daveformaine

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Join Me in Welcoming Newcomers

I spend most of my time in Knox County, but since my votes in the Senate affect the entire state, I also like to get out and see other parts of Maine. This month, I got up to Allagash to check out Sen. Troy Jackson’s neck of the woods. On my way home, I was headed down Interstate 95 when federal Border Patrol agents stopped me and asked if I was an American. Appalled by the entire situation, I kept the conversation brief, and they ultimately told me I was free to go. I drove away, feeling not as free as I had been before. Freedom requires no verification by a federal agent. This incident left me thinking about events around the country, and how they impact us here in Maine. Unless you’re Native American, you or one of your ancestors arrived in this country as a migrant. So let’s not act like this country is only for those already here. Tragically, the shooter who drove over 10 hours to kill Latino people in El Paso didn’t understand that. He believed newcomers from Latin America not only pose some kind of threat, but are inferior to white people. White supremacy — employed to justify genocide against Native Americans, slavery and segregation — is being employed to target Latino folks today. The policies and actions aimed at the Latino community — building a border wall, separating families, deporting people and now shooting them at a Walmart in El Paso — are rooted in the belief that if we reserve our communities for those already here, particularly white people, the world will be a better place. It won’t. Some folks in Maine believe that we shouldn’t help people who are arriving here from Africa or Latin America, but should, for reasons beyond my comprehension, help only those already living in Maine. By when and from where must you have moved to Maine, of course, is never clear. These policies and beliefs are based in fear — fear of those who look different, come from other places or speak with different accents. And so we must remember that we (or our ancestors, unless you’re Native American) were those people once too. We looked different, we came from other places and spoke with different accents. The transition wasn’t easy, but we undertook the journey to America because of hope — hope of a better life, more freedom and greater opportunities for our kids. The folks undertaking that journey today are escaping violence that most of us can’t imagine, yet they face the prospect of further violence and intimidation when they arrive. The fact that they are continuing to travel here, in spite of our often unwelcoming policies, reassures us that hope — the same hope that brought us to this country — is still alive today. I represent everyone in Knox County and fight for policies that benefit all folks in Maine. I don’t care what you look like, where you’re from or what’s on your birth certificate or passport. Inclusive policies strengthen our communities, address our workforce shortage and help those in need. We must stand up for our neighbors and speak out against any policy that is unwelcoming to anyone, including the federal policy of stopping folks on the interstate and asking if they’re American. Border Patrol agents can stop anyone within a 100-mile radius of the U.S. border, an area that includes all of Maine. If you are stopped by Border Patrol agents, you have the right to remain silent and can tell agents that you’ll only answer questions in the presence of an attorney, regardless of your immigration status. Let’s welcome newcomers, listen to their stories and celebrate their cultures. If we were in their shoes, that’s the reception for which we’d hope. 

[daveformaine]

Out with the old, in with the new.....not in Jeff Session’s mind.

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In Wake of #metoo, Men Have Obligation to Listen, Then Act

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Since The New York Times blew the lid off Harvey Weinstein’s history of systematized sexual assault, I’ve listened to women’s stories and tried to grapple with the truths they revealed. I listened to the women in my own life describe their own experiences. The prevalence of sexual harassment is undeniable. The universality of women’s experiences is irrefutable.

As I tried to understand, as best as I could, women’s lived experience with the omnipresent, gnawing threat of sexual assault, I believed it was my role to do so quietly. Men have to be quiet if women are going to be heard. But the more I listened, the more I realized men have a responsibility to speak up. The truth is, sexual harassment and abuse are not “women’s issues.” They are, to an obscenely large extent, men’s issues. Most often, it’s men who have behaved inappropriately (or criminally). It’s men who have dominated, humiliated and abused women who they see as objects, not equals. And it’s men who have used their positions of power to silence women and protect abusers. This moment seems like a collision of two worlds. In one world, men were able ignore or deny the pervasive threat endured by women in all industries and walks of life. In the other, women did what they could to navigate those dangers and protect one another, all the while knowing that most men would never believe them. The #metoo movement forces the men who inhabit the first world to recognize the reality of the women who inhabit the other. Now, men have a role to play in creating a culture where harassment, abuse and assault are not tolerated. Men have to hold each other accountable for their actions. If we want to be better, we have to do better. I’ve thought a lot recently about my career as a pilot. I flew for one of the largest commercial airlines in the country. Our union guaranteed that women pilots received the same pay, benefits and contract as I or any other man did. On paper, one might have thought the power of collective bargaining alone was enough to create a safe space for women to have prosperous, successful careers. But one would have been wrong to assume that. In my day, there were dozens of men on the flight deck for every woman. And the women who sat in the captain’s seat dealt with derision and suspicion from their fellow pilots, even when they didn’t know it. I know because I heard it myself. When no women were around, male pilots would openly ask each other how a woman could have qualified to fly. They’d make dirty jokes and sexist comments. It speaks volumes about our culture that my male colleagues were shocked whenever I’d call them out on their behavior. For speaking up when they made sexist comments, I earned the scorn and mistrust of those pilots. I don’t deserve praise for my actions. In truth, I’m sure there’s more I could have done to make my airline a safe place for women. I wish I’d done more, because speaking up in private is the least men can do to be allies with women. I write about it because while I may try to speak up, I don’t always. I write about it because all men have been in a room when our peers felt comfortable in the knowledge they could objectify and belittle women with impunity. Whenever a man shrugs off a “joke” without consequence, or thinks their private disgust is enough, we create room for the culture of sexism and sexual assault to thrive. We send a signal that even worse abuse will be tolerated — that predators can “get away with it.” Speaking out when coworkers, friends or family members dismiss or demean women is just one small step men must take to end the culture that allows men like Weinstein, Trump, O’Reilly and Lauer to abuse and attack women. But speaking out alone won’t solve the problem. I wish there were a silver bullet, a single large step we could take to fix what’s wrong with our culture. Empowering women means moving over and making room at the table. It means being an ally even when it’s tough. It means believing women. It means continuing to listen, so we can learn other ways to be and do better. But most importantly, it means holding ourselves and our peers accountable. Men created a world where the #metoo movement is necessary. And it’s on us to create a better world for the future.

