Maine is generating more waste per capita over time and studies estimate single-use packaging materials make up a large amount of the trash we send to landfills and incinerators. We’re joined by University of Maine professor Dr. Cindy Isenhour to discuss what Mainers can do about this by moving toward reusable packaging programs in restaurants and other local businesses. Isenhour leads research efforts on sustainable consumption, reuse, and building a circular economy at UMaine. **Show links: UM...
Jul 24, 2025•36 min
The first session of the 132nd Maine Legislature has officially concluded, producing some big wins for clean energy and conservation, but also some mixed results and a few losses that were hard fought and disappointing. Colin speaks with Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim to break it all down and describe how our experts worked with partners and people like you to deliver results for Maine’s environment. **Show links: NRCM Bill Tracking webpage , North Woods StoryMap , Summer Meet & Greet Even...
Jun 26, 2025•43 min
Maine’s lakes are just as iconic as our rocky coastline. But lakes don’t just provide outstanding recreational experiences – they provide essential wildlife habitat and clean drinking water for thousands. Colin talks with Susan Gallo, the executive director of Maine Lakes, to learn more about lakes and ponds in Maine, what makes them so special, why we can’t ignore the risks facing them, and what we can do about it. **Show links: Maine Lakes website , LakeSmart program **Support NRCM by becoming...
May 27, 2025•33 min
Too many Mainers lack access to safe, affordable options to get where they need to go but it doesn’t have to be this way. There’s a better path forward. One where more Mainers have better choices for how they get to work, school, local businesses, and essential services. We speak with Zoe Miller, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Moving Maine Network to discuss how we can work together to expand opportunities by creating a more equitable, accessible transportation system across the st...
Apr 24, 2025•35 min
In March 2025, a group of Mainers including federal workers, business and fishing groups, veterans, and a SNAP participant came together in Brewer, Maine, to speak about the real-world harm being inflicted by the chaotic decision-making of the Trump Administration. In this episode we bring you a recording of the event so you can hear directly from the speakers discussing the impact of ongoing actions by the federal government to block, freeze, and reverse critical federal investments and elimina...
Mar 25, 2025•46 min
Maine’s 10.4 million acres of Unorganized Territories (UT) are home to the last stronghold of remote, undeveloped ponds and scattered older growth forest stands in the eastern United States. We’re joined by Dr. John Hagan, a scientist and founder of Our Climate Common, to learn more about the vast forests of the North Woods. Hagan helped lead a research team that identified the locations of the last remaining old growth forest stands in the North Woods.
Feb 20, 2025•35 min
BONUS EPISODE: A recording of our January webinar previewing the legislative priorities for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) in 2025, including ways you can get involved. Join NRCM's policy experts as they explain the bills that we'll be supporting to advance progress for climate action, land conservation, and a healthy environment.
Feb 10, 2025•55 min
Heading into 2025, many of us were inspired by the passage of the Maine Trails Bond in the November 2024 election, which united people and groups that haven’t always seen eye-to-eye but were united by their shared love of Maine’s outdoors. Gabe Perkins, the Executive Director of Inland Woods & Trails, joins the podcast to discuss the Trails Bond and highlight the importance of trails of all types to Maine people and our communities.
Jan 23, 2025•41 min
The last few years, our work at the State House in Augusta has delivered enormous progress for Maine’s environment. So, how is NRCM gearing up to continue this momentum and what are the priorities we’ve set for this year’s short legislative session? From curbing the use of polluting gas to encouraging reuse, investing in our trails, and tribal sovereignty for the Wabanaki people, NRCM’s Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins the podcast to discuss the issues and bills we’ll be tracking, and how ...
Feb 01, 2024•38 min
It’s the holiday season, which means a lot of gifts, a lot of food, and….a lot of waste. Mainers by nature are frugal and don’t like waste. It’s part of who we are. But when we go to the store or buy online we’re faced with a deluge of plastic and other wasteful packaging. And it drives most of us crazy. What can we do about it? We speak with Laura Marston, the owner of the Maine-based, plastic-free, zero-waste business Go Go Refill and Vanessa Berry, NRCM’s Sustainable Maine outreach coordinato...
