
 

SUBMISSIONS
 

Submit a photo, article, or event for us to include in our next newsletter!