Dear GAzette Readers: As I write this, a heavy white snow continues to fall upon the red bricked buildings of downtown Portsmouth, NH. A real taste of winter just a few weeks before the start of spring on March 20th. This coating of fresh powder arrives just in time for next week's Green Alliance/92.5 The River Ski Party at Shawnee Peak on Friday, March 9th.  GA members can ski or ride all day and night for just $9.25! Join us for a fun filled day of skiing and riding, great green company, food, drink, and entertainment. Just RSVP to dave@greenalliance.biz! Not a GA Member? JOIN today, start saving at nearly 100 local green businesses, and come along for next Friday's snowy extravaganza! Become a Lifetime Member and we'll even throw in two free all day lift tickets to Black Mountain.  After winter's last hurrah, we'll be hosting the third installment of our Green Business Learning Series on March 22, right here at the new GA Headquarters in Portsmouth. Elise Weeks and Megan Keough of Pixels & Pulp will provide insightful tips on how to use graphic design to make your brand beautiful and appealing. This month's workshop will be free and open to the public, so come on down and enjoy some complimentary snacks and wine, while you learn from the cutting edge team that designed the GA website!   Sincerely, Sarah Brown GA Director Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

  

If one of the most successful restaurants in America came knocking at your door, eager for your business, would you turn them away?

When Philips unveiled their new line of EnduraLED lighting, they weren’t pulling any punches.

“The new LED lighting from Philips is here, and it can change everything,” boasts one brochure on display at The Lighting Center by Rockingham Electric in Newington, a business partner in the Green Alliance.

The first LED replacement for a 60-watt incandescent light bulb, the EnduraLED A19 certainly looks different than a traditional light bulb. When it’s not lit up, it’s yellow.

And at around $25 a pop, its price tag may seem a bit out of the ordinary. But then, this isn’t your grandparent’s light bulb.

In awarding the EnduraLED A19 the very first Lighting for Tomorrow Prize, the American Lighting Association, Consortium for Energy Efficiency, and U.S. Department of Energy heralded it’s ability to “save a business or commercial property up to $120 over the course of the life of the lamp.”

These savings stem from the EnduraLED’s ability to use only 12.5 watts of energy to produce the same amount of light, 806 lumens to be precise, as a 60-watt incandescent light bulb. ...read more here!

Green Alliance members save $10 off a purchase of $100 or more at Rockingham Electric! Also save 10% on everything at The Lighting Center! Click here to learn more!

Back in January, the GA hosted the first installment of its Green Business Learning Series, an on-going program designed to help area business owners and community members foster idea-sharing and creative marketing strategies.

In that seminal presentation, Mirjam IJtsma, owner of Cultural Chemistry, gave an engaging, all-encompassing look at “company culture,” highlighting the ways in which businesses of every size can get the most out of their employees by better defining the workplace’s unique goals, values, and dynamics.

Last month that honor fell to Bridget Sprague of Be Good Branding, who spoke on the importance of effective branding – it’s conception, development, and how it can help you build trust and meaningful relationships with your customers.

On March 22nd, the spotlight will turn to Megan Keogh and Elise Weeks, founders and Co-Owners of Pixels & Pulp, an all-encompassing graphic design company specializing in sustainability-driven solutions for clients of all sizes and in every sector.

Weeks and Keogh, who launched Pixels & Pulp in 2008, will present on “Executing Your Brand Strategy.” Specifically, the two intend to discuss how small companies can best employ their brand strategy in an effort to attract – and more importantly keep – customers.

“Part of what we want to do is to build off Bridget’s great presentation on brand development, and kind of show how best to execute those ideas in the marketing materials,” explains Elise Weeks. “Once you have your audience, your budget, and your brand all set – then what? We want to give people solid ideas on those next steps to take.”... read more here!

As the Seacoast’s first-ever certified “GREEN” REALTOR®, Hillary Gaynor knows a little something about sustainable construction. Over the years, she’s brokered dozens of deals for real estate clients based on the merits and features of green homes and properties throughout the region.

