BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 1, 2022
Reza Jalali came from Iran to live in Maine 37 years ago and cannot remember a hotter, dryer summer here than this one. “I’m worried for my children,” said the father of two and executive director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, a collaborative hub helping newcomers with language and economic integration, as well as civic engagement. That’s why Jalali is helping launch a new initiative aimed at bringing youthful climate change activists together with young, new Mainers. He wants to forge energized bridges between them — alliances that just might save the planet. To that end, Jalali is teaming up with The Climate Initiative, a non-partisan, science-based organization based in Kennebunkport, in putting on a kickoff event on Friday.