Blog : October 2009
Mancusi warms economic chill with quality homes, LEED-awards
By Jim Cavan
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When Norm Mancusi started conceptualizing what would become New Hampshire’s first LEED-certified “spec” home back in 2007, “going green” was still very much a fringe idea. Now, less than two years later, Mancusi has transformed his entire Hampstead-based company into one dedicated to building green whenever possible.
The Sandown home, which was sold to an active-duty military family, features a geothermal heating and cooling system, highly efficient spray-foam insulation, a rainwater collection system, and drought-resistant landscaping. Yet despite how long it took to sell, Mancusi was confident all along that they had built the right home at the right time. “We were lucky we had done our research and had all our ducks in a row that early on,” says Mancusi. “When we were finished we had lots of people asking us about these features they’d never heard of – the geothermal and the spray-foam, for instance.”
As if building and selling a custom made green home in a horrible economic climate weren’t impressive enough, consider this: Mancusi’s team for that project included him, and exactly one other worker. “Most houses we build are done in three months and we have people working on the siding, the porch, the interior, all at once,” says Mancusi. “Unfortunately for this one it was just me and one other guy, and it took us six months from start to finish.”
UNH receives Campus Sustainability Leadership Award
by Nicholas White, UNH Junior & GA Intern
The University of New Hampshire recently received the annual Campus Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASHE was created in 2006 and UNH joined in that same year under the direction of Tom Kelly, the chief sustainability officer for the school. . “While UNH has received a number of awards and distinctions for our sustainability leadership, it is particularly gratifying to receive this recognition from our peer group,” says Kelly. “This AASHE award reflects more than a decade of dedication to sustainability from students, faculty and staff throughout the university.” UNH may have only recently joined the AASHE, but it is a pioneer when it comes to sustainability. It’s University Office of Sustainability, founded in 1997 is the oldest endowed sustainability program in any higher education system. In the 12 years that the program has been in place, UNH has fought to implement sustainable policies as well as discover more efficient ways to keep the university running.
2009 held another exciting first for the university as it became the 1st in the nation to use landfill gas as its primary source ofenergy. Landfill gas now accounts for 85% of all the energy used at UNH and the university hopes to be carbon neutral by 2100. Other campus initiatives that have been implemented include an improved public transportation service where most of the vehicles run on bio-diesel or compressed natural gas, remodeling buildings to be LEED certified, mandated use of all-natural, green cleaning products, (a program which has decreased the amount of cleaning product used by 50%) and locally grown produce in the dining halls.
Save 35% with your Green Card at ReStore Halloween Sale!
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After you're done hanging the cobwebs and scarecrows, come on down to the Dover ReStore, where this Saturday you can save 20% on everything in the store just by wearing your costume. If you're already a Green Card holder, now you'll save 35% on everything from paint to cabinets to piping to French doors. Just remember to wear your costume: unlike their Hawaiin Shirt Sale over the summer, the folks at ReStore won't be handing out paper costumes for a small fee!
For more information, email tab@nhrestore.org, or call them at (603) 750-3200
Guest Blog: Launch of Portsmouth's 5 Year Sustainability Plan
By Brenna Morris
What actions can we take to make Portsmouth more sustainable? Currently, 2% of Portsmouth’s carbon footpr
int is from municipal government and 98% is from the people living in the area. The Portsmouth sustainability committee wants any one who “lives, works, or plays” in Portsmouth to log onto and get involved in the community based effort to make Portsmouth more sustainable. The first phase of this initiative are discussions on what makes Portsmouth sustainable. This community dialog is occurring November 21st at the Portsmouth High School from 8:30am to 3:00pm. What the people believe to be the five most important characteristics of a sustainable will be used to craft a vision.
Poco’s determined to make new waterfront view better, greener
By Jim Cavan
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Everyone’s familiar with the old saying “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade”. It certainly seems innocent and straightforward enough. But, as Marlisa Geroulo of Poco’s Bow Street Cantina knows, things get a little more difficult when you substitute “the city of Portsmouth” for “life” and “an eminent domain slip” for “lemons”.
Two weeks ago the Poco’s deck – a popular downtown destination for over twenty years, particularly during the peak summertime tourism season – was leveled to make way for a new city walkway, which will feature a newly resurfaced sidewalk, improved drainage, and benches. The Mexican-themed restaurant celebrated by offering margaritas and appetizers priced as they were in 1989, when Poco’s first opened. While it was certainly the end of an era for the Portsmouth staple, Geroulo and company are determined to turn the unexpected boot from the waterfront into, well, lemonade.
“We’re definitely making the most of it,” explains Geroulo. “But we really feel that the end result will be a much better space, both in terms of the view of the water as well how sustainable it will be.”
The new plan calls for not one, but two brand new deck spaces; one extending from the back of the restaurant out to where the old deck began, and the other as a walk-out addition to the second floor dining area, complete with brand new French doors.
