Thank you to Richard Leighton for the beautiful banner photo!
| Atmospheric CO2 Levels (Mauna Loa Observatory): February 2024: 424.55 ppm 1 year ago: 420.30 ppm 10 years ago: 398.27 ppm 50 years ago: 330.71 ppm |
It's still going up! Why does carbon dioxide matter? By producing so much carbon dioxide, humans exacerbate the greenhouse gas effect, leading to rising global temperatures. Further, CO2 dissolves into carbonic acid in the ocean, leading to ocean acidification. Visit NOAA's webpage on atmospheric CO2 to learn more. |
The Select Board established the Brooklin Climate Response Committee (BCRC) in the Fall of 2022. We strive to reduce and prepare for the ongoing effects of climate change. We help the community make energy efficiency improvements that will result in healthier, more comfortable, and more economical homes and businesses.
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To contact the Brooklin Climate Response Committee, please email Doug Hylan.
On Thursdays, you can also find a representative of our committee, Grace Carrier, in the Town Office. Please stop by!
Have questions about how to navigate Efficiency Maine rebates or federal tax incentives for home improvements?
Stop by the Town Office on Thursdays for our office hours, and we'd be happy to help you figure them out! Or email our Resources Navigator, Grace Carrier, to set up a meeting.
We want to know your story if you have been denied access to connect solar panels to the electric grid.
Several homeowners on the Blue Hill Peninsula have recently applied to connect their solar electric system to the grid but were denied. We are seeking ways to address this issue. If you are being denied access to the grid, we want to know about it. Please reach out to Grace Carrier.
Coming Soon!
Stay tuned for our monthly forum in April!
Neighbor to Neighbor Home Visits
Invite members of our committee into your home for a free 90-minute consultation on ways to save money and enjoy greater comfort. We’ll ask some questions and check out your home, then prepare a report of our suggestions. We’ll explain how rebates and tax incentives can help you lower the cost of improvements and put you in touch with installers that will help lower your heating and utility bills. Please contact Grace Carrier if you are interested in signing up!
| Participant Testimony: "It meant a lot to me that the knowledgeable people who came to my home to advise me on ways to make it warmer and more energy-efficient were also my neighbors – members of my own community. I felt very comfortable, and I knew I could trust them." - Judy Mathewson, Brooklin resident |
Wondering what Mainers think about heat pumps? Read this article: Many Maine Households Are Installing Climate-Friendly Heat Pumps - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Check out this guide to federal tax incentives from Maine Won't Wait: Mainers' Guide to Climate Incentives
Check out this document for answers to Home Visits FAQs: Home Visits Questions
| We've compiled all information about tax incentives and Efficiency Maine rebates into these documents, which we will go over with you after our home visit. Please use of whichever document is most relevant to you! |
Documents were last updated 3/20/2024. |
A Brooklin couple with their new-to-them Chevy Bolt. The EV is the most recent step in their near complete transition away from fossil fuels - a great example of what the Brooklin Climate Response Committee helps others achieve through our Neighbor-to-Neighbor home visit program.
Other Projects
Educational Forums – We invite a range of individuals – experts, professionals, community members, and more – to speak to the community on relevant climate subjects. These forums occur on the second Thursday of the month from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Friend Memorial Library, and we host special forums when appropriate. Please see “Past Events” for a greater sense of the content of the forums.
Climate Resilience Planning – BCRC is working to understand the impacts that climate change will bring to our town, and advise our select board, fire department, school and residents on what dangers lie ahead and how they may be reduced.
School Renovation Efficiency Improvements – The BCRC is working to help the Brooklin School Renovation Committee with decisions that will bring our school forward into a future with healthier air, lower costs and improved resilience during extreme weather events.
Lowering Municipal Costs – BCRC is working with the Town to update lighting and heating technologies to lower the town’s utility bills and help keep taxes low.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, April 18th, 3:00 – 5:00: BCRC monthly meeting in the Town Office
Resources
Check out our YouTube channel! Brooklin Climate Response - YouTube. Our videos include:
- Visualizing Climate and Weather Data: Dr. Paul Mayewski, the director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, presents the Institute's amazing online tools that help us visualize the forces of climate change and air pollution.
- Community Commentary of David Attenborough's A Life on Our Planet: In this video, Brooklin community members discuss David Attenborough's A Life on Our Planet after watching the film together.
