Maine to Host 2009 EnergyOcean Conference

I just read this little article and I feel that our group should have a seat at the table, so to speak.

We should make sure we get in on this.

I will see if I can find out more about, i.e. days and times, fees, etc.

Maine to Host 2009 EnergyOcean Conference

It was recently announced that Maine will be the host of the 2009 EnergyOcean Conference. The conference is an annual event that focuses on renewable and sustainable energy created from the ocean. The event draws policymakers, technology firms and financiers who are interested in ocean-based energy opportunities.

Maine is home to some of the largest tides in the United  States. Passamaquoddy Bay has tides that reach nearly 20 feet. In the 1930’s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt started a Public Works Administration project to harness the power of the tides to produce electricity for residential homes and businesses. The project was short-lived and funding was soon cut off by Congress.

The conference features all aspects of ocean energy including tidal, offshore wind power and algae-derived biofuels.

Sustainability Post #22 — Food

Here is a website which claims that the best  path for reducing fossil fuel usage is a change in the way we get our food.  The whole website is worth a look.

Sustainability Post #21 — Garbage Disposals

Garbage disposals waste water, energy, composting resources, and most importantly space in you septic tank, and leach field or municipal sewer system. The price for a new leach field is thousands of dollars, and require digging up a (new) section of your lawn. Garbage disposal might reduce the useful life of a leach field by half. Get a compost bucket for the kitchen instead. I have friends in the city who export their compost bucket to friends who have a compost pile (or use one of these composters.)

Sustainability Post #20 — Efficient Refrigerators

The recommendation often seen is that you should replace any refridgerator made before 1993.

Here is an extensive list from Energy Star.

The quick things to take away, 1) Top or bottom freezer beats side by side, 2) Manual defrost beats Automatic defrost (if you defrost once a year),  3) Through the door whatever sends energy out the window.  Also beware of the energy guide labels, they compare similar fridges thus a ‘best’ which is large, auto defrost, with through the door ice and water, will use much more electricity than a ‘worst’ which is small and manual.  Use the kWh / year as your number for comparison.  If you have a chest freezer, a refrigerator only will be a big win (be sure to buy based on the capacity of comparable refrigerator portions of combo units.

Well, all of those can be handily beaten by this idea ( a conversion of a chest freezer into a refrigerator):

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/chest_fridge.pdf

http://mtbest.net/chest_fridge.html

http://greenspree.ca/?p=523

Instead of the custom made thermostatic control you can use this beer making fridge control.

– Topher

Maine Transport Rant

At a recent meeting that was presented by the Maine Department of Transportation,  they were speaking about planning a by-pass to go around a choke point on Maine’s very own route 1.  Currently the three routes on the table are likely to piss everyone off. This does not come as a surprise.

What does come as surprise is the fact the the DOT has no money in which to do this proposed by-pass.  I was underwhelmed.  So right now, they have an uphill battle with no funding for a project that is likely to be defunct in about 20 years.

I am not understanding why they (the DOT) has not seen the writing on the wall already, as much of the country suffers from oil price sticker shock.  I mean come on. Yes we do want to continue to have the tourist population come visit but we should be focusing on the states health at a time like this.

I realize that a public transportation system is not likely to make money until it is the only option. but we should look at putting something in place now. Before everyone is stuck at home with no work and can’t pay their taxes. and suddenly the state of Maine is trying to bankrupt it’s self trying to fund a network of buses, ferry’s and trains.

It is not like they can’t start small.  A ferry from Bath to Boothbay Harbor.  Rail service that goes up the coast or (shock) across the state to likely destinations.

The sad part is I am not really sure everyone would be willing to use this so called transportation even if it was put into place. We American’s are so fiercely independent and, hey I have a car.  Even in big cities such as New York or Boston.  Places with real systems in place, there is still plenty of traffic, plenty of cars and their owners who will not -willing – give them up.

And I will not even bring the folks in California into this. they are a land of highways and are slowly choking on their own smog.

This is only my opinion.

Public Transportation for Maine part 2

part 2

So far all of the ideas that have been put forth need funding.
Bike paths.
A bus line.
Brunswick-Rockland rail line.
A coastal ferry.
and or Van or taxis service.

So what I would like to do is put together a business plan. I have no idea who would fund it. maybe one of the school bus companies. Maybe the DOT/ Bureau of tourism. (wouldn’t that be nice)

I understand this is not likely something I can get the ball rolling on by myself. (One lone woman)

But I think it is worth it to get some public attention. And I suddenly have a fire under me (ouch!) to get something done.

