Maine
Maine companies look to biochar as a climate solution, to capture carbon and improve soil health
In a former biomass plant in Greenville, wood chips are flowing from hoppers into long tubes about three feet in diameter.
Pat Jones is the president of Clean Maine Carbon, which burns wood in high-temperature, low-oxygen conditions known as pyrolysis.
“It starts out as wood” he said. “And as you can see when we come over here what comes out the other end is biochar.”
In the quest for climate solutions, Jones is among the Maine entrepreneurs banking on this charcoal-like substance. They say it can bind up carbon for decades, and improve agricultural soils at the same time.
The end product has high carbon density, and is very stable, so less of the carbon will be released into the atmosphere than if it were left to decompose. So while Jones is making biochar, his business plan is focused on selling carbon credits to corporations.
“So somebody will say, ‘Would you like to sell credits to XYZ company?’ And we’ll say, ‘Yeah, what’s the price?’ They will pay on a per-ton basis, whatever the agreed value, based on carbon content and everything else,” Jones said. “And that’s the end of it, they never get the biochar and they don’t do anything. They get to use those credits to help reduce their footprint, their carbon footprint.”
Most of the biochar Jones has sold from the Greenville plant has been for agricultural applications. And he’s not yet certified to sell carbon credits, but pending the completion of an audit, he said he’ll be able to sell credits even on the biochar he’s already shipped.
Scientists and advocates debate the true value of carbon sequestration as a response to climate change. Jonathan Foley is executive director of Project Drawdown, a nonprofit that focuses on science-based climate solutions.
Foley says 95% of climate solutions should focus on reducing emissions by driving more efficient cars, for example, or insulating houses. But he said there’s also value in removing carbon from the atmosphere. And while there’s no silver bullet, biochar could be seen as a piece of silver buckshot.
“And we can put that in farm fields, we can bury it in old mines, we can bury it in the ground, and it should last for hundreds, if not thousand of years under the right circumstances,” Foley said. “So it’s a pretty clever kind of hybrid of nature and some engineering that might be a pretty good little piece of silver buckshot.”
And researchers are looking for ways to put biochar to use. As a soil additive, for example. University of Maine associate professor YongJiang “John” Zhang said the physical structure of biochar allows it to hold water like a sponge during periods of heavy precipitation, and release it slowly. It can also hold nutrients, and Zhang said these qualities can be beneficial when applied to the sandy soils of blueberry barrens.
“But if you have the biochar, it can hold more water, and hold the nutrients to increase the water use efficiency, and nutrient use efficiency,” he said.
Zhang said other research is looking at biochar’s benefits to potato crops, and its ability to lock up particles of PFAS in contaminated fields and prevent them from being taken up by plants.
Jones said he plans to produce about 1,200 tons of biochar annually with the current setup. But he’d like to scale up, using more and bigger equipment, to create more biochar and also put the excess heat from the process to work.
“So that it becomes more economical and practical to extract hot air and hot gasses for lumber drying for power generation, any number of things that could be done with this very clean, high-temperature gas,” he said.
Meanwhile, a second biochar facility, Standard Biocarbon in Enfield, hopes to start production in the next few months, and aims to produce about 1,200 tons annually.
Maine
Rage Room in Portland, Maine, Developing ‘Scream Room’ Addition
For a lot of people throughout Maine, there’s some built up frustration that they’ve just been keeping inside.
That frustration can come in a lot of different forms. From finances to relationships to the world around you.
So it makes plenty of sense that a rage room opened in Portland, Maine, where people can let some of that frustration out.
It’s called Mayhem and people have been piling in to smash, crush and do dastardly things to inanimate objects that had no idea what was coming.
But Mayhem has realized not everyone is down with swinging a sledgehammer. So they’ve decided to cook up something new.
Mayhem Creating ‘Scream Room’ at Their Space in Portland, Maine
Perhaps the thought of swinging a baseball bat and destroying a glass vase brings you joy. The thought of how sore your body will be after that moment makes you less excited.
Mayhem Portland has heard you loud and clear and is developing a new way to get the rage out. By just screaming.
Mayhem is working on opening their very first scream room. It’s exactly what you think it is, a safe place to spend some time just screaming all of the frustration out.
