News : May 2012
$500K Grant helps pay for Smuttynose relocation
May 31, 2012Published in Portsmouth Herald
By Patrick Cronin
HAMPTON — Funds from a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant will help Smuttynose Brewery Co. with its move from Portsmouth to a larger, state-of-the-art facility in Hampton.
The N.H. Community Development Finance Authority approved the federal grant award to Rockingham County on behalf of the Coastal Economic Development Corporation. The CEDC intends to loan the capital to the Smuttynose Brewing Co., which will pay the money back to the organization with interest.
"It's one more piece in what turned out to be a very complicated package of financing for the project," said Smuttynose Brewery President Peter Egelston. "We are borrowing the money, and once it gets paid back, it will be able to be re-lent for other economic projects. It's a great program as far as an economic standpoint, and we are very proud to be participating in it."
Click here to read the full story in the Portsmouth Herald!
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Modern Industry Preserves Portsmouth’s Historic Identity
May 24, 2012From Portsmouth Patch, Seacoast Online Blogs and Fosters
By Andrew Tiebout
Until two hundred years ago, Portsmouth was a bustling seaport that fueled prosperity throughout the region. Today, the brick and mortar relics of that era make Portsmouth an iconic destination for tourists from around the country, but preserving that historic spirit is a challenge for a city that also wants to earn its place in the modern world.
The members of the Portsmouth Historical Society found themselves facing just such a hurdle five years ago when they moved their headquarters from the John Paul Jones House to the site of the old public library on Islington and Maplewood. Today, that location is known at the Portsmouth Discovery Center and – along with the aforementioned Portsmouth Historical Society – is home to the Seacoast African-American Cultural Center (SAACC) as well as the Star Island Corporation...
Click here to read the full story at Portsmouth Patch, click here for Seacoast Online and click here for Fosters.com
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Cruise into Summer with the Green Alliance!
May 23, 2012From GA Seacoast Online Blog
By Allison Dudas
It’s getting to be that time of year in Portsmouth: the decks are open, the tourists are arriving and the party boats are cruising! Idyllic New England summers are made more so because of the chance to see our beautiful town by boat and the Green Alliance knows that a ride on one of the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company’s party boats is the perfect way to celebrate summer’s arrival.
Join the Green Alliance for live music, drinks, dancing and mingling on Friday, June 1st from 7-9:30 aboard the M/V Thomas Laighton. Free to Green Alliance members, this cruise is also open to those without a Green Alliance membership card! Just buy your $30 cruise ticket from www.islesofshoals.com and receive a one-year Green Alliance Membership (normally $35!). You’ll receive your Green card upon boarding.
To read more about the Isles of Shoals Cruise, read more at the GA Seacoast Online Blog here!
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'5 Green Tips' from the Green Alliance!
May 22, 2012Published in Portsmouth Herald
The Green Alliance presents "5 Green Tips," a weekly offering from its business partners. This week's personal green tips come from Green Alliance Director Sarah Brown.
1. Making local choices is a big part of sustainability. If households in New England shifted just 10 percent of their existing purchases to independently owned, local businesses, we would see thousands of new jobs created in our back yard.
To read all '5 'Green Tips' as published in Sunday's paper, click here!
New website launched for Collaborative Office Group
May 22, 2012Published in Fosters.com
DOVER — Mandias Consulting, a web development firm based in Dover, and Pixels & Pulp, a graphic design agency from the Maine Seacoast, teamed up to create and launch the website of the Collaborative Office Group this month.
Collaborative Office Group, or 'The COG' as it is now affectionately referred to by its members, is the new shared office community located in the Great Mills of downtown Dover at One Washington.
A long-time staple of larger cities, collaborative work spaces are beginning to gain popularity in this region. David Boynton, Executive Director of Seacoast Local, and co-founder of The COG, touted the benefits saying, "Creating a place where members can work in an inspiring environment fosters innovation. It also encourages sustainable business practices by providing the opportunity for shared resources among organizations."
