SUN JOURNAL • April 21, 2022
In 2013, with his young son’s future in mind, Vlaun, along with Programming & Education Director Seal Rossignol and two others, founded the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy, a nonprofit climate action organization based in downtown Norway. A successful crowdfunding campaign raised $30,000 for the budding organization, giving it the opportunity to take root and grow. “When we started, we were really focused on technical solutions to perennial needs,” said Vlaun, the executive director. They’ve targeted their efforts in four key areas, each with large, unsustainable carbon footprints: food, shelter, energy and transportation. Celebrating its ninth birthday Friday, the organization has already left its mark on western Maine. With the help of a generous donation, the nonprofit has installed 17 electric vehicle chargers in numerous towns.