My name is Molly Siegel and I started as an Island Fellow in September of 2018. I grew up in Bethel, ME where I attended Gould Academy. I graduated from Dartmouth College in 2016 with a degree in Environmental Studies. Since then, I have lived in Portland, ME and worked in education and public housing. I’m excited to live and work in this unique island community and try on the many hats of island living.
As an Island Fellow my projects include working towards solutions for sustainable, year-round housing and developing support for a community telemedicine facility. I will also be working with the Power Company to implement the solar project and increase access to energy saving opportunities such as weatherization.
Since October, I’ve been teaching music class at the school. We’ve been learning ukulele as well as working on singing and rhythm skills. The kids have had a blast learning this new instrument and are ready to share their talents with the community!
The housing committee has met regularly since November to develop a strategy to address the affordable housing shortage on the island. I’d like to thank the housing committee and those I have interviewed for sharing their honest feedback and thinking creatively to solve this problem. We are currently working on developing a shortlist of housing solutions and gathering feedback from the community on which ideas to pursue.
I maintain a Google Site called Island Fellow Notes. There you can find recent updates and meeting notes under the Blog tab, and links to examples of innovative housing solutions under the Research tab. You can submit comments or questions about my projects here as well.https://sites.google.com/view/islandfellownotes/home?authuser=0
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions or comments. I’d love to hear from you!
asiegel @islandinstitute.org