To read the full article click here.
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For eZee Bikes, spring can't come soon enough
May 21, 2012From Foster's Daily Democrat
By Jim Cavan
EXETER — For the folks at eZee Bikes in Exeter, longer days and final thaws can't come soon enough. Earlier this spring, owners Tom and Teresa Hemenway were chomping at the bit to begin promoting their new line of Sym gas-powered scooters.
Widely considered some of the best on the market, the Taiwan-produced Syms are — like rivals Honda and Vespa — renowned for their incredible gas mileage, which typically falls in the neighborhood of 120 miles per gallon.
With gas prices this summer expected to rival the painful highs of a few years ago, Hemenway has been eager to once again promote the wallet-friendly virtues of these two-wheeled wonders. "Just last week we filled up our sedan — not a huge car, by any means — and it cost us close to 60 dollars," recalls Tom Hemenway. "Then you think about these Sym scooters, and it costs maybe six or seven bucks to fill up."...
Read the full story in Foster's here!
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Cross Roads House goes for solar seconds
May 16, 2012From Seacoast Online Blogs and Exeter Patch
By Jim Cavan
Being the largest transitional housing complex in the region, the folks at Cross Roads House in Portsmouth know a thing or two about loyalty and trust.
Which is why it came as no surprise when – needing a second solar hot water system to help meet growing demand from residents – the powers that be put in a call to a familiar face.
Having installed Cross Roads’ first solar hot water system – a 16-panel, 900-gallon tank unit – back in 2009, Jack Bingham, owner of SEA Solar Store, was all too pleased to comply...
Click here to read the full story at Seacoast Online! Click here to go to Exeter Patch!
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Prescott Farm: Passing Green on to the Next Generation
May 14, 2012With summer just around the corner, parents are already thinking about how to keep their kids active and engaged while off from school. With vacation being so long, parents are understandably concerned with what educators call “summer learning loss.”
Yet, summer is a wonderful break from the classroom and there would certainly be a number of rebellions right here on the Seacoast if it were taken away. Perhaps the answer to the loss of learning in the summer lies in stimulating kids’ minds in a different way – a way that isn’t as possible during the school year...
To read the full story, visit the PortsmouthPatch.
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Eco Sound Builders Follow in Fathers’ Footsteps for Efficiency and Preservation
May 14, 2012Most people dream of going to work everyday to do something they love. Ethan Korpi and Peter Robie of Eco Sound live out their passion each day by helping people renovate and build homes that are beautiful, high performing and earth-friendly. Ethan Korpi began Eco Sound Builders, LLC in 2007 with his father, Roger, and Robie joined the duo in 2009. With Roger overseeing operations in the NH Lakes region, Korpi and Robie are changing the way people think about homes here on the Seacoast.
A current project in Rye embodies much of Eco Sound’s philosophy, as their task is to retrofit an old home while preserving its historic character. Walking the line between preserving the old and embracing the new is what these guys do – it’s in their blood...
To read the full story, visit the PourtsmouthPatch.
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Isle of Shoals Steamship Company Kicks off 2012 Season Continuing Green Focus
May 14, 2012The Isle of Shoals Steamship Company is an iconic, albeit mobile, institution on the Seacoast. Having been in Portsmouth since 1962, the ISSCo is truly part of the community. Originally founded in 1962 as Viking Cruises by Arnold Whittaker, the Steamship Company is still in the family, having been passed along first to Bob, Arnold’s son and most recently, in 1999, to Arnold’s daughter-in-law, Robin Whittaker.
The residents of Portsmouth know summer is around the corner when they spot its boats in the harbor. Each year, the company offers 6 kinds of tours around the Seacoast in addition to the Thomas Laighton “party ships”, which can be chartered for all types of nautical adult fun. Running mostly private events for the month of May for groups like the graduating seniors from the University of New Hampshire, the ISSCo will offer its first public cruises on Memorial Day, Monday May 28th. From visiting Star Island to touring Portsmouth’s historic harbor, the Steamship Company is the main vessel to see the entire Seacoast...
