As gas prices linger at well above $2 per gallon, small-business owners are invited to discuss the costs of energy and benefits of conservation at a series of upcoming forums throughout Maine sponsored by the Maine Small Business Alliance.

“Maine small businesses are reminded every day that the vitality of their businesses and their communities is tied directly to our energy choices and uses,” Deborah Cook, executive director of the alliance, said in a prepared statement.

The organization, a nonprofit group, hopes to hear business owners’ stories of their innovative approaches to energy conservation and alternative energy production, then to bring the sustainability message to Augusta.

The first two forums are scheduled for 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, April 1, at the Skowhegan Town Hall on Water Street and 1:30-3 p.m. at Bangor Savings Bank’s Main Avenue branch in Bangor.

Two more forums are scheduled for 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, April 8, at the Belfast Public Library on High Street and 1:30-3 p.m. at the Machias Career Center on Prescott Drive.

For more information or a reservation, contact Jed Rathband a 332-1513 or Cook at dcook@msb-allaince.org.