FARMINGTON – Have you thought about what the consequences of global warming will mean to you and what you can do about it?
Will the Farmington area see less snow and more rain, longer mud seasons and hot summer droughts that bankrupt farmers and drive the price of food and fuel even higher? Will there be a shift in the natural range of plants, animals and people as heat drives a migration northward?
To explore the “what ifs” and focus on the energy conservation possibilities now, the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences was awarded a grant to conduct a Community Climate Action Plan in three rural communities in Maine. The greater Farmington area was chosen as one such site.
Working with the University of Maine at Farmington, Western Mountains Alliance and teachers at Mt. Blue High School, along with a steering committee of local residents and Lisa Lindsay, the community organizer for the project in the Farmington area, a community climate and energy guide for this area is in the works.
Manomet will hold a public meeting about the Community Climate and Energy Guide on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. at the North Dining Hall of University of Maine Farmington.
But, before the meeting will take place, the center needs your help.
To help guide the agenda of the community meeting, the center is conducting a survey, which can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VmyjTU7rRtxccU6xrgfnAA_3d_3d
The community meeting will focus on energy conservation. The steering committee of local residents and responses from a questionnaire will determine the topics covered in the guide and public meeting, said Ethel Wilkerson, project organizer. The questionnaire is also available at the Farmington and Wilton public libraries.
“The Community Climate and Energy Guide is a forum for people to learn about energy conservation and discuss projects to help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Energy conservation is a high priority in Maine, but details about how to reduce consumption of fossil fuels are daunting,” Wilkerson said.
“Problems associated with high energy costs and climate change seem so big that many families don’t even know how to begin,” Lindsay said. “The Community Climate and Energy Guide gives community members an opportunity to learn about and discuss specific strategies to conserve energy and reduce consumption of fossil fuels.”
The Nov. 12 meeting will discuss the latest information available about climate change and how it could affect the economic, social and environmental issues of the Farmington community. Next, a community action plan will be drafted by the steering committee with help from the Manomet Center for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Once completed, the action plan will be a practical guide the community can use to help sustain or even improve the quality of life with climate change, according to the center’s project statement.
To find more information on the meeting and about Farmington’s Community Climate and Energy Guide, go to www.manometmaine.org or contact Ethel Wilkerson at 721-9040 ex. 3.
Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences is a non-profit environmental research organization. Manomet scientists have been working in Maine for over 10 years to bring together stakeholders—communities, individuals, universities, government agencies, and businesses— to develop cooperative, science-based policies and management strategies.
