Making a home-cooked meal isn’t just a good way to spend time with friends and family, it’s also a healthy alternative. Quick, store-bought meals often contain processed ingredients that have lost some of their nutritional benefits and contain added sugar, sodium and fats. Cooking at home with whole grains and vegetables lets you decide what…
DetailsAccording to a study commissioned by NASA, houseplants don’t just make your home look prettier and more welcoming; they also serve to clean the air of common toxins including benzene, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Sources of these toxins include oils, paints, plastics, tobacco smoke, foam insulation and pressed wood products such as flooring, cabinets and…
DetailsThere is a growing movement in Maine and around the world that utilizes sustainability as the basis for designing landscape and building systems. Permaculture is a design system that was established over thirty years ago and has been growing ever since. One of the central ideas of permaculture is to design landscapes in a way…
DetailsAccording to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air in our homes can be many times more polluted than the air outside. Many things can contribute to poor indoor air quality including building materials, mold, radon and household cleaners. Choosing cleaning products made from all natural ingredients is one way to lessen your exposure to environmental…
DetailsThere’s nothing like the sun to dry your clean laundry! The sun and breeze on a spring or summer day can dry your clothes in about the same amount of time as an electric dryer can—and it costs you nothing while using the earth’s only limitless source of energy. The heat and friction caused by…
DetailsBy Lynn Ascrizzi To many home gardeners, the common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) may be little more than a weed. But, the tall native wildflower is a first line of defense when it comes to naturally controlling the pesky Japanese beetle. This biennial plant is widely found in meadows, roadsides and neglected areas of the…
DetailsFriends of Casco Bay suggests things we can all do to ensure clean water. For more information, go to www.cascobay.org. Count how many you already do! Don’t put household chemicals or pet wastes down the storm drain, or they may end up in the ocean. Maintain a green yard for a blue bay—without pesticides and…
DetailsHave you ever entertained the dream of becoming a Master Gardener? The University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension offers an in-depth program that involves 40 hours of current research-based training, plus 40 hours of volunteer work, providing plant enthusiasts with a solid foundation in the art and science of horticulture. With certification, Master Gardeners are able…
DetailsBy Lynn Ascrizzi It’s odd to think that cold, underground temperatures can generate enough warmth to heat your home in winter. But that’s exactly the idea behind a geothermal heat pump system. Below-ground temperatures in Maine stay at a constant 45 to 50 degrees F. Relatively speaking, that’s pretty warm, enough so, that a heat…
DetailsBy Lynn Ascrizzi An illuminating fact: The amount of “raw sunshine” that hits the Earth’s surface in one hour is enough to power the entire world for a year. Yet, many folks in Maine and beyond still think there’s not enough annual sunshine generated in the Northeast to make solar energy systems worthwhile. Time to…
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