2026 Maine Sustainability & Water conference

Thursday, March 26, 2026
Augusta Civic Center
Augusta, Maine

Sustainability graphic

Session D — MAINECAN: Maine Community-Led Energy and Climate Action Network

Conference Menu

Conference Home Call for Abstracts Concurrent Sessions Poster Session Sponsors Keynote speaker ORGANIZING COMMITTEE REGISTRATION EXHIBITORS agenda

All Day Session
Pine Tree/Capital Room, North Wing, 2nd Floor

Session Co-Chairs:

  • Sharon Klein, Associate Professor, School of Economics, Mitchell Center Faculty Fellow, University of Maine
  • Cressica Brazier, Research Associate, MAINECAN
  • Jasmine Lamb, Founder and Chair, Sipayik Resilience Committee
  • Sonia Leone, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Maine
  • Katherine Simmons, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Maine
  • Johannah Blackman, Executive Director, A Climate to Thrive
  • Meggan Dwyer, Associate Director, 91 Aquaculture Research Institute; Chair, Rockport Conservation Commission
  • Maddie Jensen, Planner, Bangor Area Transportation Comprehensive Transportation System
  • Lucy Martin, Programs Officer Special Volunteer Initiatives, Volunteer Maine
  • Gabe McPhail, Founder, Resilient Communities, L3C

This collaborative session will bring together Maine communities (municipal & Tribal government officials, local non-profit organizations, citizen groups) implementing or interested in implementing climate and energy solutions and others supporting these efforts (state, university, business, individual, etc.). It will be an all-day session with panel presentations, follow-up roundtable breakout discussions, and related poster presentations. This will be our third Maine community-led Energy and Climate Action Network () event; this initiative has been building over recent years as a collaboration between community groups and the entities that support them. The session will focus on 3 key themes: 1) Home Energy Coaching (volunteers from the community and/or professionals who provide advice and assistance (coaching) to homeowners related to basic energy knowledge, weatherization, energy efficiency, and renewable energy technology in their homes); 2) Community Coordinators (people working in and/or with specific communities in Maine to support community energy and climate resilience projects); and 3) Vulnerability Assessments (community-driven processes to identify threats from natural hazards and make plans to address them). It will also weave in some information about community microgrids & resilience hubs. A targeted focus will be on people and communities listed on Maine’s as having high vulnerability.

Session Overview

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Morning Session

8:30AM-8:45AM

Welcome Presentation: MAINECAN Overview and History

  • Sharon Klein, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Maine
  • Cressica Brazier, MAINECAN Research Associate, University of Maine
  • Jasmine Lamb, Founder, Sipayik Resilience Committee; PhD Candidate, University of Maine

8:45AM-8:50AM

MAINECAN Community & Ally Spotlight Video

This video will highlight the amazing work MAINECAN members are doing to support and advance community-led energy and climate resilience across the state.

Community Coordinators: Progress Through Collaboration

Many Maine communities are eager to advance climate mitigation and adaptation projects but face ongoing capacity, funding, time, and technical constraints. Community coordinators—whether staff or volunteers working within municipalities, regional planning organizations, nonprofits, or other entities—play a critical role in bridging these gaps by fostering collaborations that turn ideas into action.

This session highlights the role of community coordinators in advancing climate and energy solutions through collaborations. Through brief presentations and interactive breakout discussions, participants will learn firsthand how collaboration accelerates progress, reduces burnout, and builds lasting capacity, with a focus on practical strategies and lessons from cross-sector work.

Session Goals

  • Highlight the value of collaboration in advancing climate mitigation and adaptation projects.
  • Demonstrate how community coordinators reduce barriers for low-capacity communities.
  • Share best practices for collaboration, governance, and decision-making.
  • Inspire communities and support organizations to work together more effectively.
  • Create space for peer-to-peer learning and exchange.

8:50AM-9:10AM — Presentations

Moderators:

Presentations:

Local Government, University, and Regional Collaborations
Presenters: Karina Graeter and Cameron Wake

What does effective collaboration look like across regional planning organizations, universities, and municipal governments? This presentation explores how collaborations—such as those with regional planning organizations like Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission—help address staffing and technical capacity gaps. Presenters will share lessons learned, the value of engaging universities and students, and how coordinators help advance projects by aligning partners, clarifying roles, and supporting implementation across collaborative efforts.

