Home-Grown Fertilizer

July's Sustainable Living Tip

Make your own fertilizer from kitchen scraps with a worm bin. Simply feed your worms shredded paper and food waste, then harvest liquid worm tea and solid worm castings. Spray worm tea directly on the leaves of your plants or dilute it one part tea to ten parts water for use every other week when watering. Use worm castings as a top dressing for your soil, or mix one to one with potting soil when starting seeds.

More Facts About Fertilizer

1. Packaged fertilizer is labeled according to the major plant nutrients it provides: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
   
2. Fertilizers may also provide the secondary nutrients calcium, sulfur and magnesium.
3. Beyond the major and secondary nutrients, plants also need micronutrients including boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum and selenium.
4. Home-made fertilizers such as worm castings include not just the major and secondary nutrients, but a wide array of micronutrients.
5. The key to healthy plants is healthy soil. You lose nutrients from your soil each year when you harvest crops. Adding about an inch of compost every year to your soil replenishes the organic matter and many of the nutrients needed to sustain plant growth.
6. Although our planet's atmosphere is mostly nitrogen (more than 78%), it is in a highly stable form that is difficult for plants to use. Nitrogen must be converted (or "fixed") to ammonia before plants can use the nitrogen to create DNA and proteins.
   
7. The nitrogen in synthetic fertilizers is often fixed using natural gas. In the Haber-Bosch process, nitrogen gas from the air (N2) is combined with hydrogen from natural gas to form ammonia (NH3). This ammonia is then oxidized to create various types of synthetic fertilizers.
8. Each year between 3 and 5% of the world's supply of natural gas is consumed to produce synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.
9. Nitrogen fixation can also occur naturally without the need for natural gas.
   
10. Natural sources of nitrogen fixation include bacteria and plants in the legume family (clover, beans, alfalfa, lupines and peanuts) that have formed symbiosis with bacteria that fix nitrogen. Cultivating natural nitrogen fixation reduces or eliminates the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.
11. Until the 1950s, farmers typically purchased fertilizers tailored to their soil needs from small manufacturers within a 100-mile radius.
    
12. In the 1960s, concentrated phosphates began replacing natural phosphate rock as a result of efforts by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Land Grant Colleges to promote higher analysis fertilizers. The idea was to deliver more phosphate to farmers at lower cost, resulting in the centralization of production of phosphate fertilizer.
    
13. By 2005, Florida produced 75% of the phosphate rock mined in the United States, all of which was converted to phosphoric acid to facilitate the production of concentrated phosphate fertilizers.
14. Unlike nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium do not seem capable of being fixed from atmospheric sources. Instead, these elements cycle through a biological process that requires direct replenishment to the soil. Composting yard and kitchen scraps is a sustainable method of returning these vital nutrients to your garden soil.

Environmental Happenings

Thursday, July 9 - Electric Scooters Test Ride, 6 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Test ride an eGo electric scooters, then join Scoot USA for a discussion of fossil-fuel-free personal transportation options, including folding bikes. "Scoot to commute!" For more information, please call 729-4050. Free and open to the public.

Friday, July 10 to Sunday, July 12 - 21st Annual Maine Bike Rally, Fryeburg, Maine. The Maine Bike Rally is a much-beloved tradition that brings together hundreds of bicyclists from throughout the United States and Canada. The 2009 rally offers three days of road and off-road bike rides in beautiful western Maine and the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire for all levels of cyclists, plus a full weekend of family entertainment. For additional information, contact the Bicycle Coalition of Maine at (207) 623-4511 or email info@BikeMaine.org.

Tuesday, July 14 - Portland Greendrinks, 5:30 - 8 pm, Sebago Brewery, 48 Sanford Drive, Gorham Industrial Park, Gorham. Greendrinks brings together a lively mix of people from all walks of life: academics, NGOs, local businesses and government agencies. The goal is to create an organic, self-organizing network where everyone is welcome. It's a great way to catch up with people you already know, as well as an opportunity to meet new people and make new connections. The July Greendrinks event is co-sponsored by the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Association (MeVLA) and the Sebago Brewing Company. While the two don't have much in common, they both keep the environment at the top of their respective lists of priorities when doing business. For more information, visit www.PortlandGreenDrinks.com/greendrinks

Tuesday, July 14 - Transition Town Brunswick meeting, 7 pm, Morrell Meeting Room, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Transition Town Brunswick will be screening a filmed presentation by activist and author, Guy Dauncey, entitled "The Great Energy Revolution: Practical Solutions to the Climate Crisis and Peak Oil", taken during his keynote speech at the Climate Change Town Hall Conference in Grass Valley, California. "[Be] inspired to implement some of these ideas here in the Brunswick area so we can start the essential and exciting process of transitioning away from fossil fuels," writes Amory Weld, organizer of the event.

Saturday, July 18 - Birding at Moosehead Lake, 7:30 am, North Woods Outfitters, Greenville. Join Bob Duchesne, author of Maine Birding Trail, and Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM's deputy director, to explore a variety of habitats that create some of the best bird diversity in the state. Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, Spruce Grouse, and a variety of warblers, thrushes, and other songbirds more common to the boreal forest of Canada draw bird enthusiasts to Maine from far and wide. If you have questions about this trip, please feel free to contact Beth Dimond at beth@nrcm.org or (207) 430-0106.

Saturday, July 18 - Maine Animal Coalition's Fifth Annual Vegetarian Food Festival, 11am to 3 pm, East End Community School, 195 North Street, Portland. A half day of vegan food samples, exhibitors, workshops, cooking demos, kids activities, a raffle and more! For more information contact the Festival Chair: Angela M Bell, 207-409-3917, maineanimalcoalition@myfairpoint.net

Sunday, July 19 - Cultivating Community's Boyd Street Bash, Noon to 2 pm, Boyd Street Urban Farm, Boyd Street @ East Oxford Street, East Bayside Neighborhood, Portland. Beginning in 2004, Cultivating Community took an underused and contaminated land in the City of Portland's park bank and began to nurture it back to ecological health. Celebrate the community and the garden with a delicious sampling of food with ingredients straight from the garden, a showcase of green and low-impact technologies for your home and garden, Japanese Taiko Drumming and other music to serenade you, children's activities including "mud buddies" and face painting, and a tour of our planting beds, orchard, and community garden plots.

