Melissa in the News

Dear Governor Baldacci,

We would like to congratulate and thank you for your leadership on global warming and particularly your support of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The action that we take–or fail to take–on global warming will be a defining element of our legacy and passage of RGGI is a significant step in taking such action.

Under your leadership, Maine is engaging directly with this challenging issue and becoming part of the solution. Maine’s participation in RGGI is a historic turning point in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while strengthening and positioning our economy. Previously Maine has been criticized for under-investing in energy efficiency, the most economic and effective way of reducing both emissions and costs. With the passage of LD 1851, Maine is poised to surge ahead in our efficiency efforts.

We know that global warming cannot be solved through single actions. We are excited by your leadership in part because we know you recognize that more remains to be done. The attached letter to you, and the other New England governors, outlines some of the goals and actions that are essential components of a comprehensive response to this environmental and economic threat. In some areas Maine has taken many positive steps, in other areas more remains to be done. We would emphasize that shifting toward more energy efficient buildings, through building codes, incentives and other policies, remains an important task for Maine. Given new and growing efficiency funding and programs, it is increasingly important to reach out to Maine residents and businesses to motivate them to participate. We would also emphasize the need to reduce our dependence on vehicle travel.

Again, thank you for the strong leadership your administration has provided on climate change. We hope that you will bring both your successes and your commitment to go further to the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers meeting on Prince Edward Island on June 25-26.

The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine has published their report “Body of Evidence: a Study of Pollution in Maine People. Melissa Boyd served as a research assistant and assisted as Executive Director of the Maine chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

In the study, 13 Maine men and women volunteered to have their bodies tested for traces of chemical pollution. The results were staggering. The study found a total of 46 different chemicals in samples of blood, urine and hair. On average, each participant had measurable levels of 36 toxic chemicals in their bodies.

The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine concluded the report with recommendations for a comprehensive safer chemicals policy that the government should adopt.

The Achieving Global Energy Security (AGES) conference at USM is the first of its kind, connecting the work of organizations and individuals concerned about energy policies, nuclear issues, global warming, preemptive war strategy in general and the Iraq War in particular. A major goal of this conference is to help promote a shift in public attitudes from anxiety and fear to hope, engagement, and action. Participants will consider the links between these issues, and collaborative working relationships will be strengthened to support ongoing work promoting fundamental changes in local and national policies.

Message for the Director

Having worked in non-profit organizations for the past twelve years. I often ask volunteers, board members, members and myself the following question: Why are you involved in this work and what keeps you motivated?

Although, I do not have children of my own, I am Auntie Mel to four of my close friends’ children. I spend time with these curious, intuitive little ones and wonder what the world will be like in 20 years.

With global warming and resulting climate change as one of the most urgent issues, scientists predict if warming continues at its current rate by 2050 more than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction and the Arctic Ocean could become ice free.

I was struck by Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” and how if we all do our part we can reduce our carbon foot prints and lower the warming rates.

Resource wars are currently being fought over oil and soon the next one may be over water.

Our public health infrastructure is drastically under funded and lacks linkages with emergency system as we keep adding billions of dollars to the defense budget to fight another war, another terrorist group, another and another.

With all those thoughts it comes back to me and it comes back to you. We can make a difference. It has to start with us. Along with public policy advocacy, educating our children and youth should be top of our priority list. The decisions we make today affect the generations of tomorrow. We have a responsibility to teach them values and social norms that can in fact lead to changing the world of our actions.

What motivates me about this work? The solutions, the hope, the knowledge that we can change the course of history.

Marian Wright Edelman founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund and the first African American women admitted to the Mississippi state bar said, “It’s time for greatness&not for greed. It’s time for idealism&not ideology. It is time not just for compassionate words, but compassionate action.”

It is time and I welcome this opportunity.

Melissa

We are pleased to share this letter from Governor Agnus King which was sent to Melissa to thank her for her work on the event “Maine’s Promise: Building Communities for Children.”

We are delighted to share the attached letter from Stephan C. Howick on behalf of MDOT (Maine Department of Transportation) for her work in organizing volunteers for the Ameria’s Treeways planting project. The group planted Northern Red Oaks on the Eastern Promenade in Portland, ME, which will provide a living legacy of environmental quality to the formerly barren slopes.