[daveformaine]

Solar Energy Forum in Rockland

Rockland — Sen. Dave Miramant, D-Camden, and John Luft of ReVision Energy spoke in favor of expanding solar energy in Maine and answered questions from community members at the Solar Energy Town Hall event held at Rockland City Hall on Wednesday, September 28.

“I was very pleased with the turnout, with the well-informed and thoughtful comments and questions from the audience, and with John Luft’s excellent presentation,” said Sen. Miramant. “He explained exactly how solar energy saves money, provides jobs and benefits the environment, and I was happy to discuss its legislative prospects and removing barriers to the advantages of solar for Mainers.”

The forum included many questions from the audience and an appearance by Amy Files of Renew Rockland, a citizens’ group that promotes renewable energy and sustainable economic growth.  The open discussion included questions about the startup costs, rebates and environmental benefits associated with solar. Mr. Luft stressed the value of replacing power plants, fossil fuels and transmission lines by harnessing the unlimited energy of the sun. Sen. Miramant lamented the failure of last year’s solar legislation, which failed to garner enough votes to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto, and vowed that the issue is still very much alive, citing broad bipartisan support in the legislature.

“One thing I wanted to stress is that the setbacks we have experienced are temporary, and that I am fully committed to making this a priority in the next legislature,” said Sen. Miramant. “There is no reason why Maine can’t employ this technology right now. Our current path is unsustainable and Mainers are largely in favor of incorporating more renewable energy sources. It’s only a matter of time before things start to change.”

[daveformaine]

Fighting the opioid epidemic, one community at a time

The opioid epidemic in Maine represents nothing less than a public health crisis. Each week five Mainers die of overdoses and twenty babies are born in withdrawal. I know I am not alone when I say that I find these numbers intolerable.

Earlier this year, the Legislature acted swiftly and boldly, passing laws that are having a real impact. But I am proud to have supported these bills, and I am pleased that the both houses acted in a bipartisan way to get this done. But voting for legislation is not enough.

In an effort to do more, I am going into communities and engaging with the people who are rolling up their sleeves and handling this crisis on the front lines.  I’ve been listening to residents who have been directly affected by painkiller addiction and the doctors, therapists and law enforcement officers who see the wreckage caused by addiction every day.  And I am learning a lot.

In the past three weeks I have heard from all those stakeholders at meetings in Camden, Rockland, Cushing, Union and St. George.   These meetings were well-attended and provided real insight on how we can tackle this problem on a local level.

Knox County Recovery Center is an excellent example of a facility that uses a progressive approach in addressing addiction.  For instance, the Center is in the process of training recovery coaches, people who have experience with alcohol or drug addiction and recovery, in order to help others find a way out.

The Center also hosts forums in order to provide support and encouragement for those affected.  “Drop-in” meetings are held for those in different stages of addiction, and “Friends and Family” meetings are held for those people who are close to the victims to share their experiences and draw strength from others.

Law enforcement plays a key role in a balanced approach to addressing this crisis. However, as one police officer told me, we can’t arrest our way out of this problem. As part of the Sequential Intercept Model, the Center will divert youth and young adults who would otherwise have been put through the criminal justice system and provide support instead of reprimand.  They will work with the Rockland Career Center to assist in vocational training and job placement and help provide access to safe and sober housing along the way.

All towns and cities in Knox County are different, and I realize that what works in Rockland might not work in Union or Tenants Harbor.  And there is always more work to be done; for example, a truly comprehensive policy would include holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable, as it has profited for years by downplaying the addictiveness of narcotic painkillers. But by finding what works for individual communities,  we can start to turn the grim statistics around and get in front of this issue.

The opioid crisis hurts communities like ours because addiction to painkillers could happen to absolutely anyone. This is not a problem that ‘other people’ have; people from all walks of life in mid-coast Maine are affected, and fixing the problem requires involvement from the whole community. I look forward to talking with more folks in the midcoast and learning more about how we can put this epidemic behind us for good.

[daveformaine]

Community Spirit

Even in international spotlight, it’s the locals who really shine

Earlier this month, for the 69th time, Rockland played host once again to the Maine Lobster Festival.

For visitors, the main event is the chance to eat Maine’s famous crustacean. Other highlights — the crate race and sea goddess contest, the concerts and games — help attract thousands and thousands of people from around the state, the country and the world. The Lobster Festival really is a marquee event for the Midcoast, and the organizers should be proud.

But my favorite part isn’t the fanfare down on the waterfront. It’s the Big Parade -- the one time out of the weekend when locals take their deserved space in the spotlight.  

The parade is the time when the local community -- not lobster -- takes center stage. Our students, area charitable organizations and businesses all participate. They march downtown, the pride of the Midcoast, and my sense of pride and community spirit soars.

The parade shares a great deal of DNA with other local celebrations. Celebrations like Friendship Day, and Freedom Farm Days, Camden’s Summer Music in the Park, and countless other local get-togethers offer a chance for people in our communities to come together.

That may sound hokey, but the act of coming together in celebration binds us together as a community.

At the Big Parade in Rockland, I caught up with friends who I don’t get to see as often as I’d like. Everywhere I looked, people were having experiences just like that. I saw local college kids, home for the summer, reconnecting with people they’d known since kindergarten. I saw seniors, so full of community pride, marching or driving in the parade, waving enthusiastically at all their neighbors as they passed by.

It’s easy in times like these to focus on what divides us. It’s an election year. Political parties and other groups will be highlighting all the things that make us different, and those differences are important when we get into the voting booth in November. They’ll help us make our decisions. We don’t need to ignore them.

But events like these remind us of everything we share. Whether it’s a grange supper or a public concert with music and dancing, we are reminded of the great place we all live, and of the sense of community that makes Maine so special.

When one of our neighbors falls on hard times, the community comes together to help out. When a member of our community achieves greatness, we all celebrate their success. Our fates and fortunes are intertwined. Our children attend the same local schools. The successes or failures of our local economies can lift all our boats or see us all run aground.

