Blog : March 2010
UNH Energy Club invites you to their Sustainable Networking Day!
The UNH Energy Club's Energy Networking Day seeks to draw local professionals in the energy sector to share experiences and information with both students and members of the community. This is an informal event with light refreshments and a casual atmosphere open to anyone with an interest in energy and green technology. The event will be held on April 29th from 11 AM to 3 PM at the Strafford Room in the Memorial Union Building at UNH. This event is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.unhenergyclub.com.
In addition, companies can participate; there are 20 spaces and a $25 registration fee. For more information on getting your company involved email the UNH Energy Club at unhenergyclub@gmail.com.
Jewett Farms Studio & Carlisle Wide Plank Floors Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day with Earthfest
Jewett Farms Studio & Carlisle Wide Plank Floors present Earthfest, a collaborative celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Hosted at Jewett Farms' Newburyport headquarters, the event comprises a whole weekend of the freshest all natural foods prepared by the finest local chefs -- not to mention good drink and great conversation!
There will also be a display of beautiful, sustainably-grown, custom wood floors, cabinetry, and furniture from Jewett Farms Studio and Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. In addition there will be an art show featuring Artist in Residence Barrie McDowell, who specializes in prints and fiberglass.
Each evening will provide a different dining experience; Friday night offers appetizers and drinks from 5:00 to 7:00pm featuring David’s Tavern, with chef-owner Stephen Pfingst showing off his unique culinary chops. On Saturday chef Mike Fraser of Not Your Average Joe’s presides over the evening's fare, offering drinks and appetizers from 5:00 to 7:00pm.
Kittery Earth Day expo to focus on city's recent federal grant for energy efficiency
by Marissa Lucas
What would you do with $500,000? For one person, the possibilities are endless. But for the towns of Kittery, Eliot, York and South Berwick, the possibilities are uniquely green and open to all.
The towns -- refered to as the KEYS-area Energy Committee -- were recently awarded a $500,000 federal grant for energy efficiency efforts within the four communities. In an effort to inform citizens about opportunities available for their homes and businesses, on April 24th the Kittery Energy Committee will be hosting an Earth Day expo at Autoworks in downtown Kittery.
Portions of the grant will be available to community members interested in greening their homes while simultaneously stimulating the economy, and would include projects designed to weatherize homes and businesses, install solar systems, or participate in education and training programs. Speakers at the Earth Day expo will be available to discuss these and many other aspects of the grant, as well as additional topics including the revolving loan fund, structure of the prospective loans, the ease and advantage of energy audits, and green practices for the home or office.
Kittery, Eliot, York and South Berwick awarded combined $500K federal grant for energy efficiency
by Marissa Lucas
Thanks to the efforts of the Kittery Energy Advisory Committee, in conjunction with fellow KEYS-area Energy Committees (which includes the towns of Eliot, York, and South Berwick), Kittery was one of six towns to receive a five hundred thousand dollar federal energy efficiency grant for this year.
The idea originated with the Community Wellness Coalition, who, after recognizing the availability of government stiumuls money, brainstormed ways to better the community -- and the environment. The idea was passed on to the Kittery Energy Committee, who then teamed up with the other KEYS communities to submit their combined proposal.
This money was awarded to towns in York County in the form of the Energy Efficiency Grant, and is designed to stimulate the economy, fund weatherization of buildings, energy savings and installation of solar technologies, as well as education and training programs in the KEYS towns and other communities.
According to Nancy Farron, getting people to understand that energy savings really happens with conservation is one of the main goals of the grant. "This grant will help people save money and resources,” says Farron.
Another one of the key goals of the grant includes local job creation. "This will create a need for energy audits and construction," explains Sharron. "And community influence, if people start seeing their neighbors getting involved they will be more likely to make a conservative change,” Sarron continues.