There isn’t an official opening date set yet but it’s coming soon along with pricing.
Mayhem in Portland, Maine, Will Still Offer Rage Rooms and Paint Splatter
While a scream room is on the way, you can still experience a good time at Mayhem with one of their rage rooms or a paint splatter room.
Both can be experienced in either 20-minute or 30-minute sessions.
All the details including some age and attire requirements can be found here.
TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things to do in Portland, Maine
Looking for fun things to do in Portland, ME? Here is what the reviewers on TripAdvisor say are the 10 best attractions.
This list was updated in March of 2026
Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka
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Maine
Maine competition gives creative entrepreneurs the chance to win money
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – If you’ve ever wondered what goes into pitching a good business idea, you might want to stop by a Big Gig event.
The Big Gig Entrepreneurship Pitch Off brings professionals from across the state together to network and pitch their early-stage business ideas for a chance to win $500.
Tuesday’s competition was held at the Salty Brick Market in Bangor, and it drew a lot of spectators.
“The winners of each semifinal event get $500 and the opportunity to compete for $5,000, so that can make a huge impact on a business that’s just getting off the ground,” said Renee Kelly, a Big Gig organizer.
The winner of the competition, Colin McGuire, was also grateful for the opportunity to showcase his idea “Art on Tap,” which would connect local artists with local venues trying to put on events.
“The support tonight is huge, and it’s just giving me more enthusiasm for running with the idea,” he said.
The season finale of the competition will be held May 19th.
The location is yet to be determined.
If you’d like to apply to compete in the contest, you can go to biggig.org.
Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.
Maine
This Monster Burrito Challenge in Waterville, Maine, Is Not for the Weak
Are you up for a Maine food challenge, or are your eyes bigger than your stomach?
A Waterville staple, Buen Apetito has a monster burrito just waiting for someone to eat it down to the very last bite.
This thing is a beast, literally called La Bestia, and it’s definitely a mighty task for a fearless foodie.
Take on the Buen Apetito La Bestia Food Challenge in Waterville, Maine
According to Buen Apetito, if you can finish a super-sized burrito in 30 minutes or less, you’ll get the $60 meal for free, a La Bestia champion shirt, and a picture on the wall of fame. That’s not to mention the bragging rights of dominating a task few will be able to conquer.
Wondering what’s in the burrito?
The Mexican restaurant shared in a Facebook comment on a post that the burrito is filled with “grilled chicken, chorizo, and tender shredded beef or pork. Built on a layer of seasoned rice, refried beans, and French fries, it’s melted together with a shredded Mexican cheese blend and a drizzle of creamy cheese sauce, sautéed peppers and onions, green salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, creamy guacamole, and a bed of shredded lettuce all wrapped in three extra-large tortillas fused into one epic wrap.”
Let’s just say that this thing is packed full.
The first La Bestia contender took up his fork and knife in December 2025, but despite coming close, he couldn’t come out with the win.
As of March 2026, the challenge has remained undefeated. But you never know, someone is bound to come out victorious.
Just note that you can only try your hand at this food challenge on Wednesday and Thursday.
Buen Apetito Has Been a Longstanding Waterville, Maine, Restaurant
First opened in 1999, Buen Apeitito has been around for nearly 30 years.
Centralmaine.com reported that the Mexican restaurant was originally located at the Railroad Square complex off Chaplin Street before moving to 99 West River Road in 2023.
A little over a year later, in 2024, Buen Apetito shared on Facebook that it was passing on the torch to new owners, including Dalia, “the heart and soul of [the] kitchen for twenty years,” her daughter, Norma, and Norma’s husband, Shawn.
READ MORE: Famous Maine Restaurant Buen Apetito Adds Powerhouse New Owner to Crew
And it seems like not only are things still going strong, but new additions like La Bestia food challenge are only enhancing the spirit of big flavor and delicious Mexican food at the Waterville staple.
So, you think you’re up for the task of taking down a beast of a burrito at Buen Apetito? Good luck.
You Know You’re From Maine If You’ve Tried All 19 of These Foods
Here’s a number of foods associated with Maine. How many of them have you had?
Gallery Credit: Sean McKenna
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