State of Maine's Environment 2012

Posted by: Jeffrey Meltzer (jmeltzer@colby.edu) on Mon, December 10, 2012, 3:51 p.m.

Download Audio

Right-click link and click 'Save as' to download to your computer

Students of the Colby College Environmental Policy group present their senior capstone research projects.

Topics include:

Large Landscape Conservation

“Our research analyzes both the history and current status of large landscape conservation in Maine. We address federal, state, and privately owned and managed lands and what current land conservation patterns can tell us about what the future of state and regional landscapes could look like.”

Energy Infrastructure

“Energy transmission is an important part of the overall energy system, and a very salient political, social and environmental issue. In our research, we focus on two specific types of energy infrastructure: the natural gas pipeline network and the electricity transmission grid. Analyzing the current energy landscape will help us determine both the challenges and the potential benefits any energy related development would bring to the state.”

Hazardous Waste

“As we examine three key stages of the hazardous waste cycle -- generation, transportation, and disposal -- within Maine, we assess its overall success in managing waste in comparison to other states in New England and across the country. Come learn about some of Maine's environmental initiatives that are driving its hazardous waste regulation and their various human health and economic implications.”

Voluntary Certification Programs

“We researched voluntary certification programs in Maine, focusing on three in particular that we felt would provide us with a detailed cross-section. We learned that these programs function in place of and/or in addition to government regulations and incentives in order to help bring about favorable environmental results.”