Southern Maine CAP Cohort
SMPDC's Southern Maine Climate Action Planning Process
The Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) is leading the Climate Action Planning process for Biddeford, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Kittery. This project will develop a local Climate Action Plan (CAP) for each community.
This process uses a cohort model, meaning the communities work together to share resources and knowledge, and coordinate their planning efforts.
Each community will create its own plan, setting priorities and choosing actions that fit their own circumstances and are supported by residents and taxpayers. But each will also be able to learn from neighboring communities what works best, both in terms of creating a plan and in terms of encouraging local feedback.
Public engagement is an important part of the CAP process. Your thoughts and opinions will help to create plans that can actually work, with support from residents, business owners, municipal staff, and elected officials.
All the resources and materials created through this project can be used by other Maine communities too, to inform their own climate action plans.
Get Involved
Getting people involved in a planning process can be challenging, since most people already have many responsibilities and activities in their lives. It is especially important to get feedback from younger people, since they will experience more effects of climate change. The communities involved in the CAP process pledge to make it as easy as possible for everyone to weigh in to this community-wide planning initiative!
Many people are unsure of what a climate action plan is, or how one is created. This website will provide an overview of the kind of analysis that is available and how to assess the most effective actions for your community.