The reason Knox County makes so many “Top 10” lists of places in Maine to visit, live, work and play isn’t just our scenic beauty, our quality of life and our bustling local economy. It’s the quality of our people and our community pride and spirit.

That’s what’s on display at the Big Parade, and in the town festivals and celebrations throughout the Midcoast. And it’s worth more than all the delicious lobster in the world.

[daveformaine]

With Smart Policy, Fisheries Can Be an Even Bigger Player in Maine Economy

.A group of about 20 lobster fishermen in Tenants Harbor are making waves this summer as they embark on a brand-new business model that gets their catch to customers faster than ever before and puts more money in their own pockets. The members of the newly formed Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-Op expect to land half a million pounds of lobster this year. They’ve entered a deal with Luke’s Lobster Shack in which the restaurant guarantees it’ll buy every single pound. The co-op shares the cost of maintaining and staffing the dock, and its members reap higher profits by cutting out the middleman of distributors and dealers. That extra cash then gets reinvested in the local economy. For Luke’s and for the co-op’s members, it’s a win-win bargain. Both sides of the deal thought outside the box, and they — along with the local economy — will be better off for it. That kind of creativity is crucial as our commercial fisheries look toward the future. All told, there are about 1,600 harvesters of lobster, seaweed, herring and other ocean products here in our communities. The ocean has sustained generations and generations of Maine families in Knox County. Those men and women who earn a living on the sea connect us to our heritage, and are a linchpin not only of our regional economy, but of the state’s economy as a whole. Maine’s total commercial fisheries landings were worth more than $616 million in 2015, and Knox County’s fisheries were the No. 2 most-productive in the state, in terms of both volume and cash value. In fact, three of the top 10 most valuable ports are here in our own backyards — in Vinalhaven, Friendship and Rockland. The bounty available in the Gulf of Maine is one of our state’s greatest advantages. Its value is derived not only from the price it catches on the open market, but from the reputation bestowed upon Maine by its globally renowned industry of small processors and independent fishermen. Maine’s brand is increasingly tied to its agricultural sector, including our fisheries. As our reputation for high-quality, flavorful, local food continues to grow and win attention all over the world, our fisheries and the men and women who work them are poised to become an even more critical piece of our economy. That’s why at the state level, we must do everything we can to ensure the sustainability, strength and value of our ocean industries. First and foremost, we must prioritize the protection of our oceans from the harmful effects of climate change. That means getting serious about ocean acidification, CO2 emissions and nutrient runoff from the mainland. Second, we have to conserve as much of our working waterfront as we can. Maine’s increasing reputation as a destination for visitors from around the world means more and more pressure on coastal development. Programs like Land for Maine’s Future have been successful in retaining our working waterfronts, and are crucial to supporting this industry. Third, we should encourage the kind of creative thinking and entrepreneurship in the industry exemplified by the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-Op. That means doing something about the years-long wait lists for licenses that have kept too many enthusiastic, eager Mainers out of the water. The Legislature began to address this issue this year, but we need to do more to ensure that the Mainer with the next great idea to support our fisheries isn’t frozen out because of bureaucracy. With the right policies and a concerted effort at all levels — from Augusta all the way to the coast — we can continue to make Maine’s fisheries a key driver of our state’s economy. That would bring even greater prosperity to the men and women who carry on the traditions of our fishing communities.

[daveformaine]

Ocean farmers are using technology to start an economic revolution and save humanity

WRITTEN BY

Bren Smith

Executive director, GreenWaveOBSESSION

The Sea

April 07, 2016

I’m a fisherman who dropped out of high school in 1986 at the age of 14. Over my lifetime, I’ve spent many nights in jail. I’m an epileptic. I’m asthmatic. I don’t even know how to swim. This is my story. It’s a story of ecological redemption.

I was born and raised in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, a little fishing village with 14 salt-box houses painted in greens, blues, and reds so that fishermen could find their way home in the fog. At age 14 I left school and headed out to sea. I fished the Georges Banks and the Grand Banks for tuna and lobster, then headed to the Bering Sea, where I fished cod and crab. The trouble was I was working at the height of the industrialization of food. We were tearing up entire ecosystems with our trawls, chasing fish further and further out to sea into illegal waters. I personally have thrown tens of thousands of pounds of by-catch back into the sea.

It wasn’t just that we were pillaging. Most of my fish was going to McDonald’s for their fish sandwiches. There I was, still a kid, working one of the most unsustainable forms of food production on the planet, producing some of the most unhealthy food on the planet. But God how I loved that job! The humility of being in 40-foot (12 m) seas, the sense of solidarity that comes with being in the belly of a boat with 13 other people working 30-hour shifts, and a sense of meaning and pride in helping to feed my country. I miss those days so, so much.

But then in the early 1990s the cod stocks crashed back home: thousands of fishermen thrown out of work, boats beached, canneries shuttered. This situation created a split in the industry: the captains of industry, who wanted to fish the last fish, were thinking 10 years down the road, but there was a younger generation of us thinking 50 years out. We wanted to make our living on the ocean. I want to die on my boat one day—that’s my measure of success.

So we all went on a search for sustainability. I ended up in Northern Canada on an aquaculture farm. At that point aquaculture was supposed to be the great solution to overfishing, but when I got there I found more of the same, only using new technologies to pollute local waterways with pesticides and pumping fish full of antibiotics. We used to say that what we were growing was neither fish nor food. We were running the equivalent of Iowa pig farms at sea.

So I kept searching and ended up on Long Island Sound, where there was a program to attract young fishermen back into the industry by opening up shell-fishing grounds for the first time in 150 years. I signed up, leased some grounds from the state of New York, and re-made myself as an oysterman. I did this for seven years. Then the storms hit. Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy thrashed the East Coast. Two years in a row the storms buried 90% of my crops in three feet of mud, and 40% of my gear was washed away in a sea of death. At the same time, lobster were being driven northward by warming waters, and acidification was increasing faster than at any other time in 300 million years, killing billions of oyster seed up and down the American coast.

