Maine Partners for Cool Communities

Event attracts 100 people from throughout the state to discuss ways to combat climate change in their towns

BY KEITH EDWARDS

October 4, 2009

AUGUSTA — For anyone wanting to discuss global climate change, its impacts and what can be done about it in Maine’s towns, cities and neighborhoods, the University of Maine at Augusta was the cool place to be Saturday.

The first annual “Cool Congress” brought together about 100 activists and interested parties from across the state to network, plan and hear from energy-efficiency experts about ways to save energy and money, and how to get help and funding from state and federal governments.

Some 30 communities in Maine are designated as “Cool Communities,” through the Maine Partners for Cool Communities. Communities which join generally agree to cut global-warming pollution.

Saturday, representatives of local Cool Communities discussed ways to fight against, and cope with, climate change.

Presenter Barbara DiBiase, who holds the part-time position of energy and sustainability coordinator for the town of Falmouth, is working with the town’s Green Ribbon Commission to create a climate action plan.

DiBiase said people in that community who have gotten involved include some who don’t even believe human activity is the cause of climate change, but are interested in the savings which can result from increased energy efficiency.

DiBiase said local communities should be as welcoming and open as possible.

“You never know where the good ideas are going to come from,” she said.

Presenter Chris Wilhite, chapter director for the Sierra Club in Rhode Island, suggested people look to the past to find transportation efficiencies. He noted the majority of oil is used for transportation.

He said, unlike more recent trends, neighborhoods in this country used to be built near major employers such as mills, and were also near shops, schools and medical centers. And, he said, traditional neighborhoods were connected by streetcar trolleys up until the 1950s. He said streetcars are seeing renewed interest as a form of energy-efficient mass transit. He also said streetcars create economic development along their routes.

“They were electric, they were smooth, they were conveniently scheduled,” Wilhite told about 100 people in two conference rooms at UMA. “They were so popular at one point people didn’t even want cars. You could go from Boston to Chicago just by hopping streetcars. Streetcars are the sexy thing now.”

John Kerry, director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security, said Maine is rich in natural renewable resources, such as wood and wind, but much work has to be done to develop those resources so they could compete in the energy market with natural gas.

“Maine, of course, is heavily forested, so we have a tremendous amount of biofuels available to us,” Kerry said. “There are over 10,000 megawatts of renewable resources in New England. Enough that if we develop it, we could export it out of the region and gain economically.”

Participants also took part in the event via interactive television feeds at the Universities of Maine at Fort Kent and Presque Isle.

Attendees shared tips on how to create and build successful local climate-change organizations, and how to make their town or city become a Cool Community.

Joan Saxe of the Sierra Club of Maine, a member of the Sierra Club’s National Global Warming and Energy Committee, urged attendees to never forget that a small group of committed people can change the world.

She suggested those looking to organize a local committee and get their community to become a Cool Community, get town leaders involved, conduct an inventory of emissions in the town, understand their community and its people, including those who may oppose the idea, reach out to people at community events, make the process fun and develop a plan and get their message out.

View Original Link in the Kennebec Journal