GrowSmart Maine Webinars
GrowSmart has a long and consistent history of hosting quality forums covering a broad array of Smart Growth topics affecting Maine Communities. Below are upcoming forums as well as a listing of our past Smart Growth Forums.
Recasting our forums to an online format, due to the pandemic, has allowed us to better extend our reach and accessibility across Maine.
Follow GrowSmart Maine on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for updates on this and other forums.
Latest Webinars
Webinar: Housing – Yes! But, Housing Where?
Maine’s housing crisis calls for policy that spurs housing production – but what about policy that promotes building in the right places? Three key aspects of where we encourage housing will be happening in 2026. Now is the time to take action to ensure subdivision, site location of development, and the new growth management law are designed to facilitate cohesive public policy.
Past Forums
For more information about past forums listed below, please email GrowSmart Maine.
- July 29, 2025: Housing & The Local Property Tax Struggle. Crumbling infrastructure, budget deficits, deferred maintenance, strained budget negotiations… These are symptoms of a chronic lack of funding that comes to a head annually during the municipal budget process. Breaking the cycle requires a fundamental rethink of the relationship between infrastructure, finance, land use – and housing plays a role. Join this session and learn about the ‘whole-life’ cycle municipal budgeting model. When applied systemically, this alternative approach provides a platform for municipal budgeting that is based on a land use pattern that strengthens rather than erodes the tax base, positioning Maine communities for greater financial and land use security. Watch on Youtube.
- May 7, 2025: Alternative Housing Models. Housing isn’t just a hot topic – it’s the topic on Mainers’ minds. As the state wrestles with building housing of all kinds, work in the legislature to lower barriers to development continues, developers eye opportunities to meet demand, and communities are getting scrappy in an effort to close the gap. We’re familiar with these headlines, but are you aware of the creative approaches that might be happening in your town? Alternative Housing Models is the first in the GrowSmart Maine webinar series “The House Is Not Enough”. Together, we’ll hear from panelists about the alternative housing models that communities and organizations are pioneering around the state. Watch on Youtube.
- June 13, 2024: Smart Growth for Small Communities. This webinar highlights how communities are advancing smart growth goals at a range of scales. Municipal offices, service organizations, and grassroots groups all play a role in building, maintaining, and strengthening the social fabric of their small communities around Maine. Watch on Youtube.
- March 26, 2024: Creating Community: Farming and Housing. This webinar addresses how local communities can navigate the dual challenge of promoting farm viability and farmland protection through municipal planning, while also enabling housing and growth. Watch on Youtube.
- January 11, 2023: Short Term Rentals – Boon, Bane or Both? Our panelists engage in a rich discussion around the costs and benefits of STRs in communities around Maine and raise awareness of the trends and tools available to manage them. Watch on Youtube.
- November 14, 2023: How To Make Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) Work For Your Community? Our featured speakers provided in-depth knowledge and practical advice on how ADUs can address housing challenges, promote affordability, and enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities alike. Watch on Youtube.
- May 16, 2023: Growing Smart in Mid-Sized Cities. Panel experts discuss smart growth strategies that community members, developers, and municipal officials can put to use to address development challenges and capitalize on opportunities. Watch on YouTube.
- May 5, 2023: Policy Action 2023 Live Discussion. A collaboration between GrowSmart Maine and Build Maine. Over 100 people have participated in this initiative to help shape sixteen bills in Augusta that will affect equity, transportation safety and choice, climate action, fiscal health, economic strength, and quality of life for everyone who calls Maine home. Watch an overview of Policy Action 2023 on YouTube.
- November 17, 2022: “Ballot initiatives: Power to the people?” Hosted by Portland Press Herald and sponsored by GrowSmart Maine.
- November 10, 2022: Who needs transit, why does it matter and what are the solutions? Inclusive Transportation Forum: When Mainers, by choice or circumstance, do not own a vehicle, their transportation options are limited, even in populated areas. Robust transportation options are crucial for smart growth, allowing people to access jobs and services. Watch on YouTube
- September 22, 2022: Gubernatorial priorities: A chat with Charlie Colgan. Hosted by Portland Press Herald and sponsored by GrowSmart Maine. Maine’s most well-known policy analyst, a professor emeritus at the Muskie School of Public Service and senior fellow at the Center for the Blue Economy, weighs in on what the priorities should be for the winner of this year’s gubernatorial race. Watch on YouTube.