Community Resilience Partnership Regional Coordinators
Presenter: Tanya Rucosky

This perspective focuses on working with rural and underserved communities with limited capacity. It highlights the role of community coordinators as connectors across municipalities, nonprofits, agencies, and funders, how collaboration translates directly into funded and implemented projects, lessons learned from working with communities experiencing high social vulnerability, and what effective coordination looks like in practice.

Collaboration and Governance Best Practices
Presenter: Dr. James Shimko

This perspective looks at how clearer roles and decision pathways among boards, community leaders, stakeholders, and coordinators can help coordinators stay focused on implementation without taking on unintended strategic or fiduciary responsibilities.

9:10AM-9:40AM — Interactive Breakout Discussions

Group 1: Local Government, University, and Regional Collaborations
Facilitators: Karina Graeter and Cameron Wake

In this breakout discussion building on the “Local Government, University, and Regional Collaborations” presentation. Participants will discuss how regional and multi-municipal partnerships can help address capacity gaps, share tradeoffs and challenges, and talk about lessons learned. The discussion will focus on practical strategies for coordinators and municipalities to strengthen partnerships and advance implementation.

Group 2: Community Resilience Partnership Regional Coordinators
Facilitator: Tanya Rucosky

Group 3: Collaboration and Governance Best Practices
Facilitator: James Shimko

Participants are invited to explore how governance can support, rather than complicate, collaborative climate work. After a brief framing, participants will reflect on shared coordination challenges—such as managing disagreement, unclear authority, and burnout tied to role confusion—and exchange practical ways to better align board oversight with on-the-ground climate action.

Group 4: Community-Led Coordination: An Asset-Based Approach to Moving Projects Forward
Facilitators: Abby Roche, Emily McCarthy, Emma Polhemus, Island Institute

Participants are invited to explore the role of community coordinators, including nonprofit-based coordinators, in addressing capacity gaps and supporting communities through grants and early project phases. After a brief framing, participants will reflect on what communities and partners need from coordination roles and discuss how asset-based, community-led values, such as shared leadership, relationship-building, and trust, can strengthen collaboration and help move projects forward.

Group 5: Creative Collaborations for Climate Action in Rural Communities
Facilitators: Grainne Shaw and Catherine Mardosa

Catherine and Grainne will showcase some of the unique partnerships that are evolving in the Androscoggin and Kennebec River Valley regions addressing emerging hazards, such as increased riverine flooding. Participants will learn about how communities are getting creative with various types of partnerships to bridge the gap caused by low capacity. Attendees will then discuss what gaps exist in their communities and brainstorm with others on ways to creatively fill those gaps and increase capacity and build resiliency.

Home Energy Coaching

Community-led home energy coaching programs are developing throughout Maine! These programs train neighbors to support neighbors in navigating home energy upgrades to increase efficient energy performance, reduce costs, and increase home safety and comfort. This section of the MAINECAN session will take a dive into the key components of successful coaching programs and highlight a developing statewide network of coaching programs. The panel will feature leaders of energy coaching programs from diverse communities throughout the state. Breakout discussions will provide an opportunity to dive deeper into the key program components, supporting communities in considering, planning, and implementing effective coaching programs.

Session Goals

  • Understand what energy coaching programs are and the important role they can play in communities in supporting homeowners in improving the energy performance of their homes.
  • Learn practical strategies for developing and implementing an energy coaching program.
  • Identify actionable approaches for engaging and supporting diverse populations with energy coaching programs.

9:40AM-10:00AM — Moderated Panel

Moderator: Johannah Blackman, Executive Director, A Climate to Thrive

Presenters:

  • Marina Schauffler, Camden/Rockport Energy Program Manager
  • Naomi Albert, Manager of Community Energy Planning and Policy for A Climate to Thrive
  • Richy Ainsworth, Associate Director, Center for an Ecology Based Economy
  • Emma Morgan, Sustainability Program Associate, Greater Portland Council of Governments

10:00AM-10:30AM — Interactive Breakout Discussions

Within the breakout discussions, participants will take a deeper dive into the aspects of coaching programs that were covered in the panel. Breakout discussions are designed to be highly interactive, emphasizing peer exchange and practical takeaways.

