Friday, April 04, 2008

Local Environmental Scene - April Events

Saturday, April 5 -- 'Eat Locally, Act Globally', a talk by Wendy Holm, from 10:30-12pm at the Curtis Memorial Library. Holm is an agronomist from British Columbia and leads trips to Cuba to bring together farmers and chefs to learn from each other about sustainable agriculture. See www.brunswicktrinidad.org or email tlphillips@suscom-maine.net FMI.

Saturday, April 5 -- 3rd Annual Local & Sustainable Foods Conference: Growing Our Skills and Our Community, 9:30 am - 8 pm, Unity Performing Arts Center, Unity. Sliding scale cost. The conference features skill and issue based workshops, panel discussion, a Maine FEEDS Maine style breakout session and two keynote speakers, both of whom are working to protect their food independence. Sessions followed by a local foods dinner. foodformainesfuture.org/blog/

Wednesday, April 9 -- "Thwings Point Archaeology", a talk by Maine Historic Preservation Commission archaeologist, Lee Cranmer. Join Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) on Wednesday, April 9th, 7:00 p.m. at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick for the seventh presentation of their 2007/2008 Winter Speaker Series. www.FriendsOfMerrymeetingBay.org

Wednesday, April 9 to Sunday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 16 to Saturday, April 19 -- Tour a LEED Platinum House in Freeport, Maine. The Cranberry Ridge home is the first in the Northeast, and only the fourth in the country, to receive LEED-H platinum status, as awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. House is open for self-guided tours between 10 am and 4 pm. Cost is $15; proceeds benefit Freeport Community Services. www.FreeportUSA.com/leedhouse.html

Saturday, April 12 -- Maine Garden Day Workshops, Educational Displays, and Trade Show, 7:15 AM to 3:15 pm, Central Maine Community College, Auburn, Maine. We'll have a table there for F.W. Horch, so swing by and say hi! www.umext.maine.edu/mainegardenday/

Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19 -- Midcoast Sustainable Energy Expo, Central Lincoln County YMCA, Damariscotta. Friday, 12:00 - 6:00 pm, Saturday, 9:00 - 4:00 pm. Last year's Sustainable Energy Expo was an unqualified success. Over 2,000 visitors came to see over 45 exhibits and participate in various educational programs. Based on this success, the Expo is now an annual event. This year will bring together people who are marketing, designing or manufacturing renewable and sustainable energy products or offer services to improve the efficiency of existing energy systems. We'll have a table there for F.W. Horch; hope to see you at the Expo! www.midcoastgreencollaborative.org/expo.html

Saturday, April 19 -- South Portland Earth Day Clean Up, 9 am - 12 pm, at various locations throughout South Portland. The South Portland Land Trust is teaming up with local groups in the area and are asking individuals and organizations to participate. Groups can choose whatever locations they prefer. Contact Richard Rottkov at rrottkov@yahoo.com

Monday, April 21 to Saturday, April 26 -- Earth Week 2008 at Frontier Cafe in Brunswick. Films and discussions all week long at 7pm. Additional show times on Friday and Saturday. www.ExploreFrontier.com

Tuesday, April 22 -- Earth Day Celebration, 10 am - 2 pm in Portland's Congress Square. This year's theme is Transportation: "You CAN get there from here!" Lots of fun and information, with the square closed off to car traffic until 2 pm. The Portland Bike Meetup group will be providing valet bike parking.

Thursday, April 24 -- "Renewable Energy from Maine's Forests", talk by Pete Didisheim, Natural Resources Council of Maine, 7:30 pm Shannon Room, Hubbard Hall, Bowdoin College. Didisheim will talk about opportunities for renewable energy projects from Maine's northern forests.

Saturday April 26 -- Brunswick Bike Fair, 11 am - 2 pm, Downtown Mall. The Brunswick Sustainability Group invites you to take part in a Bike Fair in Brunswick. The goals of the Bike Fair are to encourage attendees to view bicycling as a viable means of transportation in and around our community, to motivate people to get on their bikes, and to celebrate current bikers. Our hope is that the fair, through gear and safety demonstrations, group rides, and information by a number of organizations, will motivate people to view and ride bicycles as more than just a form of exercise but as an effective and efficient form of transportation. F.W. Horch is proud to be a supporter of this event! BSG Bike Events Contact: Maggie Soulman, ecosquirrel@hotmail.com, 617.512-0437.

