Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Environmental Happenings

What's Happening in the Local Environmental Scene and Beyond

Brunswick now has two winter farmers markets!

The Granite Farm Winter Market is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at 93 Casco Road in Brunswick with several vendors from the Crystal Spring Farm market offering eggs, poultry products, pies, whole birds, soy candles, canvas bags, goat meat, herbs, vegetables, frozen soups and vegetables, baked goods, maple syrup, honey, apples, flowers and wreaths. Vendors interested in this market can call Debbie Cupo of Granite Farm at 729-5275.

The Brunswick winter farmers market has opened in Fort Andross in Brunswick, just a block away from F.W. Horch. From January through April, every Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon, market vendors will offer baked goods, dairy products, vegetables, turkey, chicken, pork, eggs, beef, seafood, honey, candles, crafts and alpaca wool. To find the farmers market, use the west tower entrance toward the left of the building, near the antique store and flea market. Vendors interested in the winter market at Fort Andross can call Dean Zoulamis of Mother Oven Bakery at 837-9028.

According to an article in the Times Record, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection fined M.W. Sewall & Co. $6,247 in connection with a West Bath development near Long Cove Brook. No state permit for the development had been issued, and DEP staff observed that a single-family home had been built within 75 feet of the brook and "erosion controls were not adequate or properly installed to prevent erosion and that sediment had been discharged into the brook." The developer agreed to "restore buffer areas" and "remove the remaining sediment from areas in and adjacent to Long Cove Brook, and permanently stabilize all disturbed areas."

Thursday, January 8 - Seed Starting: Grow Your Own Organic Food, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Learn how to start seeds, build your own light stand, and make paper pots. Space is limited! To reserve a spot, please call us at 729-4050.

Thursday, January 8 - Land for Maine's Future: Protect It While We Can, 7 pm, Cram Alumni House, 83 Federal St., Bowdoin College, Brunswick. Join Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) on Thursday, January 8 at 6 pm for our annual potluck supper, brief annual business meeting and election and at 7 pm the featured presentation, 4th in this season’s Winter Speaker Series: Land for Maine’s Future: Protect It While We Can. The evening presentation features Tim Glidden, Director of the Land for Maine’s Future program.

Saturday, January 10 - Saving Money, Energy and the Environment, 9 am, Woodfords Congregational Church, Portland. Learn how to identify and eliminate energy waste. This free workshop is a 'how to' class for performing basic energy audits for congregations. For more information, call Maine Interfaith Power and Light at 721-0444.

Tuesday, January 13 - Whale Research and Conservation, 7 pm, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Nan Hauser, President and Director of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation and Principal Investigator of the Cook Islands Whale Research Project, will give a multimedia presentation that includes amazing photos, video, recordings of humpback whale songs and tales about her field work with dolphins and whales. For more information about Nan and the Center for Cetacean Research visit whaleresearch.org

Thursday, January 15 - Sustainable Portland by 2030! How Do We Get There?, 4:30 pm, Portland Museum of Art, Portland. Join Portland Society of Architects and The Urban Land Institute at a forum to identify and discuss strategies for achieving a sustainable Portland. This open forum brings together community leaders, citizens and Gary Lawrence, an expert on developing communities that address human need and environmental limitations. Free admission. For more information, visit portlandarchitects.org

Sunday, January 18 - Children's Ice Fishing Derby, Lake St. George State Park, Liberty. Experience ice fishing as a family, thanks to the "Take It Outside" initiative. The Maine Department of Conservation Bureau of Parks and Lands will provide everything you need, including traps, bait and instruction. To preregister and for more information, call Lake St. George State Park at 589-4255.

New store hours at F.W. Horch in Brunswick: we're now open on Mondays!
Store hours: Mon 9:30-4, T-F 9:30-7, Sat: 9:30-6, Sun Closed.