Dec 21, 2023•31 min
The U.S. government recently released the Fifth National Climate Assessment, the nation’s preeminent policy-neutral report highlighting the latest science about climate change impacts, risks, and responses. We speak with David Reidmiller, the director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) who co-authored the Northeast chapter about how climate change is affecting Maine communities and what gives him hope for the future. GMRI is an independent, non-partisan marine n...
Dec 07, 2023•35 min
The Land for Maine’s Future program is Maine’s most successful and popular land conservation program, helping to support hundreds of conservation projects that have exceptional natural or recreational value or support Maine’s heritage industries of farming, fishing, and forestry. In 2021, the Legislature appropriated $40 million in state funding for LMF, which is being used to support many new projects. In this episode of Frontline Voices, we speak with Steve Walker, the new director of Land for...
Aug 31, 2023•22 min
Zero-emission cars and trucks are becoming increasingly popular but many prospective buyers are finding that supply can’t keep up with demand. Stronger standards for clean cars and trucks would give consumers in Maine more opportunities to buy electric vehicles and slash toxic tailpipe pollution that is harming human health and making climate change worse. In this episode, we speak with Scott Vlaun of the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy about his organization's experience working to encourag...
Aug 17, 2023•33 min
This year's legislative session was another strong demonstration of how Maine's strong conservation ethic continues to define our way of life, drive economic growth, and influence new laws passed at the State House in Augusta. Thousands of Mainers spoke up and took action to protect our environment, strengthen the resiliency of local communities, and accelerate a more equitable clean energy future. NRCM's Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim details how legislators listened to these voices by passin...
Aug 03, 2023•30 min
The on-the-ground experience of local redemption center owners like Shandra Rubchinuk helped get the bill to modernize Maine's Bottle Bill across the finish line during this year's legislative session. Shandra, who is co-owner of Jansel Bottle Redemption in Winthrop, joins the podcast to speak about the challenges of operating redemption centers, the important role these small businesses play in making the Bottle Bill so successful, and how the two bills supported by lawmakers this year will hel...
Jul 20, 2023•27 min
In 2016, Ray and Danielle Ruby set a goal to visit every State Park and campground with their family…and they did it! Along the way they chronicled their travels with unvarnished reviews on their popular blog “Rubys on the Road.” Ray joins the podcast to talk about what makes Maine’s State Parks so special and get some insider tips from his family’s years of experience. NRCM is proud to partner with Mainers like the Rubys to build support for our State Parks and Public Reserved Lands because of ...
Jun 22, 2023•30 min
The conservation movement and outdoor recreation have long been centered on a white, able-bodied dominant view, but here in Maine and throughout the country there's a movement to interrupt this pattern and instigate change. In this episode we speak with Bri Dostie, one of those Mainers pushing to create more welcoming, joyful spaces in the outdoor community for a greater diversity of people. Bri founded the Confluence Collective, a group that is challenging the overwhelmingly homogenous white ma...
Jun 12, 2023•33 min
Solar energy in Maine has grown seven-fold in the last few years. These projects are bringing enormous benefits to Mainers, including helping cash-strapped businesses and towns save money on electricity bills. We know more solar is needed to meet our climate goals, and it’s necessary to help buffer against the price spikes we’re experiencing from dirty oil and gas. Climate & Clean Energy Senior Advocate Rebecca Schultz joins the podcast to tell us what else we need to know.
May 25, 2023•30 min
The Bottle Bill is a big part of Maine’s culture and environmental ethic. It’s also our most effective recycling and litter prevention program. And hundreds of Mainers have built their lives and small businesses around bottle redemption. But in the 45 years since it began a lot has changed. NRCM’s Sarah Nichols joins the podcast to talk about improvements that are needed to strengthen the Bottle Bill and make it more efficient.
May 11, 2023•32 min
In celebration of National Poetry Month we rebroadcast a powerful poetry reading and discussion that former host Carly Peruccio had with Maine-based poet Richard Blanco for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In March of this year, Blanco was awarded with the National Humanities Medal by President Biden at the White House. We hope by rebroadcasting our conversation with Blanco we have given our listeners space to reflect and rest among the very busy legislative session and lives we all lead.
