More of this, please!!!

#RockportME - #Midcoast nonprofits team up to preserve historic #farmland — and build new #housing

Maine Public | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published November 29, 2025 at 8:31 AM EST

"Two midcoast nonprofits are teaming up to preserve a historic dairy farm in Rockport — and build new affordable housing on site.

#MaineCoastHeritageTrust has owned more than 160 acres south of Route 90 for the last 15 years. The #EricksonFieldsPreserve has #WalkingTrails and a #CommunityGarden, where students have learned to grow produce for nearby #FoodBanks.

Recently, the Heritage Trust secured the farm's remaining six acres across the street, where the old farmhouse and dairy barn are located.

When a family member living in the farmhouse passed away a few years ago, Aaron Englander with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust said the nonprofit began to think about how the property could be preserved for community benefit.

Housing, Englander said, emerged as a clear need. The Heritage Trust acquired the six-acre property and plans to preserve five of them. It has donated the remaining acre to the #MidCoastRegionalHousingTrust, which plans to develop one and two-bedroom apartments.

The housing shortage is being felt throughout the region, said Jonathan Goss, president of the housing trust. Knox County needs nearly 1,300 new homes by the end of the decade.

'Services are being cut back or being lost because of a lack of employees,' he said. 'Everybody knows someone who either grew up here or had been living here who is not able to live here any longer.'

The housing trust plans to renovate the old farmhouse on site for rental housing first, and then construct eight new apartments for working families there later on. Goss said these are families with teachers, public safety officers, nurses and others who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing, but not enough to afford a median-priced home in the region, which now surpasses $450,000.

Housing development is sometimes pitted against land and environmental conservation efforts. But Englander with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust said this project could serve as a statewide model for balancing those interests.

'[This can] show people that yes, you can conserve wildlife habitat, you can conserve farmland, soils and agricultural know-how, and you can create access to public lands and outdoor educational spaces all in one property,' he said."

Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-11-29/midcoast-nonprofits-team-up-to-preserve-historic-farmland-and-build-new-housing

#SolarPunkSunday #LandPreservation #AffordableHousing #PreservingWildlifeHabitats #Farmland #Conservation #Maine #MainePublic #PublicBroadcasting

Midcoast nonprofits team up to preserve historic farmland — and build new housing

Maine Coast Heritage Trust has secured six acres along Route 90. Five of them will be preserved, and one has been donated to the local housing trust for development.

WMEH

#Maine - Local businesses poised to help residents during #SNAP funding pause

Maine Public | By Michael Livingston
Published October 28, 2025 at 3:09 PM EDT

"Local businesses are stepping up across Maine to provide food and supplies for people who will go without SNAP benefits in November due to the government shutdown.

"Nearly 170,000 Mainers are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which provides an average of $572 per family every month.

"#SamsItalianFoods, which has multiple locations in the #LewistonAuburn area, plans to give away 10' cheese #pizzas to SNAP families with children in November.

"Store manager Trisha Cottrill said she's watched the generosity spread to other businesses ever since state officials announced the federal government warned them that it will not be distributing benefits last week.

" 'I opened my Facebook this morning and saw that #JustInTime is doing something. #NuttyNettiesCafe is also doing something,' Cotrill said. 'It's really great that the community, as a whole, is pitching in to help ease the burden on families.'

"Receiving a pizza at any Sam's location will require proof of I.D. with a SNAP or #EBTCard with the child present. If a parent wants to eat with their child, Sam's will offer a 10% discount.

"Over a third of all SNAP households have children, according to state data.

"Grocery stores like #MegunticookMarket in #CamdenME are also giving away free food and supplies.

"Owner Nishant Patel said he gave away dozens of bags of fresh produce over the weekend which included tomatoes, onions, bananas and bread."

[...]

"According to Maine DHHS, SNAP benefits already loaded onto EBT cards in October remain available for use to purchase food. Those who need additional resources are encouraged to call their local #FoodPantry or #Call211.