Winter Farmers' Markets to start soon
by Laura Roach
Farmers’ Markets Forever! (or at least year-round)
Farmers’ markets are no longer a seasonal treat thanks to the dedicated volunteers at Seacoast Eat Local. Members of the ad hoc community group are committed to cutting out the middle man when it comes to feeding your family. “When you can have a conversation with a farmer you can have confidence in his practices and know that your dollars are not contributing to the detriment of the environment,” says Sarah Patterson of Seacoast Eat Local. The upcoming farmers’ markets will provide an array of healthy, tasty and local foods.
2009 will be the third year that Seacoast Eat Local has sponsored winter farmers’ markets. Due to the high demand for local food year round, eleven farmers’ markets will take place between November and mid-April, five more events than last year. Shoppers can expect the variety of products they would see at any other farmers’ market and may want to skip going to the grocery store. There will be meats such as elk, beef and duck available as well as vegetables raised in unheated greenhouses. As always a diverse selection of honeys, wines, soaps, jams and maple syrups will be present. Prepared food vendors will be highlighted for their efforts to use local ingredients such as cookie dough that is prepared using all local honey.
Brewery hosts packed house for Green Card Holder Appreciation Night
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Held in the Lapanza Lounge of the Portsmouth Brewery, last Thursday's Green Card Holders Appreciation Nightdrew well over 100 people -- business partners, community leaders, and citizens alike.
Fueled by the Brewery's always stellar eats and new fall beer lineup, the meeting mimicked the first "Green Speed Dating" event held last March at the Brewery; only this time instead of 15 Business Partners providing introductions, over 40 were given the spotlight. Sarah Brown kicked things off with a short thank you and congratulations to all in attendance for helping make the last year and a half so succesful. She then turned the stage over to Bill Rogers from Now or Never Media, who debuted two brand new 20-second spots featuring the Green Card.
Green Alliance Dominates Foster's Going Green Edition
Last Wednesday, October 14th, Foster's Daily Democrat published their annual green insert. The Green Alliance was influential in providing most of the content on green issues in the publication. Every subscriber to Fosters as well as those who picked it up at the newsstands, got a fabulous issue packed with useful information on sustainability initiatives happening right here in the Seacoast area. The GA contributed much to this insert with articles on geothermal, green homes, sustainable restaurants, green building supply, greening your IT and the most efficient and effective insulation on the market. Green Alliance sustainable entrepreneurs, ReStore, Jenaly IT, MJW Drywall & Sprayfoam Insulation, American Ecothermal, and ReVision Energy were all featured. GA Director Sarah Brown wrote a piece on the growing national trend of sustainability accounting for businesses large and small. So check it out if you haven't already.
Clay Hill Eco-fest was a hit!
By Nicholas White
On October 12, Clay Hill Farm held the 1st annual Fall Eco-fest from 11-3 on a quintessential New England fall day. The air was crisp and leaves were falling as Rian and I took our posts at the Green Alliance table in between GA business partners ReVision Energy and Acorn Organic Salon. This day-long event gave local sustainable businesses a chance to showcase some of their work and increase their public awareness.
A Garden Grows in Dover
By Laura Roch
The City of Dover has envisioned a community garden since 2003 with the purchase of a three acre plot from the Cassily family, but it was not until Eric Kelsey, a PhD student at UNH, came along that the idea grew into something more. Two years ago at a meeting of the Dover Open Lands Committee, the need for agriculture in the city was voiced and Kelsey took the challenge and the opportunity to create a garden that reflects the ideals of a strong community.
The primary goal of this project is to bring the people of Dover together in a creative way. Anyone is free to go to the garden and learn how to grow their own food or to share their own knowledge of farming. All harvests are stored in a shed and distributed among the stewards of the garden. A percentage of all harvests are also given to the Dover food pantry. This year 50 pounds of fresh produce were grown for the pantry.
The garden is two years old and has been increasingly productive so far. This was the first year the garden was planted from seeds (last year members were unable to start planting during the spring and tended to donated seedlings instead). The harvest far exceeded anyone’s expectations after the constant rain of the growing season but the garden yielded an array of crops: garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, beans, peppers, jalapeños, 100 lbs of apples (from trees previously on the property), lemon cucumbers and many more. Stewards of the garden were even able to sell some produce at this year’s Apple Harvest.
Fresh Local Defies Frosty Economy To Expand
By Jim Cavan
Opening a restaurant is hard enough on its own, particularly in this frosty economic climate. But how about opening your restaurant in an actual snowstorm? Michelle Lozuaway, owner of Fresh Local Bayside, had to contend with both.
“We initially planned to open in early December,” says Lozuaway, “but when the ice storm hit, we had to set it back another week. Not exactly the most auspicious beginning”
Luckily for Lozuaway, the Fresh Local name was already a known commodity here on the Seacoast: theirs is the bright orange, bio-diesel-fueled truck, omnipresent in downtown Portsmouth, which has since early 2008 been vending quality lunch cart fare prepared as quickly as it is carefully – sandwiches, burgers, soups and falafel, all made from seasonal, local ingredients.
