MISSION & VISION
To engage the community in addressing the climate emergency. We organize, educate, take direct action, and implement practical, ecological solutions for a just transition to a thriving, regenerative economy.
Our vision is Resilient Communities Restoring the Earth. We’re working to build an ecology-based economy that honors the limits and celebrates the abundance of the planet, neither assuming endless growth is possible nor necessary. CEBE works for an economy where people can have a positive impact on the environment, by growing food and regenerating soil to store more carbon and foster biodiversity, by weatherizing their homes to increase comfort and consume less energy, by biking more and driving less. We're focused on community-scale solutions for everything from food to transport, energy, shelter, and education, and on uplifting others to do the same by engaging a network of like-minded practitioners across the Northeastern Woodlands Bioregion.
​
We envision our communities resilient and thriving in the face of climate change, and we work toward a regenerative economy that functions within the balance of our bioregion’s ecology. For our focus areas, this looks like: ​​​​
​​​
Energy
-
Produce affordable renewable energy for all, through a distributed network of local and regional production
-
Electrifying everything! Harness our local renewable resources instead of importing polluting fuels from out of state and exporting profits
-
Radically increase energy efficiency and dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption
Shelter
-
Support the construction of abundant and affordable housing using green building materials
-
Weatherize and complete energy efficiency upgrades to our existing housing stock to save money and energy, and increase comfort
-
Champion cooperative housing as an equitable model to move from renting to ownership
Transportation
-
Support accessible and affordable transportation options that are zero-carbon, including walking and cycling. Work for safe streets to protect those using active transportation
-
Advocate for accessible and affordable public transportation
-
Support the adoption of electric vehicles through infrastructure and public engagement
-
Support smart growth to decrease the need to travel for essentials
Food
-
Produce what we need locally, with appropriate and plentiful options available for all
-
Minimize fossil fuel in our food production in fertilizers, pesticides, and transportation, instead using permaculture methods, organic principles, and supporting local farmers
-
Treat those who grow our food with respect and dignity, and recognize them as economically vital to our society
.jpg)
Education
-
Prepare and empower educators to teach about climate and to teach outside
-
Graduate students who are prepared to address the climate emergency; students who understand climate science, have knowledge of climate solutions, and feel agency over their future
-
Engage our communities in lifelong learning, sharing the skills needed to thrive in a regenerative future through workshops, convenings, film screenings, demonstrations, book lending, and mentorship
Bioregioning
-
Work collaboratively to cultivate regenerative systems across the Northeast Woodlands Bioregion
-
Spark and strengthen connections between practitioners in the bioregion, cultivating new opportunities for knowledge sharing and coordinated regenerative action
-
Make available CEBE’s models, tools and resources for others to replicate
Please join us on this journey by becoming part of a working group, volunteering at our annual Climate Convergence, following our newsletter, donating, or joining us for an event. Together, we can transform our shared vision into meaningful action and build a resilient, equitable future for our communities, while doing our part to help mitigate the global climate crisis.
​
Context
Our current global economy is built on the backbone of oil, gas and coal, as well as slavery, exploitative labor, genocide, and stolen land. The burning of fossil fuels over the last century and a half has continued to allow some to accrue great mobility and wealth at the expense of all. Our consumption far exceeds what our one planet can support, and inequitable distribution of resources causes most of what we extract to go to waste, while many people’s needs are not met. The consequence of continuing to rapidly burn fossil fuels is a planetary ecology that has suffered extreme harm, to the point where it will eventually no longer maintain a stable climate, cleanse our air and purify our water, and create conditions suitable for human, and all life.
​
As a global society, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and completely by 2045 to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis. As we begin to exceed the critical benchmark of 1.5º Celsius rise in global temperature from pre-industrial times, we are passing certain “tipping points.” We also know that each fraction of a degree of warming we prevent helps to mitigate the accelerating sixth great mass extinction of biodiversity, and leaves a more habitable planet for our descendants.
​
Land Acknowledgement
We recognize that the land we live, work, and play in is the unceded territory of the Indigenous peoples who stewarded this region for millennia before European settlers stole and colonized the land. The land of western Maine was stolen from the Abenaki and Arosaguntacook people, and the land across what we now call Maine was stolen from the Wabanaki Confederation, including the Penobscot, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Maliseet. CEBE supports the Wabanaki peoples in their struggle for tribal sovereignty and for the return of land. We also recognize the irreparable harms that were done in the brutal confiscation of these lands, and as members of the Wabanaki Alliance Tribal Coalition, CEBE stands in solidarity with the Wabanaki and strives to raise awareness of these ongoing issues.