Common Ground Fair

Common Ground Fair is this weekend, so we'll be closing the store early on Wednesday, September 23 to pack up. Thursday the store will be closed as we travel up to Unity. We'll be at the Fair on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 25, 26 and 27, returning to our regular store hours next week. See you at Common Ground!

Super Efficient Home Course

For those who missed Al Heath's "Design and Build/Retrofit Your Own Super Efficient Home" talk last week, he will be teaching this topic as an adult education course in Bath from October 1 to November 19.

Here are the course details:

Should you build new or renovate/retrofit your existing home to new energy efficiency standards? Which standards should you use? How tight should it be and what about indoor air quality and moisture? What is the best way to insulate? How much heat will you need and where will you get it? Solar? Wood? These and more questions will be addressed. This class will take an in-depth look at every type of energy use in your home. We will consider and evaluate all possible approaches to significantly reducing your home's energy budget while saving you money, increasing comfort, improving indoor air quality, and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Savings of 50-80% are achievable. Al Heath has been a carpenter/builder in the Bath area for 12 years. Four years ago he and his wife designed and built a super-insulated, passive solar home that uses one quarter of the energy used by new standard construction homes. He is a Maine Home Performance Energy Auditor and consults with builders and homeowners on energy efficiency practices.

Cost: $50
Instructor: Al Heath
Course ID: 200602.210

For more information, visit the Maine Adult Education Association web site.

Weatherize

September's Sustainable Living Tip

"Weatherize" your home by sealing air leaks, controlling moisture and adding insulation. You'll enhance your health and comfort, while saving money and the planet!

More Facts About Weatherization

1. "Weatherizing" a home means making it more comfortable and efficient in both winter and summer by preventing unwanted air leaks, eliminating excessive moisture, and controlling heat flow.
2. Most households spend more on heating and cooling their house than any other use of energy.
3. A typical house that burns fuel for heating releases almost twice as much air pollution annually as a typical car. (By contrast, homes that heat with clean green electricity emit no air pollution.)
   
4. The "mileage" (i.e. energy efficiency) of a home that burns heating oil is called its K-factor, measured in degree days per gallon. The higher the K-factor, the better.
5. Older homes often have a K-factor below 5. Newer homes can achieve K-factors above 10. If you take automatic delivery of heating oil, your bill should list your K-factor. (This is how your oil company determines how often to come fill your tank.)
6. Keep track of your home's K-factor to see whether the weatherization measures you're taking are getting results.
   
7. The best way to start weatherizing a home is to use weather stripping, caulk or spray foam to seal air leaks around doors, windows, sills, electrical outlets, and vent pipes. These are easy projects that a home owner or a handy man can do.
8. Seals around windows and doors eventually wear out, so inspect every year to identify weatherstripping that needs replacing.
9. Sealing air leaks along the walls in an unheated basement is especially important to avoid freezing pipes. Older homes have gaps where the wood sill meets the stone or concrete foundation. The most effective way to seal these is to use a spray foam gun kit instead of wasteful disposable spray cans.
10. Forty percent of all air leaks occur in the attic. Be careful when sealing leaks around chimneys; if you don't understand your local fire code hire a certified weatherization technician to handle air sealing your attic.
11. Control moisture in kitchens and bathrooms by installing fans that exhaust to the outside.
    
12. Check your attic and walls to see if yours is among the 65% of homes that need more insulation. You should have about 16 inches of insulation in your attic.
    
13. The best place to add insulation is in your attic, but do this after you've sealed air leaks. If you hire an insulation company, ask them about air sealing. They should list specific steps they'll take to seal air leaks. If they don't, consider hiring someone else.
    
14. Oak Ridge National Laboratory recommends insulating an existing home in Maine's climate to the following standards: attic R-49 (about 16 inches of cellulose), walls R-13, floors R-30, and basement and crawlspace walls R-25.
15. If your basement is unheated, either insulate the floor above it, or the walls. Be sure to seal air leaks first before installing batt insulation, or use a spray foam that will simultaneously seal air leaks and insulate.
16. All windows at night, and north-facing windows all the time, suffer a net loss of heat via radiation. To minimize heat loss, install storm windows (either exterior or interior) and close drapes or blinds whenever possible.
17. Because heating systems are most efficient when properly sized, and are properly sized according to the heat loss characteristics of the building they heat, you'll save the most money and energy if you reduce your heat loss through insulating and air sealing before replacing your heating system.
18. If you heat with oil, gas or wood, ensure that your flue is providing a proper draw to exhaust combustion fumes. Fresh air must be available for combustion to occur safely; many heating systems draw their combustion air from the heated living space and exhaust it outdoors. (In other words, they suck cold air into your home.)
19. Solar and electric space heaters are simpler, safer and cleaner than boilers or furnaces. Since they do not burn anything, they do not draw in cold air. If you can switch to clean electric heat, you can dramatically improve your environmental profile and live comfortably in a very energy efficient home.
    
