Organization Launches Maine Environmental News on Web

The Maine Environmental Policy Institute has an Internet resource for anyone interested in staying on top of environmental issues in Maine. Located on the group's Web site at http://www.meepi.org, Maine Environmental News is a free service that has pointers to all the latest news reports from Maine's daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. In addition, press releases, reports, and action alerts from organizations and government agencies working on a wide range of issues are included on the site. Maine Environmental News is updated daily, and often several times per day.

"This service will appeal to anyone professionally involved in environmental issues, or those who just want to stay informed," said Institute Executive Director William Sugg. "The site is designed to be used as the 'portal' or home page of Web users. This way they see the latest news stories every time they log on," said Sugg. A recent update of the site contained 30 articles ranging from the concerns raised by a new lobster population study to the hatching of eagle chicks at Moosehorn refuge to five articles on Irving's recent green forest certification. The site has no advertisements.

In addition to links to the latest news stories on Maine issues, the sites that summarize national and global environmental news, such as Envirolink, CNN Nature, and The Earth Times, are just a click away. Also included on the page are links to useful resources ranging from Maine weather by town and the New England weather radar loop to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Also listed are all the best in Internet searching engines, plus the most extensive environmental resources link page for Maine on the Web.

The Maine Environmental Policy Institute, a newly formed 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Hallowell, Maine, is dedicated to researching environmental challenges facing the state and reporting this research to policy makers and the public. The Institute will work on a wide range of issues, from sustainable agriculture and renewable energy, to solid waste and recycling, to environmental building and design. It will use a variety of media to report its findings, including the Internet, a newsletter, research papers, and documentary films.

The executive director of the Institute is William Sugg, who has worked in conservation biology since 1986, for the Smithsonian Institution, the Peregrine Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation. He is founder and past editor of The Green Disk, a computerized encyclopedia of contemporary environmental issues, and is author of The Guide to Environmental Computing.

For more information, contact Sugg at 220 Water Street, Hallowell, Maine 04347, Phone 207-622-9766, email meepi@meepi.org.