Blog : August 2009
UNH/Green Alliance Team-up for Green Football
What better way to kick off the school year than with a football game? How about a football game with a focus on protecting the environment? On Saturday September 5, 2009 at Cowell Stadium, the University of New Hampshire will hold its first Green Day with the “Go Green with the Wildcats” event.
UNH Athletics, the UNH Sustainability Office, and the Green Alliance worked together to create an event where students will be welcomed back with information on sustainability and an introduction to businesses offering products and services that have less of an impact on the environment. This event will show fans that our every day actions, including what we purchase, can make a difference. Each business will have its own tent and staff members that will inform fans on what exactly makes their products and services sustainable. Even the football game itself will be more environmentally friendly with a big focus on recycling.
Making Geothermal Affordable with Financing
by Jim Cavan
Portsmouth -- When you think of geothermal heating systems, what words immediately come to mind? Big? Complicated? Expensive? Iceland? Whatever the association, the fact is that most people don’t recognize geothermal as a legitimate energy option here in traditionally oil-dependent New England; or that you don’t need an underground source of water to install a geothermal system.
But despite the availability of tax rebates and incentives at both the state and federal levels – the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides a tax credit of up to 30%, while PSNH is offering up to $7500 towards project costs for any number of alternative energy systems – the uncertain economy and other factors have thus far kept most people from taking the geothermal plunge.
However, some local companies are coming up with creative ways to help make their systems even more affordable. American EcoThermal (AET), a growing Portsmouth-based turnkey geothermal heating and cooling provider, for example, now offers long-term financing for its residential units.
UNH lands on Sierra's list of Top 20 Green Universities!
When we talk about how much momentum the green movement has gained here in New England, we can't forget to acknowledge the incredible role our regional colleges and universities play. From offering courses on sustainability to funding ever-growing student run organic farms, to hosting symposiums which feature some of the world's most renowned climate scientists, our institutions of higher learning clearly have an incredible role to play in preparing -- and in many ways creating -- tomorrow's green leaders.
So it was with little surprise that Sierra Magazine's third annual list of "Cool Schools" found New Hampshire's very own flagship UNH right in the thick of things. Just below Harvard and UCLA and above the likes of Yale and NYU, UNH ranked 12th in Sierra's list of 20 schools who are all doing their part to help energize and enliven green initiatives worldwide.
UNH wasn't the only New England school to receive the lofty endorsement. Vermont boasted two schools in the top 5, with Middlebury College landing in the #3 spot, and UVM keeping pace at #4. Meanwhile, the great state of Maine also included twos schools in the top 20: Bar Harbor's College of the Atlantic (#5); and Bates College (#16), and Harvard (#11) made sure Massachusetts got their due as well. Needless to say the list goes a long way in proving how critical our region and its academic institutions are to the growth and continued influence of the green movement, both nationwide as well as across the globe.
In scoring the schools, Sierra incorporated a calculus of 8 distinct factors: Academics; Administration; Efficiency; Energy; Food; Purchasing; Transportation; Waste Management; as well as a 9th category for "bonus points". All categories were scored on a scale of 1-10.
Also be sure to check out Grist's fantastic reporting on the list, which includes a small blurb about each of the schools.
Green Fashion Line announces exclusive GA member sale!
In celebration of a successful new account for 2010, for a limited time Green Fashion Line will be offering GA Green Card holders and Business Partners alike 66 percent off, with a purchase of six dozen or more custom-made and designed tee shirts!
This is a particularly outstanding opportunity for Business Partners, who can now buy a bulk of incredibly discounted tee shirts from USA Made, one of the most eco-friendly t-shirts companies out there today. USA made produces tee shirts which help reduce water table and landfill usage and which support local non-profit causes. Now you can have a tee shirt with your own personal or business art or logo, with up to eight colors, all rendered on a completely sustainable print -- all for about $6 a shirt plus small shipping and art set-up fees.
Guest Blog: Amanda Landry on Growing support for a Solar Power Plan in Maine
This month marked a small victory for GridSolar when their project gained support in Saco, ME, winning an option to lease 17 acres of land for solar ground panels if Gridsolar's plan is approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
Maine’s already high, and projected to be higher, electricity demand, especially in the summer months needs to be met and GridSolar's project offers a solution. GridSolar is currently fighting against Central Maine Power Company, which presents a different solution that consists of constructing miles of power lines which will cut directly through communities and add continued reliance on fossil fuels at a price of 8 cents per kilowatt hr.
Green Alliance and Simply Green sponsoring Planet Granite!
