September 2010

By Carol McCracken (Post # 594)

The long awaited proposed ordinance regarding wind energy generation systems for the city will be discussed at a planning board meeting this afternoon, Tuesday, September 28, at city hall, at 3:30 pm, room 209.

The meeting is informal and is open to the public. Public comments will be taken at the meeting. The proposed ordinance text is avilable in the Portland Planning division, 4th floor, City Hall and on the city’s website under the D epartment and Urban Development “p&d news.”

At a later date, the planning board will make a recommendation on the proposed ordinance to the city council.

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By Carol McCracken (Post # 593)

Ben & Jerry’s delicious ice cream has agreed to phase out its claim of “All Natural” on labels on its ice cream and yogurt products that contain “alkalized cocoa, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or other ingredients that are not natural,” said a press release from “Sustainable Food News,” today.

This action was taken by Ben & Jerry’s in response to a complaint issued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) because it threatened to take its concerns to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state attorneys general unless the company dropped the “all-natural” claim. The letter from the CSPI said that at least 48 products were improperly labeled.

The USDA which “regulates meat and poultry lets products be labeled “natural” if they do not include artifical colors or ingredients, or are not more than ‘minimally processed’ by which the agency means a process that doesn’t fundamentally alter the raw ingredient,” said the same press release.

On another note, “Sustinable Food News” also reported that Alaska’s Governor Sean Parnell has expressed “opposition to the approval of genetically engineered Atlantic salmon for human consumption.” In a letter written to The Food and Drug Administration (FDA”) the Governor said questioned whether the “application has received sufficent scientific and public scrutiny.” He was concerned about the lack of tranparency in the review process. He went on to say: “Alaska’s salmon industry is critically important to the state’s economy and a primary source of employment, revenue and food for Alaskans. Putting a product like this on the shelf only serves to undermine our efforts to educate consumers about the health benefits of salmon consumption. At the very minimum, FDA must ensure genetically engineered salmon are labeled as such, giving consumers a choice.”

The “Sustainable Food News” is published by Hill resident Dan McGovern. It’s the largest, daily, on-line news service to the organic food industry. For more information, please contact Dan at: (207) 749-5249.

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Portland Waterfront On A Rainy Day - Commercial Street

For the next three days interested parties will be participating in a Working Waterways and Waterfronts National Symposium here in Portland. A broad range of subjects will be covered and will kick-off this evening with a welcome reception at the Holiday Inn by the Bay at 6 pm.

Tomorrow morning Mayor Nick Mavodones, and operations manager, of the Casco bay Linves Ferry Service will welcome participants to the symposium. It will be followed by a keynote address by US Senator Susan Colllins via video. Later in the day, Bill Needleman, senior planner for Portland will be part of a panel discussing “Regulation Supporting Redevelopment Revitalization, Retention of Working Waterfronts: New England Examples.” This is a subject that Bill is well acquainted with as he’s been working on Portland’s own consideration of relaxing the city’s waterfront zoning ordinance to permit more non-marine use on the waterfront.

The conference concludes on Thursday at noon. The symposium is sponsored by Sea Grant, VIrginia Institute of Marine Science, the Maine Coastal Program, National Fisherman, the National Marine Manufacturers Association and other groups.

NOTE: According to the current issue of “Mainebiz” September 20, 2010 – “Seafood hauled to Portland in 2009 was valued at $16.6 million last year compared with $22.6 million in 2008, the Bangor Daily News reported. The city was ranked the country’s No. 56 fishing port by value in 2009, down from No. 36 in 2008. In the 1990s, Portland regularly ranked among the top 10. The city’s catch by volume was 37.3 million pounds, ranking it 24th in the country.”

Two hundred and nineteen people have registered for the Symposium. For more information, please email www.wateraccessus.com

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By Carol McCracken (Post # 591)

Yesterday’s art exhibit in Monument Square was an effort to change the public’s negative perception of grafitti as well as to help out young people according to business partners Carleton Dixon and Zack Broda.

Monument Square was ablaze all day yesterday with 10 colorful murals painted there with a winner chosen at the end of the day. Two of the murals will be chosen by Camp Susan Curtis and the other eight will be auctioned off at Bingas Wingas next month. The proceeds from the sale of all of the murals will be donated to the Camp.

“We wanted to find a way to help children and donating to this Camp seemed like a good way to do that,” said Dixon. The Camp is a tuition-free program to help low-income children find their way out of poverty to lead successful lives. “We also wanted to take the bad rap out of graffiti that it gets all the time,” he added. One of the artists said: “The reputation for our art is pretty tainted. It’s an art form. These artists invest a lot of time and money and passion into what they do.”

Dixon and Broda own “Spun” – an arts & apparel store on 543 Congress Street. 518-9720.

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