Suddenly I found myself on the front lines of a climate crisis that had arrived 100 years earlier than expected. For a long time I’d seen climate change only as an environmental issue because environmentalists were always framing it in terms of birds, bears, and bees, but I’m a fisherman. I kill things for a living. I grew up shooting moose out of my kitchen window. I never thought climate change had anything to do with my life. But it does. From my vantage point, climate change is not an environmental issue at all—it’s an economic issue.

The same years my farm was wiped out by hurricanes, 83,000 people lost their jobs in New York City because of flooding, many of those in manufacturing. Unemployment claims doubled in Vermont along the storm’s path, and 80% of US farmland was shriveled by drought, driving up food prices for middle and working class families. It turns out there will be no jobs on a dead planet.

Vertical underwater farming

After my farm was destroyed, it was clear to me that I had to adapt because I was facing a serious threat to my livelihood. I began to re-imagine my occupation and oyster farm. I began experimenting and exploring new designs and new species. I lifted my farm off the sea bottom to avoid the impact of storm surges created by hurricanes and started to grow new mixes of restorative species. Now, after 29 years of working on the oceans, I’ve remade myself as a 3D ocean farmer, growing a mix of seaweeds and shellfish for food, fuel, fertilizer, and feed.

That’s how I got to where I am today. Now let’s dive in and take a look at the farm and deconstruct why it’s designed the way it is. Imagine a vertical underwater garden with hurricane-proof anchors on the edges connected by floating horizontal ropes across the surface. From these lines kelp and Gracilaria and other kinds of seaweeds grow vertically downward next to scallops in hanging nets that look like Japanese lanterns and mussels held in suspension in mesh socks. Staked below the vertical garden are oysters in cages and then clams buried in the sea floor.

If you look for my farm from ashore, there’s almost nothing to see, which is a good thing. Our underwater farms have a low aesthetic impact. That’s important because our oceans are beautiful pristine places, and we want to keep them that way. Because the farm is vertical, it has a small footprint. My farm used to be 100 acres; now it’s down to 20 acres, but it produces much more food than before. If you want “small is beautiful,” here it is. We want ocean agriculture to tread lightly.

Our 3D farms are designed to address three major challenges: First, to bring to the table a delicious new seafood plate in this era of overfishing and food insecurity; second, to transform fishermen into restorative ocean farmers; and third, to build the foundation for a new blue-green economy that doesn’t recreate the injustices of the old industrial economy.

Eating like fish and transforming an entire workforce

First: food production. As ocean farmers, we reject aquaculture’s obsession with monoculture, an obsession similar to that of modern land farming. Our goal is diversity. It’s a sea-basket approach: We grow two types of seaweeds, four kinds of shellfish, and we harvest salt. But with over 10,000 edible plants in the ocean, we’ve barely scratched the surface. We eat only a few species, and we grow basically none in the United States. We intend to de-sushify seaweed and invent a new native cuisine, not around our industrial palate of salmon and tuna but around the thousands of undiscovered ocean vegetables that are right outside our backdoor.

Native seaweeds contain more vitamin C than orange juice, more calcium than milk, and more protein than soybeans. It might surprise those of you on the hunt for Omega-3s to learn that many fish do not create these heart-healthy nutrients by themselves—they consume them. By eating the plants fish eat, we get the same benefits while reducing pressure on fish stocks. So it’s time that we eat like fish.

We’re working with chefs to cook up kelp noodles with parsnips and bread crumbs in barbecue sauce; green sea butters and cheeses; kelp-based umami-filled bouillons. Our new ocean dinners are fun, they’re creative, and they’re delicious. This is our opportunity to rearrange the seafood plate by moving ocean plants and bivalves to the center and wild fish to the edges. Imagine being a chef in 2015 and discovering that there are thousands of vegetable species you’ve never cooked with. It’s like discovering corn, arugula, tomatoes, and lettuce for the first time. As one of my partner chefs—and the former punk-rock drummer—Brooks Headley says, “As a chef it feels frightening, daunting, and exciting all at once.” Ocean greens such as kelp are not small boutique crops. We can grow incredible amounts of food in small areas: 25 tons of greens and 250,000 shellfish per acre in five months. If you were to create a network of our ocean farms totaling the size of Washington state, you could feed the planet.

This is zero-input food that requires no fresh water, no fertilizer, no feed, no arid land. It is hands down the most sustainable food on the planet.

And as the price of fertilizer, water, and feed goes up, zero-input food is going to be the most affordable food on the planet. The economics of it will drive us to eat ocean greens. The question is, will it be delicious food or will it be like being force-fed cod liver oil? As farmers, it’s our job to grow this new cuisine, and for chefs it’s their job to make it tasty.

Ocean farming isn’t just about food. It’s about transforming an entire workforce, transforming fishers into restorative ocean farmers. My job has never been to save the seas; it’s to figure out how the seas can save us. I say that because millions of years ago mother nature created two technologies designed to mitigate our harm: shellfish and seaweeds. Oysters filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, pulling nitrogen—the cause of our oceans’ spreading dead zones—from the water column. Our farmed kelp, called the Sequoia of the sea, soaks up five times more carbon than land based plants. Seaweeds could be a powerful source of zero-input biofuel; feasibility studies suggest we might produce 2,000 gallons of ethanol per acre—that’s a 30 times higher yield than soybeans and five times more than corn. According to the Department of Energy, if you were to take a network of our farms equaling half the size of the state of Maine, you could replace all the oil in the United States.

Our farms function as storm-surge protectors, breaking up wave action to reduce the impact of hurricanes and rising tides. And they serve as artificial reefs, attracting more than 150 species of aquatic life. Sea horses, striped bass and grey seals come to eat, hide, and thrive on our farms. My farm used to be a barren patch of ocean, now it’s a flourishing ecosystem. As fishermen, we’re no longer pillagers, hunting the last fish. We are a new generation of climate farmers who have joined the fight to restore our planet. We’re trying to break down the seawalls that separate our land-based and ocean-based food systems. Even the best land-based farms pollute, sending nitrogen into our waterways, so we use our kelp to capture that nitrogen, turn it into liquid fertilizers, and send it back to organic farmers to grow their wonderful vegetables. When the nitrogen then runs back into Long Island Sound, we capture it again.

