F.W. Horch hours: Mon by appointment, Tue-Sat 9:30-6, Sun Closed.
Global News
On January 28, the United States informed the United Nations that we will "associate with" the Copenhagen Accord. Our emissions reduction target by 2020 is "in the range of 17%" less than the baseline year of 2005.
Fifty-five countries, including all European Union countries as well as China, Japan, India, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia, have formally made pledges. China and India promised to reduce their carbon intensity, while the U.S. and other countries pledged to reduce actual emissions compared to a base year or compared to "business as usual."
According to Leo Johnson, PricewaterhouseCoopers partner for Sustainability and Climate Change, "The Copenhagen Accord pledges are relatively unchanged from those made prior to the Copenhagen Summit. At 9.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, the pledges total just under half the [...] reduction required from business as usual to stay on the low carbon pathway. There is still a big gap between the pledges and the 2 degree pathway."
State News
The implementation of a major home energy efficiency program in Maine was announced in January.
Funded by a federal grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the state-run Home Performance Program will offer incentives of up to $3,000 for the first 4,000 qualifying home weatherization projects for all income levels. Details are available at
Wednesday and Saturday mornings - Farmer for the Morning, 10 am, Wolfe's Neck Farm, 184 Burnett Road, Freeport. You and your pre-schooler are invited to have fun helping with chores and getting to know the animals. After chores, have story time in the Haze Hut. On Wednesdays, enjoy a farm- or nature-themed craft project. Families may purchase a season pass, which allows kids to develop a relationship with the Farm and the animals over several seasons. No reservations required. $5/child/session. Season pass $40/child. For more information, call 865-4469.
Saturday and Sunday, February 6 and 7 - NRCM documentary film on Maine Public Television. The Natural Resource Council of Maine's documentary film, "Protecting the Nature of Maine: Fifty Years of the Natural Resources Council of Maine," will be broadcast on MPBN three times during the month of February:
* Saturday, February 6 at 11:00 a.m.;
* Sunday, February 7 at 1:30 p.m.; and
* Sunday, February 28 at 10:30 p.m.
The half-hour documentary was produced entirely in Maine and features stunning footage - from Rockport’s Beech Hill to Mt. Katahdin, Moosehead Lake, Acadia National Park and beyond. The Maine Public Broadcasting Network includes: WCBB Augusta Channel 10, WMEM Presque Isle Channel 10, WMEB Orono Channel 12, WMEA Biddeford Channel 26, and WMED Calais Channel 13. For a sneak preview, see the trailer and more at http://www.nrcm.org/NRCM_film.asp
Saturday, February 6 - Canning Skills: Roasted Garlic Jelly, 10 am - 12:30, Wolfe's Neck Farm, 184 Burnett Road, Freeport. Learn (and do!) the basics of water bath canning, and go home with a jar of a delicious preserves. Fee: $20. Materials Fee $3. Work trade option available. For more information, call 865-4469.
Monday, February 8 - "Your Home: Questions & Answers" with Dewitt Kimball, 7 - 8 pm, Freeport Community Library, Community Meeting Room, 10 Library Drive, Freeport. Your home ~ it's one of the most important investsments you have. At this free question and answer session with Dewitt Kimball of Complete Home Evaluation Services in Brunswick you can get answers & learn more about a broad range of home ownership topics. Wondering about mold in your home & how to eliminate it safely? Would you like some Do-It-Yourself ideas of how to make your home more energy efficient and less expensive to heat? Wondering what it means to live "green" and how to make your living environment more green? Dewitt has an extensive background in the building profession and environment studies. He is a certified home inspector specializing in a wide variety of energy and safety related issues.
Tuesday and Wednesday, February 9 and 10 - 9th Annual Soil Quality Conference: Bringing Life and New Understandings to Agriculture, 8:30 am to 5 pm, Bangor Motor Inn, 701 Hogan Road, Bangor. Speakers: Joel Salatin, Norman Uphoff and Paul Hepperly. Presented by The Heart of Maine RC&D. Cost includes handouts, refreshments and lunch each day: delicious, locally grown food from farmers you know! Registration: $145 per person / $240 two people from the same farm. To register, pay online at: www.heartofmaine.org. For more information, please contact Heart of Maine Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) at 947-6622 x 142 or tessa@heartofmaine.org.