Afternoon Session

Social Vulnerability Assessments

While traditional vulnerability assessments often focus on the technical or physical weaknesses of infrastructure, a truly resilient community also requires an understanding of its people. This session will focus on Social Vulnerability Assessments which are community driven processes used to identify how social factors such as age, income, and mobility dictate a population’s ability to prepare for and recover from natural hazards.

Through a panel discussion and targeted breakouts, we will explore why demographic data is just as critical as flood maps. Participants will hear from a variety of experts in the state how to integrate social equity into their planning and ensure their climate adaptation efforts reach the residents who need it most.

Session Goals

  • Understand the core components of a Social Vulnerability Assessment and how it complements traditional climate risk analyses.
  • Learn practical strategies for integrating social equity into municipal and regional climate planning efforts.
  • Identify actionable approaches for engaging and supporting populations disproportionately impacted by climate change.

1:30PM-2:10PM — Moderated Presentations

Moderators:

  • Maddie Jensen, Planner, Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System
  • Meggan Dwyer, Associate Director 91 Aquaculture Research Institute/Chair Rockport Conservation Commission

Presenters:

  • Eileen Johnson, Senior Lecturer, Bowdoin College
  • Courtney Cease, Resilience and Sustainability Lead, The Musson Group
  • Tamra Benson, Community Resilience Director, Center for an Ecology Based Economy

Audience Questions

Following the presentations, the audience is invited to engage directly with the speakers through an interactive Q&A.

2:10PM-2:40PM — Interactive Breakout Discussions

Breakout discussions are designed to be highly interactive, emphasizing peer exchange and practical takeaways.

Group 1: Social Vulnerability x Ecosystems
Eileen Johnson, Senior Lecturer, Bowdoin College

Participants are invited into a conversation about the intersection of ecosystem health and social vulnerability. This breakout will explore how environmental degradation, access to natural resources, and changing ecological conditions disproportionately affect certain populations. Participants will discuss how ecosystem-based adaptation strategies, such as land conservation, coastal restoration, and nature based solutions, can be designed to both strengthen ecological resilience and reduce social inequities in climate impacts.

Group 2: Social Vulnerability x Community Engagement
Courtney Cease, Resilience and Sustainability Lead, The Musson Group

Courtney will lead a breakout session on best practices for community engagement in climate planning. The discussion will focus on strategies for gathering meaningful input on local climate risks and solutions, navigating differing perspectives among year-round and seasonal residents, and strengthening communication and outreach efforts to build broad community support.

Group 3: Social Vulnerability x Climate Communication
Tamra Benson, Community Resilience Director, Center for an Ecology Based Economy

Participants are invited to explore effective ways to communicate with the public about climate change topics and concerns. Discussion may include: how to avoid political/divisive language, how to convey technical data, etc.

Group 4: Social Vulnerability x Energy Insecurity
Marina Schauffler, Camden/Rockport Energy Program Manager

Participants are invited to explore the intersection of social vulnerability and energy insecurity, with particular emphasis on collaboration among local service providers, including food pantries, housing groups, community action agencies, and town administrators. The discussion will be guided by participants’ questions about experiences in Rockport and Camden and the approaches used there.

2:40PM-3:00PM

Afternoon Break (Auditorium)

3:00PM-4:00PM

MAINECAN Member Meeting

We hope as many members as possible will attend this meeting as we discuss together what the future of MAINECAN should look like.

Facilitator/Presenter Bios

Karina Graeter is the Sustainability Division Director at Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC). She serves as the lead program manager for projects and programs focused on local climate action. Karina has led several regional and multi-municipal collaborative projects, including the Southern Maine Climate Action Planning Cohort and Southern Maine Energy Resilience Plan. Prior to joining SMPDC, Karina served as the Sustainability Coordinator for the University of Maine.

