THIS WEEK'S SPEAKER: Mary Allen Lindemann, Coffee By Design - " A great cup of coffee changes lives"
This Friday we welcome Mary Allen Lindemann, Owner and Chief Creative Director of Coffee By Design. Her visit is tabbed, “Navigating Economic Justice and Sustainability in Coffee Today"
Says Mary, “Coffee By Design isn’t just about me. It is my vision that my incredible team believe in and make happen every day.”
Coffee By Design is a woman-owned, Maine-made, farmer-focused coffee roaster, retail and wholesale business. Since 1994, CBD has been doing things the right way, not the easy way. From day one, the company made choices rooted in values, not shortcuts. Every bean has a story. Every farm deserves respect. Every cup should be as thoughtful as it is delicious.
Coffee By Design’s mission is to: Forge long-term, ethical relationships with growers; Roast every batch themselves in Maine, in small batches; and Reinvest in our people, our city, and the arts that give it soul
“Our coffee reflects our commitment to quality, integrity, and impact. This isn’t coffee made for trends. It’s coffee for people who care. You’ll taste layered, complex flavors because we roast to reveal the bean’s origin, not hide it. Every cup supports real farmers, real communities, and real change. Thanks for caring, not just about what’s in your cup, but the story behind it.”
BITS AND PIECES
Co-President Laura Young welcomed everyone to our new meeting place, Abromson Hall, University of Southern Maine. Please tale note of the emails being sent to all members with new protocol. Please RSVP your lunch intentions every week by Tuesday. Also note the link for Parking will be included in the email each week. Justin Lamontagne led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, David Small shared a short and humorous Thought of the Day, and Gerry Wall introduced our guests.
POSTCARDS FROM THE DR: David Small spoke briefly about the upcoming trip to the Domiican Republic, continuing the clean water filtration program, and now just a few days later we have photos! We see David Small, Erik Greven, Carolyn Bulliner, Liz Fagan and Claudia Frost
ROTARY MINUTE: Roxanne Cole shared her "Rotary Minute" by first expressing how happy she was to see Portland Rotary in a partnership with USM, two strong Portland institutions. Noting the energy in the room, it reminded her of when she joined the club back in 1991, the dynamic energy that inspired her to get involved with Rotary. That was then, this is now, a time when many service organizations are struggling, some fading away. Roxane noted that Portland Rotary has always had enlightened thinking, open to new ideas, and by way of one example referenced our popular Thursday night socials. We are strong and will continue to be a force in the community. This is now, and we're on the go! Thank you Roxane, well said!
FLAGS WAVE: Tom Talbott thanked the team of Rotarians and family members who participated in our Maine Celtics halftime "Flags For Heroes" on-court display at the sold-out Portland Expo. 2400 fans were on hand and responded with enthusiasm to our display and precision presentation.We looked sharp in our yellow shirts and signs - thank you Paul Gore! Thanks also to Bill Milliken and Brenda with Tom Ranello who worked out 50/50 raffle that earned aprox $340.With additional donations from club members we'll have a bit over $500 to give to the Maine Coast Fisherman's Association, with all that going to help the business damaged or lost in the Chandler's Wharf fire. Great job everyone!
ONLINE WINE: Corks and Caps! Portland Rotarians Gerry and Katherine Wall are members of a fun online Rotary “Fellowship Club”, in this particular case, “Corks and Caps”, a group that enjoys and celebrates wine and wine tasting. You are invited to zoom in to hear and see their upcoming meeting on Sunday, Jan 25th, 6pm-7pm. This meeting will feature guest speakers, sharing and tasting wines from Slovenia and Croatia. If you enjoy wine, check it out! It’s another interesting facet of the social side of Rotary. Here is the LINK.
LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER: David Dumsch,
The Ecology School | by Tom Nickerson
On Friday, a packed room at USM heard from David Dumsch of The Ecology School at River Bend Farm about their mission to provide outdoor environmental science, conservation, farming, and sustainability education. The Ecology School provides programming to over 15,000 students and community members annually. This hands-on learning environment explores Maine’s ecosystems and food systems. Consistent with their sustainability philosophy, the school built its campus to Living Building Challenge standards.
Founded in 1998 as a small overnight program on the Maine coast, The Ecology School transitioned in 2017 to its permanent home at River Bend Farm, a historic 105-acre property in Saco. The campus serves as a global model for sustainability, featuring a dormitory and Dining Commons built to the rigorous Living Building Challenge standards, which achieve net-positive energy and water usage. The school offers a diverse range of experiential programs, including residential overnight trips for K-12 students, immersive summer camps, and Teacher Institutes focused on watershed science and conservation. Through its "agroecology" farm and protected ecosystems, the school provides hands-on education in food systems, biology, and environmental stewardship to thousands of participants from across New England and beyond.
