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As historic storms are starting to become commonplace around the world, climate change is top of mind for me and many others. I asked Prout Alliance member Shri Verrill, who works tirelessly in this field, to share her thoughts as well as solutions.

- Rebekah Moan, Prout Alliance newsletter editor

Verrill, center, gathered with community members in the small island town of Southport, Maine. They came together to prioritize solutions for identified climate risks and concerns in October 2023.

Maine's coast depends on building community-driven solutions

By: Shri A. Verrill, Prout Alliance member

Over the past year and a half, I have worked with several coastal towns in Maine to collectively identify and prioritize climate-action project areas to make the communities more resilient to the climate crisis. Coastal communities in Maine are facing significant climate change challenges, including flooding, severe storms, and socioeconomic effects.

Severe Weather Events: One storm in December of 2023 dumped 5-7 inches of rain in central and western Maine, creating historical flooding that washed out culverts, stream crossings, and waterfront roads. This led to extensive power outage events. Ten counties sustained more than $20 million in public infrastructure damage and more than 400,000 customers lost power for several days (myself included!). Then mere weeks later, two back-to-back record-breaking storms in January destroyed roads and swept away buildings and cars on the coast.

Back-to-back storms on January 10 and 13, 2024 destroyed coastal infrastructure. Shown above is Shore Road in East Boothbay on January 24, 2024.

The recent storms have not only caused extensive physical damage but have also exacerbated existing socio-economic concerns such as waterfront privatization and gentrification. The destruction of critical infrastructure, coupled with delays in insurance or FEMA funding, has heightened the stress and anxiety among residents, business owners, and town managers. This underscores the broader challenge of climate resilience where communities must not only adapt physically but also address the socio-economic impacts of extreme weather events, particularly on vulnerable populations. If not everyone can afford coastal housing, who will equitable adaptation serve?

Economic costs of coastal damage: Hundreds of thousands of people are employed along the coast of Maine, which contributes over $37 billion to the U.S. GDP (NOAA Office for Coastal Management). Maine's extensive coastline remains a pillar of the state's economy. Over 40% of the population resides along the increasingly vulnerable shore. If we fail to adapt, the GDP and jobs that coastal businesses and industries provide will be washed away, quite literally.

Centralized financial incentives for decentralized economic decision-making: Incentives from the state government have sought to spur local climate action but stark questions remain. How can we protect our coastal roads and buildings with nature-based solutions while also drastically reducing the carbon emissions contributing to the rapid warming of the Gulf of Maine?

Maine's reliance on shoreline roads to access transportation intensifies the issue, contributing to the transportation sector's substantial carbon emissions. In 2019 alone, this sector was responsible for a staggering 49% of the state's CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. As Maine strives to meet its emissions reduction goals, there is a clear imperative to mitigate transportation-related carbon emissions.

This dual focus on adapting to climate impacts and reducing carbon emissions presents a formidable challenge for coastal communities.

What does the future hold for transportation in Maine? The Maine Climate Action Plan has set an ambitious goal of having 219,000 light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2030. However, some concerns have been raised regarding mobility. Recent storms have caused widespread power outages across the state, and flooding has disrupted road connections between communities. Given these challenges with regional power grids and transport networks, there is a question about whether promoting individual electric cars aligns with addressing broader infrastructure issues.

Coastal Maine is at an inflection point. Climate impacts and social vulnerabilities can no longer be addressed in isolation. Holistic adaptation and mitigation strategies are needed to protect coastal livelihoods and ecosystems. But collective action powered by social solidarity, not profits, must guide the process. If climate resilience planning does not center on justice and human needs, then who exactly are we making the coast resilient for?

The future of Maine's coast depends on coming together to build community-driven solutions.

In summary, coastal Maine faces an urgent need to simultaneously adapt infrastructure, mitigate carbon emissions, and equitably address socio-economic vulnerabilities. A resilient transition requires holistic planning and community-centered collective action. And that’s why our next step as a community is to undertake a community-driven recovery and transition (CDRT) planning scenario. I’m putting together a project team, lining up local and regional buy-in in the form of partnerships, and will soon undertake collaborative funding/fundraising efforts to support the next steps.