NH’s Green Scene…Can Now Be Seen on NHPTV’s Planet Granite Specials On-Air & Online
- New Community Engagement Initiative Scans State’s Sustainability Activities -
New Hampshire’s wide and varied “green scene” can now be seen on your TV (and computer) screens, through Planet Granite, New Hampshire Public Television’s recently launched community engagement initiative. The project scans the state’s green scene, and presents stories and resources on-air and online (www.nhptv.org/planetgranite).
With guidance from nine partner organizations (www.nhptv.org/planetgranite/partners.asp), Planet Granite focuses on raising awareness, presenting possible solutions, and highlighting activities that advance sustainability practices. The initiative includes educational and community outreach to encourage citizen involvement.
Guest Blog: MJ Shoer on Greening your IT
by MJ Shoer
Green IT is a hot topic. By definition, you would not necessarily think of IT as being Green. The manufacturing of IT hardware involves hazardous materials and energy intensive processes. Running an IT infrastructure also involves a lot of energy as it consumes power and generates heat. Every server room has dedicated cooling that runs 24x7x365 to keep the room and more importantly, the equipment in the room, at a temperature ranging from the high 60’s to the mid-70’s.
Guest Blog: Juli MacDonald on greening our urban landscape
by Juli MacDonald
This month, I met with a friend to discuss the fit-out of a relatively non-descript office space. What the space lacks in amenities, it makes up for in potential, with planned windows opening to views of historic Newburyport in one direction and an expanse of marshland in the other. Adjacent to this space is a large flat roof that is nearly at the same height as the office’s floor -a great opportunity for a roof garden or a green roof.
Green roofs, also called living or planted roofs, are systems of living plants and vegetation installed on an existing or new structure. Popular in Europe for decades, the technology has seen continued improvement, making green roofs available in and appropriate for nearly all climates and areas of the United States, even in New England!
Go Green with the UNH Wildcats!
Recognizing the rising interest among students to support environmentally responsible choices and the university’s commitment to sustainability, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Athletics is partnering with UNH’s sustainability office to focus on eco-friendly products and choices at the first football game of the season on September 5, 2009.
“The 'Go GREEN with the Wildcats'” event will set recycling and sustainability more broadly as the standards that will carry on throughout the year at all athletic events,” says Marty Scarano, director of UNH Athletics. “We are excited to give UNH fans ways to lessen their environmental footprints.”
Guest Blog: Hampton Beach Seafood Festival going green!
by John Nyhan
The Hampton Beach Seafood Festival is moving forward this year in its recycling efforts in hopes that one day it can be totally green.
Jude David, Seafood Festival Chairperson, said “The festival took a baby step last year and has decided to take a bigger step this year by expanding its recycling efforts in different areas.”
“We are very fortunate to have John Nyhan spearheading the recycling efforts for this event. It is a huge undertaking. Mr. Nyhan was the recipient of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce Seafood Festival Award this year for his countless volunteer hours in planning, organizing and executing our recycling efforts", states David. "We are very privileged to have him on our committee."
Guest Blog: Mark Sullivan of Seacoast Asset Management
Doing Well By Doing Good
by Mark Sullivan
Is it wise to invest in companies that make good decisions rather than just financially profitable ones? There is a growing market for socially responsible investments (SRI), where decisions are made not only based on financial factors but on external ones, such as a company’s environmental, social and governance record, or ESG. While there were concerns about these types of funds historically lagging in performance, using such nonfinancial criteria enabled some SRI managers to fare better than traditional money managers last year. According to a study by
Goldman Sachs, “companies that are considered leaders in ESG policies are also leading the pack in stock performance by an average of 25%1”. In addition, Innovest states “There is increasing evidence showing the superior performance in managing client risk is a useful proxy for superior, more strategic corporate management, and therefore for superior financial value and share-holder value creation”2.
Fresh Local featured in GQ!
Fresh local featured in this months GQ!
In an article that highlights the best food trucks, Fresh Local was given a spot on the podium next to trucks from major cities from LA to NY and Portsmouth? Yes, thats right Portsmouth, NH was put on the map with the Fresh Local's orange truck. The article highlights the comback of street food across the country and how it is becoming an important part of how we do breakfast, lunch and late night eats. For more info pick up this months GQ or if you haven't seen the ocean view swing on down to Fresh Local Bayside and read the copy they have for free and see why they made it on the list!
Fresh Local Bayside wins Best in NH award
Congratulations to Fresh Local Bayside, who were recently awarded New Hampshire Magazine's 2009 Best of NH for their incredible omelettes. The restaurant now proudly displays their own plaque commemorating the achievement, in which the magazine gushes over the "contented clucking of their free-range chickens that come from either their hens or those within a 10-mile radius of their tiny new restaurant on the Great Bay. Practically everything is locally produced. Breakfasts are exceptional. So are burgers and beers at sundown."
To read more Best in NH awards, click here!
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