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Library Brings Awareness to Recycling Programs

YORKYork Public Library has teamed up with the York Recycling Committee to celebrate Maine Recycles Week throughout the month of November.

The Library has set up an interactive display off of the main lobby, where visitors can test their recycling prowess. Items to consider: a plastic takeout container, a paper coffee cup, a cereal box, a plastic bubble mailer, and other packaging many encounter on a daily basis.

In the Children’s Room downstairs, the same display has been adapted for a younger audience as a fun scavenger hunt.

“It can be tricky know- ing what is recyclable and what isn’t. We want to recycle it all, but that’s part of the problemwe can’t recycle it all through the single stream system,” said Sophie Smith, Assistant Library Director.

“That’s why we made it into a game at the library. Stop by and see if you know the correct way to dispose of the items on our table, and challenge young ones to do the same in the Children’s Room,” she continued.

For guidance, York residents can consult “Recycle Coach,” an app that specifies what can be recycled in York, and where and how to do so, whether it’s in single stream curbside re-

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cycling, at the Witchtrot Road Recycling Facility, or elsewhere. A link to download the app can be found below. The material may also be viewed in a web browser.

But there is more York residents can do in service to the planet. The York Recycling Committee encourages all to stick to the “Five Rs” of recycling: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle.

The amount of waste generated affects the environment in multiple ways: it contributes to the worsening climate crisis, it has a negative impact on wildlife and the natural environment, and it is detrimental to public health.

“Once waste is created, all options to deal with it require energy and resources, which is why “Refuse” is the first R,” said Victoria Simon, chair of the York Recycling Committee.

There are a number of simple things everyone can do to avoid creating waste, she explained, including bringing one’s own bags, water bottles, coffee mugs and travel eating utensils. When eating out, refuse straws. Avoid pre-packaged food when possible. At the grocery store, use produce bags brought from home rather than the plastic ones provided.

“Food scraps are also a valuable resource,” Simon said. “Composting food returns important vitamins and minerals to the soil, and reduces greenhouse gasses.”

York residents can drop off food scraps in the Mr. Fox Composting bins at the Witchtrot Recycling Facility. A sticker is required for composting.

For more information, con- tact the York Recycling Committee at www.recycling@yorkmaine.org. A link to download the Recycle Coach app can be found at www.yorkpublicworks. org/recycle-coach.

Marshwood Honors Local Vets

SOUTH BERWICK -

On Thursday, November 10, Marshwood Great Work School honored local Veterans with a moving ceremony. Great Works hasn’t been able to host a Veterans Day Ceremony with guests since 2019, so this was very special to everyone attending.

The students were honored to have the Color Guard from VFW Post 5744 present the flags. The chorus sang “The Star Spangled Banner,” “How Do You Tell a Veteran ‘Thank You,’” and “A Tribute to the Armed Services.”

Students read and performed the book “America’s White Table.”

Mike Alberts, a guest speaker from A House in the Woods, joined in. A House in the Woods is a non-profit organization offering outdoor programs for active military and veterans. Students read their essays, “How do I tell a Veteran ‘Thank You?’”

Sailors from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were guest speakers, and answered students’ questions about life in the military and living on a sub-

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Installing NEW & CUSTOM Mailbox Systems and Replacing Old & Damaged marine. Some of the questions brought quite a few laughs!

After the ceremony, students and their Veterans guests enjoyed a special breakfast.

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Early Thanksgiving Deadline for Sentinel Submissions

Please note that the holiday next week has shifted the Weekly Sentinel’s printing schedule for the Friday, November 25 issue. The deadline for all advertising and editorial content has been moved to 5 p.m. on Friday, November 18. Any content received later than that may not be included in that week’s edition. Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

ing lifestyles and ethnicities. She came to know stude nts of diverse orientations and religious backgrounds, and found them to be wonderful people. “It was so grounding,” she recalls. Perhaps even more importantly, she discovered a love of learning. Spirituality was an as-yetunrealized entity in Grenfell’s life, but that was soon to change.

She began taking Theology courses as part of her Philosophy major, but any theological interest she had was intellectual, not spiritual. She recalls how adamant she was in her lack of belief: “I wanted to argue against any faith at all.” And then, her father died. She was devastated. “Everything shifted,” she says. Her deep grief set her on an unforeseen path to grief counseling and, much to her own surprise, ministry. After attending BU School of Theology, Grenfell spent a year in Denver studying Clinical Pastoral Care and doing an internship on death and dying. Here, while becom- ing a certified chaplain, she realized that comforting families during the dying process was not enough. As a pastor, she could continue to be with these families after the death, to offer more than just temporary consolation. And so, the girl who denied faith became the woman who embraced the title of United Methodist Minister, serving churches in Boston and southern Maine.

Linda’s winding journey led her to still more unexpected destinations. The young woman who began her college studies uncertain of her major would come to wear the mantle of college professor. Her curriculum at Unity College and then at Rhode Island College encompassed Religion, World Religions and Environmental Ethics. Naturally, her methods were a little unconventional, but befitting her. She informed her superiors that no matter what she was teaching, she would be taking her students outside.

One student’s fresh air learning experience would change Grenfell’s life. The professor assigned her students a ten-minute time period to sit up against a tree and just sit quietly, without distractions. After the sitting exercise, a young girl rushed in, brimming with tears, and exclaimed to her teacher, “I never knew there were birds on this campus!” For Grenfell, this solidified what she wanted to do from there on.

Now at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, where she has worked as an Environmental Educator since 2014, Linda seems at peace with herself. She looks natural standing beneath the spreading boughs of the near-century-old Copper Beech tree on the Reserve’s campus, her face lightly kissed by ruddiness from a life lived outdoors.

