A Summit on Maine's Economy & Climate Change

76 Community Drive,Augusta ME 04330

19 May, 2023

Description

Climate change is affecting every part of Maine today. Tomorrow, it may become the most disruptive change to Maine's economy since industrialization. What does that mean for your business, your home and your community? How will you need to adapt? What new products and services will be needed? You can find many of the answers to those questions, and find vendors to help you move forward, at this exciting event! AGENDA8:00 a.m. Doors Open - ELECTRIC VEHICLE DISPLAY 9:00 a.m. Welcome Doug McKeown, Woodard & Curran, Chair, ClimateWork Maine 9:10 a.m. Welcome: Why Collaboration is Essential Bangor Region Chamber, CEI, Maine Media, NRCM, Greater Portland Chamber 9:20 a.m. The Goals of this Summit Alan Caron, Founder, ClimateWork Maine 9:30 a.m. KEYNOTE: Climate Change is an Economic Issue Tiffany Adams, Executive Vice President, Climate Leadership Council 10:30 a.m. Is a Transition From Carbon Really Possible? Phil Coupe, Co-founder, Revision Energy 10:40 a.m. Five Things You Can Do Now Experts in Efficiency, Heating, EVs, Solar and Building Design 11:30 p.m. NETWORKING AND BOOTHS 12:00 p.m. LUNCH KEYNOTE - INVITED 1:00 p.m. PRACTICAL STEPS FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND HOME Incentives & Tax Benefits. Where to find them, and what is new in the federal I.R.A bill. The Latest in Heating Technology. Heat Pumps and Other Emerging Technologies The Future for Electric Vehicles is Here. You see television ads everywhere. A wave of new EVs is breaking now, with a tide to come. What do you need to know, and where should you start? The Solar + Battery Revolution. Sure, solar doesn’t work when it’s raining or at night. But when solar power is combined with backup batteries, it’s a whole new ballgame. Creating A Roadmap & Scorecard for your Business. To get to where you want to go, in the long run, you’re going to need a plan and a map. Here’s how to get started, and what you can learn from doing a plan. Retraining Maine Workers for Tomorrow’s Jobs. Our emerging ‘green’ companies, particularly in solar and heat pumps installation, can’t find enough skilled workers to fill the spots that are open. The problem is going to get worse, as people who are part of the carbon oil and gas economy begin to lose their jobs to electrification. How do we ramp up training across the state? 2:30 p.m. BREAK 2:45 p.m. THE BIGGER CHALLENGES WE’RE FACING TOGETHER Expanding the Grid: How Big, and Who Pays? There’s a lot of discussion now about how the grid has to be much bigger, to accommodate the electrification of heating and transportation. But how much bigger? What is the real effect on the grid if more houses are built with on-site solar and batteries, or EVs are charged overnight, in off-peak hours? New Products and New Companies: Where are the Opportunities? Companies are forming across the state to meet the demands for a post-carbon economy. What else is on the horizon? What new services and products will Mainers, and the world, need? What Does Climate Change Mean for Agriculture? What are Maine’s innovative farmers doing now, and what is ahead for agriculture, as temperatures warm, seasons get longer, we experience more erratic weather and species move northward? What Does the Future Look Like for Forestry? What happens to species like white pine and maple in a warming climate? What will happen to winter harvesting as the winters get shorter and muddier? What Happens to Our Fisheries as the Ocean Warms? With lobsters continuing their relentless northward march, and clamming under assault from invasive species, how are Mainers adapting and what comes next? What More Can Business & Government do Together? To achieve the state’s goals, a public-private partnership seems essential. But where else can we find ways to work together in the future? 4: 00 p.m. HAPPY HOUR, NETWORKING AND BOOTHS