I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend! This Wednesday, August 19^th, we will welcome A Climate to Thrive to learn about efforts to move our island towards a carbon free future. The meeting will take place via Zoom at 12:15 p.m. Please watch your email for the Zoom details.

 

Many of you are already familiar with A Climate to Thrive. For those who are not, during the summer of 2015 a group of MDI citizens concerned about climate change and eager to engage in solutions began meeting on a regular basis. Out of these meetings grew the concept of A Climate to Thrive - a vision of MDI as a leader in energy efficiency and sustainability. This vision is strongly based on the belief, supported by substantial evidence, that moving towards energy independence will improve the quality of our communities, economies, environment and health. A Climate to Thrive launched in January, 2016. Over 200 community members attended the event, at which local experts led citizens in planning sessions for taking the next steps. A second community gathering featuring Senator Angus King was held in July 2016. Since the launch, A Climate to Thrive formalized its organizational structure as a 501(c)(3) non-profit and has been working successfully towards its goal of energy independence for Mount Desert Island by 2030 and its vision to become an inspiring model of citizen engagement, environmental sustainability, and economic vitality. You can view a full list of their projects at https://www.aclimatetothrive.org.

 

This week, I also have some news to share about the wheelchair project in Panama. Susy recently informed me that the estimated date of arrival of the container in Panama is September 18^th, give or take a week. Plans are being made for a safe distribution channel this fall, and the local Panama club will likely spearhead the effort due to travel restrictions.