Catherine Mardosa is Community Resilience Coordinator with Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, serving communities in Androscoggin, Franklin and Northern Oxford Counties. Prior to joining AVCOG, Catherine was a research assistant to Dr. Klein and Dr. Noblet at 91’s Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, focusing on state climate policy, equity and sustainable energy.

Emily McCarthy is a Community Development Officer at Island Institute. In her work, Emily assists coastal and island communities with identifying climate-related risks, gaps in resources, and opportunities to strategically build climate resilience. Emily is practiced in facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge sharing networks and centering community knowledge in climate adaptation strategies. Through these networks, Emily links community partners with resources to address their priority needs and guides planning into project implementation.

Gabe McPhail (she/they) is the owner of Resilient Communities, L3C, a mission-driven business focused on strengthening climate resilience in island and coastal communities. Gabe serves as the manager of SMRCC (Southern & Midcoast Resilience Coordinator Collaborative), which supports southern and midcoast Maine communities enrolled in the Community Resilience Partnership (CRP).

Emma Polhemus is a Shore Corps Steward co-hosted by Island Institute and Midcoast Conservancy. The Shore Corps is a program of Maine Conservation Corps with the goal of expanding nature-based solutions for erosion prevention across the state’s shorelines. At Island Institute, Emma works with island communities to provide technical support for nature-based solutions and to create outreach and education opportunities around shoreline stabilization and coastal resilience.

Janna Richards is the Regional Resilience Coordinator for the Hancock County Planning Commission, working to support both inland and coastal communities in the region. She has a background in hazard mitigation planning, municipal planning, and community and economic development.

Abby Roche, PhD, is a Senior Community Development Officer at Island Institute. She is a climate resilience practitioner and trained social scientist with expertise in providing targeted technical assistance to coastal and island communities as they address climate impacts. Her work emphasizes co-creating collaborative processes to support community resilience and identify and implement climate action priorities. She also mentors climate fellows through the Island Institute Fellows program.

Tanya Rucosky is the Community Resilience Partnership Coordinator for Washington County. Tanya helps municipalities in Washington County access funds and technical support to improve their climate resilience.  Trained as a natural resource manager and archivist, Tanya brings subject knowledge and strong organizational skills to her position. Tanya has worked in America, Asia and Australia as a park ranger, organic farm manager, citizen science leader, and land trust director. She lives in an old farmhouse on one of the capes with an assortment of animals and a rotating cast of house guests. She spends her spare time homesteading, foraging, hiking, cooking and provoking needless, but amusing adventures.

Grainne Shaw is the Community and Resiliency Planner with Kennebec Valley Council of Governments. She works with communities in Somerset, Kennebec, and Western Waldo Counties as Regional Coordinator. Grainne has a background in Emergency Management having worked for Androscoggin and Sagadahoc County Emergency Management Agencies focusing on natural hazards and natural hazard mitigation. She has been with KVCOG for three years and works to incorporate resiliency with traditional land use practices and help fill capacity gaps in rural communities.

James Shimko, DBA, is an assistant professor of accounting at Husson University, where he teaches courses in accounting, governance, and organizational systems. His research examines sustainability reporting and behavioral accounting, with particular attention to how governance and decision structures affect nonprofit organizations. In addition to his academic work, James volunteers on boards of small nonprofit organizations and a community cooperative, where he has direct experience with board governance, role clarity, and the challenges of coordinating volunteer- and community-led initiatives. His work bridges teaching, research, and practice in community-based organizations.

Cameron Wake, PhD, is the Director of UNE North: Center for North Atlantic Studies at the University of New England. He brings more than 35 years of experience leading interdisciplinary climate research, engaging partners in climate science and solutions, and advancing sustainability-focused education and research opportunities for students. Cameron also serves as chair of the Kittery Climate Adaptation Committee, which guides local climate resilience planning and implementation in partnership with community and regional stakeholders. Previously, he was the Josephine A. Lamprey Professor of Climate and Sustainability at the University of New Hampshire, where he helped lead UNH’s participation in the University of the Arctic consortium and taught courses on climate change, sustainability, and Arctic systems.

Eileen Sylvan Johnson is a senior lecturer in the Environmental Studies Program at Bowdoin College. Her research focuses on rural community resilience, social vulnerability, and the role of decision support tools in informing local decision-making.

