SUN JOURNAL • May 23, 2021
There has been a strong environmental movement in this state for over half a century, but environmentalism is no longer the sole province of small groups of enthusiasts. Creating a sustainable environment is becoming a vibrant business. Green now signifies cash, not just chlorophyll. Nautilis Solar Energy LLC is investing $100 million in 11 Maine community solar farms. Wind power is already a big business in Maine, generating over 900 megawatts, but it’s starting to move from land to sea. Aquaponics is a form of sustainable agriculture. Springworks in Lisbon is the largest such operation in New England. At the UMaine Forest Bioproducts Institute, researchers are working with industry to create sustainable forest bio-products in fuels, chemicals and advanced materials. Gone are the days when environmentalists were derided by the business community as “tree huggers.” Now it’s the business community that is hugging trees — if not out of veneration of nature than for the pursuit of profit. ~ Elliott Epstein