ABOUT THE BLUE HILL REGION
The Blue Hill Peninsula of Maine encompasses the towns of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Castine, Penobscot, Sedgwick, and Surry; and serves as the gateway to Little Deer Isle, Deer Isle, and Stonington. Blue Hill is the largest town, and is the region’s service center. The landscape here is marked by sweeping views of the blueberry barrens and the sea. Tucked in among the ridges, valleys and the jagged coastline, you’ll find adventure of all kinds, from a day on the water and an evening of live music to a solitary morning walk and an afternoon of gallery tours and shopping.
The community faces nutrient pollution leading to harmful algal blooms or toxins like paralytic shellfish poisoning, harmful fecal bacteria, PFAS exposure, effects of climate change like sea level rise, invasive species, and overfishing.
OUR LOCAL GOAL
• Environmental Education
• Advancement of research on microplastics and forever chemical runoff
RELEVANT UN SUSTAINABILITY GOALS:
OUR LOCAL PARTNER
The Shaw Institute is a nonprofit marine research center located in Blue Hill, Maine, that conducts research on ocean pollution, including plastics and microplastics, chemical health threats, and climate change, in the Gulf of Maine, and raises awareness of the toxic legacy of toxic chemicals on human health and marine environments. The entirety of the food chain is assessed, from phytoplankton to marine mammals, in order to best understand the health of of surrounding environments. This important information is then translated into science outreach to inform and empower communities worldwide.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Plastic Oceans International and the Shaw Institute will work together to develop and deliver a series of educational opportunities for youth and adults across the communities of the Blue Hill Peninsula. Offerings will include learning-based shoreline and inland cleanups, in-class workshops, citizen science opportunities, a lecture series, film screenings, and more.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
We will work with Shaw to identify and initiate research opportunities related to plastic pollution and the runoff of forever chemicals into marine and other ecosystems. We will especially focus on the impact that both factors are having on human health – identifying specifics related to the local communities of the Blue Hill Peninsula, while also contributing to the global body of knowledge that can lead to systemic change.