Saturday, July 25 - Eighth Annual Maine Lobster Ride & Roll, Rockland District High School, 400 Broadway, Rockland. The state’s most scenic and tastiest bicycle ride follows country roads and the rock-bound coast. The fully supported ride includes four distance options: 16, 30, 50 or 100 miles. Cyclists can look forward to a freshly made lobster roll lunch (tuna and veggie options available) and live Tour de France coverage at the end. The Maine Lobster Ride & Roll supports the Bicycle Coalition of Maine’s safety and education programs. For more information, please visit www.BikeMaine.org/lobsterride or call (207) 623-4511. Fees will be announced on the website.

Electric Scooter Test Drive

Scoot USA presents a "Sustainable Transportation" demonstration and discussion at F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on Thursday, July 9 at 6 pm. eGo electric scooters will be available for test rides, followed by a discussion of fossil-fuel-free personal transportation options. The event is free and open to the public. The discussion will take place regardless of weather conditions; a rain date for riding the electric scooters will be scheduled if necessary.

"Scoot to commute!" says Jeff Cooper, Director of Fun for Scoot USA. "Years ago I selected electric scooters for my own use for the ease of maintenance, no gas or oil to deal with. Little did I know that gasoline would touch $5.00 per gallon!"

Cooper is known as an innovator, taking what seems ordinary and seeing a higher potential, whether a business concept, an activity, or a product. In addition to his Scoot USA business, Cooper owns Slot Car Junction in Brunswick and H2Outfitters Sea Kayaking Adventures in Harpswell. The original idea for Scoot USA came about because of the need for reliable transportation on Orr's Island where his kayaking business is located. After several months of research back in 2004 he settled on the eGo scooters based upon reliability, balance, and ease of operation. But the biggest attraction for use on the island was the ease of maintenance.

The demonstration on Thursday will start at 6 pm, one hour earlier than the regular monthly talks at F.W. Horch, to allow attendees to test ride the electric scooters. Following the test rides, the discussion will take place inside. Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at (207) 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

This event is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly event is held at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine, on the second Thursday of the month.

For more information about the F.W. Horch sustainable living series, please call (207) 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.

Water Conservation

June's Sustainable Living Tip

Here are two easy ways to conserve water. Outdoors, install a rain barrel. Indoors, install a more efficient shower head. Every year, you'll keep thousands of gallons of water from being sucked out of our groundwater or lakes.

More Facts About Water Conservation

1. Maine annually receives about 43 inches of rain on average.
2. You can fill up a 60 gallon rain barrel with a half inch of rain on a 20 by 10 section of roof.
3. Rain water is naturally distilled water; it's the best water for your garden because it doesn't add salts to your soil.
4. When you set up your rain barrel, make sure to put it on blocks or a stand so you can fill up a watering can from the spigot at the bottom.
   
5. If you could collect all the precipitation falling on a 1,000 square foot roof in Maine (approximately the average size house), you'd have 18,000 gallons in a severe drought year and 36,000 gallons in an extremely wet year.
6. The average residential account in the Portland Water District, Maine's largest public water supply, consumed over 70,000 gallons per year.
7. According to the American Water Works Association, less than 16% of the clean, drinkable ("potable") water we use inside our homes is used for cooking or drinking.
8. 26.7% of potable water consumed is used to flush toilets.
9. 21.7% of potable water is used to wash clothes.
10. 16.8% of potable water is used for showers.
11. 13.7% of potable water is lost to leaks inside the home.
12. A leaking toilet wastes up to 200 gallons per day.
13. A dripping faucet wastes about 2 gallons per day.
14. A seven minute shower with an older 5 gallon per minute shower head uses 35 gallons of water; the same shower with an efficient 1.75 gpm shower head uses just 12.25 gallons.
15. Over the course of a year, if you take one seven minute shower every day, replacing a 5 gpm shower head with a 1.75 gpm shower head saves over 8,000 gallons of hot water.
16. Conserving hot water saves energy as well as water.
17. Toilets made since 1993 use 1.6 gallons or less per flush.
18. Toilets made in the 1980s use 3.5 gallons per flush.
19. Toilets made in the 1960s and 1970s use 5.5 gallons per flush.
20. Toilets made in the 1950s and earlier use up to 7 gallons per flush.
21. Assuming four flushes per day, replacing a 1950s-vintage toilet with a modern 1.6 gpf toilet would save 7,884 gallons per year.
22. Putting a few inches of sand in a one gallon plastic milk jug (so it sinks) and placing the milk jug in an older toilet tank will save one gallon per flush, or 1,460 gallons per year assuming four flushes per day.
23. If you are on a well and the power fails, you probably lose pressure and can't flush your toilets. Keep some water in 5 gallon containers for power outages and other emergencies. A good opportunity to fill up your emergency water containers is when waiting for your shower to warm up in the morning. Any time you run water waiting for it to get hot is a chance to restock your emergency water supply.
    
24. Five gallon containers like the ones that our bulk cleaning supplies come in make great emergency water containers for storage in a basement or a pantry area. They have handles, close tightly, and have spigots for easy dispensing.
    
25. Besides having some room-temperature water on hand, it's also a good idea to keep ice for emergencies. Keeping some frozen water gallons in your freezer actually helps your freezer be more efficient (ice keeps its temperature better than air) and will help keep food from spoiling if you lose power.

Environmental Happenings

F.W. Horch summer hours (starting June 22)

Store hours: Mon by appointment, Tue-Sat 9:30-6, Sun Closed.

