Kate McCarty from the Cooperative Extension Service taught canning techniques, and how to keep your preserved foods safe, to a friendly group. We also discussed freezing produce. Participants brought home a small jar of tomato and herb marmalade that they had made. We hope to do this again next year!

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 7 pm

Thank you to UCC United Parish of Harrison and North Bridgton for hosting us!

Chris and Paula Easton of Baker Hill Bees and Gardens gave an enlightening talk about honey bees. They also described the variety and importance of native wild bees, and the dangers threatening them now.

At LEA's very informative workshop,

Director Colin Holme shared lots of information on native plants, how to use them in landscaping, and why they are better than non-natives. Then Emlyn Emerock explained how to evaluate lakefront property for protecting water quality, and some laws about planting there. 

Robin Dunn taught a diverse group of participants what healthy soil consists of, and why that is important. The role of compost is to improve the health of the soil. Using slides, songs and several hands-on projects, she showed how you can make a compost pile that nourishes and improves your soil. 

Did you know CMP offers several rate structures that emphasize different usage patterns?  These are not the same as “standard offer” rates vs alternative sources of energy!

Mike Dunn explained CMP’s rate system and how you can save money by choosing a different rate structure. The audience was very engaged and enthusiastic.

CMP keeps changing its formatting, and seems to also have unreliable data. We are sorry that this kind of analysis is not available for the time being.

Jessica Williams, Executive Director explained the history of WindowDressers. She showed how the window inserts work, and how they are made. There was a lot of informative discussion (and good snacks!)

Our goal at this event was to make more local people aware of us and our mission, and how they can participate. We challenged folks with climate and resilience questions and met many interesting people. Thank you if you stopped by!

Over a dozen participants ate baked potatoes and chili, then got to examine some of the internal components of a heat pump. Tim Adams of Ecoheat Maine gave a great explanation of how heat pumps work. Many excellent questions were asked in the Q&A session. 

Michael Dunn went over how solar panels work, different ways you can incorporate them into your home, and other ways of accessing solar electricity if your own solar panels aren't appropriate.

This presentation was by Andrea AskenDunn of Resilient Harrison Maine, to the United Parish Men's Breakfast Group. They reviewed what a carbon footprint is, and used an online tool to calculate that of an imaginary family. 

Aaron Milroy of the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency explained how to be prepared for a variety of extreme weather conditions (eg. heat) and events (eg. storm). He also shared resources and led a very productive conversation.

Psychotherapist Kelley Halter Schaeffer walked us through strategies for dealing with our feelings in the face of the climate crisis. Individuals can’t make climate change go away, but we can become more equipped to address it. This was offered in collaboration with the Waterford group, "Climate Conversations, What can We do?"  

An online workshop, via Zoom. Efficiency Maine's Andy Myer walked us through the agency's rebates for many money-savings home improvements, and how to find them on their website. 

A very informative conversation with Colin Holme of the Lakes Environmental Association.

An interactive presentation on how to choose first (or next) climate actions by weighing their comfort level and and impact level.

Ecoheat Maine of Norway worked with us to offer a discount to Harrison residents who bought a heat pump. It was very successful: They did 40 free site evaluations and ended up installing 24 heat pumps. Many surrounding towns followed our lead.

Bonny Pooley of Bethel shared her knowledge and experience with planting pollinator gardens and using native species. Since there were several experienced gardeners in attendance, discussion was lively!

The name of our group was changed to "Resilient Harrison Maine" in October of 2022.