Pinnacle Landscape & Design
Phone: 207.504.4184
www.pinnaclemaine.com
keith@pinnaclemaine.com

10 % off spring residential window cleaning.

Using environmentally safe cleaners. 28 years of experience.

10% of all proceeds donated to environmental non-profits.

Discount for first time customers only. Expires 12/31/12

Click here for printer friendly coupon.

Kavi David Cohen
kavi.cohen@gmail.com
Serving greater Portland
phone: (207) 671-9239
www.thecleangreenmachine.net

Brunswick/Portland Shambhala Center
Bill Barry
207-975-2405
http://shambhalabp.org/

Buddhist 12 Step Meeting – Portland
Peter Spano

Casco Bay Mindfulness Sangha – Yarmouth
Phyllis Chinlund |
207-781-8842

CBZG (Casco Bay Zen Group) – Portland
Bill Bisson
207-797-6356

Dawn Redwood Zen Community- Portland
David Heald
207-781-7320

Flying Point Zendo at A Center for the Awareness of Pattern -Freeport
Phoebe Prosky
207-865-3396

Great River Zendo – West Bath and Portland
Tim Buckley

Heart of the Harbor Sangha – Portland
David Hughes 
www.heartoftheharborsangha.com

The Insight Community of Southern Maine Westbrook
Sally Bowden-Schaible
207-856-0090
www.insightcommunityofsouthernmaine.org

The Maine Nichiren Shu Fellowship-USM Portland campus
Max Calderwood
207-727-4207

Morgan Bay Zendo – Surry
Contact
www.morganbayzendo.org

Nagolaka – Portland
Dharmasuri
207-774-1545, or 207-329-8041
www.nagalokabuddhistcenter.org

Natural Meditation Sangha – Portland
Jane Burdick
207-773-6809

Northern Light Zen Center – Brunswick
Contact
207-729-6013
www.nlzc.org

Open Heart Sangha – Bath & Yarmouth
Dave Hughes
www.openheartsangha.org

Palden Sakya Maine Dharma Study Group- Portland
Jenny
207-332-6217
www.vikramasila.org

Peaceful Heart Sangha – Augusta
Marty Soule
207-685-9270
www.peacefulheartsangha.blogspot.com

Portland Zen Center- Portland
Deborah Luhrs
207-781-4369
www.portlandzencenter.com

Ripples of Peace Sangha – Kennebunk
Sally Keene
207-985-8044

Rigpa Maine – Gray
Joan Elizabeth
207-671-0899

Sadhana – South Portland
Contact
207-772-6898

Treetop Zen Center – Oakland
Contact
www.treetopzencenter.org

Vajra Vidya – Portland
Contact Info or Contact

Most wanted: fruit of all types, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, winter squash, and potatoes.

The Maine Harvest for Hunger program is open to all interested gardeners and is coordinated through University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteer program.

Help feed Maine’s hungry!

Why Maine Harvest for Hunger is so important:
10% of Maine households, representing 141,000 people, are “food insecure” according to the USDA.
More than 40% of Maine children under the age of 12 show some evidence of hunger.
19,325 Maine children are hungry.
Maine ranks 5th in the nation in prevalence of food insecurity.

For more information or to enroll in the program contact Colleen Hoyt at 1-800-287-1471.

Michael Stoddard, Executive Director of Efficiency Maine, introduced the new program, while standing beside a large digital countdown clock to the start of next winter’s heating season. “It is true, we had a mild winter this year, but when the price of our primary heating fuel rises 300% in a decade, mild weather doesn’t help much,” said Stoddard. “The total cost to heat our homes is still too high.  For our families, and for our state economy, it is imperative that we invest in energy upgrades so that we can stop wasting energy and start lowering our heating bills.”

“This morning, we’re announcing the launch of a new financing program that will provide Mainers statewide with an easy and affordable way to pay for the up-front costs of that weatherization and make an important investment in home comfort.”

PowerSaver loans will expand Efficiency Maine’s home energy financing program statewide, and will help Maine homeowners to complete smaller upgrades (of less than $6,500) or larger projects (of more than $25,000).

Michael Freedberg, Senior Advisor for Energy Efficiency and Green Building in HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities , addressed the benefits of the program. “We applaud Efficiency Maine’s leadership and efforts to make weatherization affordable and accessible statewide,” said Freedberg. “Many Maine residents who are dependent on oil for heating their homes are struggling to pay their bills and deal with rising energy costs. PowerSaver provides a low-cost, long-term financing option to help Mainers weatherize their homes, and provide some relief for tight family budgets.”

PowerSaver can be used for a wide variety of improvements including: home weatherization, replacement doors and windows, efficient heating systems and water heaters, insulation and air sealing, Energy Star metal or asphalt roofs, solar panels, and geothermal systems, among other measures.

PowerSaver loan terms are up to 15 years for energy efficiency projects, and up to 20 years for projects that include eligible renewable energy improvements. The interest rate is fixed at 4.99% APR, as is the case with Maine PACE Loans. Projects must meet a minimum energy saving threshold of 20 percent, and participants must meet other criteria, including having enough home equity to cover the loan amount.