The awarding of the grant brings into sharp relief a new and growing focus on energy efficiency throughout the Seacoast. In York Country, forty percent of the buildings were constructed before 1970, and existing energy systems need to be outfitted with new and efficient energy conservation systems. To do all this work would save twenty-five to fifty percent in energy costs. It would also help with job retention, job creation, affordable housing, and business growth.
Earth Day Community Events
The month of April has been designated to inspire appreciation and awareness of the earth’s environment. Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day began as a response to widespread environmental degradation. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 with over 20 million participants. It brought Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform. Earth Day is now observed each year by more than 500 million people worldwide and several national governments in 175 countries.
This year there will be many different and exciting events in the area celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. On April 22nd from noon to 3:00 pm, 92.5 The River, Boston’s independent and solar-powered radio, will be hosting a free outdoor concert on the Rose Fitzgerald Greenway, featuring They Might be Giants and Citizen Cope! The Greenway is conveniently located in the Greenway’s Wharf District Parks near the New England Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, and the Financial District. The park will be transformed into a fun outdoor atmosphere that includes free music, arts and crafts and other activities.
92.5 The River Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day with They Might be Giants and Citizen Cope!
One month from today, on April 22nd, 92.5 The River, Boston’s independent and solar-powered radio station is gearing up for a free lunch time concert in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The concert begins at 12 noon and concludes at 3pm. It will take place on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a new model of dynamic outdoor space that brings Bostonians together to enjoy everything that’s great about the city. The Greenway will be transformed into a fun outdoor atmosphere that includes free music, a kids’ zone and other activities.
This celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day will feature live performances from Citizen Cope and They Might be Giants. “We’re so psyched to welcome They Might Be Giants to The River’s Earth Day Concert. They’re true indie trailblazers that so many Bostonians came of age to. Add Citizen Cope, and it’s going to be quite a fun day for two prolific bands and their many rabid followers!” said Catie Wilber, 92.5 The River’s Program and Music Director.
Eating Oysters May Lead to the Restoration of Oyster Reefs; Robert’s Maine Grill Participates in Oyster Shell Recycling Program
By Laura Roach
Like any other business striving to reduce its carbon foot print Robert’s Maine Grill, is enrolled in a recycling program to reduce its waste. Owner Michael Landgarten makes sure no paper, no plastic, no glass and, perhaps most importantly, no oyster shells are thrown away. Through the efforts of Jeff Barnum, president of the Coastal Conservation Association of New Hampshire (CCANH), and Dr. Ray Grizzle of the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Robert’s Maine Grill is able to return its discarded oyster shells to an environment in need.
Great Bay’s oyster population has suffered a near detrimental reduction and collecting oyster shells from local restaurants is the first step to restoring historic oyster reefs. “In the early ‘90s there were well over 1,000 acres of healthy oyster beds,” said Jeff Barnum. “But now there are less than 100 acres of unhealthy oysters.” Oysters are vital to the bay ecosystem because they filter toxins and excess nitrogen in the water that may cause dangerous algal blooms and. Each oyster can filter 20 gallons of water a day. In the past the oyster beds filtered the whole bay in three to four days. The current oyster beds are only capable of filtering the bay in 450 days.
Oysters need hard surfaces on which to grow and mature. Currently, the floor of Great Bay is covered in silt which prevents the oysters from reproducing. With hopes of once again having healthy oyster reefs the CCANH applied for and received a $10,000 grant from the Orvis Company to start an oyster shell recycling program in conjunction with Robert’s Maine Grill in Kittery and Jumpin’ Jays Fish Café in Portsmouth. The restaurants collect their oyster shells in five gallon buckets. Weekly, Barnum retrieves the shells and transfers them to large bags. The bags are taken to UNH’s Kingman Farm in Madbury where they are seasoned for three months to kill pathogens before being deposited into Great Bay. On the floor of the bay the shells act as a solid substrate on which oyster larvae called spat are able to grow into mature oysters. The oysters reach sexual maturity at four years of age and are able to release more spat into the environment.