“She speaks to me,” she says of the big tree, “I call all the trees ‘she.’” She adds with a sly grin, “We need more feminine energy in the world.”

Since studying with the Abenaki tribe, of which she is an elder-in-training, she has learned to appreciate the real-world relationship we have with the living things in nature. “My deep nature connection has led me to appreciate and apply the Abenaki views,” she says. “We are in a relationship with these beings. They are not objects. They are worthy of our respect.” She goes on to say, “We refer to a tree or a plant as ‘it.’ It is much easier to destroy them when using ‘it’ instead or ‘her.’ The Abenaki don’t demonize nature; they respect it.”

For a retired Methodist pastor, Grenfell’s religious views are surprising. “I don’t like the word ‘God,’” she says, “I find the divine within.” Not surprising, however, is that her views are entwined in the natural world. “God is bound up in nature,” she says assuredly. “My spirituality is very much in the real world. We are not separate from nature. We see the divine in the night sky, in the ocean, within plant stems, in the leaf litter.”

Her experience as a grief counselor gives Grenfell a

See NATURE on page 19 . . .

PARTNER from page 1 tion director, “This round of implementation will focus on regional transportation and housing recommendations. We are looking into designing a regional micro-transit service and multi-modal hubs after analyz- ing links between housing and our transportation network. We will also address improving communication and collaboration between the Shipyard and the surrounding region.” Carver said a separate group, a regional Climate Cohort, will address climate resiliency issues under the same grant.

Kittery Town Manager

Kendra Amaral said, “Each phase of JLUS has resulted in outcomes, from launching the COAST public bus service to the Foreside to establishing a parkand-ride at the Simon Malls on Route 1. We are excited for this phase and how it will further our efforts to manage the impacts a growing PNS has on our community and the region.”

In addition, SMPDC an- nounced that it has selected Aecom Technical Services, a national consultant, to oversee a U.S. Department of Defense grant that will implement transit, housing, and communications initiatives with Kittery and PNS.

Details discussed include:

Microtransit is a flexible on-demand mobility service that uses app technology and dynamic routing to deliver transportation to the public. The study will design and develop an estimate to implement a microtransit service connecting riders from inland communities to the shipyard;

Multi-modal hubs are infrastructure that allow people to switch seamlessly between the car and different modes of transport, and often located at a park- and-ride lot or large development site. The idea behind the hub is to reduce the number of cars traveling in and out of an urban area, and therefore reducing congestion. Hubs typically incorporate a variety of infrastructure elements such as EV charging, bike storage, and transit parking and pick up locations. The JLUS will identify and develop preliminary designs for three hubs in the region;

The JLUS will conduct a regional housing analysis to examine projected housing demand and identify policy chal- lenges to the creation of workforce housing in the region. The report will include achievable recommendations to help municipalities meet the challenges of increasing demand and high housing costs through zoning and other policy tools.

SMPDC is a non-partisan nonprofit that cultivates thriving, sustainable communities and strengthens local governments by leading planning and economic development for 39 member towns in Southern Maine. For more information, visit www.smpdc.org.

Calendar of Events

Town of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport Update

2nd Annual Raffle Fundraiser

Help the Kennebunkport Historical Society’s mission of protecting, preserving, and sharing Kennebunkport’s unique history by purchasing raffle tickets for their upcoming raffle. The raffle will be drawn at the close of Prelude, December 11, and winners will be announced the following week. FMI: www.kporths.com/product/ raffle-tickets.

Town of Kittery Updates

Seapoint Beach Research

An ongoing research study is being conducted across multiple sites along the Gulf of Maine, including Seapoint Beach in Kittery. The research areas will be outlined with 10-20 6” x 6” squares on rocks at the end of the beach and monitored on a monthly basis through April of 2023. Visitors are asked to stay outside the outlined research areas. FMI: www.tinyurl. com/3np3887y.

York County Update

York County

Shelter Food Pantry

The food pantry is seeking nonperishable food donations and encouraging food drives on their behalf. The pantry, located at 5 Swetts Bridge Road in Alfred, serves about 4,500 people every month and is open 12-3 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday. FMI: 207-3241137 or mikeo@ycspi.org.

Saturday, November 19

Meditation with the Horses

9 a.m. at Great Heights Stables, 93 Guinea Road, Berwick. Meditation sessions at the farm to help connect, engage, and respond to both the inner and outer experience. Find balance, perspective, and clarity through horse-led meditation. Each session starts with a focus discussion before the meditation. The horses roam freely to engage and guide at will. $30, registration required. FMI: www.

See NOVEMBER 19 on page 7 . . .

NOVEMBER 19 from page 6 mvduca.wixsite.com/greatheights/ home.

Trailblazers Craft Fair

9 a.m. - 2 p.m., 102 Bills Ln, Wells. Crafts, gifts, baked goods, lunch available. Beans and casseroles public supper starting at 4 p.m. FMI call or text 207-651 3674 or 207-468-9747.

Turkey Supper To Go

4-5 p.m. at First Parish Federated Church, 150 Main Street, South Berwick. Monthly take-out only turkey supper with all of the fixings!

First come, first-served,. $10, cash or local check only. Pick up in the church parking lot off Academy St.

Sunday, November 20

Community

Thanksgiving Service

3 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Wells, 1695 Post Road.

Sponsored by The Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene and the Congregational Church of Wells.

The churches are accepting offerings to benefi t the Ecumenical Food Pantry at Holy Spirit Parish. All are welcome!

Kittery Community Market

Sundays through December 4, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., 10 Shapleigh Road, Kittery. The Kittery Community Market is a vibrant, friendly meeting place that provides the community with access to dozens of local farmers, vendors, and small businesses. Ample parking and a block party vibe, with an ongoing roster of live entertainment.

Monday, November 21

Support Group for Parent