Featured Products

EcoFan Airplus 802
Enjoy warm air from your wood stove, circulated throughout your room instead of rising to the ceiling. Watch this fan operate quietly with no external power or batteries, using just the energy flow from a hot surface. This three-bladed EcoFan is more effective than its two-bladed cousin because it moves more air.
150 CFM fan, nickel or gold $149.95
BioBricks compressed wood
Way more convenient and reliable than cord wood, BioBricks and Night Logs are compressed, dried sawdust for use in wood stoves. The bricks are easy to light and burn for 3 hours. Logs require a bed of coals, then provide heat for 6-7 hours. Keep these on hand and you'll never have to worry about wet wood or bugs!
38 lbs BioBricks $9.95
32 lbs Night Logs $12.50
Maine-Made Drying Rack
Our best seller at Common Ground Fair, this large drying rack features a unique design, thick birch dowels, and a lifetime guarantee from the craftsman who makes them here in Maine!
Large drying rack $75
Maine Balsam Draft Stopper
Handmade in Maine with fragrant balsam harvested from the paper and lumber industry, these attractive draft stoppers halt cold drafts from doors and windows. Covered with 100% cotton in assorted patterns.
30" for windows $15.95
42" for doors $19.95
SolarSheat Space Heater
The SolarSheat hot air collector is a self-contained and self-powered sustainable solution for space heating. Mounts on a south-facing wall or roof. No need for plumbing or electricity -- these 4' by 8' units have a built-in solar-powered fan to blow in warm air whenever there is sun. Now anyone can go solar!
1500 watts $1,979
Convectair Electric Space Heater
Perfect as a complement to a solar space heater, or anywhere you need a heating boost, the Convectair Apero electric space heater works on the proven principle of natural convection. Hangs on the wall and plugs into a regular 120 volt outlet.
1250 watts $257

Sustainable Living Tips

To celebrate the first anniversary of our sustainable living tips column, I've collected them all -- from "Efficient Lighting" to "Shop Local" -- with links to the original articles.
A Year's Worth of Sustainable Living Tips
  1. January: 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 »
  2. February: According to Efficiency Maine, 75% of electricity used for home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. You can use a Kill-a-Watt meter to test which appliances are "vampires"--sucking electricity all night long. Stop them by unplugging them or putting them on a power strip with a switch. More »
  3. March: Earthworm castings are a gentle, slow-release, natural fertilizer that works especially well for seedlings. Mix 1 part castings to 3 parts potting soil to start seeds, or line the bottom and sides of seed furrows with 1"-2" of castings to give your little plants a healthy head start. More »
  4. April: The most sustainable source of fresh water falls from the sky. Try a rain barrel to collect and store rain water. More »
  5. May: Eating locally-grown food is a delicious way to help save the planet. If every Mainer spent just $10 per week on locally-grown food for six months, $100 million would circulate in Maine's economy. More »
  6. June: One rechargeable battery can replace up to 1,000 disposable batteries. More »
  7. July: Instead of gas, oil, pellets or wood, choose clean electricity for your household energy needs. We believe that in terms of sustainability, "green" electricity is the best option today and in the foreseeable future for all household energy needs. Efficient products are on the market now for space and water heating, refrigeration, lighting and all other household activities; it is relatively easy for consumers to go "all electric". Maine's electricity grid is already powered by clean energy sources such as rivers and wind, and through "green" electricity Mainers can choose to support these sources exclusively. More »
  8. August: Compost year round to ease the burden on your local landfill while building soil fertility in your own landscape. More »
  9. September: "Weatherizing" your home by sealing air leaks and adding insulation to ceilings, walls and floors is likely the most effective way you can protect both your personal climate and the global climate. More »
  10. October: As you tighten up your home for winter, it's all the more important to protect indoor air quality by choosing heaters, paints, finishes and cleaning products that don't emit noxious fumes. More »
  11. November: Save money while saving the planet. Personal thrift promotes planetary well being. But think carefully about every purchase. Don't save money at the expense of the planet--eating at a fast-food chain instead of an organic local restaurant, for example. Instead, find ways to balance your budget that bring global benefits. More »
  12. December: Shop locally to keep dollars circulating in your community. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, every dollar spent at a locally-owned business creates more than three times as much local economic activity as a dollar spent at a national chain store. More »

News From ReVision Energy

ReVision Energy will be launching their own newsletter this year, so we bid them a fond farewell from Green Tidings! As soon as I have the details for how you can subscribe to their newsletter, I'll share them. In the meantime, you can keep up with ReVision through their blog at http://www.revisionenergy.com/blog/

Friday, January 02, 2009

Seed Starting Class

We will host a seed starting class, "Grow Your Own Organic Food," by master gardener volunteer Brett Thompson on Thursday, January 8, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm here at our store, F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, Maine. The talk is free and open to the public.

"We'll show you how to grow an indoor salad and at last have real baby greens!" says Brett Thompson, a master gardener volunteer and F.W. Horch manager.

Attendees will learn how to start garden seeds and build a light stand for under $11 in parts. Including shop lights, the total cost is under $40. With this stand one can start seedlings of organic vegetables, fruits and flowers. Class participants will also learn how to plant seeds directly in trays or in paper pots that home gardeners can make themselves.

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

This class 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, Maine, on the second Thursday of the month. February's talk will feature Bob Garver of Wicked Joe's, speaking on the topic of sustainable coffee.

For more information, please call 729-4050.