20. Very tightly air sealed homes should install passive ventilation or heat recovery ventilators to provide fresh air.
21. Tightly sealed homes should use safe cleaners, paints and adhesives that don't diminish indoor air quality.
22. Properly designed super-insulated passive solar homes in Maine's climate do not need central heating systems because sunlight provides the baseline heat. Electric space heaters supplement the sun's energy.
    
23. The U.S. Department of Energy's EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale) is a way to rate a home's energy performance. The typical new home is a 100 on the E-Scale, whereas the typical existing home is a 130 (i.e. uses 30% more energy). An Energy Star home is an 85 on the scale.
24. By installing solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable energy systems, a home can generate its own energy, thereby lowering its score on the E-Scale.
    
25. One industry observer predicts that by 2050, 67% of new housing starts will have an E-Scale score of 0 or better (i.e. produce as much or more energy than they use).

Environmental Happenings

Add bats to the growing list of species whose numbers are in dramatic decline. According to Bat Conservation International (BCI), White-nose Syndrome has devastated bat populations across the northeastern United States over the past four years. "This is the worst crisis I've ever seen," says Merlin Tuttle, the organization's founder.

Since the disease was discovered in New York 2006, BCI estimates that it has killed at least one million hibernating bats of six species in nine states. Moving beyond the Northeast last winter, White-nose Syndrome is reaching into West Virginia and Virginia. Ultimately, bats across North America are at risk.

To learn what you can do to help our bats, visit the Bat Conservation International web site.

Environmental Events

F.W. Horch fall hours: Mon by appointment, Tue-Sat 9:30-6, Sun Closed.

Our store will be closed on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26, while we are at Common Ground Country Fair. If you're going to the fair, please stop by our booth in the Energy and Shelter section!

Thursday, September 10 - Super-Efficient Homes: Build New or Renovate, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Come learn how to build new, renovate or retrofit your existing home to new energy efficiency standards. Al Heath, a certified energy auditor and former carpenter, will share lessons learned from his own experience designing and building a super-efficient home for his own family. For more information, please call 729-4050. Free and open to the public.

Sunday, September 13 - Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust Race 4 Space, 9 am, Livesay Soccer Field on Middlebay Road, Brunswick. Enjoy a beautiful race or walk and support the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Four mile race starts at 9 am. Guided walking tour of historic Pennellville starts at 9:15. One mile race for junior runners starts at 10 am. Fun run for kids starts at 10:15. Registration fees $5 to $20 depending on event; proceeds benefit the land trust. For more information, visit www.btlt.org.

Wednesday, September 16 - Protecting the Nature of Maine: Fifty Years of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, 7 pm, One Longfellow Square, Portland. Join the Natural Resources Council of Maine for the Gala Film Premiere and Reception for an inspiring new documentary film featuring interviews with dozens of prominent Mainers, filmed in scenic locations from York to Mount Katahdin. Event starts with an introduction by the film's director, Richard Kane, and others involved. Reception, refreshments, cash bar to follow. $10. For more information, visit www.nrcm.org.

Saturday, September 19 - 2009 Wonder of Wood Fair, 10 am - 3 pm, Sullivan Gym, University of Southern Maine, Portland. Join Forests for Maine’s Future for a celebration of Maine woodlands. Bring the kids in for a Chewonki workshop featuring live forest critters. Take a course in chainsaw safety. Even learn how to brew your own beer. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.forestsformainesfuture.org.

Sunday, September 20 - How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Backyard, 1 pm, Morrell Meeting Room of the Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick. Gretchen Kamilewicz, Habitat Steward, will teach you how to attract wildlife, while adding to the beauty of your home landscape, using shrubs, trees, perennials, and other plants. These improvements will benefit birds, butterflies, mammals, and other wildl ife during Maine’s four seasons. Hosted by the Brunswick Park and Gardens project. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 833-5125.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 25, 26 and 27 - Common Ground Country Fair, gates open at 9 am, Unity. Don't miss the 33rd annual Common Ground Country Fair! Visit farmers and their livestock, eat delicious, Maine-grown organic foods, enjoy music and entertainment, learn basic gardening skills and see vendors of Maine-made crafts, folk arts, food, plants, agricultural tools and products for sustainable living. Be sure to drop by our tent in the Energy and Shelter section. Adults $10 / Seniors $8; Free admission to children under 12, MOFGA members, and Volunteers. For more information, visit www.MOFGA.org.