Richard Burbank, Owner of Evergreen Home Performance of Rockland, joined a dozen energy contractors and business owners to address the importance of home weatherization as a solution to the state’s housing and energy challenges. “Maine PACE and PowerSaver loans present the best options for many homeowners to pay for a comprehensive home energy upgrade,” said Burbank. “Despite a record mild winter, oil is likely to either stay at record highs or continue to rise. Mainers should not wait until next winter to fix their homes. High heating oil prices and a cold winter next heating season could devastate homeowners in Maine. Now is the time to weatherize.”

Ed Cervone, Senior Program Director and Operations Officer at the Maine Development Foundation, addressed the importance of energy efficiency and weatherization to the Maine economy. Cervone was one of the lead authors of “Making Maine Work” and the “Measures of Growth” annual report, two important policy documents focused on Maine’s economic strengths and weaknesses.

“Maine has among the oldest housing stock in the nation, and all the energy spent to heat those homes literally goes out the windows and doors of our poorly insulated homes,” said Cervone. “Energy efficiency through weatherization helps keep heating costs down, which in turn allows Maine residents to spend their money on other needs, supporting their families, their communities and the economy.”

Local homeowner John Dickens described his recent home weatherization project, and how adding insulation and making other improvements are expected to result in more than 30 percent in energy savings. He weatherized his home through an Efficiency Maine loan.

“This is something we kept putting off for years, until we finally decided to take action,” said Dickens. “We heard about Efficiency Maine’s home energy loan program, hired The Breathable Home as our contractor, and I am now living in a much more comfortable and energy efficient home.”

Stoddard cited a study by research firm Centris that shows that the average digital cable customer pays almost $75 a month for cable TV. For a $10,000 PowerSaver loan with a 10-year loan term, the monthly payment is roughly the same, at about $79.

For more information about PowerSaver loans, visit www.efficiencymaine.com.

Efficiency Maine is an independent trust dedicated to promoting the efficient and cost-effective use of energy in order to save money for Maine residents and businesses, grow the economy, and create jobs. Efficiency Maine’s energy-saving programs reduce the use of electricity and heating fuels through energy efficiency improvements and the use of cost-effective alternative energy. Efficiency Maine’s programs deliver Maine’s lowest-cost energy resource through a combination of technical assistance, cost-sharing, training, education and awareness programs.

Visit our events page for a comprehensive list of community events for Earth Day 2012 and beyond.

Emily Eschner, Professional Organizer
Phone: (207) 272-2168
emily@thesageorganizer.com
thesageorganizer.com

85 York St. • Portland
Next door to the Taqueria
Phone: (207) 780-VINO
Open daily 5 pm – 1 am
www.elrayocantina.com

The Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church, Deering High School Environmental Club, and the Sunrise Guide were each recently honored for their contributions in preserving local ecology with the 2012 eco-Excellence Award. The awards are given annually by ecomaine, a nonprofit municipally-owned single-sort recycling and waste-to-energy operation.

A luncheon was held at the ecomaine offices in Portland to honor all the winners from all 17 participating municipalities. Chairman of the ecomaine Board Michael Bobinsky and Recycling Committee Chair Troy Moon presented each winner with a framed award and a fleece jacket made from recycled plastic.

The Allen Avenue Church also won the 2012 Grand Award for best community program and was represented by Delene Perley, Elizabeth Oatley, Harold McWilliams, and Dan Chase.

The Sunrise Guide, a business award winner,  is an annual resource guide brought to Maine in 2006 by Heather Chandler and is now distributed through more than 100 locations throughout southern and midcoast Maine. As founder, she describes its purpose and successes this way:

“The goal of The Sunrise Guide is to help consumers understand the links between buying behaviors, energy use, lifestyle and environmental impact, and to provide incentives that encourage sustainable choices. Since inception in 2006, The Sunrise Guide has helped over 20,000 Maine families develop healthy and eco-friendly habits, while saving money on products and services they use every day.”

An annual reader survey showed that, for example, 55% learned where they could recycle more difficult items such as CFL bulbs, cell phones, mercury thermostats, computers, and more. And, 55% said the publication helped them in finding greener options for products they were already going to buy.

The impact of the Guide is also supported by testimonials from readers who credit the publication with helping them make changes toward a more sustainable lifestyle… one step at a time.  One wrote, “It’s a manageable read that is FULL of information that can slowly but surely infiltrate your life.”

Maine Women / keepMEcurrent.com

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
By Taryn Plumb

Heather Chandler wasn’t looking to start a business – it was more about providing a resource that she truly believed in.

So in 2006, she started The SunriseGuide, a coupon book dedicated solely to Maine businesses, and filled with fresh bits of advice on energy efficiency and sustainable living.

Five years later, it includes hundreds of businesses in an expanded coverage area, and it recently launched a companion online directory. It’s become become the go-to guide for green living in Maine. Read the full article.