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Snappii lets small businesses build their own apps
May 9, 2012Published in SeacoastOnline.com
By Jim Cavan
According to numerous recent studies, nearly 500 million people worldwide own smart phones – iPhones, Androids, and the like. That number is expected to double in the next few years, meaning hundreds of millions more tuned in and turned on to the hand-held wonders.
Combined with the ever-growing reliance on online commerce, the boom in smart phone use has meant as many challenges as opportunities – and potential customers – for businesses of all sizes. Here on the Seacoast, one startup is geared to show how creating a business-specific app doesn’t have to mean diving in the red.
Launched in 2011 by local entrepreneur Alex Bakman, Snappii provides creative, custom mobile phone applications for businesses in every sector. To date, the company has spearheaded the development of over 6000 different mobile apps, all from a platform supporting 17 different languages.
Read the complete story here, at seacoastonline.com.
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New Ridgeview Hire Brings Experience, Expertise
May 8, 2012Published in Portsmouth Patch.
By Jim Cavan
The thrilled customers, impressive accolades, and loaded docket alone would suggest Ridgeview Construction is a company in full command of a recession-defying success script.
But with their latest hire, the Deerfield-based Ridgeview has gone from a formidable crew to a veritable All-Star team of green-minded builders.
With sectors-spanning experience dating back to the mid 1980s, Chris Simpkins – brought on just last week as Ridgeview’s newest Project Manager – promises to add to the company’s already impressive wealth of knowledge and building chops.
“He has a very wide range of experience, so we’re excited to have him aboard,” exclaimed Shane Carter, Ridgeview’s Founder and President. “He’s been active in green building longer than anyone else here, so having that kind of expertise is going to be a huge help going forward.”
To read more, visit Portsmouth Patch.
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For UNH alum, “eco-art” creates real bond to the world
May 7, 2012Published by The New Hampshire
By Susan Doucet
Tim Gaudreau builds “green furniture” - literally. He creates couches from grass and dirt.
Gaudreau is a self-described “eco-artist,” a category of artist that falls into the larger genre of sustainability-related art, which is becoming increasingly present in the art world.
“What that means is that basically I’m not driven by any specific mediums, but by the issues at hand,” Gaudreau said of eco-art...
To read the full story in The New Hampshire, click here!
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'5 Green Tips' from EcoMovement
May 7, 2012Published in Seacoast Online
The Green Alliance presents "5 Green Tips," a weekly offering from its business partners. This week's tips come from Rian Bedard of EcoMovement.
1. By composting, you can offset the emissions from your car. Plus, you'd be helping to reduce the near-34 million tons of refuse that ends up in landfills every year.
2. We are the source of waste. Before you pick something off the shelf, imagine it as trash going to a landfill. Is it absolutely necessary?...
To read the full story at Seacoast Online, click here!
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'5 Green Tips' from Green Maids
May 4, 2012Published in SeacoastOnline.com
The Green Alliance presents "5 Green Tips," a weekly offering from its business partners. This week's are from Johnmark O'Brien of Green Maids and the Green Alliance.
1.Clean your windows with four tablespoons of lemon juice diluted in three to four gallons of water. Avoid ammonia-based window cleaners, and help keep your house a little cleaner and greener.
2. Add a capful of vinegar into a spray bottle of water to remove mold and mildew. Avoid using bleach, which can be an irritant to your skin, eyes and affect the respiratory system.
For all five 'Green Tips' read the complete article here!
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City's maples get makeover by Arbor Day volunteers
May 4, 2012Published in the Portsmouth Herald and Seacoastonline.com
By Deborah Mcdermott
PORTSMOUTH — Seventy-year-old Norway maples in Prescott Park, the "crown jewel" of Portsmouth's park system, received some much needed care Friday, on Arbor Day.
