Green Economy

The Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine has been part of Maine's Green Economy since 2002. 

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Our roots are in the 1990s, when separate groups of environmental engineers, energy professionals, conservation managers would meet, for example for breakfast or over beers at the end of the day, to share stories of success and the occasional dismal failure. Over time, the informal groups grew and adopted names. In 2002, the Environmental Business Council of Maine (EBCM) and the Maine Environment & Energy Center (Maine E2 Center) and others reached out to the Maine Technology Institute for funding. The team for the initial proposal included Acadia Environmental Technology, Center for Environmental Enterprise, E2 Center, Farnsworth Brown Associates, Katahdin Analytical Services, MACTEC, Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection, Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Preti Flaherty, Sevee & Maher Engineers, Snotech, University of Maine, Urquhart & Spritz, Water Energy Distributors, and Wright-Pierce.

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In September 2002, the MTI awarded a two-year Cluster Enhancement Grant of $61,440, matched with $86,850 from in-kind resources and cash provided by key partners, and in January 2003 EBCM and the Maine E2 Center formally combined forces to create the Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine (E2 Tech Council).

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The new organization was to service an industry sector that included more than 200 companies and nonprofit organizations employing approximately 4,000 workers. The two-year Cluster Enhancement Grant provided by the relatively new Maine Technology Institute (MTI) supported the organization's start-up effort.  A press statement at the time said, "Individually, the Maine E2 Center and our organization have had a limited capability to fully serve the expanding list of Maine firms researching and commercializing environmental and energy technologies. Together, as the E2Tech Council, we can draw on more resources and forge more partnerships that will ultimately mean more jobs and opportunities for Maine."

 

Today, we have a contact list of thousands of individuals and hundreds of institutions.  E2Tech hosts or co-sponsors dozens of events each year. We also have multiple contracts to provide specific services that will help serve community needs for information, knowledge-sharing, and support for change. Our 18-member board of directors represent the many segments of the environmental and energy community, and the individuals and businesses who have achieved financial success in the green economy make key contributions to advance our mission and support events statewide.