See below for additional businesses that have announced food assistance initiatives via social media:

- Taj Indian & Indo-Chinese Cuisine (#SouthPortlandME)
- Nutty Nellies Cafe (#AuburnME)
- Fresh off the Farm (#RockportME)
- Just-In-Time Recreation (#LewistonME)
- Family Time Dine and Play (#AuburnME)
- J&H Pizza (Auburn)
- Marvelous Macarons (Auburn)
- Bucksport Nutrition (#BucksportME)
- Provender Kitchen & Bar (#EllsworthME)

Read more:
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-10-28/local-businesses-poised-to-help-residents-during-snap-funding-pause

#SNAPCuts #MutualAid #FoodInsecurity #FoodAssistance #FreeMeals #Mainers #MainersHelpingMainers

Local businesses poised to help residents during SNAP funding pause

Federal food assistance for nearly 170,000 Mainers is likely to halt next week due to the government shutdown. Some local businesses are stepping in to provide free food and supplies to fill the gap.

WMEH
“INDIAN ISLAND LIGHT”Recalling a previous “virtual sketchwalk” in Rockport, ME, I drew this iconic Island light. For a number of years, my Maine vacations were at a cottage overlooking the mouth of Rockport Harbor where these structures sit. The keepers house dates back to 1850. The lighthouse itself was built in 1875, but the station itself had been established in 1850 Done with a PLATINUM Preppy fountain pen with PLATINUM Carbon ink and colored pencil in a 7” x 9” tan toned sketchbook. #LobstArtstudios @tom.Brudzinski #art #dessinateur artist #szkicownik #zeichner #dessin #sketch #drawing #quick-sketch #croquisrapide #croquis #szkic #szkicownik #amsterdam #penandink #platinumpreppy #platinumpreppyfountainpen #platinumcarbonink #indianislandlight #indianislandlighthouse #rockportme #rockportmaine #rockportmainelighthouse
MSN

An excellent resource from #EcoMaine!

#FoodWaste and #Composting

"Did you know that almost a third of what we throw away is leftover or spoiled food? If Maine is to achieve a 50% recycling rate, we need to recover our food waste, too – it’s worth the weight!

"ecomaine added food waste recycling to our sustainable waste management solutions in order to help Maine reach its recycling goal. We continue to build food waste recycling capacity in southern Maine, serving as a central collection point for grocery stores, institutions, and participating cities and towns.

"Collected food waste is transported to #ExeterME’s #AgriEnergy [#AgricycleEnergy] to be de-packaged and anaerobically digested to produce sustainable power, organic farm #fertilizer, and cow bedding for the #Maine family dairy farm #StonyvaleFarm. Any packaging removed from the food waste is delivered back to ecomaine to be burned for energy—keeping all of it out of our #landfills!

"By making #composting, anaerobic digestion, and food waste recycling so easy, we encourage our communities to dispose of their waste responsibly.

"For more on compost that’s 'Worth The Weight,' check out our informational pamphlet!

#BackyardComposting

"Backyard composting is one of the easiest ways to keep organic material out of the trash. It also has some other great advantages:

- It doesn’t weigh your trash down as much.
- It doesn’t get into ecomaine‘s waste-to-energy plant, making our combustion more damp and less efficient.
- It’s easy – and “grass-cycling” (leaving clippings on the lawn) is better for your grass!
- It saves Maine’s towns money on collection and hauling.
- And it saves YOU money on trash bags!

"There are no trucks or driving involved – no carbon emissions! You just walk it out to your bin, and that’s it.

"In the end, composting produces rich #soil for flower and vegetable #gardens – without paying for it (again) at the store.

Drop Off Locations

"If you’re looking for a compost drop-off location, instead of putting it in your backyard, here are a few… If you know of one that’s not here, let us know! (Some facilities may be for residents only; we advise calling ahead if you’re not sure.)

[I've found that transfer stations are usually residents only...]

