Looking for some fresh food-for-thought while you’re out walking the dog/prepping dinner/driving to work? In this media age, there is certainly no lack of options for intriguing newscasts, music albums, radio stations, and particularly podcasts to plug into—more often than not, the overwhelming choices are exactly the problem! So we took some time to filter…
It may be common practice in your household at this point to toss your used paper, plastic and foil into the mixed-use recycling bin and to haul it out the curb (or recycling center) once a week. But what about those larger-ticket items that just don’t seem right to throw away? Chances are, they can…
By Christine Fisher THERE’S A NEW MAINE-MADE BUILDING PRODUCT on the market, and while it began as a way to prove that masonry homes can be energy-efficient, it has found another welcome yet unintended niche: the healthy home market. Based on German design, Comfort Block™ is a 16-inch thick concrete block with three pockets of…
By Steve Caulfield If you need a new water heater and your basement is somewhat humid and musty, you might consider a heat pump water heater to solve two problems: heating the water and conditioning the air. Heat pump water heaters may sound complex, but they operate just like your refrigerator in reverse. The refrigerator…
By Carey Kish THE GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSE of Maine’s coastline ranges some 230 miles from Kittery to Lubec as the crow flies, but an incredible 3,500 miles when every nook and cranny and more than 3,000 islands are accounted for on the undulating margin along the Gulf of Maine between New Hampshire and New Brunswick,…
Maine’s craft ciders offer a wild taste of history By Caitlin Gilmet JOHN ADAMS DRANK a tankard of hard cider every morning before breakfast. The drink was served at the Battle of Concord—to both sides. And Benjamin Franklin once quipped, “He that drinks his cider alone, let him catch his horse alone.” Maine’s wild and…
By Carey Kish JUST AS WE are drawn to the alpine heights of Maine’s windswept mountaintops or the seemingly endless expanses of sandy beach at the ocean’s edge, so, too, are we captivated by the thundering roar of waterfalls, the rainbows amid the glitter of the misty spray, the raw power of water rushing through…
By Jessica Skwire Routhier CERAMICS BELONGS TO the “arts of the fire,” so called because, along with glass and metalsmithing, it requires heat and flame to turn raw materials into lasting and functional works of art. Transformation is key to understanding the ceramic arts—both in terms of how time-honored techniques can transform humble clay and…
What makes a high-performing house? By Chris Briley & Heather Chandler THERE ARE A LOT of loosely defined terms used to describe how “green” a house is. Luckily, some professionals in our industry have worked very hard to find ways to quantify this almost intangible quality, and in so doing, have generated new nomenclature that can…
AN IMPROPERLY BUILT foundation can be a primary culprit of both indoor air quality and energy problems in homes. Whether your new home is built on a slab, a crawlspace or a full basement, your foundation has some very important work to do, including: prevent moisture and soil gases (such as radon) from entering the…