Workers from the Seacoast Arborist Collaborative, which is made up of four local tree care companies, volunteered their time to work on the trees — planted in the late 1930s and early 1940s, shortly before the park was turned over to the city of Portsmouth.
"This is the epitome of volunteerism," said Assistant Mayor Robert Lister. "We really appreciate all you do for the city."
The four tree companies — Northeast Shade Tree in Portsmouth, Cornerstone Tree Care in Portsmouth, Suntree in Eliot, Maine, and The Organic Arborist in Kittery, Maine — began teaming up to care for the city's parks four years ago.
To read the full article, visit seacoastonline.com
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Refinery Concrete apprentice proud of centuries-old tradition
May 4, 2012Published in Seacoast Online.
By Jim Cavan
Most of us are familiar with internships. Chances are, a lot of us have had one – an unpaid one, even.
Apprenticeships, on the other hand, are often thought of as relics of the past. With roots tracing back to the Middle Ages – bakers, blacksmiths, and shoemakers being just a few of the more common examples – apprenticeships had for centuries functioned as a common way of bequeathing the next generation of workers the skills and trades of the times.
While the term has faded more than the practice, one New Hampshire company is taking up the apprenticeship mantle with equal parts perspective and pride.
Located in Seabrook, The Refinery is a cutting-edge concrete design company specializing in green techniques and products – sinks, tables and countertops, primarily.
Launched in March 2010 by Patrick and Kate Simons, The Refinery emphasizes the use of GFRC, or glass-reinforced concrete. Unlike traditional concrete, GFRC incorporates glass fibers, cement and sand in a mixture that is just as strong as traditional concrete, creating a product that is as eye-catching and sustainable as it is built to last.
To read more, visit Seacoast Online.
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Cutting edge Cloud service a coup for local IT firm
May 4, 2012Published in Seacoast Online
By Jim Cavan
Throughout its 15-year history, Jenaly Technology Group has staked much of its claim on providing convenient information technology (IT) solutions geared at helping business not only save money, but reduce their carbon footprint as well.
Whether it’s encouraging the digitization of paperwork, consolidating technology to reduce electricity use, or advocating for non-toxic “solid ink” printing capabilities, Jenaly’s sustainability-driven approach has been as effective as it is all-encompassing.
But seldom has Founder M.J. Shoer been this excited about a potentially game-changing product or service...
To read the full story on the Exeterpatch and Seacoast Online, click here!
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Arborists plan Portsmouth celebration for Arbor Day
May 4, 2012Published in Foster's
By Emma Groves
Portsmouth has a history of being a "tree-friendly city." In July of last year it was recertified as a Tree City USA for the 12th year in a row by the National Arbor Foundation.
Portsmouth repeatedly receives this recognition because of its investment in street trees and its use of native species in various areas such as public parks. This Friday, April 27 is nationally recognized Arbor Day and here in Portsmouth members of the Seacoast Arborist Collaborative will continue the city's tree-friendly tradition with an Arbor Day celebration at Prescott Park by donating their time to care for the trees...
To read the full story on Fosters.com, click here!
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Laurel Court Harkens to Seacoast’s Past and Future Alike
May 1, 2012Published in the Exeter Patch and Portsmouth Patch
By Jim Cavan
At first glance, Laurel Court – a plot of 19 home-ready lots in Portsmouth – appears a thoroughly contemporary cluster development, with the soon-to-be constructed craftsmen and bungalow style homes all built to high performance energy efficient standards.
In fact, the schematics of the tight-knit neighborhood actually harken to another Port City staple: Atlantic Heights, the charming, tree-lined neighborhood near the 1-95 bridge, and the country’s first ever federally funded housing project.
Read the full story on the Exeter Patch or Portsmouth Patch
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