Environmental Happenings

Tuesday, February 19 -- Frontier Cafe in Brunswick will show a special screening of Kilowatt Ours, a film about energy conservation and alternative energy. For more information about the film, visit http://www.kilowattours.org/

Sunday, February 10 -- Learn about community supported agriculture at a CSA Fair near you. Connect with good, clean and fair food. Buy a share in a local farm's harvest. Grow a relationship with a Maine farm. Purchase farm products and food. Enjoy refreshments and snacks. Free fairs will be held from 1 - 4 pm in four locations:

• Auburn - St. Michael's Episcopal Parish, 78 Pleasant St
• Bangor - Redeemer Lutheran Church, 540 Essex St
• Hallowell - St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 18 Union St
• Portland - First Parish Church of Portland, 425 Congress St

Thursday, January 31 -- USM joins over a thousand schools across the nation in hosting a day long "Focus the Nation" conference addressing issues surrounding sustainability and the environment. For details, visit http://www.usm.maine.edu/reslife/SLC/

The New York Times reports on January 29 that conservation scientists are grappling with the implications of globale climate change. "We have over a 100-year investment nationally in a large suite of protected areas that may no longer protect the target ecosystems for which they were formed," said Healy Hamilton, director of the California Academy of Sciences. Areas that are now forests may become deserts, islands may disappear as sea levels rise, and rivers may become too warm to support many species of fish.

Maine Street Station Project in Brunswick is underway. The last in-fill location in downtown, the site is being redeveloped in anticipation of the return of passenger rail service to Brunswick. Concrete and soil contaminated with coal ash are being removed, with plans for the material to be mixed into asphalt to be used on site. For the latest developments, visit http://www.brunswickme.org/ecdev/mssic/latest-happenings.htm

On January 13, the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) approved TransCanada's 44-turbine wind-power project near the Canadian border in Franklin County, but rejected Maine Mountain Power's 18-turbine project on Black Nubble Mountain in Redington and Wyman townships. Last year LURC also rejected a larger 30-turbine proposal on Redington Mountain which would have been visible from the Appalachian Trail.

News from Energyworks -- now ReVision Energy

Jen Hatch of the newly-named ReVision Energy writes,

What’s in a Name?
To our friends who have known us as Energyworks, we have chosen a new company name due to pressures by another energy company with the same name who has requested the exclusive rights to it. We’ve chosen to change our name to ReVision Energy.

There is double meaning behind ReVision Energy, it is a Renewable Energy Vision, and also an idea that it is time to revision energy. Energy is within us, amongst us, it fuels us. Where does that energy come from, where does it go when it’s used up?

As a society, we realize our relationship with energy is increasingly intimate; we realize how we use energy today will affect the sustainability of not only today but generations to come. To re-envision energy is to look at ourselves as apart of a whole equation, our causes have an effect and our next move must be a conscious one. At Energyworks, I mean, ReVision Energy, we are always happy to share information on how homeowners can integrate solar applications into their home design.

Not only is solar beneficial to the environment, but also to your wallet, ensuring savings by decreasing your consumption of the increasing costs of oil, gas, and electricity. There are tax credits and state rebates that help pay for the cost of installation, call our office to find out more – 221-6342.

February Home Show
ReVision Energy will be exhibiting at the Maine Home, Remodeling & Garden Show Saturday February 16^th and Sunday February 17^th. The show is going to be held at the Cumberland County Civic Center, in Portland. It will run from 10-7pm on Saturday and 10-5pm on Sunday. Cost for admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and children under 10 is free.

We will be giving a presentation on solar hot water and solar electric systems and how they can benefit you as a homeowner on Sunday from 11-12pm. We will have a booth set up all day, both days, so please come by to check us out.

Be Well,
Jen

Products News and Tips for January 2008

January's talk on worm composting was filled to capacity. More than two dozen people came down to the store to learn about the hands-down best way to deal with kitchen scraps in the winter.

Are you ready to try "vermiculture"? Come on in to check out the Can-O-Worms or our own design, the Wiggle Room worm bin. You can also pick up packages of red wiggler worms.

When you visit, be sure to take a copy of our FREE vermiculture handout and check out our selection of worm composting books. We sell the classic Worms Eat My Garbage among others.

Spring will be here before you know it! Worm castings give seedlings a great head start. If you aren't raising your own worms, be sure to buy worm castings from us. Not only do they provide a boost to young plants, but they can rejuvenate aging house plants when added as a top dressing to the soil. Much better than synthetic chemical fertilizers.

In the meantime, this year we have a real Maine winter to survive. Keep out the cold air and keep yourself comfortable with fragrant Maine Balsam draft stoppers at the ready. What old home in Maine doesn't have a draft below at least one window or door?