Wednesday, February 10 - On Deposit: Maine Vessels and the 19th Century Guano Trade, 7 pm, Bath City Hall Auditorium, 55 Front St., Bath. Join Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) as Local Maritime Historian, Bud Warren, shares some lesser-known but colorful chapters in our nation’s maritime history. For thirty years or so the Guano Trade kept a number of Maine ships in service and made fortunes for those involved. But then, as so often has happened to "inexhaustible" supplies of natural resources which have been there for the taking, the guano ran out and the trade faded into history. To receive more information on FOMB’s programs call Misty Gorski, Executive Coordinator, Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, at 737-8508 or fomb@gwi.net.
Thursday, February 11 - Seed Starting Workshop, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Come learn learn how to start garden seeds and build your own low-cost light stand. "We'll show you how to grow an indoor salad and at last have real baby greens!" says master gardener volunteer Brett Thompson, who will be conducting the workshop. For more information, please call (207) 729-4050. Free and open to the public.
Tuesday, February 23 - Citizen Action Day, 8:30 am - 2 pm, NRCM, 3 Wade Street, Augusta. Learn firsthand from Natural Resource Council of Maine staff about their priorities for the upcoming legislative session, participate in the legislative process by meeting your legislator during our visit to the State House, and meet other NRCM members and activists who care about Maine’s environment. A tentative schedule (subject to change):
* 8:30-9:00 am Arrive at NRCM’s office
* 9:00-9:15 am Brownie Carson, NRCM’s executive director, welcomes you
* 9:15-10:00 am NRCM project leaders provide an overview of environmental priorities
* 10:00-10:30 am Expert advice on speaking with your legislators
* 10:30 am Walk to State House for brief tour. NRCM staff will help you find your legislators.
Then back to NRCM for lunch and debrief. Expect to wrap up between 2 and 2:30 pm. To participate, please contact Leisa Dennett at leisa@nrcm.org or 430-0111.
Tuesday, February 23 - "The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the End of the American Dream", 7:30 pm, Frontier Cafe, Brunswick. Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream. As we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge about the sustainability of this way of life. With brutal honesty and a touch of irony, The End of Suburbia explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. Tickets cost $5; a work exchange at Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport is an option.
Thursdays, February 25, March 4, 11, and 18 - Top Bar Beekeeping 101, 6 - 8:30 pm, Freeport Adult Education. Here's your chance to get the buzz on why top bar beekeeping is so green... and why it makes sense, AND get a good close look at the Gold Star Top Bar Hive. Registration is required. Gift Certificates are available. Tuition Fee is $75 (non-RSU5 $85). For details, call Christy Hemenway at 449-1121.
Friday, February 26 - How Permaculture Can Save Humanity and the Planet, but Not Civilization, 6:30 pm, greater Portsmouth area (location being confirmed). Toby Hemenway, author of the acclaimed "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Homescale Permaculture" will be giving an evening lecture co-sponsored by the Portland Permaculture Group and the newly formed Greater Seacoast Permaculture Group. In his talk Toby will examine the question of whether "Sustainable Agriculture" is an oxymoron. Feeding ourselves is not only central to our culture but central to our survival and this will be a rich look back as well as a look forward at the options and pathways before us. Attendees will gain a solid understanding of basic permaculture concepts as well as the context within which it is experiencing a renewed interest. For details, please visit http://www.meetup.com/portlandpermaculture/
Sunday, February 28 - Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Community Supported Fisheries (CSF) Fairs, 1 to 4 pm, statewide. Come to one of the 12 fair locations statewide to learn about buying a share, become acquainted with local seasonal foods, meet your local farmers and fishermen, and discover how you can grow a relationship with them. (Community Supported Fisheries may not be represented in all locations.) The fairs are sponsored by Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the Maine Council of Churches, and local organizations at each site. Free admission. Each location will have its own local flavor including local produce and other farm products, light refreshments featuring local, seasonal foods, a Seafood Throwdown cooking competition with local chefs and more. For more information, contact Melissa White Pillsbury, MOFGA's Organic Marketing Coordinator, by email at melissa@mofga.org or by phone at 568-4142.
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Local permaculture groups in Brunswick and Portland have several events planned. You can learn more about these groups and their events using the Meetup web service. Check them out at
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