Saturday, April 26 -- Chewonki Foundation Pathways to a Sustainable Future, Sustainable Energy Conference, 8:30 am-4 pm, at the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset. This unique and vibrant program is responsible for developing materials and demonstration projects on a wide range of topics, from solid-waste management to the use of renewable fuels, such as solar, wind, hydro, bio-fuels and hydrogen. $48- $58 to register, see www.chewonki.org/pathways/pathways_conferences.asp.

Sunday, April 27 -- The Great Maine Bike Swap, 10 am - 2 pm, Sullivan Gym at USM. The bike swap offers a great way to buy and sell used bicycles. A portion of all sales supports the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's education and safety programs. Valet bike parking provided. See www.bikemaine.org/bikeswap.htm.

Sunday, April 27 -- Green Streets Earth Day Bike Parade, 12:30 - 2 pm, Sullivan Gym at USM. In conjunction with the Bike Coalition's Bike Swap (see above). This is a fun event for for all ages and abilities! The parade will run in a loop from the Swap at USM’s Sullivan Gym, down to and around the Back Cove Trail, and then return to the Swap (complete with police escort!). portlandgreenstreets.org

Sunday, May 4 -- The Great Maine Bike Swap (Second date, different location), 10 am - 2 pm, UME Orono's new Student Recreation and Fitness Center. The bike swap offers a great way to buy and sell used bicycles. A portion of all sales supports the Bicycle Coalition of Maine's education and safety programs. www.bikemaine.org/bikeswap.htm

News from ReVision Energy

Pat Coon of the newly-named ReVision Energy writes,

I've got a couple of things I'd like to get out to the world of energy aware citizens:

1. Brite Built Barn. This is a net zero building we've been working on that has a cool blog and tracks a neat project. We'll share more info on this project next time...

2. Adam Cote is running for the first district's seat. He has worked in renewable energy and seems like an excellent candidate. I'd like to get out the word about his candidacy.

3. Here's a link to a green build course put on by Waterfall Arts in Belfast. It should be really good. Check it out here.

Jen Hatch from ReVision Energy's Portland office writes,

Happy Spring to all!

April showers bring May flowers . . . and an abundance of trade show events that we will be attending!

Coming up:

MidCoast Sustainable Energy Expo at the Central Lincoln County YMCA in Damariscotta
Friday, April 18th from 12-6pm
Saturday, April 19th, from 9-4pm
For more information email: midcoastgreencollaborative@gmail.com

The Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset presents a Sustainable Energy Conference on April 26th from 9-5pm. If you have questions regarding the conference, please feel free to contact: pathways@chewonki.org

May 10thSmart Energy Expo 12-5pm at the Kennebunk High School
Sponsored by the Maine Partners for Cool Communities
For information contact Jennifer Niese at: turnstone@gwi.net

May 16thMEBSR Conference at the Abromson Center, USM from 8 -5:30pm
What is sustainable business and how can your company benefit from incorporating it into your business operations? Come hear the compelling experiences of business large and small as their behind-the-scenes strategies, stories, and bottom line profits are presented from a variety of angles.
We invite all businesses and individuals, members or not, to join us on May 16th at the USM Abromson Center in Portland, for this inspiring gathering in a casual atmosphere to gail tools and skills for building a vibrant and rewarding future for Maine businesses.
MEBSR is a network of Maine businesses working together to achieve sustainable business success. Join today and become part of a business community focused on integrating people, planet and profit.
Contact Sanna McKim for more information: 338-8908

Hope to see you at one of these events! As always, please call our office to find out how we could put renewable energy to work for you, 221-6342.

Be well,
Jen

New Products: Bokashi and more!

Here are some new products you can find on our web site:

  • Bokashi
    With Bokashi, you can convert kitchen scraps into an organic compost soil conditioner through a process of fermenting and pickling. Takes less time than conventional composting methods and produces no odors. Can even compost meat scraps!
  • Brill Razorcut 38 Push Reel Mower
    The Brill Razorcut 38 Push Reel Mower is a beautifully designed people-powered mower. Using the Brill contact free cutting technique, the blades are precision sharpened to within a hundreth of a millimetre, leaving a lawn cut as if with scissors.
  • SafePaint Wall Milk Paint
    SafePaint is Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company's new line of organic milk paint for use on walls. Like their regular milk paint, SafePaint is environmentally safe and non-toxic.

