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B​ANGOR, Maine, April ​5, 2016–The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation has awarded the Environmental Health Strategy Center a $15,000 grant to help develop a ​”roadmap​” for attracting investment in new ​Maine ​manufacturing that can help meet the rising global demand for renewable, petroleum-free raw materials and consumer products.

“This grant award from our Foundation to Environmental Health Strategy Center signifies our commitment to economic development,” said Stacey Haskell, Program Officer for Bangor Savings Bank Foundation. “It’s a commitment we share with the Strategy Center as it works to attract private investment in biobased manufacturing by leveraging Maine’s assets.”

Responding to rising demand for more sustainable products that reduce the use of oil and gas, the Strategy Center is working on a roadmap to attract investment in biobased products and help revitalize rural Maine communities distressed by the decline in the pulp and paper industry. Biobased manufacturing converts the renewable resources of forest, farm, and sea into safer chemicals, plastics, and advanced materials. Global demand for biobased manufacturing is rapidly increasing.

As part of its sustainable economy program and plants-to-products initiative, the Strategy Center has partnered with the University of Maine and the statewide trade association, Biobased Maine. Its work has been broadly endorsed by business leaders, elected officials, and economic development agencies.

“Support from Bangor Savings Bank Foundation will help position Maine as a leader in making the next generation of renewable products that are safer for people and the planet,” said Charlotte Mace, the Strategy Center’s sustainable economy program director. “We are grateful for the Foundation’s support of our work to revitalize Maine’s rural economy through biobased manufacturing.”   

About Bangor Savings Bank:  Bangor Savings Bank, with more than $3 billion in assets, offers retail banking and investment management services to Maine consumers as well as comprehensive commercial, corporate, payroll administration, merchant services, insurance, and small business banking services to Maine businesses. The Bank, founded in 1852, is in its 164th year of service to the people of Maine, with 57 branches and on the Web at www.bangor.com. The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation was created in 1997. Together the Bank and its Foundation invest more than $1 million per year into the community in the form of nonprofit sponsorships, grants and partnership initiatives.

About the Environmental Health Strategy Center: Slowing climate change and eliminating toxic chemical hazards creates opportunity for the next generation while benefiting us all. As a public health organization, the Environmental Health Strategy Center works for healthy people who thrive in a healthy economy by reducing exposure to toxic chemicals in our homes and promoting products that are safe for people and the planet. In state and national campaigns, we use research and education to reform policies, change the marketplace, and advance science-based solutions that are socially just. Next year we’ll celebrate our 15th anniversary.