Events in Maine

Wednesday, June 10 - Starting with the Soil: Sustainable Soil Management, 5 pm, Crystal Spring Farm, Brunswick. MOFGA staff and organic farmers teach about rotation, composting, green manures, cover crops, and tillage strategies to build organic matter and enhance the health and productivity of farm soil. Free and open to the public. For more information call 568-4142.

Thursday, June 11 - No Water, No Septic, No Problem!, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Learn how to save water, eliminate the need for septic or sewer, and protect our environment by installing an NSF-certified waterless composting toilet. For more information, please call 729-4050. Free and open to the public.

Friday, June 19 - ReVision Energy Grand Opening, 4-8 pm, ReVision Energy, 142 Presumpscot Street, Portland. ReVision Energy is hosting a Grand Opening for their new Portland location. View the showroom, learn about renewable energy systems, and enjoy free food, drink, and live entertainment. For more information, call Jen at 221-6342.

Sunday, June 21 - How and Why To Keep Bees in Top Bar Beehives, Noon-2 pm, Whiskeag Road, North Bath. Top Bar beekeeping is a simple, bee-friendly, beekeeper-friendly, planet-friendly, and sustainable way of stewarding one of our most important pollinators. Christy Hemenway, founder of Gold Star Honeybees, will discuss the simplicity of working a Top Bar Beehive and the advantages of this method of beekeeping. For directions and to RSVP, call Christy at 449-1121 or email christy@goldstarhoneybees.com

Friday, June 26 - EarthJams! with Matt Loosigian, 10:30 am, Morrell Meeting Room, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Join Matt for a lively session of singing, movement, and fun!

Saturday & Sunday, June 27 & 28 - Flannel Shirt Festival, downtown Waldoboro. A celebration of community & the land, in honor of Joel Larsen Cartwright (1984-2008). The Festival is a fundraiser for the Flannel Shirt Fund, which connects farms to schools in Maine. The Fund has given out almost $8,000 in grants since last June. Come support kids in gardens! For more information, contact Chelsea Cartwright at 607-342-2026 or email her at joyfulbodies@gmail.com

Featured Products for June

Maine Float Rope Down East Doormat

Float-rope is used by lobstermen to tether multiple traps together on the ocean floor. The problem with float-rope is that it can entangle whales, which sometimes leads to their injury or death. The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation purchases turned-in float-rope from Maine lobstermen. Then the Maine Float Rope Company collects and recycles the rope and turns it into terrific, colorful and virtually indestructible doormats. It’s a win-win – a safer habitat for whales, some financial relief for the lobstermen, and a cleaner environment.!

Medium (18"x30") $49.95

Large (24"x36") $79.95

Learn more »

Bamboo Reusable Utensil Set

This reusable bamboo utensil set is a stylish and practical way to bring your sustainable values on the road. Enjoy eating with your own utensils made of bamboo, a highly durable and sustainably harvested material. The wraps are made in Freeport, Maine, while the bamboo comes from away. Support both the local and global economy with this smart purchase.

Child set $15

Adult set $20

Learn more »

Stainless Steel Lunch Tin

Pack a sandwich, salad or piece of fruit in this stainless steel food container. Handy size, fully recyclable, dishwasher friendly, fits perfectly in your lunchbox. Seriously safe: stainless steel doesn't leach chemicals like some plastics. Keeps food tasting fresh, not like plastic. Lighter weight and more durable than glass.

6" x 4.5" x 2" $14.95

Learn more »

Composting Toilet Clinic

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host a composting toilet clinic titled "No water, no septic, no problem!", on Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 pm. The clinic is free and open to the public.

"Conventional flush toilets waste between ten and 30 gallons of water every day when working properly -- and 200 gallons a day when leaking. You can save water, eliminate the need for septic or sewer, and protect our environment by installing an NSF-certified waterless composting toilet," says Fred Horch, founder of F.W. Horch. "Composting toilets meet code everywhere in Maine, and in most locations are the most cost-effective way to provide sanitary facilities."

Thursday's clinic will provide an overview of modern composting toilet technology, explaining how "dry" composting accomplishes the same results as a septic system or wastewater treatment plant, but on a much smaller scale, at a much faster rate, and at a much lower overall cost. Composting will be compared to other alternative toilet technologies, including outhouses, cess pools, incinerating toilets and chemical toilets. Participants will also learn how to install and maintain a composting toilet.

Maine code allows composting toilets to be installed in any residential or commercial building, as long as the system is certified to treat waste effectively. Several brands of composting toilets have been certified by the National Sanitation Foundation and meet code in Maine.

"Under the Maine Internal Plumbing Code, a homeowner is permitted to install a composting toilet provided it is listed for residential use by the National Sanitation Foundation, installed properly pursuant to the manufacturer's specifications and instructions, and approved by the Local Plumbing Inspector," says Anne Head, Commissioner of the State of Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.

Those attending the clinic will have the opportunity to examine a disassembled composting toilet to see how waste is broken down inside the unit without the need for plumbing. Owners of composting toilets with questions or advice to share are particularly encouraged to attend.

Space is limited, so those interested in attending should call the F.W. Horch store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat. There is no charge for the clinic.

This clinic is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly talk is held at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on the second Thursday of the month.

Balanced Compost

May's Sustainable Living Tip

Keep a bucket of dry leaves, shredded paper, sawdust, wood chips or coconut coir next to your composter so you can easily add the "browns" you need to promote fast, odor-free, and thorough decomposition of organic waste.