Reducing Your Home Energy Costs - April's Sustainable Living Talk

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host a talk by Tim Vrabel, Deputy Director, Energy Programs Division of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, titled "Reducing Your Home Energy Costs," on Thursday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public.

Vrabel will discuss how to reduce the impacts of increasing home heating and energy bills, with a focus on low-cost or no-cost approaches to improving energy efficiency. He will explain how Maine residents can take advantage of Efficiency Maine incentive programs that help pay for energy upgrades. These programs include instant rebates on compact fluorescent lights and the Maine Home Performance program that guides the homeowner through the process of assessing home energy use to contacting a qualified contractor to make improvements.

Efficiency Maine is a statewide effort to promote the more efficient use of electricity, help Maine residents and businesses reduce energy costs, and improve Maine's environment. Efficiency Maine is funded by electricity consumers and administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

Those who attend Thursday's talk will learn where the heat in our homes and apartments goes, have the opportunity to ask about specific problems they are experiencing, and participate in a straightforward discussion of solutions and costs. In addition, Vrabel will provide an overview of wind and solar renewable energy resources and the rebate and tax incentive programs that are available to help people take advantage of them.

Free refreshments and handouts will be provided.

Space is limited. To reserve a seat or for more information, please call 729-4050.

Saving Water - Sustainable Living Tip for April

The most sustainable source of fresh water falls from the sky. Try a rain barrel to collect and store rain water.

More to know about Water

  1. With a roof area of 1,000 square feet, for every inch of rain you can collect approximately 600 gallons of rainwater.
  2. During an average year in Brunswick (48 inches of annual rainfall) with a 1,000 square foot roof you could collect 28,800 gallons of water.
  3. According to the United Nations Development Program, the average annual water consumption per person in Great Britain is 14,600 gallons, whereas in the United States it is 54,570 gallons.
  4. Putting your rain barrel up on blocks will allow you to water any area of your yard that is lower than the barrel spigot.
  5. Rain water is ideal for irrigation because it does not contain dissolved salts.
  6. Rain barrels should have screens to keep out leaves and mosquitoes.
  7. Rain barrels should have tight-fitting lids to prevent children and animals from falling into the barrel.
  8. Rain barrels should have overflow diverters to allow excess water to be directed where desired. Multiple barrels can be connected.
  9. In winter, rain barrels should be kept no more than 3/4 full to allow room for expansion as water freezes.
  10. By capturing storm run-off from your roof, you are helping your local community manage storm water cost effectively.
  11. By using rain water, you are protecting your community's other water resources from being depleted.
  12. Using rain water saves energy because ground or surface water doesn't have to be pumped to you.
  13. Using rain water instead of treated city water saves unnecessary use of chlorine and other chemicals.
  14. Fresh rain water carries a much lower risk of chemical or biological contamination than surface or well water, but if you plan to drink your rain water, you may want to filter or boil it just in case.
  15. Whether or not you are able to collect rain water, it's still important to use water efficiently. Low-flow showerheads that use less than 2.5 gallons per minute are an easy investment for a more water-efficient household.

Featured Products

Jack's Rain Barrel
Jack's rain barrel is made from a re-used 45 to 55 gallon food-grade polyethylene container, terra-cotta in color, with a screw top lid and bottom spigot for attaching a garden hose. $75 pick up in store only.


Niagara Chrome Showerhead. The 2.0 gpm adjustable spray of this showerhead delivers a broad, rain-like spray or a focused, pulsating massaging spray. More info >

Green Beams

GREEN BEAMS – INTEGRATING GREEN DESIGN INTO MAINE BUILDINGS

Tuition: $200; scholarships available

I. Green Benchmarks: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design System (LEED)

Tuesday class, April 1; Site visit, Sat April 5: Presenter:

Ayola Greene
Contact info: 323-6874 (c)
ayola@eacarchitecture.com

Site visit(s) are planned for Cranberry Ridge, a platinum-certified LEED house in Freeport that is having an April 5 open house to benefit Freeport Community Services. Possibly another house in Freeport.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for design and construction of "green" buildings. It was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) which is a non-profit organization. On April first, we will discuss the line items that help a residential building fit within this system. LEED is mostly energy focused - we can also discuss items that are not included in this rating system.

