Together, We Can Strengthen Rural Maine
We believe rural Mainers have a lot of valuable ideas and, when everyone cooperates, the resources to benefit from those ideas. Together, let’s harness this wealth to strengthen our rural communities for a new generation!
Maine Poised to Become Internet Gateway
A panel of leading experts highlighted strategies and opportunities for profitable, meaningful connections during Maine Rural Partners December 8th annual meeting. Presentations covered a broad spectrum of communications essentials — from the nuances of broadband capacity to cultural sensitivities. The 65 attendees present gave rave reviews. Kathy Billings of Bangor Hydro remarked that “this was best panel discussion I’ve heard in 20 years.” Read more.
CHEFS: Feeding our Future
CHEFS is open for gifts and bequests! Click HERE to endow local agriculture in the Unity region.
Inspire and Be Inspired!
Join the growing number of Mainers sharing their innovative solutions. Learn how they did it. Connect with your neighbors. Share your own story and inspire others. Join Inspire ME today!
Still Growing Strong
With assistance from Maine Rural Partners, Strong’s townspeople are making their three town buildings more energy efficient. This summer, the Forster Memorial Building will be converted from oil heat to a wood-burning furnace that will be supplied with pellets from the Geneva Fuels plant across the street. The town’s efficiency investments will also cut the building’s electricity costs by a third. These investments will pay for themselves within three years.
Farm Energy Partners
Our Farm Energy Partners network promotes energy conservation and renewable energy production on underserved Maine farms. Check out this 6-minute video to see how Farm Energy Partners has helped five farms realize renewable energy solutions. (Note for those using slower connections: the video is a large file that may load slowly after you ask it to play.)
Stay up to date with current energy-related news and programs from MRP and others by subscribing to our Harvesting Clean Energy newsletter today! Read the May issue now.
The 2009 edition of our Farm Energy Field Guide is available online. We are currently working to revise the Field Guide again; to nominate additional resources for inclusion, please contact cleanenergy@mainerural.org.
Realizing Maine’s Worth: Our Community Legacy
It’s just 5%.
Over the next ten years, Mainers are likely to transfer $29 billion to the next generation. If all Mainers choose to invest 5% of their estates in community endowment funds, and if those funds’ investments generated 5% returns to benefit the community, then by 2020 these funds would supply an additional $74 million every year to achieve community economic development priorities.
That’s a big difference for just 5%. And it’s a substantial legacy that we could easily provide for the people that will inherit the communities we call home.
In an era when Maine’s government and non-profits are struggling to make ends meet, we find ourselves with a feasible and compelling investment opportunity. But we must begin today if we are to realize this great potential. What is your community worth?
Read more about Maine’s community legacy opportunity online, or download a PDF of the full 36-page report!
The Community-Based Renewable Energy Act
The Community-Based Renewable Energy Act promotes the development of locally-owned renewable energy generators. MRP staff contributed to the concept and language in this 2009 legislation.
The Act defines community renewable energy as that produced by ventures majority-owned by local entities. It establishes a preference for the state to buy this energy whenever it is economically feasible to do so, and creates a standard “green power” option in addition to the standard offer—thereby providing consumers with this same purchasing opportunity. A pilot program is also established to directly incentivize community renewable energy.
More information, including the full text as signed, is available in PDF format.