Courtney Cease is a sustainable development professional with 20 years of experience leading and advancing climate and sustainability action in the U.S. and internationally. As Resilience and Sustainability Lead at The Musson Group, Courtney directs climate vulnerability assessments and resilience planning for rural, coastal, and island communities throughout Maine. Her work includes identifying climate risks, facilitating community outreach and engagement, and translating technical analysis and public input into actionable plans that safeguard natural resources and strengthen long-term community resilience. Courtney holds an MA in International Policy and Development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a BA in Environmental Policy from Colby College.

Tamra Benson (she/her) is the Community Resilience Director at the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy. She earned a BA in Biology from the University of Maine in 2023. Her work focuses on helping rural communities fund resilience projects that will reduce their climate impacts, assess their social and infrastructural vulnerabilities, and prepare them for the inevitable effects of climate change. The Center for an Ecology-Based Economy (CEBE) is a nonprofit organization based in Norway, Maine, with a focus on climate justice and local solutions. CEBE’s mission is to engage the community in addressing the climate emergency by organizing, educating, taking direct action, and implementing practical, ecological solutions for a just transition to a thriving, regenerative economy.

Maddie Jensen is a Planner with the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System (BACTS). In this role, Maddie coordinates transportation investment and planning across the greater Bangor area. She also facilitates the Penobscot Climate Action Committee, a regional collaboration between local governments, businesses, and residents advancing climate adaptation and mitigation throughout the region.

Meggan Dwyer is Associate Director of the University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute. She also serves as Chair of the Rockport Conservation Commission, Rockport’s designated Community Resilience Partnership organization. Meggan has helped to coordinate two climate action grants, including a project that combined a greenhouse gas assessment with social, ecosystem, and infrastructure vulnerability assessments, and a newer collaborative initiative with the Town of Camden to design a cross-community energy coaching program.

Marina Schauffler is the Camden/Rockport Energy Program Manager. She is working with a cohort of more than a dozen trained local volunteers to launch a coaching initiative focused on households with low and moderate incomes. Their work is supported by a Maine Community Resilience Partnership grant and a volunteer steering committee.

Naomi Albert, Manager of Community Energy Planning and Policy for A Climate to Thrive, has developed A Climate to Thrive’s Energy Coaching Program and is currently training the first cohort of volunteer coaches. Naomi brings to this work past experience developing comprehensive building solutions programs, training materials for volunteers, and considering how different energy solutions integrate with one another. Naomi holds a BS in Natural Resource Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Naomi’s passion for community-driven climate solutions led her to work with communities in California, Maine, and North Carolina to build momentum for climate resilience and renewable energy.

Richy Ainsworth is the Associate Director at CEBE and brings experience in renewable energy, transportation and energy efficiency from his roots in Scotland to Maine. While loving living somewhere with proper winters, Richy is also passionate about keeping the heat in and cold out of people’s homes (including his own!) and the concept of people harnessing their readily available energy resources locally. Much of his work supports the energy and transportation programming at CEBE including supporting the Oxford Hills school district and CEBE’s new Energy Cafe that has been running for the last 6-months. The Energy Cafe is a relaxed, drop-in setting where you can stop for two minutes or two hours to discuss your energy concerns. In addition to general discussion each month now hosts a theme and often external presentations, to date they have covered; CMP rate analysis tools, home weatherization, DIY solar and understanding your utility bills. CEBE hopes to see this model continue to grow and is happy to share resources and ideas with anyone interested.

Johannah Blackman, Executive Director for A Climate to Thrive, has worked in community-centered climate solutions for over a decade. Johannah focuses on collaborative, intersectional, just approaches to addressing climate change that empower community members of many different backgrounds and ages, celebrate diverse perspectives, and dwell squarely in the nexus of the need to address climate change and the opportunity that exists within that need. In January 2022, Johannah launched Local Leads the Way, ACTT’s program supporting community-centered climate action throughout Maine with a focus on building networks of collaboration and resource-sharing and removing duplication of effort. In early 2025, Local Leads the Way launched monthly calls supporting Energy Coaching programs, from which a statewide hub of coaching programs and associated resources has developed.