But as the newly elected Vice Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council’s New Hampshire chapter (USGBCNH), Gaynor is gaining experience in a sector whose growth and vitality is inextricably linked with her own.

“From the get go, I wanted to connect with an organization that had a similar mindset and perspective on a lot of the things that I care about,” recalls Gaynor, who received her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from UNH and worked in the field for years before switching to realty full time. “Now, I’m trying to expand that to include other like-minded organizations throughout the state.”

Founded in 1993, the USGBC is a non-profit trade organization tasked with promoting sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated. The organization’s Granite State chapter was created in 2009, with Gaynor as one of its founding members. Since then, the USGBCNH has grown to include 91 members from a variety of industry sectors.

Gaynor says she first got involved with the group – prior to its official chapter certification – after being designated an accredited professional by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Right away, she was inspired by the burgeoning group’s efforts to bring green building practices and issues directly to the fore....read more here!

Green Alliance members receive a FREE energy audit for their new home from Hillary Gaynor! Click here to learn more!

 

New app turns solar power into entertainment

Want to monitor the status of your solar hot water tank? There’s an app for that, and Tim Sullivan is taking full advantage of it to show people just how cool his solar hot water tank really is.The app, developed by Apple and available for most smart phones, shows the temperature for both the solar panels as well as the water tank itself.

“You could be out with friends and family, and you fire up your phone and say, ‘Check out how much hot water we’re making,’” says Sullivan about the app.

As the beneficiaries of one of the first installations conducted by SEA Solar Store of a system of this kind, having a solar hot water tank made Sullivan and partner Candace Perreault “feel like the cool kids” in the neighborhood. Indeed, the decision to go solar is one they’re both satisfied with and eager to share with others.

“While the system was being installed, one of our neighbors walked by and told us how awesome she thought it was,” recalls Sullivan. “And she actually ended up getting one of her own three months later.”

Unfortunately, Sullivan knows not everyone is as easy to influence. He recalls many people asking how long the system would take to pay for itself – something which Sullivan sees as a no-brainer. “It starts making hot water immediately,” exclaims Sullivan. “So it’s already paying for itself.”

However, Sullivan attests that “it’s not just about saving money, it’s about not burning oil,” something that the solar hot water tank allows him to do even in the middle of a cold, rainy day in January....read more here!

Green Card holders save $250 on a solar hot water or PV system, as well as 10% on all in-store items, with SEA Solar Store! Click here to learn more!


No snow, no problem for Wade Landscaping

When your business depends on steady snowfall for much of its seasonal earnings, you’d think an eerily warm winter stretch would risk hemorrhaging the bottom line.

But for Brian Wade, owner of Wade Landscaping, higher temperatures have only meant broader opportunities for his all-seasons service.

“This has been one of the busiest winters ever, by far,” says Brian Wade, who founded his Dover-based company in 2007, before adding with a chuckle, “and to be honest, it beats spending your days and nights plowing snow.”

Particularly, Wade and his crew have focused on brush and lot maintenance for homes and small businesses. Not only have these projects benefited other local companies such as Cornerstone Tree Care – who can transform scrap wood into mulch – they also allow outfits like Wade to get a head start on the comparatively gangbusters spring cleanup season.

“This will put us in a much better position to really go all out once spring rolls around,” explains Wade. “Having that head start will only mean more business in the future.”

But Wade’s work hasn’t been limited to brush, leaves, and other natural debris. They’ve even taken to helping clear litter from the lots of businesses like Panera Bread. “They’re a very important client for us, so how their property looks is going to reflect on us,” says Wade. “So we’ve spent some time there picking up garbage and just trying to make it look nice for people passing by.”... Read more here!

Use your Green Card to save 10% on all Wade Landscaping services and get a FREE aeration! Click here to find out more!



Energy Efficiency Mortgages offer flexibility, opportunity

For years, those who wished to bolster their home’s energy efficiency often had to take out additional loans, or recoup what they could from the myriad government rebates available for certain retrofits or improvements.

Now, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) is offering a way for homeowners – both existing and prospective – to bundle energy efficiency improvements into their mortgage. Aptly named Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs), the tools allows for the borrower to increase their mortgage to cover energy related improvements, and can be used for existing homes, new construction and refinancing.