Apr 27, 2023•14 min
Trails are part of what define the Maine experience. Although Maine currently has wonderful trails for hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, commuting, and other uses, many of our trails are in serious need of repair and maintenance. The Maine Trails Bond would be the State-funded grant program dedicated specifically to supporting trail development and maintenance. Outdoor accessibility specialist Enock Glidden and NRCM Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim speak about the importance of trails to Mai...
Apr 13, 2023•32 min
The snow is melting, roads are getting muddier, and amphibians are on the move! We speak with University of Maine graduate student and 2022 Brookie Award winner Greg LeClair about amphibians in Maine, and in particular the annual spring migration they take to get to breeding habitat. Greg founded Maine Big Night, a community science project to collect data and research on road-crossing amphibians across Maine, that has engaged more than 400 volunteers across 300 survey sites.
Mar 30, 2023•15 min
For the first time in two decades, the chiefs of the tribes in Maine appeared before a special joint session of the Legislature on March 16, 2023, for the Wabanaki Nations’ State of the Tribes address. In this episode, we give listeners an opportunity to hear the full remarks of the five chiefs during this historic moment. One of NRCM’s top priorities is to stand alongside the Wabanaki people as they work toward the State of Maine recognizing the inherent sovereignty of Wabanaki people in their ...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 18 min
More than 100,000 heat pumps have been installed by Mainers and every day more are installed. Without a doubt, heat pumps are a runaway success story for Maine, making our state an incredible example for the rest of the nation. We speak with Andy Meyer, Senior Program Manager at Efficiency Maine, about this exciting transition in how we heat and cool our homes, and why Maine’s love of heat pumps is attracting national attention. Andy also shared tips on how to optimize performance of your heat p...
Mar 02, 2023•28 min
Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby might be Maine’s most famous Mainer you’ve never heard of, but a new statue unveiled in Augusta this week aims to educate more people about her legacy. Fly Rod was a skilled fly fisher and big promoter of Maine in the 1800s who became the state’s first Registered Maine Guide. Maine Master Guide Roger Lambert and Brent West, Executive Director of the High Peaks Alliance, discuss Fly Rod’s enormous legacy and why it remains so relevant today.
Feb 16, 2023•28 min
Our new CEO Rebeccah Sanders has been on the job a little over a week and has hit the ground running, drawing on her two decades of executive nonprofit management experience in community-driven conservation work and her long-time love of Maine’s great outdoors. What has Rebeccah learned so far, and what is she looking forward to in the future for NRCM and Maine’s environment? Tune in to hear it all in her own words.
Feb 02, 2023•27 min
Bonus episode! On January 24, 2023, the Natural Resources Council of Maine joined with Senator Mark Lawrence, labor leaders, and conservation partners to announce a bill to boost floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
Jan 25, 2023•42 min
The State House in Augusta is once again bustling with activity, and NRCM’s experts have been hard at work identifying our top priorities for the 2023 legislative session that will protect Maine’s climate, water, wildlife, and outdoors. Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins the podcast to highlight some of the top environmental issues and bills we’ll be tracking in the upcoming legislative session, and offers tips on how to keep up-to-date.
Jan 20, 2023•25 min
Scientist, educator, and author John Waldman discusses how we can restore Maine’s rivers and the great fish migrations to which they were once home. Waldman’s talk was originally delivered at an online webinar NRCM hosted in December as part of our ongoing effort to support a free-flowing Kennebec River and bring back millions of sea-run fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon. To view the webinar, including Waldman’s slides, visit: https://youtu.be/2NSU2oHLQMQ
Jan 05, 2023•44 min
It has been an exciting year marked by big accomplishments for Maine’s environment at the State House and beyond. Advocacy Director Pete Didisheim joins the podcast to highlight 10 areas of progress from 2022 that inspired and energized us. We hope our listeners enjoy these good news stories and it leaves you rejuvenated heading into the new year as we continue our collective work to protect what we love.
Dec 22, 2022•26 min