There are 178 LEED certified buildings in the United States and Canada; seven are in Maine. On April fifth, we will tour one of them, Cranberry Ridge. Cranberry Ridge is a spec house designed by Richard Renner and built by Wright Ryan Construction. It achieved the highest rating - platinum. It is still on the market and is open for the benefit of Freeport Community Services. We will be able to see first hand what items helped this house achieve LEED platinum status. Also, the house is furnished by local craftspeople with sustainable products.

Bios:
Ayola Greene is an architect, living in Belfast and working with Eric Chase Architecture in Brooksville. She joined the USGBC in New York City in 1998 and continues participating in the Maine chapter on the program committee. Her main interests in the sustainable field are indoor air quality (IAQ) and material beauty, composition and life cycle.

Danuta Drozdowicz was the LEED provider project manager of the Cranberry Ridge while working with Fore Solutions. She has recently established an new organization centered around sustainable issues and consulting called Context Collaborative. [Danuta will be showing us around the place.]

II. Integrated design theory - Tuesday, April 15; site visit, Sat., April 19 Presenter: Matt O’Malia

matthew omalia design office llc
Work: 338-1566
91 Cedar St., Belfast, Me. 04915
mtomalia@verizon.net

Site visit: a home in Belfast/Searsmont area

To build in an environmentally sustainable way requires that we make smaller more efficient buildings that respond directly to occupant comfort as well as a specific climate. The more demands we put on our buildings in terms of their comfort, environmental performance and longevity, the more complex the design of the building and its components become. Integrated design theory addresses this complexity, and seeks design solutions that incorporate it into a seamless whole. The first half of the presentation will look closely at defining the specific issues of building in this climate assuming specific energy goals. The second half will look at the design opportunities, exploring ways to use the built form to integrate the factors of climate, site, orientation, massing, construction, program, and heating/ cooling into a coherent design solution.

Bio:
Matthew O'Malia received his Bachelor in Environmental Design from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio in 1993 and a post graduate degree in Architecture at the Staedelschule Kunst Akadame in Frankfurt in 1997. Matthew joined Elliott Elliott Norelius Architects in 1998 and worked there as a project architect until 2007, and in the same year founded Matthew Omalia Design Office llc, a multi disciplinary design office in Belfast Maine.

III. Green by the Numbers – class, Tues, April 29; site visit, Saturday, May 3:

Presenter: Alan Gibson

Gibson Design/Build, Inc
163 Moosehead Trail
Waldo ME 04915
mobile 323-3079
home 722-3079
work agibson@pivot.net

Site one described below; Working on a second Belfast site to visit

Green by the Numbers will look at the potential energy savings in a typical 2,000 sq. ft. home by comparing a standard-built house with a “super-built” house. Through energy modeling I will show that the “super” house uses 20% of the energy for space heating that the standard house uses. I will describe the changes to the envelope required to achieve this level of energy reduction, and the class will go through the process of determining heat loss and solar heat gain with energy calculations. For the field trip we will visit a house I built recently in Belfast to these specifications.

Bio:
Alan Gibson is the owner of Gibson Design/Build, Inc., a general contracting and design company based in Waldo. For many years, he’s been trying to crack the nut of highly-efficient design coupled with affordability in home building.

IV. Pushing the Envelope - Best Practices for Energy Efficient, High- Performance Buildings – class, Tuesday, May 13; site visit, Sat., May 17; Presenter: Richard Riegel Burbank,

Evergreen Home Performance
328 Main St, #207
Rockland, ME 04841
Office: 207-594-2244, 1-877-538-2244
Fax: 1-877-429-5458
Cell: 207-691-6517
richard@evergreenhp.com
www.evergreenhp.com

Site visits: one would be a energy analysis of WA building, plus a second bldg in Belfast, tbd

In the US, buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all energy consumption and green house gas emissions annually; globally the percentage is even greater. Improving energy efficiency of buildings is crucial with the dramatic increases in oil prices and concern over global warming.