Get people asking Why?

Sustainability Post #19 — Funerals

Most modern methods of dealing with human remains are unsustainable, and break a number of the trash sins from the last post.

Burial in this day and age, is a process of first poisoning the body with formaldehyde, sealing it hermetically in high embodied energy materials and then putting it in the ground and reserving that ground as non-producing for all time. Can you imagine a more prideful and self-centered practice?

Cremation involves burning fossils fuels and emitting mercury fumes (from fillings). And is all that heat used for anything? nope.

Anyone claiming medical reasons for their favorite burial practice had better have clinical evidence that human remains are somehow different from the billions of other dead things which are allowed to go back to the Earth.

Some resources:

http://www.greenburials.org/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/the_last_act_gr.php

Sustainability Post #18 — Trash Sins.

In the arguments for and against various recycling efforts, many people lose sight of the big picture.  Here are what I think of as what must be most avoided.

1. Poisoning.  Taking a benign substance and mixing it with a toxic, poisonous, or radioactive substance.  This basically multiples the amount of poisons that need to be contained, and kept away from food, water and other elements of the environment.

2. Dispersal.  Take a pound of gold, grind it into dust and release it out of a plane.   This is taking a valuable thing and spreading it so thinly that getting anymore value out of it is basically impossible.

3. Unpurifying.  A large amount of energy and effort goes into making pure substances.  Mixing those up with other things in ways difficult to reverse, requires that energy to be respent or wastes it entirely.  This is the  problem with crushing cars.

4. Removing from the life cycle.  Life is the food for life.  Taking the remains of a living thing and making such that it will never become life again is a waste.  Note that carbon sequestering is a temporary exception to this rule.

5. Not forward thinking.  Just because we don’t currently have a use for a thing or substance, does not mean that we never will.   There is no such thing as a ‘waste’ product.

With these in mind, dumping stuff into a landfill isn’t inherently bad, only the extent to which the above are present or avoided is what matters.  A landfill can be a poison filled mess, or a stockpile of raw materials depending on how it is done.

Sustainability Post #17 — First Thoughts on Maine replacement home

Here is a mock-up I did of my thoughts on a Maine replacement home (to replace energy inefficient single wide mobile homes).  Any thoughts, questions, or criticisms gratefully appreciated.

– Topher

copyright 2008 – Green Fret Consulting

Sustainability Post #16 — A Shaker Visit

Saturday, My sweetie and her mom had a shape note singing meeting down at the Shaker village near New Glouster Maine. I decided to go with them to see the place and take pictures (I borrowed my sister’s digital camera).

The community is on Sabbathday Lake, and is the last living shaker community, though a portion of it is already converted into museum. I wandered the grounds taking lots of pictures until the battery died (and the spare was found to also be dead). Sigh, modern cameras.

The Brothers and Sisters invited us into their dining room for supper. The bell was rung at 4:30 and the men went down the men’s stair (on the right) to their waiting room, while the women went down the women’s stair to the left.

While the shaker store had a couple of simple clocks (made elsewhere and battery powered) for sale . The dining room clock was a beautiful ornate real (spring driven) one.

The shakers have a lot to show us about living sustainably. As a community they produce most of what they consume, and what they consume is kept to a minimum. I spoke with a Brother about the bee hive he was setting out, wandered the herb garden, and the livestock yard. Most of the workshops etc., were off-limits, and I would have liked to spend more time in conversation. Worth a trip though.

Sustainability Post #15 — Comparing Fuels

I often get asked to compare different heating systems, using different fuels, at various efficiencies. This is often done in search of the ‘Magic Bullet’ to save lots of money on home heating. The latest miracle cure is the geothermal heat pump (actually, a ground source heat pump). Now, there is no magic bullet, but it is possible that a change in heating source could save you money. Before you do that though, you should do everything you can to lower the heat loss of the house.

If you want compare fuels for yourself, I have created a web page which you can input you possible choices, their efficiencies (note: COP times 100% gives efficiency for heat pumps), and current or expected prices. Hit the ‘compute’ button, and you get the prices for a uniform Million BTUs. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what that means, just look at the prices and pick the lowest one. The URL is:

http://www.greenfret.com/fuels.html

– Topher