More Facts About "Browns" for Composting

1. Composting works best when you have a balanced ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the mix of materials you are composting.
2. Materials with a low carbon to nitrogen ratio are called "greens."
3. Materials with a high carbon to nitrogen ratio are called "browns."
4. Fresh yard cuttings and kitchen scraps are "greens."
5. Dried leaves, shredded paper and cardboard, sawdust, wood chips, peat moss, and coconut coir are "browns."
6. If you have too many "greens," your compost will likely smell bad, get slimy, ball up, and take more than six weeks to finish.
7. If you have too many "browns," pieces won't break down, your compost will never heat up and will take months or years to finish.
8. If you need to add lime to your pile, that's an indication that 1) you have too many greens, or 2) you aren't turning your pile often enough. Add more browns and turn your pile to ensure good mixing and air flow; you'll probably find you get better results with no need for lime.
9. Compost "activators" give a shot of "greens" to your pile. These are the perfect solution for compost piles that are heavy on the browns and aren't getting up to temperature. Mix the activator into your pile and add water; your pile should quickly heat up and start decomposing. If it doesn't, add more water and mix again, or wait for warmer weather. Getting a compost pile going is a lot like lighting a fire: you need to have the right fuel and it may take a few tries to get it started.
   
10. "Digester" style composters are stationary designs that sit on the ground, digesting scraps from the bottom up. Too many "greens" in this type of composter can become densely packed and odorous. Too many browns can also become tightly packed and biologically inactive. A good strategy is to always toss in a layer of greens and then a layer of browns on top. If necessary, you can also use a compost aerator to poke holes down through the layers to help water and air get to the microbes doing the work of decomposing.
11. "Tumbling" composters are a great way to make compost fast, but they also are prone to creating "compost balls" with uncomposted food waste in the middle of the ball. Try adding coarse browns like wood chips or coconut coir to keep clumps from forming. Also, a "poking stick" is handy to have on hand to break up any clumps that do form.
    
12. Your compost pile should never smell like a cesspool. If odors are a concern, it's better to err on the side of too many browns. Your compost will take a little longer to finish, but you'll avoid nasty smells.
13. If I have just one piece of advice to give to novices when it comes to composting, it is that "browns" are NOT optional! Especially in the spring, you really do need to have a plan for adding browns to your compost. Putting nothing but kitchen scraps in your composter is a recipe for a stinky disaster. Think of it like baking bread without the flour: you may end up with something edible, but it's a lot easier to follow the recipe. The good news is that whether it's leaves from your yard, or junk mail from advertisers, almost everyone has a convenient source of browns at hand.
14. Whenever you're diagnosing a composting problem, always remember what you W-A-N-T:
    W = Water
    A = Air
    N = Nutrients (greens and browns)
    T = Temperature
    
15. Keep your compost in mind as you clean up your yard throughout the year. If you can store some dried leaves, sawdust or wood chips over the winter, you'll be all set for next spring's composting season!

Environmental Happenings

What's Happening in the Local Environmental Scene and Beyond

F.W. Horch in Brunswick is now open on Mondays!

Store hours: Mon 9:30-4, T-F 9:30-7, Sat: 9:30-6, Sun Closed.

Events in Maine

Thursday, May 7 - Legal Advocacy: Fighting for Environmental Justice, 7:00 pm, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Featuring David Nicholas, Attorney-at-Law, this event is part of a series sponsored by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay with support and valuable door prizes from Patagonia Outlet in Freeport. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, May 7 to Sunday, May 10 - Food+Farm Examining our access to sustainable food, SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. Co-presented by SPACE, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and Cultivating Community. For more information, call 828-5600, email info@space538.org, or visit www.space538.org

Thursday, May 7 - Food+Farm: Ted Ames "Fishing Voices", 7 pm, Space Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. The Stonington lobsterman and MacArthur "Genius" winner will discuss his work researching the past and future of wild fisheries and how they can be restored and used sustainably. The event will include a screening of local filmmaker, Cecily Pingree's short film, Fishing Voices. $6 or free for SPACE or MOFGA members, all ages.

Friday, May 8 - Food+Farm: Film "Food, Inc.", 7 pm, Space Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. A special advance-release screening of the new documentary exposing how corporations compromise profit over consumer health and safety in the American food industry. The film features such sustainable food luminaries as Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms), and Gary Hirshberg (Stonyfield Farm). Introduction and post-film discussion with Russell Libby, Executive Director, MOFGA. $8 or $6 for SPACE or MOFGA members, all ages.

Saturday, May 9 - Urban Gardening Fair, 9 am, Cultivating Community’s Boyd Street Urban Farm (corner of Cumberland Ave and Franklin Arterial), Portland. A free, family-friendly event featuring a variety of demonstrations including garden preparation, composting, container gardening, rainwater collection and raised bed gardening. With live music, hands-on activities and plenty of opportunities to ask your gardening questions. Free, all ages.

Saturday, May 9 - Food+Farm: Bryant Terry, 7 pm, Space Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. Eco chef, author, food justice activist, Bryant Terry works in many facets of food advocacy. He is currently a fellow of the Food and Society Policy Fellows Program and has worked to build a more just and sustainable food system and has used cooking as a tool to illuminate the intersections between poverty, structural racism, and food insecurity. $8 or $6 for SPACE or MOFGA members, all ages.

Saturday, May 9 - Compostmodern Conference on Design and Sustainability, 9 am - 3:30 pm, One Longfellow Square, Portland. AIGA Maine is pleased to present Compostmodern ME - an interdisciplinary conference that explores the range of design thinking necessary to create a socially and ecologically responsible society. Join us for a day of convergence - webcasts, live presentations and discussions at the intersection of design thinking and sustainability. Designers, manufacturers, and business leaders will come together to find inspiration, share knowledge, and explore real world opportunities for transforming products, industries, and lives. For more information, and to register online (by May 6), visit maine.aiga.org. $45 Non-AIGA Members, includes lunch.

