Our last newsletter spoke of Midcoast horizons—and the joy of having a clear view outward.
It’s wonderful to live in place offering a wide horizon. Yet we do well to look beyond that to an even bigger picture—the thin blue line of our atmosphere, the critical component that allows all life to exist on our planet. It’s only a few miles up there—about the distance to Rockland.
We continue to damage this thin blue zone. We can’t always see it in our day to day. That’s one of the challenges of dealing with climate change.
We’ve filled our atmosphere with greenhouse gases, resulting in warming seas, air, soils. Glaciers are melting, ocean currents are going haywire. All of this, in turn, is creating crises of extreme weather, harsh growing conditions, uncertain economic situations.
We’re fortunate to actually get a look at that thin blue line (thank you NASA), and also know and understand the science that underpins climate change—and yes, to have the tools and solutions to fix it. They abound.
Yet Why Aren’t We Fixing This?
It’s not because Midcoast residents don’t care. We do.
It’s because our system of government doesn’t adequately deliberate, or ask—it doesn’t seek wise collective judgment from citizens on priorities. We’ve lost the means to convey the will of the people.
We can’t be effective at handling the challenges we face without a better system to create the kind of society we desire in Camden and Rockport. To that end our Resilient Reading Group will be discussing deliberative democracy, including the notion of citizens’ assemblies, at our next three gatherings. Come join us on April 28 and May 12 (see the calendar entry below). Read here to find out how an Oregon town used deliberative democracy to tackle youth homelessness. Or, listen to this moving video about the citizens who participated in Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly on biodiversity loss.
Changing the Conditions of the Future
Our governance system must be fixed at many levels in order to create a livable future for our planet. We have to set the conditions for the future. Otherwise we’re stuck with the status quo—and we know how well that’s working: seven of nine planetary boundaries have been breached; we’ve increased municipal budgets by double digits; yet we can barely fix our aging infrastructure; we have no rainy day municipal contingency fund for the next climate disaster; and we have little opportunity to creatively collaborate on future priorities.
It’s up to us—regular citizens who care—to plant the seeds for our future. Here are a few ways to start:
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Change the way local decisions are made — the way priorities and agendas for our towns are set. This involves casting a wider net than elected officials. See more here.
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Gather together to listen and hear one another and deliberate. Create the spaces for regular forums for citizen engagement. See examples here.
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Liberate ourselves from the algorithmic feeds of our technologies. See ideas here. (Congrats to the school system for banning cellphones. It’s a huge start.)
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Spend time in communal projects that bring joy and change the future. Building social connections and working together tightens our “soft infrastructure”—an important component of community resilience. We’ll be convening some of these as the months go on, and reporting out on other groups that are doing so. One example is the Camden/Rockport Energy Coaching Project—see more here and sign up to volunteer. We’re also starting a program of neighborhood pods—informal groups banded together by location that are there to help when a crisis or need arises. (See our Basket of Muffins newsletter for more on these.) Another possibility is to volunteer for CamdenCAN’s Food Garden Tour in the fall. Come on out and play a role.
—Or join the May 17 Tannery Park session (below) as a start.
The good news is that around the world folks are taking back their power. We can, too.
In Case You Missed It
Last week, at the First Congregational Church in Camden, Luke Kemp gave an informative, and even life-affirming evening lecture and discussion on his recent book Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse. You can view the livestream from the event here. Kemp is upbeat about ways we can change the future conditions, perhaps forestalling collapse of it all. He’s a fan of deliberative democracy, too. Read more about that here.
Camden Hills Regional High School Windplanners Want Your Insights on EV Chargers on School Property. Help them by taking the survey here.
Plug In Solar is Coming to Maine. With a small investment, you’ll be able to reduce your electrical bill, using solar power that you own. See more here.