- Rethinking the Grid: Distributed Energy and Virtual Power Plants: In this video, Dr. Anna Demeo, a strategic and technical advisor for companies across the climate-tech space, and Kennith Colburn, founder of Symbiotic Strategies, discuss how our electrical grid works, how it needs to change and the technologies that will make it possible.
- Heat Pump and Efficiency Maine Rebate Infromation Session: In this video, Hope Kohtala, a project manager at Efficiency Maine, reviews all of the Efficiency Maine rebates for energy efficient technology. Shane McCannel, a representative from the heat pump installer Dave's World, answers community questions about heat pumps.
- How Solar Can Provide Energy Independence: In this video, Nick Young, the sales and design manager at Sundog Solar, discusses all the basics of solar, including ground and roof mounted arrays and Net Energy billing. He is joined by Ken Colburn for a fruitful Q&A.
- Storing Carbon in Trees and Products: Si Balch, a Maine Licensed Forester, discusses the evolving picture of carbon storage in trees. This talk reviews the ins and outs of the global stored carbon market in forests, delving into the central question of how to reduce CO2 emissions while still meeting the world’s need for wood.
- Climate Change: Why is society reacting so slowly?: Karl Schoettle, print manufacturer and former chair of the Enviornmental Conservation Board of the Graphic Communication Industry, discusses the scientific causes of climate change and its relationship to human behavior.
- Offshore Wind Power in Maine: Jack Shapiro, Director of Climate and Clean Energy for the National Resources Council of Maine, discusses Maine's new offshore wind power legislation.
- Ocean Climate Change on the Coast of Maine: Sam Belknap, Director of Island Institute’s Center for Marine Economy, discusses the changing ecology and economy of the Gulf of Maine.
- The Role of Climate Change in our Rapidly Changing World: Dr. Paul Andrew Mayewski, Director of the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, discusses the science behind our recent extreme weather.
Committee History
The Select Board established the Brooklin Climate Response Committee in the Fall of 2022 to help the Town enroll in the Governor’s Climate Resilience Partnership Program. This program helps Maine towns apply for grants and assistance in addressing climate mitigation and resilience. The BCRC has since moved on to other projects aimed at helping the Town and its residents make energy efficiency improvements that will result in healthier, more comfortable and more economical homes and businesses. Currently, the Committee has 7 members and one Island Institute fellow.
Past Events
Wednesday, March 20th, 4:30 - 6: Visualizing Climate and Weather Data
Watch the recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvm0YWV7ghM
Thursday, February 29th, 7-8:30: Screening of A Life on Our Planet
Watch the recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTd8SBylzJY&t=3s
Saturday, February 3rd, 6-8: Community Vegetarian Potluck
Monday, January 8th, 4-5:30 Heat Pump and Efficiency Maine Rebate Information Session
Watch the recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqzSptkgRPM
Thursday, December 15th, 4:30 - 6 How Solar Can Provide Energy Independence
Watch the recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZnE2jMoBd8&t=12s
Thursday, November 9th, 4:30 - 6 Storing Carbon in Trees and Products
Watch the recording of this event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu1ONCl5jcs
Thursday, October 12th, 4:30 - Climate Change: Why is society reacting so slowly?
Watch the recording of this event here: https://youtu.be/Vs_5rHBBkGE
Thursday, August 10th, 6:30PM – A Town Hall style forum: Climate Change and Maine’s Coastal Communities.
Our speakers:
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- Paul Andrew Mayewski, Director/Professor of the Climate Change Institute at the University
- Sam Belknap, Director of Island Institute’s Center for Marine Economy
- Jack Shapiro, Director of Climate and Clean Energy for the National Resources Council of
- Find videos of these presentations on our YouTube Channel: Brooklin Climate Response - YouTube
Monthly meetings in the Town Office
March 21, 2024 Agenda
February 15, 2024 Agenda
January 18, 2024 Minutes
December 21, 2023 Minutes
November, 16, 2023 Minutes
October 19, 2023 Minutes
September 21, 2023 Minutes
August 17, 2023 Minutes
July 20th, 2023 Minutes
June 15th, 2023 Minutes
May 18, 2023 Minutes
Last Updated: March 27, 2024