Saturday, May 9 - International Migratory Bird Day Festival, 6 am - noon, Pine Tree State Arboretum, 153 Hospital Street, Augusta. Adult bird walks at 6 AM and 8 AM. Children's bird walk at 10 AM. Ongoing festivities from 9 AM until noon including information on caring for birds and attracting them to your own backyard, bluebird information and houses for sale, specimens on loan from Maine State Museum, and more. Children's crafts and activities, including make-your-own bird feeder out of recycled materials, owl pellet dissection, and many others! Please pre-register for bird walks by contacting Toni Pied at 621-0031 or ptsaedu@roadrunner.com

Saturday, May 9 - Sustainable Energy Conference, 8 am - 4:30 pm, Chewonki Foundation, 485 Chewonki Neck Rd, Wiscasset. Chewonki's 9th annual Sustainable Energy Conference will take place on May 9 on the Chewonki campus. The daylong conference features experts and academic leaders in the field of sustainability and renewable energy, and will showcase the latest technologies and vendors from New England. This event features a host of different renewable technologies, including tidal power, geothermal designs, solar heating, residential wind turbines, green building construction, and electric cars on hand to test drive. The conference is open to the public by reservation. If you have questions regarding the conference, please feel free to contact us: pathways@chewonki.org Registration fee includes the workshops and keynote speaker, interactive exhibits, a tour of Chewonki's renewable energy systems, a continental breakfast, and a hearty lunch. $65

Sunday, May 10 - Food+Farm University, 9 am - 5 pm, Space Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association helps organize an all-day series of intensive workshops to give attendees the skills to start producing their own sustainable food with a focus on urban/suburban food production. Topics will include small space gardening, beekeeping, chicken care, root cellars, fruit for small spaces and vermicomposting.
9:00 - 9:30 Registration
9:30 - 12:30 Urban Chicken Care (Stacy Collins)
9:30 - 11:15 Grow Your Own Organic Urban Garden (Roger Doiron, Kitchen Gardeners International)
11:30 - 12:30 Vermicomposting (Mark Follansbee, Worm Mainea)
12:30 - 2:00 Lunch Break - on your own
2:00 - 5:00 Backyard Beekeeping & Meadmaking Demo (Erin Forbes, Overland Apiaries & Eli Cayer, Maine Mead Works)
2:00 - 3:15 Basic Root Cellar Techniques for the Basement or Backyard (Cheryl Wixson, MOFGA)
3:30 - 5:00 Selecting and Growing Small Fruit in Small Spaces (Lisa Fernandes, Portland Permaculture & David Buchanan)
All-Day (2 blocks per person): each block is $12.50 or $10 for SPACE or MOFGA Members. Half-Day (1 block only) $15 or $12 for SPACE or MOFGA Members. Buy tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com

Monday, May 11 to Friday, May 15 - Commute Another Way Week is Maine's annual transportation event that promotes the use carpools, vanpools, public transit (bus, ferry and rail), bicycling and walking as cost-effective, healthy and enjoyable alternatives to driving alone to work. Since 1995, hundreds of employers and thousands of commuters throughout Maine have participated in Commute Another Way Day and helped reduce pollution and traffic, made Maine a better place to live. For more information, visit www.gomaine.org

Monday, May 11 - Gardening to Attract and Conserve Beneficial Insects and Spiders, 7 pm, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. If you are interested in natural pest management and learning how beneficial insects and spiders can help control insect pests in your yard and garden, then this workshop is for you. Mike Sowers, Cumberland County Master Gardener, will describe an ecological approach to sustainable pest management that includes the use of practical gardening and landscaping techniques to enhance essential resources for our natural enemies. Participants will learn to identify and attract the good bugs with flowering plants and creative garden design. For information, please call 833-5125. Free and open to the public. Door prizes.

Thursday, May 14 - How and Why to Keep Bees in Top Bar Beehives, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Gold Star Honeybees will present a beekeeping discussion and demonstration of top bar beekeeping. Both experienced beekeepers and "wannabee" beekeepers are encouraged to attend. For more information, please call 729-4050. Free and open to the public.

Saturday, May 16 - Birdathon 2009. Join birders throughout Maine -- from Arundel to Aroostook and Fort Kent to Fort Foster -- for this once-a-year, one-of-a-kind birding event! What is the Birdathon? It’s a bird-watching event during peak migration in which participants try to identify as many bird species as possible. Birdathon is also a great fundraising event for Maine Audubon, supporting our mission to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat. It's not to late to form a team or decide to go it alone, and then head out to count, have fun, and raise money for wildlife conservation. Questions? Call Eric Hynes at (207) 781-2330, ext. 237. Want to register, form a team, or make a pledge? Please call Linda Ledoux at (207) 781-2330, ext. 215.

Wednesday, May 20 - The Green and Lean Lecture Series: Cutting Your Electric Bill 50%, 7 pm, St. John Episcopal Church, 315 Main Street, Southwest Harbor. Green & Lean is a series of monthly lectures which focus on ways to save money and resources. We have adopted a very pragmatic approach -- no technical jargon, no complicated concepts, just straightforward, useable information you can put to use in your own home or place of work. For more information, contact Erika Shriner, 244-3532 or jerika@roadrunner.com

Thursday, May 21 - Preserving the Harvest, 10 am - 1 pm, American Legion Post 35, 413 Broadway, South Portland. Ever wonder how to preserve all those great garden vegetables? Our hands-on food preservation workshops will teach you some basics steps, like how to use pressure canners and water bath canners to preserve pickles, jam, and vegetables. Learn from the experts. We will provide fresh produce and canning jars. You will receive Preserving the Harvest Resource Materials. Registration required. Space is limited. Call the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County office at (207) 780-4205 or 800-287-1471 (in Maine) for more information or to register. Registration deadline is May 14, 2009. Course and Materials Fee: $10.00 per person.

Thursday, May 28 - Preserving the Harvest, 1 pm - 4 pm Session A, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm Session B, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Lisbon Falls County Office, 24 Main St, Lisbon Falls. Ever wonder how to preserve all those great garden vegetables? Our hands-on food preservation workshops will teach you some basics steps, like how to use pressure canners and water bath canners to preserve pickles, jam, and vegetables. Learn from the experts. We will provide fresh produce and canning jars. You will receive Preserving the Harvest Resource Materials. Registration required. Space is limited. Call the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County office at (207) 780-4205 or 800-287-1471 (in Maine) for more information or to register. Registration deadline is May 21, 2009. Course and Materials Fee: $10.00 per person.