April 24 was Arbor Day—this edition of Sustainable Practice beautifully explains how one correctly placed tree can do wonders for your energy usage:
This step [planting a tree] sits at the intersection of the Habitat and Energy pathways in the Sustainable Practice framework. Habitat covers sustainable land use and nature protection—how we shape the ground around our buildings so it works with natural systems rather than against them. Energy covers efficiency, conservation, and clean generation. A well-placed tree advances both at once: it builds wildlife habitat, absorbs stormwater, sequesters carbon, and reduces the fossil fuel your home demands—all from a single planting.
Upcoming Earth- and Community-Friendly Events
April 28, Tuesday, Noon, Merryspring Nature Center, Camden. Vernal Pool Walk. See and examine wood frog and spotted salamander eggs under hand lenses (supplied) or on an iPad connected to a microscope on site. Learn about the importance of vernal pools. See more here.
April 28, Tuesday, 4:00-5:00 pm (and May 12 and 26), Resilient Reading Group on Deliberative Democracy, Camden Public Library. Come join others in casual conversation about the interconnected polycrises of the moment. This month’s topics include alternative governing structures—including deliberative polling and citizens’ assemblies—to help us move toward a better functioning democracy, where deliberative, collaborative institutions can thrive. See library listing here.
April 28, Tuesday, 5:30-7 pm, Parker Room, Rockport Opera House. Energy Upgrades in Mobile and Manufactured Homes, a presentation by Efficiency Maine. It’s a part of the Camden/Rockport Energy Coaching and Emergency Preparedness Project. See more here.
May 1, Friday, Noon-1:00 pm, Camden Village Green, National General Strike. Boycott shopping, school, work. Spend the day in community and care for democracy. See more here.
May 1, Friday, 1:00-2:00 pm, Bay Chamber Concert, Mountain Street, Camden. Halcyon, The Future Is Here. Halcyon performs their new multimedia project: The Future is Here, with music by Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Philip Glass, and Caroline Shaw. This innovative program features film and stop-motion animation by Halcyon’s Luke Fatora and NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest winner Alisa Amador. It spotlights Mainers building regenerative and resilient communities. See more here.
May 2, Saturday, 10:00-Noon (also May 30), Lincolnville, Tanglewood 4H. Vernal Pool Walk. See more here.
May 7 and 8, Thursday and Friday, Wabanaki homelands in West Gardiner, ME, Pilgrim Lodge at Lake Cobbosseecontee. Maine Environmental Education Association 2026 Conference. The MEEA 2026 Conference is a two-day event to celebrate educators, students, and anyone in our communities who contributes to creating a more just and sustainable Maine environment. The conference offers workshops, networking, and a retreat atmosphere. Topics to be explored include environmental education, outdoor learning, Wabanaki studies, and skills for action. See more here.
May 15 and 16, Friday and Saturday, Norway, Maine. Center for an Ecology-Based Economy, (CEBE). Seventh Annual 2030 Vision Climate Convergence: Resilient Roots, Joyful Shoots. Gathering again at the Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris for two days of knowledge sharing, inspiration, and movement building. Engaging workshops, roundtable discussions, and plenary presentations, as well as great food, music, and art to energize us for the work ahead. Designed to be inclusive and interactive, celebrating and engaging the collective wisdom of all who attend. See the full schedule and registration material here.
May 17, Sunday, 1:00 pm, Tannery Park, Camden. Community Planning Workshop. Camden resident Blake Sanborn will be moderating this walk around and discussion on the park’s future. See more here.
Save the dates: May 29, Friday, SEA Fair, Camden Middle School. Also May 29, 3:15 pm to 7 pm, Midcoast Climate, Energy, and Green Building Happy Hour. Also to come a Climate Wayfinding reading group. Details to follow.
Concluding Thoughts
There’s no need to seek a better home—planet Earth is the best around. In addition, we’re biased to believe that this speck of the planet we call the Midcoast is the best of the best.
So we’d like to do all we can to create conditions that provide a flourishing future here. This will take work. We’re excited to be part of the team creating that better future.
We hope you’ll join us at our library discussions, or drop us a line, or join our steering committee. There’s plenty to do.