- June 7, 2022: Policy Matters: Women and Aging – A Crisis Unfolds hosted by Portland Press Herald and sponsored by GrowSmart Maine, Kennebec Savings Bank, and Bowdoin College. Watch on YouTube.
- May 27, 2022: Saving Money and the Planet: Climate Action at Home hosted by GrowSmart Maine and Maine Audubon. Watch on YouTube.
- May 19, 2022: A Millennial and a Boomer Walk into a Climate Meeting hosted by GrowSmart Maine and Maine Audubon. Watch on YouTube.
- May 12, 2022: Maine’s Climate Action Plan: Are We On Track? hosted by GrowSmart Maine and Maine Audubon. Watch on YouTube.
- April 7, 2022: The Gorham Spur: Spurring Growth without Spurring Sprawl hosted by GrowSmart Maine. Watch on YouTube.
- March 31, 2022: Policy Matters: Affordable Housing hosted by Portland Press Herald and sponsored by GrowSmart Maine, Bangor Savings Bank, and Bowdoin College. Read the article | Watch on YouTube | Learn more about Policy Matters
- February 3, 2022: Exploring the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Watch on YouTube
- July 28, 2021: Seersucker Smartinis held at The Portland Observatory, co-hosted with Greater Portland Landmarks, Portland Downtown
- June 6, 2021: Housing Choices for a Well-Rounded Community
- March 30, 2021: More Broadband, Less Sprawl with Judy East, Peggy Schaffer, Kendra Jo Grindle
- February 16, 2021: CEDS Session: Strategies in Smart Growth and How to Engage Your Community with Guest Speaker GrowSmart Maine’s Executive Director Nancy Smith
- Energy Efficiency/Weatherization Workshops Be Comfortable, Save Money from Energy Efficiency and You | Windham
- Open Streets: How to Hangout Again
- Rethinking Commercial Strip Development to Strengthen Your Community | Topsham
- Housing Choices for a Well-Rounded Community | Kennebunk
- Getting from Us & Them to We: A Conversation about Midcoast Maine | Belfast
- Rising Water: Adapting Maine Communities | Augusta
- Forum on Commercial Corridor Redevelopment | Falmouth
- Getting from Us & Them to We: A conversation about Midcoast Maine | Rockland
- Growing Farm Friendly Communities | Bowdoinham
- Growing Farm Friendly Communities | Windham
- The Case for Walkability: Health, Economic Development, and Sustainability | Bangor
- Developers’ Secrets to Small Projects: Tricks of the Trade to rehab Main St | Lewiston
- Reimagining our Rivers: Restoration & Dam Removal in Maine | Falmouth
- Maine’s New Forest Economy: Biobased Power, Products, and Fuels | Hallowell
- Sea Level Rise: Practical Tools & Community Implementation | Rockland
- The Mill at Dover-Foxcroft Summer Tour and Cookout | Dover-Foxcroft
- Public-Private Partnership: Passive House Workforce Housing | Brewer
- A Panorama on Portland’s Growth: Can Public Process Bridge the Gap? | Portland
- The Benefits of Street Trees
- 21st Century Transportation: Shared Vehicles, E-Bikes and their Implications for a Smart Growth Economy in Maine
- A Changing Climate: How Municipal Government Can Be Part of the Solution
- A Look Into Maine’s Renewable Energy
- Making Connections, Building Community
- Arts, Culture, and Economic Prosperity in Maine
- The Portland Company Forum
- Summit 2014 – The Dollars and $ense of Smart Growth!
- Thompson’s Point
- Brownfields: Albatross to Economic Driver
- Aging in Place: 8 to 80
- Using the Historic Preservation Tax Credit for Small Projects
Want to have these workshops designed for your community?
Energy Efficiency Community Campaign