Saturday, October 3 - First Annual Maine Cool Congress, University of Maine, Augusta. Maine Partners for Cool Communities is calling together local Cool Teams, energy committee members, and municipal leaders for an all day event that will include speakers, networking, and valuable workshops. The conference will be held simultaneously at three locations across the state; The University of Maine in Augusta, Machias, and Presque Isle and will be connected through telecommunications in order to reduce traveling and to connect a greater number of communities. $25. For more information, call 761-5616.

Saturday, October 3 - Green Building Open House, locations throughout Maine and New England. The annual solar home tour is now the "green building open house." See how your neighbors are reducing their energy bills and carbon footprint through the power of the sun, wind, and smart building design. On Saturday, October 3, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association welcomes the public to visit local sustainable homes and buildings on the tour throughout Maine and New England to view clean renewable energy at work. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.nesea.org.

Featured Products for September

Laptop Lunches Bento System 2.0

The Laptop Lunches Bento System 2.0 is ideal for families who embrace the bento concept for its function and sustainable style, but value the insulation and appeal of the traditional lunchbox. This brand new Bento System 2.0 is ideal for work, school, and travel. The insulated carrying case keeps foods fresh, and the sturdy polypropylene containers prevent squishing. Don't leave home without it! Includes everything you need to pack a healthy and delicious lunch.

Laptop Lunches Bento System 2.0 $39.95

Laptop Lunches Bento Set 2.0 $24.95

Laptop Lunches Bento Buddies 2.0 $12.95

Learn more »

To-Go Stainless Steel Lunch Tiffin

Get this 2-Tier Stainless Steel Tiffin Set (a nifty lunch box system that hails from India) for food on the go. All metal, reusable, lightweight, and has a lid that doubles as a plate. Easy to carry and clean, but hard to live without. Great for both cold or hot food, and the planet, too. Fold down the handle to make it compact and easy to store. Perfect for work, school, picnics, or a night out (makes for a stylish doggy bag). There’s nowhere it won’t go…except to landfill.

Stainless Steel Tiffin $22.95

Carrying Bag $15.95

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. Dimensions: 6" x 4.5" x 2"

Stainless Steel Lunch Tin $14.95

Learn more »

Wrap-N-Mat Sandwich Wrap and Place Mat

A convenient, environmentally-friendly re-usable sandwich wrap and place mat in one! Simply place a sandwich or other snack foods in the center of the wrap and fold left to right, top to bottom and close the hook and loop fasteners. Your Wrap-N-Mat wraps keeps food fresh for hours. When needed, place a cold pack alongside the mat. Opens flat, so it's much easier to clean than baggies.

Wrap-N-Mat $6.95

Learn more »

Super-Efficient Homes: Build New or Renovate

Join us here at the store on Thursday, September 10 at 7 pm for "Super-Efficient Homes: Build New or Renovate," a green building clinic by Al Heath of Arrowsic. Our clinic is free and open to the public.

Al was a carpenter, designer, and contractor in the Bath/Brunswick area for twelve years before changing careers. Five years ago, when looking to have a new energy efficient house built for his family, he found that not only was it prohibitively expensive, but most builders didn't really know what "super-insulated, passive solar" meant. He then decided to immerse himself in the building science of energy efficiency and build his family's home himself. The resulting 2000 square foot house heats with one cord of wood and 50 gallons of kerosene per year. A solar hot water system provides the majority of hot water needs.

At the September 10th clinic, Al will share lessons learned during the process, including a list of helpful sources and contractors for those who want to design, build or renovate their own homes to be super-efficient. He is a Maine Home Performance Energy Auditor and consults with owners and builders on new and retrofitting projects.

Topics covered at the clinic will include: Should you build new, renovate or retrofit your existing home to new energy efficiency standards? Which standards should you use? How tight should your house be? What about indoor air quality and moisture? What is the best way to insulate? How much heat will you need and where to get it: solar, wood? In addition, Al will address specific questions from those who attend the clinic.

We'll provide free refreshments and handouts.

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