Producing knowledge and linking it to actions that meet human needs while preserving the planet’s life-support systems is emerging as one of the most fundamental and difficult challenges for science in the 21st century. There is growing consensus that traditional methods of generating and using knowledge must be fundamentally reorganized to confront the breadth, magnitude, and urgency of many problems now facing society. Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative, a partnership between the University of Maine (UMaine), the University of Southern Maine (USM) and other institutions of higher education, seeks to transform Maine’s capacity for addressing these scientific challenges in ways that directly benefit Maine and other regions. The program of research will also help Maine increase economic activity and technological innovation in ways that sustain the State’s remarkable “quality of place”.
SSI Mission: To connect knowledge with action in ways that promote strong economies, vibrant communities, and healthy ecosystems in and beyond Maine.
Vision: Create a Center for Sustainability Solutions that searches for, implements, and evaluates policies and practices that promote economic development while protecting ecosystem health and fostering community well-being.
Overall Research Goal: Create a world-class sustainability science research program focused on the dynamics of social-ecological systems (SES), with an explicit goal of understanding and strengthening connections between knowledge and action (K-A).
Accessible wild places and tranquil country farms, human-scaled Main Streets, and working water-fronts: these are what differentiate Maine from other places and in many respects drive its economy.
Charting Maine's Future: An Action Plan for Promoting Sustainable Prosperity and Quality Places.
The Brookings Institution