PA Organizational Reports

Steering Committee Report:

It’s been a busy time since the Annual Gathering in October! Two groups have been created: the Social Justice Group and the Economy and Environment Group. In January, we held two retreats to analyze and revise Prout Alliance (PA) and to create short and long-term goals/strategic plans. We will meet once more, most likely early this month, to finalize the process.

In addition, an ad hoc group is finalizing a draft of PA bylaws, which will be reviewed by the Steering Committee and the General Assembly. We are also creating a PA organizational chart that will include a reporting flow chart.

We are planning to host a General Assembly Meeting in April (online) and then our hybrid Annual Gathering in N.C. will be held the second weekend in October. Save the Date! Flyers are coming soon.

Many thanks to all of you for your dedication and hard work. With your continued support, we will develop Prout all over North America and beyond.

Submitted by Nina Shapiro, Chair

Climate/Community-Driven Recovery and Transition Report:

Representatives from Oregon, N.C., Hawaii, Maine, and Kentucky are all conducting or considering a Community-Driven Recovery and Transition (CDRT) exercise. CDRT is a simulation exercise that helps a community systematically prepare for a disruption created by a catastrophe. It supports the transition to an even better way of living as a more resilient, equitable, self-reliant, and sustainable community using Prout principles as a guide.

CDRT goes beyond traditional emergency management (to stabilize quickly and return to normal), and is focused on the recovery phase by developing sector plans (e.g., housing, food, economy, self-governance, well-being, education, critical infrastructure, etc.) to be integrated into an overall strategy for phased transitioning of a community into one that better serves everyone’s trifarious needs. Those needs also include the natural world’s and this is counter to the typical opportunism and exploitation of disaster capitalism.

Mid-Coast Maine is focusing on relocating severe storm and wildfire-displaced people; Asheville, N.C. on accommodating severe storm displaced-people; Lane County, OR on accommodating severe flood-displaced people. Lahaina, HI is not implementing a CDRT exercise and instead is in an actual post-fire recovery/transition. The community is using CDRT-developed tools and strategies. We’ll see if others follow suit!

Submitted by John Linkhart

Outreach Committee Report:

The Prout Alliance (PA) Outreach Committee is off to a solid start this year. One of our initiatives includes sending Wilder Nicholson, a PA member, to the Westchester Social Forum being organized by another member, Nada Khader, in her capacity as the head of a Westchester County, NY, social justice organization called Westchester People's Action Coalition.

Nicholson will staff a booth at the gathering that in past years has attracted over four hundred people. After receiving “Prout Ambassador” training to effectively communicate his message, he will be a featured speaker in a breakout session on worker cooperatives with the Westchester Cooperative Network. The social forum will start with the usual People's March for Justice in Yonkers, N.Y. and Nicholson will carry a Prout banner for it.

In other news, one of our members generously donated $5,000 to support a joint Prout outreach effort with the Prout Research Institute that will involve Nicholson regularly checking in with both Dada Maheshvarananda and the Prout Outreach team to disseminate Prout philosophy.

Finally, PA member Marc Nevas continues to post comments on Robert Reich's substack and one of his comments received 98 reactions and comments. Nevas directs people to Prout and Prout-related websites, which is an effective method for amplifying our presence as Proutists online. We encourage you to engage similarly and please reach out to us if you want some tips. Lastly, if you have any suggestions or comments for us, email outreach@proutalliance.org.

Submitted by Nada Khader

Finance Committee Report:

The Finance Committee (FC) addresses Prout Alliance’s (PA) finances. It has been recognized for some time that PA needs to become a more grounded professional organization. Relying exclusively on volunteer work condemns PA to move in slow motion while society is moving ever faster.

The FC is developing a plan and a budget that addresses two needs: how to generate needed income (preferably from multiple sources such as donation pledges, grants, and revenue-producing goods and services); and a realistic budget that funds critically needed support functions (e.g., accounting, tech, communications, and event planning). While PA has a limited history of such funding, the FC is developing a full proposal that identifies needed functions along with the related time and fair market labor costs.