Saturday, May 30 - Small Farm Field Day, 9 am - 4 pm, MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. This is a great day of workshops and demonstrations for farmers, gardeners and homesteaders. Activities will include: scything; yoga; horse-drawn farm equipment demos; pasture raised rabbits and butcher demonstration; poultry exhibit; low-impact forestry woodlot tour; chainsaw sharpening and basic maintenance; timber felling; weed and pest identification; homestead metalworking and blacksmithing; baking in a wood-fired oven; dairy goat milking demonstration; tours of MOFGA's windmill & solar hot water systems; spinning and fiber demonstrations; and a wild and edible plants tour. There will be vendors selling tools, garden supplies and seedlings, and lunch will be available for purchase. Admission $2.

Tuesday, June 2 - Preserving the Harvest, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, 84A Union St., Brunswick. Ever wonder how to preserve all those great garden vegetables? Our hands-on food preservation workshops will teach you some basics steps, like how to use pressure canners and water bath canners to preserve pickles, jam, and vegetables. Learn from the experts. We will provide fresh produce and canning jars. You will receive Preserving the Harvest Resource Materials. Registration required. Space is limited. Call the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County office at (207) 780-4205 or 800-287-1471 (in Maine) for more information or to register. Registration deadline is May 23, 2009. Course and Materials Fee: $10.00 per person.

News and Views

On May 1, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released "Solving the Puzzle," a special report calling climate change "the most important puzzle humankind has attempted to solve." In the report, the NSF cited compelling evidence of climate change:

• Ecologists have noted marked changes in the habitats of the species they study -- where they find a particular species and the dates plants first sprout and bloom.
• Ocean scientists have recorded higher temperatures and rising ocean acidity, which alter the characteristics of the most fundamental organisms of the ocean food chain. Coral reefs -- some of which have thrived for centuries -- have died off suddenly as a result of ocean temperatures that exceed the corals’ ability to survive.
• Polar scientists have watched vast tracts of Arctic sea ice melt away.
• Glaciologists have witnessed ice shelves -- once thought too large to be influenced by anything short of cataclysmic environmental change -- break up into icebergs in a matter of days.
• Social scientists have recorded the bewilderment of indigenous people. Their cultural knowledge, which stretches back in time through numerous generations, holds no record of the kinds of environmental changes they are encountering today.
• Paleoclimatologists have discovered -- through tree ring data, ice cores, and other corroborating records -- that the concentration of carbon dioxide, and Earth’s average temperature, are nearing levels that haven’t been reached for hundreds of thousands of years.

The NSF is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; [and] to secure the national defense." With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, the NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. They are asking for additional funding to help build the "scientific foundation for the tools that humanity may need in the future to counteract the effects of global climate change."

This year, International Compost Awareness Week is May 3 to May 9. If you like to rot a lot, this is a great time to get out some compost and spread it around!

Featured Products

Featured Products for May

Sun-Mar 200 Garden Composter

This innovative outdoor composter is based on a brilliant concept: put yard and kitchen waste in one opening, and remove finished compost from another. Inside the unit are two drums: new material enters the outer drum, fills it up, tumbles into the inner drum, then comes out the middle as finished compost. Suitable for handling kitchen scraps and small volumes of yard waste.

Direct Shipped $275 + shipping
Pick Up in Store $299

Learn more »

Kitchen Compost Bucket - Recycled Plastic

Make your home composting program easier to manage. Perfect for short-term storage of kitchen scraps, this kitchen compost carrier features an optional carbon filter to eliminate odors caused by composting materials.

Small (5.8 qts) $17.95
Large (9.6 qts) $24.95

Learn more »

Compost Swift Activator

Use this non-toxic and concentrated activator to speed the activity of aerobic bacteria in any backyard composter. Dilute one part activator with 8 parts water, then mix into materials to be composted.

32 ounces $19.95

Learn more »

Organic Seeds from Fedco

Grow your own organic garden with MOFGA certified organic seeds from Fedco Seeds. We have more than 50 varieties of their most popular vegetables, herbs and flowers, all heirloom and certified organic. It's time to start putting seeds in the ground!

Organic Seeds Packet $1.95

Learn more »

Last seed reorder May 29. We'll be placing reorders for our seed display until Friday, May 29. If we don't have what you want in stock, we may be able to special order organic seed for you from Fedco.

Worm Castings

Have you tried adding worm castings to your seed starting mix? If you have, you know what an incredible head start these give your little plants! For ensuring plant health and vigor naturally, nothing beats worm castings.

One pound $1.25

Learn more »

Kitchen Compost Pail - Stainless Steel

Do you compost? Our stainless steel compost pail is a stylish way to collect your food scraps for the compost pile or bin. Beautiful enough to leave on the kitchen counter. Easy to carry and clean. Carbon filters in lid contain odors. Replacement filters available. Holds about a gallon.

Pail and filters $34.95

Learn more »

Top Bar Beekeeping

Gold Star Honeybees will present "How and Why to Keep Bees in Top Bar Beehives," a beekeeping discussion and demonstration, at F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on Thursday, May 14 at 7 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Both experienced beekeepers and "wannabee" beekeepers are encouraged to attend.

"It's not about the honey, Honey," says Christy Hemenway, founder of Gold Star Honeybees in Bath, Maine. "It's about the bees!"

Top Bar beekeeping is a simple, bee-friendly, beekeeper-friendly, planet-friendly, and sustainable way of stewarding one of our most important pollinators. Christy Hemenway, founder of Gold Star Honeybees, will discuss the simplicity of working a Top Bar Beehive and the advantages of this method of beekeeping.

Gold Star Honeybees manufactures a kit to build your own Top Bar Beehive using the most environmentally friendly components available. Gold Star Honeybees also offers a Beekeeping Service for folks who like the idea of having bees on their property, but are not able to dedicate the time and energy it requires to keep bees. For more information about the kit and beekeping service, visit www.GoldStarHoneybees.com or call 207-449-1121.

