Norway celebrates Earth Day with Vision 2030
NORWAY – Earth Day celebrations have become a spring staple in Norway. Over the past few years, the community has organized a week of events, incorporating walks through the city and its natural sites such as Ordway Grove on Pleasant Street. There are usually book and poetry readings, a parade, activities for and by students, a community clean-up and gathering at the Alan Day Community Garden on Whitman Street for presentations, and his annual Blessing of the Garden to open the growing season.
Earth Day events have been reduced or canceled due to the pandemic but, in 2022, celebrations return as the Center for an Ecologically Based Economy presents Vision 2030, a three-day gathering of collective power to climate justice. It will be held in the Cottage Street recreation area in Norway.
“This is the third year of our Vision 2030,” said Scott Vlaun, founding executive director of CEBE and organizer of the event. “The first year, we held it indoors, in March. Last year, we made it a virtual weekend with a series of webinars using Zoom.
“This year we decided to move it outside and commemorate it with CEBE’s ninth anniversary, which is Earth Day.”
Information on workshops, presentations and registration is available online at ecologybasedeconomy.org/2030vision. Participants are requested to register separately for each day. There is a sliding scale for registration/donation fees.
2030 Vision kicks off tomorrow night at 6 p.m. with remarks from Vlaun and CEBE intern Liz Dunn, a senior from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School who will be studying environmental justice at the University of Maine Orono.
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Friday’s featured speaker is Lakotah Sanborn, a Penobscot community organizer and food sovereignty advocate. A leader of Maine’s Aboriginal community, Sanborn will speak about the relationship with the environment and the role his community plays in it.
Saturday will see breakout sessions throughout the day. Attendees can learn about two CEBE projects, establishing a community solar cooperative that will transform energy from a purchased product into a local resource. There will also be a presentation on ways to make affordable and sustainable housing a reality, and will include time for a panel discussion on the topic.
After the morning sessions, a panel of young climate activists from Maine will meet to talk about climate education and tackling climate anxiety.
On Sunday at 10:25 a.m., Democratic Maine State Senator Chloe Maxim of Nobleboro will talk about her work as a young climate activist and her recently released book, co-authored with Canyon Woodward, titled “Dirt Road Revival : How to Rebuild Rural Politics.” She will be joined by Republican State Senator Rick Bennett of Oxford.
The full Vision 2030 timeline is online on the CEBE website.
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For more information, call the center at 207-739-2101 or email [email protected].
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