When it comes to staffing, it is also an opportunity to employ people to help build a new world versus their working elsewhere to survive, thereby perpetuating the old paradigm. Identifying staffing needs helps to provide a funding target.

Other items being considered are that the Prout Research Institute will eventually become the PA office location. The possibility of sharing staffing costs, avoiding duplication of efforts, and providing better staff income prospects are all potential beneficial outcomes.

Submitted by John Linkhart

Social Justice Group Report:

Since its inception, the PA Social Justice Group (SJG) has focused on developing a “tool kit” and primer for PA members to improve their skills in networking with and supporting the work of allied, or “Prout-adjacent,” organizations as part of strategically focused outreach. In pursuit of this objective, the SJG conducted a survey inquiring about PA members' existing connections with aligned or adjacent groups.

The survey tallied the connections between individual PA members and other organizations— not limited to social justice. With this information and upcoming follow-up, we aim to build a deeper understanding of PA members’ connections as well as successes and lessons learned in networking with and supporting the work of Prout-adjacent organizations. The tool kit and primer will also guide potential collaboration and coalition-building, as well as best practices for how to promote Prout ideas and resources among those organizations.

The SJG is also developing a tool kit and primer for training and supporting Prout ambassadors. Prout ambassadors would serve as bridges to link aligned groups and work toward common goals of social justice, environmental sustainability, cooperation, etc.

The draft of the three core skills that Prout ambassadors should aspire toward are as follows:

1. The ability to convey Prout practically in a contextual way so participants gain concrete value and tools rather than just abstract concepts.

2. Connecting interested people to the full range of Prout resources, projects, and experts. For example, link those interested in co-ops or economic democracy to the right Prout contacts in those areas.

3. Serving allied groups selflessly without pushing a Proutist agenda to authentically build relationships of mutual trust and understanding. This allows ambassadors to learn from and assist others while indirectly sharing Prout’s vision.

These interrelated skills represent developmental goals rather than rigid requirements. Questions and comments can be sent to alex.jackimovicz@gmail.com.

Submitted by Alex Jackimovicz

PRI Report:

Jiivanmukta and Dada Maheshvarananada have finished installing the ceilings and walls in the new PRI building. Two volunteers – Alan (age 75!) and Maggie (age 80!) – came for a week and worked hard helping us to tape and mud all the sheetrock. We should be done sanding and cleaning up with tack cloth in the next few weeks. Then we will paint the ceilings and interior walls, install the floors, finish the electrical wiring and plumbing, and finally win the occupancy permit to move in by the beginning of the summer.

Jiivanmukta, hard at work.

Also, PRI received a grant of $3,000 from the Prout Institute in Eugene, OR, and New Era Convergence for the research project Community-Driven Recovery and Transition (CDRT). Each of the team anchors has submitted their reports and now we are compiling them into a public report.

Lastly, the groundbreaking new book, Watershed Worlds: Eight Indigenous Models for Planetary Survival and Resilience by PRI adviser Matt Oppenheim, PhD, should be available for purchase from Amazon this month.

Submitted by Dada Maheshvarananda

Hot off the press! Check Amazon for Matt Oppenheim's book.

Economy Workgroup Report:

The Prout Alliance Economy Workgroup was formed during the Prout Alliance Annual Gathering in October 2023. The group seeks to popularize Proutist economics among youth, academics, progressive groups, activists, and the general public. This group has been meeting regularly to discuss plans and strategies for outreach, including reaching out to professors in economics departments at various universities and colleges to organize a talk or workshop on Prout. Some members of the group are also actively contacting like-minded progressive organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America.

The members of this workgroup are Howard Nemon, Lourdes Sanchez, Nina Shapiro, Tapan Mallik, Alex Jackimovicz, Wilder Nicholson, Dada Vedaprajinananda, Marc Friedland, and Shriraksha Mohan.

Submitted by Shriraksha Mohan