We are also working on new forms of livestock feeds. For example, there’s exciting—though still preliminary—research that suggestsadding algae to diets could reduce methane output in cattle by up to 90%. The idea is to build a bridge between land and sea in order to close the loop between our food systems. Too often our thinking stops at the water’s edge. A bridge is needed.

The blue-green economy

Our goal is to build a just foundation for the blue-green economy. Saving the seas is not enough. There is 40% unemployment in my hometown. I wouldn’t be doing this work unless it created jobs for my people, unless it opened up new opportunities for the three billion folks who depend on our oceans to make a living.

Our old economy is crumbling. I can’t get cell service in half of the country, let alone decent health care or a healthy meal. The old economy is built on the arrogance of growth at all costs, profiting from pollution, and the refusal to share economic gains with 99% of Americans. But out of the ashes of the old economy, together we are building something new based on new-economy principles of collaboration, community-driven innovation, shared profits, and meeting social needs. Because ocean agriculture is still in its infancy, we have the unprecedented opportunity to build a model from scratch, to build from the bottom up an economy that works for everyone, not just a few. We have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of industrial agriculture and aquaculture. This is our chance to do food right.

We addressed the first question of farm replication and scale, not by patenting or franchising—those are tools of the old economy—but by open-sourcing our farming model so that anybody with 20 acres and a boat and $30,000 can start his or her own farm. One of our new farmers is a third-generation lobsterman who was unemployed because climate change had pushed lobsters northward. We got him up and running, growing and selling the first year. Among our other farmers are former Alaskan salmon fishermen, an Iraq war veteran, and a Latino family whose ancestors were driven off their farmlands in Mexico. We replicate and scale by specifically designing our farms to require low capital costs and minimal skills. We seek simplicity not complexity. We believe that replication is driven by setting low barriers to entry so that people from all walks of life can grow and prosper with us. At the same time our farmers receive startup grants, access to free seed, gear donated by Patagonia, and two years of free consulting from GreenWave. What is most important, we guarantee to purchase 80% of their crops for the first five years at triple the market rate.

We intend to create stable and secure markets that give our beginning farmers time to learn the trade and to scale up their farms. They keep farming because they know they’ll get paid well for what they grow. Our vision is hundreds of small-scale ocean farms dotting our coastlines, surrounded by conservation zones. Imagine a Napa valley of ocean terroirs dotting out coastlines.

We envision 3D farms embedded in wind farms, harvesting not only wind but also food, fuel and fertilizers. We envision using shuttered coal plants—like the one closing in Bridgeport, Connecticut—for processing animal feed and salt. We want to repurpose the fossil-fuel and fishing industries so that they will protect rather than destroy our oceans.

Getting out of the boutique food economy and recreating an industry

The second question is how to build the infrastructure needed to ensure that ocean farmers and communities will reap the rewards of the blue-green economy. For too long, farmers and fishermen have been caught in the beggar’s game of selling raw commodities while others soak up the profits; too many of us are locked in the boutique food economy, selling as CSAs and at farmers markets, with the majority of us not making an adequate living and having to hold down multiple jobs to make ends meet. But now, in our unexplored oceans we have a chance to plan ahead and to build an infrastructure in the right way. One of our new farmers, a 65-year-old fisherman, whose family has fished in Rhode Island for 300 years, put it this way: “The last thing we want to do with 3D farming is re-create the fishing industry.”

Instead of repeating history we’re building infrastructure from seed-to-harvest-to-market. We’re starting nonprofit hatcheries so that our farmers can access low-cost seed. We’re creating ocean seed banks so that the Monsantos of the world can’t privatize the source of our food and livelihoods. We cap the price of a sublease at $50 an acre per year so that low-income ocean farmers can access property. But by “property” we do not mean privatization. Our farmers don’t own their patch of ocean; they own only the right to grow shellfish and seaweeds there, which means that anyone can boat, fish, or swim on their farms. I own the process of farming but not the property, and this keeps my farm as shared community space. We’re also building in levers of community control. Leases are up for review every five years so that if I’m farming unsustainably, my rights can be revoked.

At the same time, we’re building the country’s first farmer-owned seafood hub, which is not only a place to process, package and ship the raw commodities we raise but also a space to leverage the unique qualities of our seaweeds. The power of kelp is that it’s not just food; there is a whole range of products we can produce that meet environmental and social needs: organic fertilizers, new livestock feeds, kelp biofuels, and even medicine. With thousands of yet undiscovered ocean plants, farmers and scientists can join together to discover and grow new forms of medicine.

Pushing injustice off the table

If we provide our communities with the right mix of low-cost, open-source infrastructure, our hub will become an engine for job creation and the basis for inventing new industries. It will also be an engine for food justice, a place where we embed good jobs, food access, and nutrition into the structure of ocean agriculture. This means, for example, working with local grassroots groups like CitySeed in New Haven, Connecticut, to ensure that low-income folks can use food stamps to carry double the value at our Community Supported Fisheries (CSFs) and our Beyond Fish retail store. It also means using our hub as a hiring hall where local workers can find jobs on our farms, in our startups, and in our kitchens. If you come to the hub for a job, don’t bring your resumé. We don’t care if you are a former felon or an undocumented immigrant; we’re going to put you to work.

The final challenge is how to re-arrange the relationships between those of us who produce food and those of us who buy it. Failure would be to recreate the power dynamics of the old economy. Just as we need to re-arrange what’s on our dinner plates by moving ocean greens to the center, we need to move farmers, food workers, communities, and protection of the planet to the center of our plate, and push the destructive, unjust old economy off the table. We’re putting farmers and buyers on equal footing by negotiating with institutions to guarantee forward contracts so that we get paid before we grow, and if our crops fail, then both the farmer and the buyer share the loss. It’s time for everyone to share the risk in the risky business of growing food in the era of climate change and globalization.