The demonstration on Thursday will take place inside, featuring an empty kit without the actual bees. Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

This event is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly event is held at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on the second Thursday of the month.

For more information about the F.W. Horch sustainable living series, please call 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.

Solar Powered Salad

April's Sustainable Living Tip

Make the switch to a solar-powered salad by growing your own organic vegetable garden: instead of depending on petroleum to fertilize, transport, and refrigerate your produce, tap into the sun's energy to produce healthy, fresh food for you and your family.

More Facts About "Solar Salads"

1. Fifty years ago, most salad ingredients came from home gardens and farms within 50 miles of the eater; nowadays, most salad ingredients eaten in the United States come from California, Florida, Canada or Mexico.
2. Studies show that the nutritional value of conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables has declined over the last 50 years. Organically-grown heirloom varieties are not suffering from this nutritional decline. Scientists are trying to understand why conventional crops are now providing less nutritional value compared to organic crops.
3. Commercial varieties of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables are now bred for appearance, ability to survive long-distance shipping, and uniform ripening, so an entire crop can be harvested at the same time and sent to market.
4. Heirloom varieties are bred primarily for taste and staggered ripening, to provide fresh vegetables throughout the growing season.
5. Crops grown for salads are mostly water, so you could view our current large-scale agriculture and supermarket system as a very expensive and unsustainable way to transport water across the continent.
6. In cold months, salads consisting of root vegetables are a way to harness solar energy that has been collected by plants and stored for months without any need for batteries or high-tech equipment.
7. Plants create wealth literally out of thin air: during the growing season plants use solar energy to combine carbon from carbon dioxide gas in the air with hydrogen from water to create complex carbohydrates. One tomato seed worth a few pennies can create several dollars worth of tomatoes.
8. Picking fresh food from your own garden eliminates the waste of transportation, storage and refrigeration caused by supermarket produce.
9. Fertilizing your soil with home-made compost avoids dependence on fertilizers synthesized from natural gas and other fossil fuels. Healthy soils require nourishment. A sustainable source of that nourishment is compost you make yourself from food scraps you would otherwise send to the landfill, incinerate, or wash down the garbage disposal.
10. Leafy greens are one of the best crops you can grow to save money, protect your family's health, and improve the nutritional value of your meals. They are also a very flexible plant to grow: you can grow greens in flats indoors, in a container on a porch, in raised beds, or in conventional rows in the ground. Any way you do it, you'll be protecting our country's water supply, cutting down on the number of trucks on the highway, reducing the electricity demand of your local supermarket, and providing your family with affordable nutritional value.
11. Although scientific understanding of human health and nutrition is still in its infancy, there is evidence that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential to normal growth and development. Leafy green vegetables and whole grains are the most sustainable dietary source of these nutrients. Fish get omega fatty acids from algae and concentrate them in their tissues, but unfortunately fish oil also concentrates heavy metals such as mercury, which is now a pervasive environmental pollutant from coal-burning power plants. A diet high in leafy greens is a safer alternative to fish oil for omega fatty acids because leafy greens do not contain concentrations of heavy metals.
12. Have young children who won't eat their spinach? Try chopping it and mixing it in with spaghetti sauce or adding it to meatballs if your family eats meat. You'll be surprised how much healthy food you can sneak past your picky eaters!
13. Another fun strategy to encourage your family to eat their veggies is to involve them in planting seeds. While they might not have the patience to help with all the weeding, young kids do like to plant seeds and watch them grow. Try a variety of different kinds of lettuces to pique their interest. Which grow fastest? Which will taste the best? They'll be naturally curious to try eating what they've started. Plus, by the time the harvest is ready they'll have a much better understanding of where their food actually comes from.

Environmental Happenings

New store hours at F.W. Horch in Brunswick:
Mon 9:30-4, T-F 9:30-7, Sat: 9:30-6, Sun Closed.

Events in Maine

TODAY Thursday, April 2 - Carbon Nation: Maine’s Role in Solving the Climate Crisis, 6:00 pm, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial Street, Portland. Join Conservation Law Foundation and the League of Young Voters for a sneak peek of the upcoming documentary Carbon Nation. This distinctive film strives to find global warming solutions on the local level rather than focusing on the vast problem. Come be a part of the solution and learn about local and state actions Maine can take to address the crucial challenge of climate change. To watch a clip of the documentary, see www.carbonnation.tv

TODAY Thursday, April 2 - Community-Based Lobster Science, 7:00 pm, Bath City Hall. Join Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) for the seventh presentation in this season’s Winter Speaker Series. This evening's presentation features Diane Cowan, Director of The Lobster Conservancy. To receive more information on FOMB’s programs call Misty Gorski, Executive Coordinator, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, at 582-5608 or fomb@gwi.net. Full speaker schedule and biographies are available on the web at www.friendsofmerrymeetingbay.org.

Friday, April 3 - Town Hall Meeting on the Economy, Health Care, War, and the Environment, 6:30 pm, Hannaford Hall, USM, Portland. Sponsored by fifty grassroots organizations, this Town Hall is a chance for citizens to share our vision for what our elected officials and our nation should be doing to deal with our multiple crises at this important time. Democracy only works if the people build it. More information available on the Peace Action Maine web site.

Sunday, April 5 - Japanese and Siberian Irises, 1:00 pm, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Brunswick Park and Gardens is hosting a garden talk by Sharon Whitney of Eartheart Gardens of Harpswell. Sharon will show slides and discuss the culture of Japanese and Siberian irises. Much of Sharon’s experience comes from her years of association with famed iris breeder D r. Currier McEwen who developed more than a hundred new varieties of irises during his career. Talk is free and open to the public. For more information call 833-5125.

