Freeport Climate Action NOW has been selected as one of four finalists (out of 36 nominations) for the Natural Resources Council of Maine’s “People’s Choice Award,” which recognizes individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the protection of Maine’s environment. The winner will be chosen by votes cast on NRCM’s website through Monday, Sept. 9.

Freeport Climate Action NOW is a 3-year-old, all-volunteer nonprofit whose mission is to combat climate change. It strives to inspire alarmed residents, immobilized by a sense of helplessness in the face of this existential threat, to realize they can do something about it. In March, Kathleen Sullivan, FCAN’s coordinator, was named Freeport’s 2023 Citizen of the Year for her work with the nonprofit.

The group’s accomplishments include:

• With the Freeport Sustainability Advisory Board, FCAN provided information that inspired the Town Council to hire a sustainability coordinator who developed a Climate Action Plan.

• FCAN organized a petition drive that led the Town Council to fund a municipal rebate program for low-income residents to afford electrically powered devices (e.g., heat pumps) and to weatherize their homes.

• With the FSAB, FCAN provided information that led the town to adopt the 2021 stretch building code, the most rigorous available for reducing greenhouse gases from buildings. (Buildings account for 13% of GHG emissions, according to Sullivan.)

• The nonprofit created the Freeport Famers Market, providing locally produced fresh food and reducing the GHG emissions of commercial agriculture. (Agriculture accounts of 10% of GHG emissions, according to Sullivan.)

• It created the Repair, Resale, Recycle Resource Guide, promoting the town’s six resale shops and mounted a used clothing fashion show. (The fashion industry account for 10% of GHG emissions, Sullivan said.)

• It sponsored potluck suppers of vegetarian meals. (Meat and dairy consumption accounts for 15% of GHG emissions, Sullivan said.)

• It sponsored a one-day expo promoting electric vehicles and other electrically powered equipment. Volunteer EV owners shared some 25 vehicles. (Vehicles account for 28% of GHG emissions, according to Sullivan.)

• It publishes a monthly email newsletter to its almost 900 subscribers advising residents on actions they can take to reduce their GHG emissions.

• It sponsors a bimonthly Climate Support Group, which helps people realize that personal agency is the antidote to despair.