#BridgtonME Transfer Station
118 Sandy Creek Rd, Bridgton, ME, USA

#BrownfieldME Transfer Station
Pequawket Trail, Brownfield, ME, USA

#CapeElizabethME Recycling Center
10 Cooper Dr, Cape Elizabeth, ME, USA

#EliotME Recycling Center
468 Dow Highway, Eliot, ME, USA

#FalmouthME Community Park
Winn Rd, Falmouth, ME, USA

#FalmouthME Transfer Station
100 Woods Rd, Falmouth, ME, USA

#FalmouthME Village Park
22 Hat Trick Drive, Falmouth, ME

#FreeportME Recycling Center
100 Landfill Road, Freeport, ME, USA

#NorthYarmouthME Town Hall / #SamRistichNatureTrail, North Yarmouth, ME, USA

#PortlandME: #BoydStreet #CommunityGarden
2 Boyd Street, Portland, ME

Portland: #BrentwoodFarms Community Garden
Brentwood Street, Portland, ME

Portland: #Libbytown Community Garden
175 Douglass Street, Portland, ME

Portland: #NorthStreetCommunityGarden
195 North Street, Portland, ME

Portland: Parkside/King Middle School
In the back of the school near the Fitzpatrick Stadium parking lot
92 Deering Avenue, Portland, ME

Portland: #PaysonPark Community Garden
Dropoff located on Front Street.
Front Street, Portland, Maine

Portland: #ReicheSchool
Dropoff is on the Clark Street side.
166 Brackett Street, Portland, ME

Portland: #Riverton Community Garden
45 Verrill Street, Portland, Maine

#SacoME Dept. of Public Works
15 Phillips Spring Road, Saco, ME

Saco Parks & Rec
75 Franklin St, Saco, ME, USA

#ScarboroughME Public Works Facility
20 Washington Avenue, Scarborough, ME, USA

#SouthPortlandME City Hall
25 Cottage Rd, South Portland, ME, USA

South Portland Code Enforcement Office
496 Ocean Street, South Portland, ME

South Portland Golf Course Maint. Building
221 Westbrook Street, South Portland, ME, USA

South Portland High School
637 Highland Avenue, South Portland, ME, USA

South Portland Transfer Station
929 Highland Ave, South Portland, ME, USA

South Portland: Redback Community Center
95 Macarthur Circle West, South Portland, ME

#StandishME Transfer Station
150 Moody Rd, Standish, ME, USA

#SurryME: #ChickadeeCompost
Jill's Lane, Surry, Maine www.chickadeecompost.com

#VinalhavenME Transfer Station
178 Round the Island Rd, Vinalhaven, ME, USA

#YarmouthME Transfer Station
659 East Main Street, Yarmouth, ME, USA

Curbside Collection

And if you’re really not into the backyard thing, there are some companies who will pick it up for you!

- #WeCompostIt! (Greater Portland)
- #GarbageToGarden (Greater Portland)
- #ScrapDogs (Greater #CamdenME-#RockportME)
- #MrFoxComposting (Southern Maine & #NH)
- #ProjectEarth (Lincoln County)
- #ChickadeeCompost (All of #BlueHillME Peninsula, #DeerIsleME, #EllsworthME)
- #OneEarth Composting (#HampdenME)
- #AgriCycle Energy (Collection from businesses & organizations for anaerobic digestion – all over!)

Other Compost Resources:

Maine Department of Environmental Protection
207-592-0455

University of Maine Cooperative Extension
207-581-3188

Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine – Food Recovery
207-581-3195

Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association [#MOFGA]
207-568-4142

#WormMainea
207-831-3752

#MainelyWorm Bins

#UncleJimsWormFarm
1-800-373-0555

Source (with links):
https://www.ecomaine.org/food-waste-and-composting/

#SolarpunkSunday #Composting #WormBins #ReducingWaste
#Landfills #Maine #WasteToEnergy

Food Waste & Composting - ecomaine

Why Food Waste Diversion Matters The USDA estimates that up to 40 percent of the food supply in the US becomes food waste. In Maine alone, that could be as […]

ecomaine