Building Sustainable Housing in Maine
By Paul Conti ‘26​Croft is a half design firm, half construction company that works to build ultra- sustainable housing throughout MidCoast Maine. By partnering with local farms, Croft uses 100% plant-based insulation to achieve net-negative building envelopes that capture more carbon from the atmosphere than it requires to build them.
At the beginning of the summer, I analyzed the MidCoast real estate market to identify high value redevelopment opportunities. I worked specifically in communities that do not already have a large sustainable housing stock such as Rockport, Maine. Later in the summer, I submitted EPA grant applications, hoping to secure funding to expand the reach of our carbon sequestration products.
Through this internship in sustainable development, I learned that I appreciate non-traditional research outside of heavy STEM disciplines. As a neuroscience major with a background in lab research and an extroverted personality, I opened my career search into an entirely new field that occurs in a more social setting—the outside world. Overall, I valued the opportunity to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world experience, particularly enjoying the freedom associated with working for a company with a handful of employees.
Internship funded by the Peter Buck Internship Fund.