Letter: Maine has a chance to fight climate change

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My wife, Glenon, and I work with several amazing farmworkers to raise organic vegetables for 150 families on Mount Desert Island, and we see the impacts of human-made climate change every day.

Over the years, we’ve seen more and more drought, extreme heat, heavy storms and pests making it hard for us to plant, grow and harvest our crops.

We’re also parents — with two grandchildren on the way this year.

I’ve been an activist working to fight climate change for more than a decade, and as a grandfather-to-be, I don’t just want to let things keep going down the wrong path. The time to act on climate change is now.

Maine has a real chance to fight back against climate change with offshore wind power. We know the damage fossil fuels are causing — and we have the power to move our state to renewable energy with clean, sustainable offshore wind.

It’s one of the best things we can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we need to act now.

Building a new offshore wind port in Maine will also create good, union jobs so people living in Maine now, and in the future, can afford to stay here.

The future? I can’t think of a better reason to address climate change today.

Gary Friedmann

Partner

Bar Harbor Farm

Bar Harbor