RCC Welcomes University of Southern Maine to Campus Network

There is a certain comfort in Rachel Carson’s famous words: “in nature, nothing exists alone.” Yet, in the buzzing but isolating field of climate advocacy, it sometimes takes a conference, a congregation, or a conversation alone to reinvigorate each activist at their core.

During the last week of July, shortly after the Rachel Carson Council’s American Environmental Leadership Institute in DC, Director of Policy and Strategic Development Joy Reeves joined the Climate Initiative’s annual educator retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine, and experienced that rejuvenating energy after meeting with students from the University of Southern Maine.

The Ecology School conference center. Photo: Joy Reeves.

On the afternoon of July 30th, the group of nearly 30 educators from around the United States convened with USM students in an intergenerational “Community Conversations” session. Professor Jono Anzalone, who teaches economics at USM and oversees research on climate migration, invited his students to lead the discussion. The group met at The Ecology School’s Riverbend Farm campus in rural Saco, Maine, just steps from the Saco River. While the “campus” venue wasn’t the USM property itself (which includes Portland, Gorham, Lewiston, and online establishments), The Ecology School’s solar-powered halls and rolling hillsides emulated the same environmental ethic of lifelong learning.

Conversations were facilitated by the students themselves, scattered at each table. While the session’s “prompt” was fluid, participants discussed climate migration and extreme weather preparedness as the main focus. From flooding in Texas to record-breaking Canadian wildfires to sea level rise (which has forced Tuvalu to plan the first whole-country climate migration), the reality of the climate crisis is that migration is life. When federal government support falls short— meaning residents instead rely on local governments and communities—simply checking in on one’s neighbor can be a life-saving act, students pointed out.

A harbor sunset in Portland, Maine. Wendell Photo: Flickr.

USM students fostered important dialogue about who’s getting left behind in climate migration conversations, including the elderly and people with disabilities. How might we support these communities? And how might extreme weather evacuations tie into civic engagement, public transit, and climate anxiety? Naturally, students and educators began co-brainstorming potential research projects stemming out of these questions. The RCC would love to see NELF project proposals in follow-up!

Overall, USM students showcased their college’s values through their thoughtful leadership and reminder that, in our community interconnectedness, nothing exists alone. The RCC is therefore delighted to welcome the Huskies as the 84th member of our Campus Network!