Petersen Engineering featured on NHPR
Last Friday James Petersen was the subject of a spot on NHPR which chronicled the rennovation of Petersen Engineering's new Maplewood digs in downtown Portsmouth. The house, an early 19th century Federal style building, was the definition of a fixer-upper when the crew at Petersen decided to purchase it and make it their firm's new home. Petersen and his crew are using the opportunity to apply a number of retrofits and new features to make the building one of the most energy-efficient anywhere on the Seacoast.
New Pixels & Pulp commercial goes on 92.5 The River's website!
Always at the forefront of style and sophistication, the girls at Pixels & Pulp have just recorded a minute-long advertisement currently being housed at 92.5 The River's website. The GA's Green Card even gets a heavy showcase. Check it out!
Local Businesses Celebrate Arbor Day
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The April showers have arrived early, clearly announcing that spring is coming. That means Arbor Day is right around the corner.
Arbor Day is a national holiday dedicated to the planting and caring of trees. Last year a group of local businesses, led by Cornerstone Tree Care and Suntree Tree Healthcare, gathered to care for the trees of Haven Park in Portsmouth. The two companies scaled trees over ninety feet high to prune deadwood and rid the trees of disease and blight.
In all, six local tree care companies donated their time, and several other local businesses donated supplies and food to turn this day of service into one of equally fervent celebration.
At the end of the day, the Portsmouth Brewery hosted a dinner for the entire crew which included a much-enjoyed round of drinks.
This year Arbor Day will again be celebrated by the local tree care businesses of Portsmouth -- Cornerstone and Suntree included. When asked how the idea of donating an entire day of labor to the city of Portsmouth for Arbor Day came about, Micum Davis of Cornerstone Treecare quipped, “I saw a need in the community. The wonderful trees needed to be better taken care of with professional care”.
Davis wanted to create awareness in the community about how important it is to correctly care for trees. The best methods of tree care were researched and founded by Alex Shigo, who according to Davis is the father of modern arboriculture, and is widely considered “THE pioneer” in tree biology. Shigo and his family lived in Durham, NH.
The tree companies will be helping out a new park in Portsmouth this year: Peirce Island. According to Davis, there’s a lot of activity in the dog walking area, where the arborists will focus their efforts on removing hazards, pruning over the walkways, and doing healthcare pruning.
2nd New Hampshire Chronicle video featuring the GA!
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A few weeks back we posted the first of two videos featuring the GA on WMUR's New Hampshire Chronicle. This, the second video, features GA Business Partners Minute Men Painters, SEA Solar Store, and Little Green Homes, who teamed up to build one of the first LEED-certified homes in New Hampshire. Click here to see the video!
Control 4: The fun, green cornerstone of Atlantic Home Systems
By Jim Cavan
If you were to Google “how to be more energy efficient”, you’d probably come up with a veritable laundry list of to-dos and not to-dos: change out these light bulbs; replace that window; be sure to shut everything off whenever you leave a room.
After a while, “going green” might start to look like more work than it’s worth. But what if you could be more efficient without thinking about it at all?
According to Paul Ford of Atlantic Home Systems, new technologies are changing the way people monitor and curb their energy use, making reducing their energy bills -- and their carbon footprint -- virtually effortless. They can even make going green fun.
“More and more we’re starting to see home control systems that actually make your house fun and entertaining, while saving energy and ultimately money,” says Ford, who launched AHS in 2005. “So installing one of these systems doesn’t have to adhere to just one perspective anymore.”
Specifically Ford is referring to the unique Control 4 line of home monitoring systems, one of the many home entertainment products offered by AHS. Control 4 allows a home owner to program and coordinate nearly everything in the house -- lights, televisions, motion sensors, even heating and cooling systems -- from a single, easy-to-use interface.