For existing homes or condominiums, applicants can receive up to 5% of the appraised value of the home, or 5% of 115% of the median home value (determined county by county), whichever is less. While 5% of anything might not seem like much, Ed Henningsen, owner of the Eliot-based Henningsen Inspections, says that can add up to significant improvements to a home’s efficiency.

“New heating plan, better insulation – there are a number of things you can achieve with that extra 5%,” says Henningsen. “In most every instance tacking that extra little bit on ends up being more than worth it down the road.”... check out the full story in our blog by clicking here!

Join the GA and save 15% on an energy audit, 10% on a home inspection, and 10% on a radon mitigation test with Henningsen Inspections! Click here!

Spring fever is arriving a bit early this year thanks to a largely snowless winter, and early March is the perfect time to invest in preventative tree care that will help keep trees healthy and green all spring and summer long.

“Because the leaves are gone, late winter provides an opportunity to clearly see the structure of a tree, and identify what should be removed for its health,” according to Portsmouth arborist Micum Davis of Cornerstone Tree Care.

“The dormant season is also the best time to trim a tree from a biological standpoint, in large part because harmful funguses are also dormant right now too,” he says.

“Certain trees are prone to diseases, and pruning a tree when its dormant means there is no risk of damage,” agrees fellow tree care specialist Chris Kemp of Suntree Tree Healthcare, based in Eliot, ME.

Structural and deadwood pruning act as a sort of preventative healthcare for trees.“When you leave a dead branch on a tree it is just a portal for decay,” Davis explains. “Structural pruning gives a trees a head start in realizing its ideal form aesthetically and structurally.”

That kind of preventative care is particularly important today, as climate change, disease, and invasive species combine to pose new threats to local tree species.“I’ve definitely noticed an increase in tree diseases,” Kemp reports. “Changing weather patterns are affecting trees...” Read more in our blog by clicking here!

Just this past year, the world's population hit and then quickly surpassed the 7 billion mark. One of the many concerns regarding the surging swell of humanity is the need for sustainable agriculture. The recession has seen soaring food prices and decreased purchasing power.

Worldwide organizations like the United Nations, local co-ops, businesses, and individuals are all seeking solutions to the same issues on different scales. Here in Northern New England we are fortunate to have many green-minded organizations that offer answers to some of the pressing and crucial questions about sustainability, agriculture, and community.

The Northeast Organic Farmers Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH) is a commanding force on sustainable community agriculture. NOFA-NH is proud to invite everyone who has a vested interest in the future of their food to join them in their effort. To that end, they'll be hosting their third annual conference this Saturday in Kingston, NH.

If you count yourself among those concerned about these and related issues, the 10th Annual NOFA-NH Winter Conference is an event you simply cannot afford to miss. For Conference Director JoAnne Russavage the core of the event involves ting community and building local connections. JoAnne explains that the famous potluck functions as the event's beating heart, representative of NOFA-NH's broader mission... Read more in our blog by clicking here!

‘The Only Way to Predict the Future is to Design It’ may only be the title of the keynote speech for the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Building Energy 2012 conference, but it undoubtedly encompasses the spirit behind the entire three day event.

NESEA is an organization built on membership and driven by the increasing support of responsible energy use in the building sector. The Building Energy 2012 conference brings together professionals in the renewable energy and high performance building field and 170 vendors for a premier networking, educational and social event.

Building Energy 2012 is a cross-disciplinary conference, and NESEA welcomes both those with extensive experience, as well as those new to the building field. Attendees can choose from 12 different tracks such as Renewable Energy, Green Financing and What the Pros Want to Know. Combined, the tracks will consist of 80 different sessions and workshops including Energy Basics, The State of Affordable Housing and The Future of Natural Gas.

The Green Alliance's own James Petersen of Petersen Engineering is heavily involved with the conference behind, and in front of the scenes. Last month Petersen was re-elected for a second term as Board Chair for the NESEA Board of Directors. Petersen is also a co-chair of the Health Care track, a recent addition to the conference... Read more in our blog by clicking here!