Small Towns Make Big Moves to Go Green

Small towns are taking large steps to spark the “go green” movement in the state of Maine. Now the central Maine area is seeing the results of their efforts. On February 12, 2010 Waterville and Winslow, and the group Sustain Mid-Maine were awarded a $170,000 grant from the State of Maine Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant program. The grant is issued with the intention of towns implementing a two year energy savings plan that will help lower home energy use and promote the use of renewable energy resources.
The announcement comes about one year after the towns took action to make green energy a possibility in central Maine. On a snowy weekend in January of 2009, more than 60 central Maine citizens gathered at the Waterville Opera House in order to discuss how the region should handle the issues of global climate change and rising oil prices.
The Energy Conservation and Sustainability catalyst took to Main Street, Waterville, and involved input from a diverse group of people. Contributors included teachers, college students, state legislators, engineers, retiree, and many other members of the community. Every person had the opportunity to speak their mind about how the area should tackle the issue of sustainability. Not only will the grant aid in sustainability, but it will also help in the creating of new jobs, claimed John Joseph, Energy Committee Chair of Sustain Mid-Maine.
“The plan we devised is in line with local and national efforts and aspirations to accelerate energy conservation, the use of renewable resources, and the creation of productive jobs for the future,” Joseph explained.
These new job opportunities will provide a much needed uplift in the struggling economy, seen both nationally and locally. It is estimated that the plans for the grant will create more than a dozen local jobs and could save over $115,000 in energy costs for Waterville and Winslow homes each year. As of December 2009, the unemployment rate in Waterville was 8.5%, a bit higher than the Maine average (maine.gov). The creation of jobs, on top of the energy conservation benefit, makes the grant a win-win situation.
Central Mainers have been given the opportunity to set a “green” example for the rest of the state, and the country to some extent. Now it is up to them to put this opportunity into the spot light.


Citation:
Carnrick, Doug (2009). Community Catalyst Creates Vision 2020. http://www.waterville- me.gov/content/1245679528sustainability---community-catalyst-creates-vision-2020,- ch.pdf. Accessed February 23, 2010.
Erario, Steve (2010). City Awarded $170,000 for Energy Saving Projects. http://www.waterville- me.gov/news/article.php?id=128. Accessed February 23, 2010.
Maine Department of Labor (2010). Local Area Unemployment Statistics. http://www.maine.gov/labor/lmis/laus.html Accessed: February 25, 2010.