GROWSMART MAINE

Programs: Summit 2014 - the dollars and sense of smart growth: our latest statewide summit was held october 21st at the augusta civic center. This convening drew 350 people from across the state to hear from experts and connect with their peers, with the overall goal of increasing smart growth outcomes throughout maine. Plenary sessions featured maine's successful local and regional planning efforts with the working cities challenge, a project of the federal bank reserve of boston as well as directly addressing the value of the interconnections between urban and rural parts of maine. Breakout sessions provided tangible community-level tools so that attendees can return to their work and their hometowns with useful resources and connections.

making headway in your community was rolled out at our summit 2014. This online resource inventory provides mainers with connections to expertise, information and other resources to help them achieve smart growth outcomes in their towns. We listed 100 organizations at the initial rollout, and are adding more over time. Our intention is to empower mainers wanting to direct the future of their communities.

project canopy - a collaboration between the maine forest service and growsmart maine, project canopy is maine's urban and community forestry program. Our mission: create and maintain healthy urban and community forests for or economic, ecological, and quality of life benefits for mainers. Project canopy works to keep maine's communities green and liveable by working with municipalities and non-profits to help manage public tree resources. Through our grant program and technical assistance, we promote planting and maintaining of trees in maine communities. Whether we support planting street trees downtown or a management plan development for town forests, project canopy works to help maine communities stay leafy and green.

advocacy - land use planning and community investments, innovation and land conservation and natural resource sector viability. These are the issues that growsmart maine considers to be priorities in protecting maine's quality of plave and promoting sustainable propserity in maine. We will be working with the maine state legislature to focus on growing our economy in a sustainable way, promoting sustainable prosperity for all mainers. Other activities - hold open public meetings at which speakers give presentations on the nature, causes, and consequences of urban sprawl.