The relationship between farmer and buyer has to go even deeper. Reformatting the food system is going to be costly. It’s going to be complex. Simply using purchasing power will not be enough. Anchor institutions such as hospitals, universities, wholesalers, and retailers have a new role, a new set of responsibilities in the new economy. They have a duty to invest aggressively in our farmers, our infrastructure and our communities. This involves donating a portion of their profits and their endowment to building hatcheries, seafood hubs, logistical and transport systems, incubation, and R&D. This will mean less profit for the private sector and a lower rate of return for universities. But it will also mean more value in terms of social and environmental good. All around us we can see that “business as usual” will not save this planet. It’s time to divest from the old economy and invest in the new.

The new economy: Rethinking “the politics of no”

Finally, we are insisting that markets reward the positive externalities of our farms. We’re working in places like Connecticut to include ocean farmers in existing nitrogen trading programs. New farms are being built in polluted areas like Bridgeport and the Bronx River in order to soak up the nitrogen and carbon, pull out heavy metals, and re-build reefs. Instead of harvesting food, these farms harvest ecosystem services. While others pollute, we restore—and as farmers we should be paid for the positive externalities of our work. In the new economy, markets have to reflect the environmental benefits we provide.

In 1979, Jacques Cousteau, the father of ocean conservation, wrote: “We must plant the sea and herd its animals using the ocean as farmers instead of hunters. That is what civilization is all about—farming replacing hunting.” This dream of Cousteau’s and of Green Wave’s is frightening to some environmentalists. The idea of hundreds of ocean farms dotting our coastlines and the idea of 3D farms embedded in wind farms are unsettling to many because of the scale. As a result, the instinct of environmentalists is to do everything they can to protect the oceans from any and all forms of economic development. They shield themselves with a “politics of no.” I’m sympathetic to these fears, especially given the history of industrial aquaculture in the 1980s; yet in the era of climate change, it’s an illusion for environmentalists to think they can save our seas by relying on a conservation strategy alone while continuing to ask the oceans to feed our hunger for wild seafood.

Conservation represents its own form of climate-change denial. We all know it’s real, but the true significance, the implications, the urgency, haven’t sunk in. Just look at what’s happening on land and sea: rising water temperatures and acidification threatening one out of four marine species with extinction; drought and extreme weather expected to make US corn prices go up by 140% in the next 15 years alone, while agriculture is responsible for one-third to one-half of all carbon emissions and uses 80% of the fresh water in some areas, making it the primary cause of droughts, rising food prices, and food insecurity.

If there is one lesson we should learn from the 2015 water wars in California, it’s that our food system is going to be driven out to sea. Yes, we need marine parks, but we could set aside the entire world’s oceans, and our ocean ecosystems would still die. Conservation alone is no longer environmentalism.

The climate crisis demands that we use our fears as a catalyst for change. For the first time in generations, we have an opportunity to grow food the right way, provide good middle-class jobs, restore ecosystem, and feed the planet.

This is the new face of environmentalism. As our food system gets pushed out to sea, we can come together to block privatization, to protect our commons and to spread the seeds of justice. We can invent new occupations, shift entire workforces out of the old economy into the new restorative economy. This is our chance to recruit an army of ocean farmers to grow a new climate cuisine that is both beautiful and hopeful so that all of us can make a living on a living planet.

This post originally appeared at Medium.

[daveformaine]

Testimony on Ferry Safety Bill

Good afternoon Senator Collins, Representative McLean and members of the Transportation Committee, I am here to present LD 1468, An Act to Improve the Safety of Ferries in the State We are lucky here in Maine that we have a professional, committed and competent group of mariners who have done an outstanding job of operating our "Island Highways". The Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS) has an outstanding safety record and I expect that will continue. It is also true that on boats and airplanes, incidents requiring immediate action can take place in a flash, and the training, skills and procedures need to be second nature to the crews. This can only be available with thorough training that has been accomplished before a crewmember reports for duty. Over the years, I have been told of different aspects of the Ferry Service that need review. The input has come from a variety of sources, and finally rose to the level of requiring this action. I will discuss the bill as I am suggesting that it be amended. My research proved that it was difficult to determine whether certain issues raised by the 2008 Safety Management System report have been accomplished. You will hear testimony regarding the different views about these issues, and I determined that the best way to know the progress will be a new safety assessment. I will point your attention to the Operational Safety Assessment included with my testimony, and point out a few things. On page 33, you will see the beginning of the chart with recommended changes and the level of priority which determines the time schedule for correction. During discussions with the DOT, I was made aware that they agreed with this assessment tool which precluded the need for any changes to the Ferry Advisory Board. I am suggesting that no changes be made to that Board and that an initial review be accomplished immediately, and be reported back to the Committee of Jurisdiction by February 1, 2017.   This review should address safety procedures and policies, standard operating procedures and training. It should be accomplished by an independent group like Safety Management Systems, LLC which performed the 2008 review, or an equivalent group separate from the MSFS to be agreed upon by the Committee and DOT. The need for a better system of transport of medical samples for analysis has been identified. The availability of a lock box will suit the needs of the island clinics and should be available on all boats. The DOT was open to this and I expected to work out the details today, but the Coast Guard has weighed in with additional restrictions that we weren't aware of. The procedures they suggest are already in place for transporting unattended items, but the need to address the method of packaging blood samples must be further explored. There are protocols already in place to address medical samples, and it places the needs we have in the lowest category of handling. While it may require an extra check when the item is placed aboard the boat, that ends the involvement of ferry personnel. I do not suggest a deadline for making this happen, but the DOT has agreed to work on it. The procedure that was in place for years is no longer viable, and the new one that allows someone to ride back and forth without tariff does not eliminate the expense of a person who in some cases takes most of the day to accomplish this task. The commitment to work toward a solution will also begin to address the other part of the bill that is not part of the Safety Assessment, customer relations. The amendment also suggests eliminating the section regarding hazardous material transport. While I do not believe that Propane, gasoline and fuel oil should be transported on the same boats as passengers, the Coast Guard has determined that it is safe...sort of. The number of passengers must be reduced to 75 regardless of the normal capacity of the boat being used. The reality is that there are not extra boats as it originally seemed, the Coast Guard allows it and passengers have the option of waiting for a different boat when they find out that hazardous materials will be aboard. I have had input from different passengers and crew about this part and it is something that will be under more scrutiny in the future. Customer service will fall under your oversight. The DOT needs to overcome a perception that they dictate changes to ferry schedules, and other policies, without consideration or input from the islanders. This creates bad will and keeps the Ferry Service from trying new ideas that may be advantageous to the users. The Ferry Service should work with the Committee and other resources to determine the best ways to allow public input into proposed changes.Rep. Kumiega and I have offered to facilitate meetings between the DOT and the island communities. We hope to the change the way communication happens between the concerned parties until there is a well established method for initiating changes. Thank you for your attention, I will try to answer any questions you may have. Senator Dave MiramantMaine District 12 Knox County davemiramant@gmail.com207-236-4845

[daveformaine]

It's a Wrap

In what sounded more like a whimper than a bang, the Legislature finally adjourned on July 16--one month past statutory adjournment.