While there is great interest and glamour in alternate energy sources like solar, a building’s outer shell, or “building envelope”, determines how much energy is required to keep the interior comfortable. Maximizing the envelope’s performance can dramatically reduce the demand for energy, whatever the source.

We’ll discuss the building envelope and how it is a crucial detail for achieving energy efficiency in any new construction or renovation. Focus will be on state of the art practices that integrate a well-insulated, air-tight building envelope with good ventilation for indoor air quality.

We will discuss the pitfalls and potential building failures when striving for energy efficiency in a construction or renovation project.

Maine’s large stock of older homes have lasted for 100 years and more precisely because they are drafty and burned lots of fuel to heat through the winter. Making an older home comfortable and efficient requires insulating and sealing drafts as well as a plan to address moisture, ensure good indoor air quality and prevent mold and rot.

Burbank will demonstrate how high-tech diagnostic tools, including the infrared camera and the blower door, can help assess the performance of a building envelope. During the site visit, these tools will be demonstrated on the Waterfall Arts building to show lack of insulation in the walls and air leakage through the building.

Some recent projects in new construction and retrofit will be presented including a new super efficient dormitory project at College of the Atlantic, a local home energy and building performance renovation project, and an elementary school air leakage reduction project.

Bio:
Richard Riegel Burbank founded Evergreen Home Performance LLC in 2006. The company provides building diagnostics and building envelope installation and renovation. Projects range from installing cellulose in new construction and retrofit, air leakage reduction in residential and commercial buildings, and moisture mitigation in basements and crawlspaces. He is one of the first Building Performance Institute certified analysts in Maine, and an affiliated contractor with Maine Home Performance with Energy Star and ZeroDraft.

V. Energy Systems Integration – class, Tues., May 27; site visit, Sat, May 31 Presenter: Pat Coon

ReVision Energy
90 W. Main St.
Liberty ME 04949
Pat@ReVisionenergy.com
www.ReVisionenergy.com
589-3234
323-1805

Site visits: Thanhauser house needs confirmation, working on a second site in Belfast area

We'll explore various techniques to produce the energy necessary for a modern, efficient home. We'll look at the competing interests of simplicity, efficiency and up front costs in the design process. What technologies are available and when should each be used? Specific attention will be placed on biomass for heat (wood and pellets), solar electricity, solar thermal energy, wind, and fossil fuels.

I'd like a field trip to include the Thanhauser residence in Belfast, new construction that heats with wood, and has solar hot water and Photovoltaic Electricity. Another field trip can be to the ReVision Energy shop in Liberty, where we heat with a high efficiency wood boiler, and have solar hot water for domestic hot water, plus lots of fun things to play with.

Bio:
Pat Coon is a founding Partner in ReVision Energy, formerly Energyworks, the state’s leading installer of renewable energy systems.

VI. Putting it All Together: Case Studies – class Tuesday, June 10; site visits, Saturday, June 14;

Presenters: Sarah Holland and David Foley

Holland & Foley
Work: 338-9869
232 Beech Hill Rd.
Northport ME 04849
david@hollandandfoley.com
sarah@hollandandfoley.com
www.hollandandfoley.com

Site visits: Northport office, Camden house

Putting it All Together: Case Studies will be a presentation of several projects which incorporate processes and techniques discussed in previous classes as well as new ideas. David and Sarah will focus on three different projects and have time for Q &A afterwards. The field trip will include visits to two of these projects. The first is our new office in Northport, which is currently under construction. The second is a new house completed last year in Camden.

Bios:
Sarah Holland is a registered architect with over 20 years of experience. She worked with several firms in New England before entering private practice. Sarah attended the State University of New York at Buffalo in the ‘80’s and graduated from the Boston Architecture Center in 1988. She has held an interest in solar design and environmental building throughout her career.

David Foley has worked in environmental building since 1980, as a designer, builder, researcher and teacher. He worked for several architecture firms before joining Sarah. He has a Masters of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, a Masters of Professional Studies in Resource Economics from the University of Maine, and a Bachelor of Arts in Community Design from Dartmouth College.

Holland & Foley Architecture L.L.C. was founded in 1994 as a firm focusing on environmentally responsible design. Together, David Foley and Sarah Holland have worked on numerous residential, institutional and commercial projects throughout Maine, which share a common thread of energy and environmental mindfulness.