Based on you or your family’s schedule, you can program a Control 4 system to light your sidewalks, shut off a TV if no one is in the room, or turn off the heat or air conditioning if a window is accidentally left open. You can even adjust your programming remotely, meaning no more worrying about the lights or heat staying on while you’re on vacation.
Cuzin Richard Entertainment Builds Local Musicians and Community
By Barona DiNapoli
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Cuzin Richard Entertainment Associates (CREA), while supporting environmental protection and the green movement, also creates its own microcosm of sustainability within the local music community. “I grew up surrounded by music in my mother’s record shop and ever since I’ve always wanted to give back to the entertainment community by promoting upcoming, local musicians,” explains Smith. CREA’s original purpose was to bring together local musicians and venues. The organization has since expanded and now provides event planning, high-quality sound systems, and fundraising support. In addition to his musical mindfulness, Smith works to incorporate environmental consciousness into every aspect of his business.
Most CREA-sponsored events also double as hubs for environmental or community advocacy. Information about the Green Movement and ways to get involved is always readily available. Additionally, Smith promotes other green organizations such as Clean Water Action, the Seacoast Anti-Pollution League, and the Pierce Island Commission at his music events. The company has also organized fundraisers to promote the Green Movement. For example, this past February, CREA held a comedy event at the Portsmouth Music Hall. A portion of the proceeds were split between the Pierce Island Enhancement Fund and the Green Alliance. This was the seventh straight year of the Comedy Extravaganza and each year, Smith has donated a portion of the proceeds to a different community cause.
Sierra Club and Repower America to hold a press conference on oil spill drill
On March 24th and 25th the Coast Guard will be staging an oil spill drill to practice its response to a Spill of National Significance off the Coast of Maine. The drill will practice responding to a spill as large as the Exxon Valdez spill, between a car carrier and an oil tanker in a strong winter storm somewhere 16 miles out from the Gulf of Maine. These drills occur every three years around the country to prepare emergency workers and develop plans to prevent and control oil and chemical spills. People from the Coast Guard, the state and commercial sectors operating boats, barges and other vessels will anchor a network of oil containment booms, test equipment, train and determine whether or not plans for spill emergencies will be successful.
Guest Blog: Peter Ellinwood on calculating payback for efficient lighting
By Peter Ellinwood
GreenPoma.com
Energy saving light bulbs are more sophisticated than traditional bulbs. Inevitably, that means they cost more. But since they also use less electricity and last longer, they save money and reduce air pollution and landfill waste over time -- some would say they even make you money down the road. So how do you determine if a more expensive energy saving bulb is a smart investment?
Using current electricity rates and daily "burn time" assumptions, the annual cost per watt of electricity for residential customers in New England can be calculated. So to determine payback, you simply factor in the watts saved by an energy efficient light bulb, along with its price.
Here’s an example: if you switch from 100-watt old-fashioned bulbs to 23-watt CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) in two table lamps next to a sofa, you’d be saving 154 watts per year. Here's the math: each bulb saves 77 watts (100 watt standard bulb minus 23 for a CFL), so 2x77 = 154 watts.
Now suppose these lamps are routinely on every evening for 3 hours. Using the table below, which shows current energy costs in both Maine and New Hampshire, assume that a watt in New Hampshire costs 18 cents a year. So $0.18 x 154 watts = $27.72 in annual savings.
And that’s just for two small light bulbs in your living room!
That means you can buy a pair of quality CFLs for $8, your electricity savings will pay back your investment in less than four months. If these bulbs have an average rated life of 12,000 hours, you’ll still have thousands of hours of life remaining after payback, during which you’ll boost the return on your $8 energy efficient light bulb purchase every time you turn on your lamps.
Now just imagine the savings if you put CFLs throughout your house. Something to think about….
Peter Ellinwood is a green lighting expert and owner of GreenPoma.com in Concord. He joined the Green Alliance last year as the first Business Partner to join from Concord. Click here to learn more about his business!
Become a Green Alliance member today and START SAVING on local, green goods and services! JOIN NOW
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