MAINE PUBLIC • December 15, 2022
A Climate to Thrive is a nonprofit organization that wants to achieve energy independence on Mount Desert Island that wants to achieve energy independence on MDI within the next eight years. These feelings are most acutely felt during the immediate aftermath of a specific climate-related event, such as a hurricane or a wildfire. But the APA says changes in the local environment can also cause stress, disorientation, exhaustion and feelings of powerlessness. Those same feelings are what prompted a few MDI residents to launch A Climate to Thrive seven years ago, said executive director and founder Johannah Blackman. "We weren't seeing a lot of leadership at the national or international level," she said. "And we didn't want to wait anymore. We wanted build a model of what was possible."