Because of the record-breaking number of  vetoes that I wrote about in my previous column, the Legislature was forced to add to the lengthy process of completing our work by also taking up each vetoed bill. And, in most cases, we overrode the votes with the necessary two-thirds (bipartisan) majority. The more than 200 vetoes (including all of the line-item vetoes) were vetoed for one reason--because the governor decided he would govern by obstruction. With each veto, he disregarded the public hearings, work sessions, debate and bipartisan votes in both the House and the Senate. Unfortunately, the veto process wasted time and and taxpayer money--and made for a challenging, frustrating, and frankly unnecessary end to months of hard work and compromise. It is estimated that for every day the Legislature had to meet to take up his vetoes, it cost the state about $20,000.

The next order of business in the waning days of session was the governor’s abuse of power in bullying and blackmailing the Good Will Hinckley School over the hiring--and subsequent firing--of House Speaker Mark Eves. In case you missed it, Governor LePage--by his own admission--threatened to withhold funding for the school should they continue their hiring of Speaker Eves as the school’s next president.

The school has been helping at-risk children by providing a place to live and learn since the 1860s. A few years ago, a charter school was added to the other offerings that the school provides, and the state pays a part of the funding for the charter school. Mark Eves' training as a counselor, and his experience in managing the Legislature as a leader for the past eight years make him uniquely qualified for this position. Since my wife worked there years ago and I had familiarity with the school, Speaker Eves seems to be a perfect fit since the departure of Glen Cummings. Unfortunately,  the Governor doesn't like Mark Eves--a political rival--and so he, in an unprecedented overreach of power, told the school that if they hired him, the school would no longer get nearly half a million dollars in state funding.  

So....not exactly business as usual in Augusta. However, if you look beyond the headlines, we did some great work in the Senate. And for that, I thank the dozens of people I spoke to during my campaign. By following your advice, "work together for the people of Maine,” and that’s what we did. We came together on the budget despite the nattering nabobs of negativity with the House Republicans who tried to derail the process. We saved working families some money on property taxes by continuing revenue sharing to our towns and cities; we provided targeted income tax cuts for working and middle-income Mainers--with a fully paid for tax cut of $135 million going to 579,000 Maine families; and we invested in K through 12 public education, higher education, and worker training efforts. We also fixed numerous other issues that were presented to us like meaningful welfare reform.  

In just about six months, I had over 1,800 different contacts from my constituents--the people in our community. In each case, I responded to all but a few that required more in-depth research that I am pulling together now and will respond soon. I am so grateful for all the suggestions and information that helped me and my colleagues understand the issues from every perspective.

There is more work to do, and we will jump back in after our break. It feels so good to be back in our community attending parades, concerts, town celebrations and seeing your smiling faces. I will be attending as many events as possible to keep getting  your input. Please find me and tell me what you are thinking about.

Have a wonderful summer!

[daveformaine]

Some great letters to the editor have been published, here are a couple samples. Thanks to everyone who has submitted a letter!

Vote for My Dad, Dave Miramant:  He Sees the Big Picture 

Anyone who knows my dad isn’t surprised that he is running for State Senate, and not only because of his great experience from his term on the selectboard in Camden, his time on the Personnel Committee or his years being in the House of Representatives.  I say this because anyone who knows him knows that he is driven by an innate desire to help people, something I experienced every day growing up. When I ask him why he’s running, he explains a bigger picture in which he has greater resources to help both individuals and the state as a whole. Mydad has been a steady, positive contributor to his community, and this is why it comes as no surprise to all who know him that he has accepted retiring Senator Ed Mazurek’s suggestion to run for State Senate.

This is something I remember from my earliest days: my dad helping neighbors with broken cars, noisy furnaces, stressed out relationships and tough economic circumstances. He is the kind of person you can put in any scenario, with any people, and he will find a viable solution that works for everyone. 

As a captain at Delta, my dad faced many experiences that required quick solutions under tense conditions.  He excelled in that because he can handle crisis in a heartbeat.  He is the most capable and qualified man I know for this position and he’s crazy enough it want it to help his neighbors and his state!  What has always made my dad such a great “helper” is that he is well versed in many topics, he is tenacious when it comes to finding a solution and he is always open to exploring new ideas.

Dave Miramant….my dad….is the best choice to represent you in the Maine State Senate. Please give him your vote November 4!

