Maine is restructuring the modern recycling system
As much as we like to think that the material we recycle makes its way back into the market as revitalized packaging, the reality is that US recycling systems are frustratingly inefficient. According to the Columbia Climate School, only 66 percent of discarded paper and cardboard, 27 percent of Read More...
This new tool is a roadmap for safe renewable energy development in Maine
Maine has identified a new tool to proceed with renewable energy expansion more sustainably. The state’s new Renewable Energy Siting Tool is an interactive map that allows officials and energy developers to identify the safest places for renewable energy projects where they will have the least Read More...
Maine passes groundbreaking law banning “forever chemicals”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” are toxic chemicals found in a wide range of products we consume and use on a daily basis including packaging, cookware, cosmetics, and textiles. These chemicals are being increasingly linked to serious diseases Read More...
All pension funds in Maine must now divest from fossil fuels
We recently wrote about New York state’s move to divest from fossil fuels in their pension fund. Now, the state of Maine is adopting legislation to match that commitment and take it one step further. Signed into law by Governor Janet Mills, the state’s new legislation bans any state Read More...
Affordable housing and vertical farms: A match made in heaven?
We’ve written about vertical farms and affordable housing extensively at The Optimist Daily, but never have we seen these two concepts combined. Until now, that is. This is the exact combination we’re going to witness in Westbrook, Maine, where a multistory greenhouse is being constructed Read More...
These two states may join Maine in implementing ranked choice voting
Back in September, we published a story from Maine where the state’s Supreme Judicial Court upheld the use of ranked-choice voting for its presidential and congressional races. The Optimist Daily celebrated that decision because it allows voters to opt for an independent third-party candidate Read More...
Maine will be the first state to use ranked-choice voting for elections
In a country dominated by two political parties, voting for an independent third-party candidate is often seen as a vote wasted. But that won’t be the case for voters in Maine where the state’s Supreme Judicial Court just upheld the use of ranked-choice voting for its presidential and Read More...
Bee populations are on the rise in these US states
Maine has some of the healthiest bee colonies in the US. Believe it or not, bee populations in the state have actually increased 72 percent since 2018. While bees are still a threatened species, this research by the United States Department of Agriculture is good news for the efficacy of bee-saving Read More...
Proposed bill would improve opioid addiction treatment funding and access
Litigation against major pharmaceutical companies has called attention to the crippling opioid crisis gripping the US, which begs the question: what can be done about it? Recently, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the bipartisan Opioid Workforce Act in hopes that Read More...
Start Monday off with this hilarious video of ducks holding up traffic in Maine
While the state of Maine is known for a lot of things, traffic is definitely not one of them. But recently, a long line of traffic built up in the town of Biddeford for a very curious reason: a seemingly never-ending queue of ducks were making they’re way across the road in a single-file line. Read More...