Thursday, April 9 - Gardeners of the Spirit, 7 pm, F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies, Brunswick. Filmmaker Eric Herter will show and discuss his inspirational documentary film, "Gardeners of the Spirit." The film covers the works of 'gardeners of the spirit' across the US, as they build community through the collaborative creation of peaceful, beautiful green sanctuaries in cities, schools, hospitals and prisons. Seating is limited, so please reserve a space by calling us at 729-4050.

Thursday, April 16 - Solar Energy Open House, 6-7:30 pm, 8 Abby Lane, Richmond. How might a solar energy system work in your home? What type of performance can you expect here in Maine? How much does a system cost and what's the payback? Join ReVision Energy to find out the answers to these questions and more! Call Jen at 221-6342 if you have any questions or want to know more about this event.

Sunday, May 3 - Native Orchids, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Save the date for this next Brunswick Park and Gardens presentation: Jeff Deetz, an orchid expert from Massachusetts, will discuss native orchids.

Thursday, May 7 - Legal Advocacy: Fighting for Environmental Justice, 7:00 pm, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Featuring David Nicholas, Attorney-at-Law, this event is part of a series sponsored by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay with support and valuable door prizes from Patagonia Outlet in Freeport. Free and open to the public.

News and Views

For the first time since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a "victory garden," a working garden at the White House will provide fresh produce for the presidential kitchen. On March 20, Michelle Obama helped break ground on the new garden which will grow butterhead and red leaf lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, carrots and peas, plus a range of herbs. The first family is in good company: seed companies are reporting record sales to home gardeners this year.

Featured Products for April

Organic Seeds from Fedco

Grow your own organic garden with MOFGA certified organic seeds from Fedco Seeds. We have more than 50 varieties of their most popular vegetables, herbs and flowers, all heirloom and certified organic. Seed-starting season is here, and outdoor gardens are just around the corner!

Organic Seeds Packet $1.95

Learn more »

Order on your own from Fedco? Next year put your order in with ours and save on shipping and handling. We place our first seed order in January.

Worm Castings

Have you tried adding worm castings to your seed starting mix? If you have, you know what an incredible head start these give your little plants! For ensuring plant health and vigor naturally, nothing beats worm castings.

One pound $0.99 - ON SALE!

Learn more »

Kitchen Compost Pail - Stainless Steel

Do you compost? Our stainless steel compost pail is a stylish way to collect your food scraps for the compost pile or bin. Beautiful enough to leave on the kitchen counter. Easy to carry and clean. Carbon filters in lid contain odors. Replacement filters available. Holds about a gallon.

Pail and filters $34.95

Learn more »

Kitchen Compost Pail - Bamboo

For those who prefer a more natural appearance in their kitchens, we offer our bamboo compost pail. Just as stylish as our stainless steel, provides the same ability to collect your food scraps for the compost pile or bin. Beautiful enough to leave on the kitchen counter. Plastic liner slips out that is easy to carry and clean. Carbon filters in lid contain odors. Replacement filters available. Holds about a gallon.

Pail and filters $34.95

Learn more »

Home Composting Made Easy

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for composting in your own backyard. Instead of overburdening your local landfill, learn how to turn kitchen scraps, yard trimmings and paper scraps into "black gold" for your lawn and garden.

Booklet $2.95

Learn more »

Composting and Organic Gardening Books

Drop by the store for a great selection of home composting and organic gardening books. We can help you nourish your soil and your family this year!

Composting Worms

Need to start a worm bin? Get a Chinese take out box of red wigglers (Eisenia foetida), including a healthy dose of food for the worms to work on while your worm bin is getting started plus the mini-ecosystem of creatures that help the worms break down food into castings. When you get your starter package, add the worms and the active compost they are living in to your worm bin. Feed them small amounts several times a week. Within a few weeks you'll have hundreds of worms!

Starter pack of worms $6

Learn more »

Wiggle Room Worm Bin

Let worms eat your garbage with the Wiggle Room worm bin. Stocked with Maine-grown red worms in leaves or shredded paper bedding, this is your basic vermiculture system. Push aside the bedding to feed your worms, and add more shredded paper when necessary. Pop the cork to collect worm tea, a great liquid fertilizer. Everything you need to get started right away (including worms).
NOTE: Available for pick up in store only.

Wiggle Room bin small $39.95 (including worms)

Wiggle Room bin large $44.95 (including worms)

Learn more »

Gardeners of the Spirit

Here at our store, F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick, we will host a showing of "Gardeners of the Spirit," followed by a discussion led by Brunswick filmmaker Eric Herter on Thursday, April 9, at 7:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

"An Arizona-based group working to install school and community gardens asked us to talk with them about a documentary on their projects," said Herter. "Out of these talks came the idea that the film should cover the works of 'gardeners of the spirit' across the US, as they build community through the collaborative creation of peaceful, beautiful green sanctuaries in cities, schools, hospitals and prisons."

Starting in Maine, Boston, the Bronx and North Philadelphia, Brunswick residents Eric and Hoa Herter began shooting "Gardeners of the Spirit." They then moved by rent-a-car (daughter and all) from Minneapolis to Des Moines, St. Louis, Fort Worth, Phoenix, LA and the Bay Area, seeing vibrant gardens in ruined city-scapes, and recording meetings with remarkable people. "Gardeners of the Spirit" attempts to convey some of the spirit of the gardens and their creators.

Eric will be on hand to discuss his experiences making the film and share information about the proposed Brunswick Park and Gardens. He worked for years as a magazine writer/ photographer/ editor before starting to produce independent TV films for film festivals and local PBS affiliates. In the mid-'90s he became the producer for Associated Press Television in Hanoi, Vietnam, making videos for worldwide broadcast on Vietnamese human-interest and environmental topics. While with AP, he met and married Tran Thi Hoa, a photographer doing photo assignments for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). After their daughter was born in the late '90s, Hoa and Eric teamed up to produce video documentaries for the UN, international broadcast networks, and NGOs doing development and environmental work in Vietnam . Several of their environmental films are re-broadcast regularly in Vietnam.

Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

This event is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly event is held at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on the second Thursday of the month.

For more information, please call 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.