Initially Lozuaway, a lawyer by training, and her partner, classically-trained chef Josh Lanahan, wanted to feel the pride of serving fresh, locally-inspired eats without the enormous overhead and pressure associated with a full-service restaurant. Indeed the couple had already been down that path, having run Portsmouth’s Saucy Grace, where the two met, for 2 years before selling it in 2005.
Guest Blog: Maine Senate President, Libby Mitchell Speaks to Group in Kittery
By Nicholas White
Libby Mitchell, current Senate president of Maine and candidate for governor of Maine, spent some time on a rainy Friday afternoon to speak to the residents of Kittery Estates senior living complex. Libby had stopped by Kittery Estates hospitality booth at the Eliot Festival earlier that day and was asked to come and speak with the residents. She gladly obliged and a few hours later she stood in front of about 35, myself included, and shared some of her experiences and upcoming political plans. Mitchell has lived in Vasselboro, Maine since 1971 and has seen the current economic recession cause thousands of Maine residents to lose their jobs. In a time where jobs are scarce and costs are high, the current Senate president of Maine suggests investing in alternative energy sources such as off-shore wind and tidal power.
Guest Blog: Crescent nets two awards
By Dean Outhouse
Crescent Snow & Ice Management Services, a Portsmouth based, woman-owned business, recently won two industry awards. The Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA) bestowed their prestigious, “Excellence in Business Award” in June and just last month, Crescent learned that they had been awarded Snow Business Magazine’s, “Superstars of the Environment”.
Crescent’s environmental stewardship began in 2008 when they went to an all paperless billing system, not common in the Snow Removal Industry. “Paperless billing provides a cost-effective, time-efficient and environmentally responsible billing process,” Crescent Owner Jessi Outhouse explains. Crescent also reuses paper before recycling. “There are two sides to every piece of paper. Rather than throwing it into the recycle bin, we staple a stack together and use it while measuring lots.”
Green Alliance Intern Learns the Inside Scoop on Cap and Trade
Europe leads the way in Climate Change Strategy. Can the US follow Europe’s lead?
By John Greene, GA Intern Extaordinaire
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As the push for the US to adopt Climate Change legislation continues to increase so do questions regarding what a Cap and Trade program for carbon would look like. In short cap and trade is a policy mechanism that creates a market to buy and trade pollution credits, in this case for carbon. Polluters are allocated credits, if they produce more pollution then their credits permit they must buy additional credits to cover the difference. On the other hand if the polluter emits fewer emissions than their credits allow they can sell the extra at market price. Much like the Green Alliance tries to build a “green” consumer demand for our business and thus provide incentive for other business’s to go “green”, a Cap and Trade program tries to make a market that provides incentive for companies to produce less pollution and perhaps even profit from doing so.
For decades the US government has been dragging its feet when it comes to adopting Climate Change policy and legislation. However, during his campaign for President Barak Obama took a strong stance on climate change saying he would support implementation of a “Carbon Cap and Trade” scheme here in the US. Although, such an idea may be new to Americans, the European Union set up the world’s largest cap and trade scheme back in 2005 and oddly enough thanks to the US. If we look back to the Kyoto discussions it was the US that pushed for a “cap and trade” scheme for carbon and Europe which was hesitant, but as history played out, the opposite ended up being true.
Simply Green Set to Expand in Berlin
Simply Green Biofuels will expand into Northern New Hampshire by opening a distribution center adjacent to the Clean Power Development, LLC facility to be built in Berlin. The synergistic relationship will allow both companies to play 
major roles in building a strong, local economy while reducing the carbon footprint of the region.
Clean Power Development, LLC will assist Simply Green to co-locate and will run many aspects of its plant operation on Simply Green’s biofuel products. Start up burners within the facility, on-site equipment and back up building heat are all applications for Simply Green’s BioHeat and BioDiesel. According to Andrew Kellar, Founder of Simply Green, “Our vision is to encourage loggers to replace traditional diesel used throughout the process- from the initial harvest to the transportation of wood to the facility- in order to have a truly environmentally friendly life cycle.”
Mel Liston, President of Clean Power Development, LLC, fully embraces all aspects of environmental and social responsibility, but as he points out, it must also be sustainable. “To be truly sustainable, energy producers must address not only the environmental needs but the economic needs of a community. By relying on local resources for fuel, we aim to make energy production a catalyst for local economic growth. Our Berlin energy production facility is sized to utilize only a sustainable amount of the regional forest derived biomass as renewable fuel. We shall do this in a highly efficient Combined Heat and Power design. The ability to offset the limited use of liquid fossil derived fuels with biofuels from recycled and indigenous supply significantly improves the carbon footprint of this operation while also increasing local employment and other regional benefits.”
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