That is the mantra Dr. Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobe, a textile engineer and a professor at the University of Rhodes Island. As quoted in a recent article of the Boston Globe: ” … As a textile engineer, she “scoops everything together, melts it down, and makes something out of it,” she says. Her mission as a professor […]
SUSTAINABILITY
Gas Leave Blowers: Is not just the noise that is bad …
According to GRIST: “Across the United States, some 11 million leaf blowers roar into action every year, obliterating delicate debris with 200-mile-per-hour winds.” Grist is an American non-profit online magazine headquartered in Seattle. Grist was founded in 1999 and publishes environmental news and commentary. “Outright bans on the gas-powered machines have recently taken effect in Washington, D.C.; Miami Beach, […]
Electric vs Gas vehicles: Good for the environment but … are they good for your wallet?
According to Michael Coren, Climate Advice columnist for the New York Times, he has observed that a significant number of hybrid vehicle owners are not utilizing the electric charging feature of their vehicles. Instead, they are solely relying on gasoline to power their cars. This decision is driven by their belief that due to the […]
Is that a gorgeous lawn or an “ecological dead zone?”
In a recent article that appeared in the New York Times reporter Cara Buckley described the legal battle Jeff and Janet Crouch, a Maryland couple, won against their neighborhood association that changed state law. The couple had chosen native plants instead of grass for their front yard to protect the local wild life. They were […]
Got the Leaf-Blower Blues? You’re Not the Only One.
Maybe it is time for all of us to begin talking about leaf-blowers. As the September 26, 2022 article by Michael Shapiro published in “Sierra,” the magazine of the Sierra Club, highlights: “Gas leaf blowers, generators, and lawnmowers emit more air pollutants statewide than California’s 14 million cars.” Really? More pollution than 14 million cars? […]
America’s first SOLAR TOWN
THIS IS WHAT SUSTAINABILITY IS ALL ABOUT! In a recent aerrticle broadcast in the internet by CNN, Rachel Ramirez relates how ” This 100% solar community (Babcok Ranch, Fla) endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage … … Babcock Ranch in SW Florida calls itself “America’s first solar-powered town.” Its nearby […]
A U Maine professor is researching how to destroy ‘forever chemicals’
Picture credit Mikael Seegen at Unsplash As described in “Environmental Health News” PFAS stands for per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which contain a strong carbon-fluorine bond that allows them to accumulate over time in the environment and in the bodies of animals and people, posing health risks. PFAS chemicals might also be thought of as “everywhere chemicals,” […]
Support native wildlife: grow trees
Photo credit: by Denny Muller at Unsplash Writing for the Maine Gardener Tom Atwell describes the five keystone tree species that best support native wildlife in New England. As Tom recounts in his article: Those five keystone species are oaks, which support more than 500 species of butterflies and moths; willows, cherries and birches, more […]
Is this the beginning of the end for leaf blowers?
By Margaret Renkl, contributing Opinion of the New York Times – Photo credit Philip Myrtorp at Unsplash Every year, around this time of the year, when New England is blessed with the magical colors of Autumn, we are reminded that we need to close the windows to avoid the noise of the gas-powered invaders: the […]
Efficiency Maine Commercial and Industrial Incentive Programs
By David Nosnik, Sustainability Committee, Ogunquit, ME Picture credits: Crystal Kwok by Unsplash As described on their website, Efficiency Maine is “the independent administrator for programs to improve the efficiency of energy use and reduce greenhouse gases in Maine. The Trust does this primarily by delivering financial incentives on the purchase of high-efficiency equipment or […]