To meet the rigorous Living Building Challenge (LBC) standards, The Ecology School at River Bend Farm designed its campus to function as a self-sustaining ecosystem that generates more energy and water than it consumes. The process involved constructing the 7,000-square-foot Dining Commons and a 144-bed dormitory using non-toxic, "Red List"-free materials, including over 200,000 board feet of local FSC-certified Maine white pine. To achieve net-positive goals, the school installed a 712-panel solar array that produces 105% of the campus’s energy needs and implemented advanced on-site well and filtration systems to manage 100% of its water cycle. Following construction, the project underwent a mandatory twelve-month performance period to prove it met all "Petal" requirements—including Energy, Water, Materials, and Place—ultimately becoming one of the most sustainable educational centers in the world.
The Ecology School is an educational gem and model for living sustainability. More than a “nature preserve”, the school invites groups to spend time on their campus for a variety of programming. This is an excellent location for a group or corporate retreat to learn more about how to continually improve the health of our ecosystems.
Photo with Penny Harris, David Dumsch, Laura Young and Aviva Shaw.
What kind of support has the Rotary Foundation provided in recent years to its projects? In 2024-25, The Rotary Foundation funded 1,424 global grants, 468 district grants, and 74 disaster grants to help communities in need.
Speaker Schedule
January 22 - Thursday Night Social
January 23- No Meeting
January 30 - Greg Dowty, District Protection Officer
February 6 - Steve Dimillo, Dimillo's Restaurant
February 13 - Kenneth Johnson, Farms For Food Equity
February 19 - Thursday Night Social
February 20 - No Meeting
February 27- Dr. Ross Greene, Lives in the Balance /Understanding Youth
March 6 - Seth Goodall, The Maine Center
Club Executives
Co-Presidents Bowen Depke, Laura Young President Elect Justin Lamontagne Vice President Jake Bourdeau TreasurerDick Hall Secretary Juliana L'Heureux Board of Directors Dick Hall, Patty Byers,
Art Howe, Niki Merrill, Bill Milliken, Bruce Moore
Sergeant-At-ArmsZach Newell
The Windjammer is published online by
The Rotary Club of Portland, Maine.
ROTARY MINUTE: Roxanne Cole shared her "Rotary Minute" by first expressing how happy she was to see Portland Rotary in a partnership with USM, two strong Portland institutions. Noting the energy in the room, it reminded her of when she joined the club back in 1991, the dynamic energy that inspired her to get involved with Rotary. That was then, this is now, a time when many service organizations are struggling, some fading away. Roxane noted that Portland Rotary has always had enlightened thinking, open to new ideas, and by way of one example referenced our popular Thursday night socials. We are strong and will continue to be a force in the community. This is now, and we're on the go! Thank you Roxane, well said! 
FLAGS WAVE: Tom Talbott thanked the team of Rotarians and family members who participated in our Maine Celtics halftime "Flags For Heroes" on-court display at the sold-out Portland Expo. 2400 fans were on hand and responded with enthusiasm to our display and precision presentation.We looked sharp in our yellow shirts and signs - thank you Paul Gore! Thanks also to Bill Milliken and Brenda with Tom Ranello who worked out 50/50 raffle that earned aprox $340.With additional donations from club members we'll have a bit over $500 to give to the Maine Coast Fisherman's Association, with all that going to help the business damaged or lost in the Chandler's Wharf fire. Great job everyone! 
ONLINE WINE: Corks and Caps! Portland Rotarians Gerry and Katherine Wall are members of a fun online Rotary “Fellowship Club”, in this particular case, “Corks and Caps”, a group that enjoys and celebrates wine and wine tasting. You are invited to zoom in to hear and see their upcoming meeting on Sunday, Jan 25th, 6pm-7pm. This meeting will feature guest speakers, sharing and tasting wines from Slovenia and Croatia. If you enjoy wine, check it out! It’s another interesting facet of the social side of Rotary. 
Founded in 1998 as a small overnight program on the Maine coast, 
What kind of support has the Rotary Foundation provided in recent years to its projects? In 2024-25, The Rotary Foundation funded 1,424 global grants, 468 district grants, and 74 disaster grants to help communities in need.