You may be struggling to understand where the money's going when you pay your heating bills. If so, I highly recommend that you read The Home Energy Diet. Its subtitle says it all: How to Save Money by Making Your House Energy Smart.

In our household we discovered that our clothes dryer was a major component of our electric bill. So we switched to air-drying our clothes indoors with folding wooden drying racks.

Along with the best drying racks made in Maine, Dave Holmes of Pittsfield is now also supplying our store with the best wooden laundry hamper made in Maine. Drop by the store to take a look at the clever double hamper he has designed for us. Beautiful, functional, durable and sustainable!

Efficient Lighting - Sustainable Living Tip for January 2008

When upgrading a friend's house or your own to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs), put all of the old-fashioned energy-wasting incandescent bulbs in a box, label it, and store it in the basement, attic, or garage. It's better to replace as many bulbs as possible to start saving money (and the planet) as soon as you can. But don't throw away your old bulbs! Keep a stash of spare bulbs to use in a pinch.

More to know about CFLs

1. Electricity in Maine costs about 15.5 cents per kilowatt hour, well above the national average. To operate a 100 watt incandescent bulb for 10,000 hours costs about $155. To operate the equivalent CFL costs $38.75. The purchase price of a light bulb is a small fraction of the operating cost.
2. To help offset the cost of buying new CFLs, the state of Maine--through select retailers like F.W. Horch--offers a $1.00 per bulb instant rebate to Maine residents.
3. CFLs are about four times more efficient than incandescents. So you can replace a 60 watt incandescent with a 15 watt CFL.
4. All CFLs contain a tiny bit of mercury vapor inside a glass tube. You should NEVER throw away a CFL in your regular trash. Instead, bring them back to F.W. Horch for proper recycling at the end of their useful lives.
5. If you break a CFL, sweep up the bits with two pieces of paper to avoid touching the broken glass. Put everything in a glass jar and seal it. Then dispose of it during one of your town's household hazardous waste disposal days.
6. CFLs can work with dimming and three-way switches, but only if their ballast is rated for those applications. Make sure to ask for dimmable or three-way CFLs if you need them. They are more expensive than CFLs that can't handle being dimmed.
7. The light quality of CFLs varies widely. Shop for CFLs in a store that offers a light bank so you can see the difference before you buy. All CFLs generate ultraviolet (UV) light inside a glass tube. The UV light is absorbed by a phosphor coating and re-emitted as visible light. Different mixes of phosphors produce different kinds of light.
8. Modern CFLs do not hum or flicker. Decades ago, fluorescent lamps used magnetic ballasts to pulse electricity through the mercury vapor inside the glass tube. This resulted in humming and flickering. Modern CFLs use electronic ballasts, which send electricity through the mercury vapor in a way that allows the phosphors to emit a quiet, steady glow.
9. Some CFLs rated "instant on" are better than others. F.W. Horch sells CFLs that really do light up when you flip the switch, without an annoying delay. It's best to shop at a store that lets you test the bulbs before you buy them.
10. CFLs are rated by their start temperature. If the temperature is below their rating, they may fail to light. If you are planning to use CFLs outside during the winter in Maine, make sure they have a low start temperature rating. F.W. Horch sells bulbs that are rated to start at 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
11. CFLs should last several years. Most are rated to provide 10,000 hours of light on average. Write the date of installation on the base with a marker so you can track how long yours are lasting. If you notice that CFLs are failing in certain locations, it is a good idea to have an electrician check the circuit. You may find a problem with your house electrical wiring that could be dangerous. If you know which circuit is which, you can also check the voltage and herz rate with a Kill-A-Watt meter, available at F.W. Horch.

"Sustainabilty at Bowdoin College" talk on Thursday, Feb. 14

Keisha Payson, Bowdoin College's Sustainability Coordinator, will give a talk titled "Sustainability at Bowdoin College," on Thursday, Feb. 14th, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the F.W. Horch store, 56 Maine Street, in downtown Brunswick. The talk is free and open to the public.

"As a four year institution, each year there is a new audience to engage," says Payson. "And there are new technologies continually emerging that we can explore as means of reducing our environmental impact. I've been in my position six years and it's never boring."

Payson will talk about commitments that Bowdoin College has made to lower greenhouse gas emissions and the strategies the College has undertaken to begin that process. Topics will include everything from renovating older buildings on campus to improve energy efficiency and incorporate renewable energy sources, to how the College engages with students to take an active role in helping to conserve energy, reduce waste and support local agriculture.

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

The talk 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 at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday of the month. March's talk will be on the topic of designing and building your own super efficient home.