Ashley Webster-Miramant 

I'm Asking My Dad, Dave Miramant, to Help Maine- It took living in five different states, three time zones and countless infested apartments to discover what my friends, family and many of you reading this already know; the State of Maine is an incomparable place full of strong character and natural beauty. The sense of identity I've been fortunate to carry with me in the world stems largely from being raised in Maine. I speak with pride about Maine, to almost anyone who will listen. I will never shake my identity as a Mainer, no matter where I temporarily settle. Maine faces its share of challenges. Limited access to quality jobs coupled with under-employment has become a far too frequent narrative. Having migrated to Silicon Valley for work, I've watched people come together and convert creativity and drive into meaningful organizations impacting countless lives. I've learned that the most important skills for success in this modern economy are unrelated to geography but are the result of attributes Mainers have in spades; strong work ethic, determination and collaboration. I feel fortunate to have been raised in Maine with these attributes, as well as a keen appreciation for the importance of community. I learned these by observing my father, Dave Miramant, practice them and set a great example for me. I watched him build multiple small businesses that resulted in a stronger local economy. I've seen his relentless drive to help build strong community through his work serving in the state legislature and on our town Select Board. I'm now looking to him to share his experience and leadership and help steer Maine in a direction that will prevent my kids from having to choose between a career they love and the state they love. My dad is transparent when he discusses reasons for his bid to return to the Legislature. He knows that a better future is the result of thoughtful leadership, creative collaboration and hard work. He wants to continue to support small business owners in our community. He wants to create a business climate conducive to welcoming new companies in our state while considering thoughtful preservation of natural resources. He understands the potential for Maine in the tech-based economy that will require an improved quality of education, and he will work to get us there. I asked my dad for a lot growing up. His support and knowledge were in high demand, and his patience was unwavering. I'm asking him now to use his experience and energy to help direct Maine's future in a brighter direction. I hope you will join me in asking him to bring his passion for thoughtful, inclusive and helpful governance back to Augusta by voting for Dave Miramant for State Senate District 12 this November 4. Josh Miramant, San Francisco, CA, Raised in Camden, Maine

Voting for Dave Miramant, State Senate District 12- The people of Knox County have been blessed by having Coach Mazurek as our Senator. Coach has always been there for all the people, on the City Council and then as Mayor of Rockland, then State Representative, and then as our State Senator. He asked Dave Miramant to fill his seat, which is one of many reasons why I, as an unenrolled, independent voter, will cast my vote for Dave Miramant. Knox County does not need an ideologue in Augusta, who will march to the beat of the Party line. We need someone who has been able to work with those of all parties and persuasions to creatively meet the challenges facing us all. Dave seeks fairness in addressing the financial crises that faces our state. He doesn't play one group against another but rather looks for solutions that provide the best outcome for all concerned. He favors universal health care, giving all Mainers the right to a healthy life. He favors an equitable wage, giving all Mainers the right to the dignity of providing for their families. He favors strong and vigorous education for Maine's children, requiring the state to make good on its obligations for school funding. Let's continue to have representation for all the people. Let's continue to serve the best interests of all the people of Knox County. Let's continue to make Maine a great state and a great place to live. On November 4, let's all. Marty Schindler, Rockland

[daveformaine]

10,000 Homes and Counting!

When asked how many homes I had visited during my campaigns for the House and Senate, I checked and found that I have been to over 10,000 homes in Knox County!

It has been an amazing education for me in many ways. I have heard ideas that help address challenges we are facing, concerns about our future and the fast pace of change, and ideas to bring jobs or keep the ones we have. Folks have expressed concerns about how much of our hard earned money goes to the health insurance companies that then challenge us about what healthcare we should receive. I have also heard many stories about how wonderful life in Maine is even with our challenges, and how important it is to protect our uniqueness, beauty and natural resources.

My energy can be easily drained by a hot humid day, but on so many occasions I would find myself energized by a conversation with you in spite of the heat. You have shown me that our happiness is determined by our perspective and not by momentary events. The optimism you have shared about working together for change makes the conflict obsessed pundits look foolish for their immaturity and insincerity.

There is a strong feeling throughout the County that we can't take any more of the bullying and obstructionism of the present Governor. He has undone years of good environmental work and created more debt for our State. He has vetoed good bills that had the support of all the parties and then threatened legislators in his own party with attacks during the primaries if they tried to override his vetoes.

In the next session we will have the chance to take the federal money to expand healthcare to approximately 70,000 to 100,000 more Mainers. This is money that LePage not only rejected, but because of this, we will have to come up with millions to pay for all the uninsured folks using hospital emergency rooms. We will try to get back the highway money that LePage rejected. I know I would like to see enough to pave Old County road and others in similar condition. My car can't take much more of the current road conditions, but I will keep pushing it through the next 2 1/2 months so I can try to visit everyone.

During my previous term in the House, I worked on bills to protect our most vulnerable folks and to help them through tough times. I helped to get poisons out of children's toys and to establish a fund to have polluters pay to make changes in the way they do business. I heard about fairness issues and worked with the different State agencies to correct injustice when identified. I listened to you in Natural Resources Committee hearings, and at meetings in every part of the district, and found the best ways to make changes that helped in everyday life. We did all this without raising taxes but instead by rejecting legislation that we could not fund, or eliminating inefficiencies and waste.

Whether it was as a Captain at Delta Air Lines or as an employer in various small businesses, I have always taken my role to be one of bringing together the folks who are needed to do the job, and understanding their talents. Next is to put them in a position to use those talents. Teamwork is what accomplishes the job. It can be done in a way that benefits everyone involved and it should be done that way. 

I know I can be part of a team that starts to identify new ways to solve new challenges. My children are optimistic. They tell me that government has to stop using old ideas in a changing world....I agree! 

When Senator Mazurek decided to retire and asked me to run for his seat, I was honored that he felt I was up to the task. We had worked together during my term in the House and I learned a great deal from him. He told me that there is never a better way to learn about what the County needs then to visit as many folks as possible. I will always heed that advice and make myself available to answer questions and hear your ideas. I hope that on November 4 you will give me the chance to be your next State Senator.

[daveformaine]

Great fun in Hope last night! Clare Muireann Murphy was an excellent storyteller and entertainer. She was able to connect from her heart and paint a picture with her words. With her help, my first turn at a Story Slam seemed easy. It felt like she has always been part of the amazing community that we have here in the Midcoast area. 

[daveformaine]

A Productive Summit on Climate Change

I met with Shenna Bellows at the Climate Change Summit in Augusta. 100 folks sharing information and working hard to understand the challenges and solutions. The Expo was full of exhibits and information and was very well attended. It was great to see the young folks from the nearby schools. They were asking thoughtful questions about the condition of the environment and the changes to come with current policies.

[daveformaine]

Climate Change Summit Augusta Civic Center

Join me in Augusta on Wednesday March 12, 2014 9-5 for the 

Climate Change Summit and Expo.

http://climatesolutionsme.org/event-program/expo-schedule/