By Avery Yale Kamila Whether a rural homestead or a tiny urban lot, the most attractive gardens and landscapes buzz with bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators. Creating a landscape inviting to pollinators adds interest and action while providing a much-needed lifeline to critical species struggling to survive. It’s something all of us can do to…
DetailsBy Avery Yale Kamila While national chain hardware stores are working to phase out certain classes of pesticides from their potted perennials and annuals, two Maine companies are moving more swiftly to supply pollinator-friendly plants. In York, Eldredge Lumber & Hardware is building a second greenhouse in hopes of meeting more of the demand for…
DetailsBy Tim King They sure don’t build homes like they used to. And, if you speak with a growing number of Maine home builders, designers and architects, that’s a good thing. Blame it on our high fuel costs, cold climate, old housing stock or increasing awareness about the correlation between energy consumption and climate change,…
DetailsBy Tux Turkel Going solar wasn’t a big stretch for Serena Graham. She grew up in an environmentally-aware family, with a father and two cousins who had solar-electric panels. So when she and her husband bought a 1962-built house in Waterville, they insulated and air-sealed and dumped oil heat fora wood pellet boiler. They replaced power-hungry lights with LEDs, to…
DetailsThe pace of solar development in Maine, and whether it grows through thousands of rooftop installations or a limited number of utility-scale projects, has been the subject of debate this year in state government. The outcome is important to homeowners, because a key part of the discussion has centered around net metering. Net metering is…
DetailsRoughly half the homes that Maine solar installers visit aren’t well situated for installing electric or hot water panels. But that means half will work, either with a rooftop array or one mounted on a pole on the property. How’s your home? What direction does your roof face? True south is best, of course. That’s…
DetailsAwards Honor Individuals, Organizations or Businesses Who Demonstrated Commitment to Environmental Sustainability in 2015 PORTLAND, MAINE – (March 24, 2016) Scarborough High School’s Environmental Club “ECOS” and Portland’s East Brown Cow Management captured the 2016 awards for overall excellence at this year’s eco-Excellence Awards on March 23. “We are proud to recognize both of these…
DetailsWith the Winter chill in the air, we decided to catch up with Scott Libby, owner of Royal River Heat Pumps in Freeport to learn more about heat pumps and how evolving technology can help us efficiently heat our homes. SRG: What is a heat pump and why are they so popular right now? SL:…
DetailsBy Heather Chandler I became the proud owner of an all electric Nissan LEAF in April, 2014. I have a level 2 (220 volt) charging station installed on the side of my house adjacent to the driveway, which means I can plug in when I get home each day and then leave the house with a…
DetailsIt’s often repeated that a heat pump works like a refrigerator, and it heats your home like a refrigerator in reverse. But how many people know how a refrigerator works? This is how Dana Fischer, the residential program manager at Efficiency Maine, explains what’s going on. The basis for both devices is to move heat energy from one…
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