NRCM Blog

NRCM's Polar Plunge - Watch Our (short) Video!

On December 31, some two dozen NRCM staff and supporters plunged into the icy Atlantic off Portland, Maine, to raise awareness of and funds for global warming work. If you weren't there, you can still catch the excitement (sorta). Watch our fun, short Insider video. Thanks to all who joined us!

 

National climate blogger calls Mainers to action

The U.S. must get its act together and pass federal climate legislation if we hope to avert a climate disaster. This was the message from climate scientist and clean energy expert Dr. Joe Romm at an August 18th NRCM event at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Romm edits the nation's most read climate blog (www.climateprogress.org) and served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. To hear more from Joe Romme, visit the "NRCM Insider."

The fossil fuel industry has launched a massive disinformation campaign and is bankrolling fraudulent lobbying tactics to block passage of climate and clean energy legislation, according to Romm. He explained that the climate bill passed in the House of Representatives this summer will create a huge number of clean energy jobs, especially through massive funding of energy efficiency programs through revenues from a cap and trade program. Establishing a cap on carbon emissions and investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy will be absolutely critical for reducing carbon emissions.

"Anyone who is paying attention to what we are doing to the climate knows that we'd better do something." Romm encouraged Maine people to contact Senator Olympia Snowe (207) 874-8883 and Senator Susan Collins (207) 780-3575 to urge their support and leadership in passing strong climate and clean energy legislation this year. NRCM is encouraging members and activist to get involved in the nation’s most significant environmental legislation in a generation.

Whether or not you’ve attended an event like this one with Joe Romm, we’d like to hear from you here on our blog about your efforts to take action. Did you make a call to one of the Senators? Or write a letter? What motivated you? Did you get a response?

Dylan Voorhees, NRCM Clean Energy Project Director

Another first-in-the-nation law for Maine! CFL recycling bill passed

NRCM just achieved a big legislative victory with passage of a sweeping, first-in-the-nation bill to collect and recycle light bulbs that contain mercury (compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs).  Building off the success of Maine’s landmark electronic waste law, the new CFL bill directs light bulb manufacturers to share the costs and responsibility of recycling mercury-containing light bulbs.  The bill’s passage will set a national precedent for other states to follow. 

At one point during the legislative process, the bill appeared to be headed for a bitter partisan fight – with Democrats at the Natural Resources Committee supporting and Republicans opposed.  That was not the outcome we were looking for, so we redoubled our efforts to talk with every Republican with the goal of building bi-partisan support.

That is when lobbyists representing the manufacturers expanded their ranks and pushed hard for a weakening amendment that would have completely gutted the bill and absolved manufacturers of all responsibility to collect the mercury.  We worked with our friends in the retail community to get letters of opposition to the amendment.  The manufacturers backed down off their amendment strategy, and focused instead on spreading false information about the bill – with the hope of delaying action until next year, so that “more studies” could be done.  In other words:  study the issue to death. 

As the bill was about to head for a final vote, we knew it was make or break time, so we called in reinforcements: Sierra Fletcher from the Product Stewardship Institute, who co-chaired the national stakeholder group on mercury lamps recycling, and Michael Bender, from the Mercury Policy Project and chair of the Multi-state Mercury Campaign.  Michael and Sierra drove up the morning before the committee vote, and we talked with swing committee members right up to the vote.  We prepared documents the night before showing that the manufacturers have been pushing for delay and studies, studies and delay, around the country.  “Anything but action,” has been their refrain.

The vote was taken, and we won with 12-1 vote out of committee, leading to a 130-13 victory in the house, and a near unanimous vote in the Senate.   

We’re very excited about this victory.  The Governor will hold a bill signing of the legislation next week – sending a clear message nationally - and globally - that a new day is dawning for total life cycle management and shared responsibility - from ‘the cradle to the grave’ for products containing mercury and other hazardous substances.  This new law also sends a message to manufacturers that they need to assume their share of responsibility to reduce and wherever possible eliminate the toxicity of their products, and also to alleviate the increasing waste management cost burden on local governments.  

We need to keep mercury and other hazardous materials in products out of the environment.  This bill contributes to that goal.

NRCM appreciates the work of all the legislators who contributed to this victory, especially the bill’s sponsor, Representative Seth Berry from Bowdoinham, the lead co-sponsor, Senator Kevin Raye from Perry, and the two committee chairs, Representative Bob Duchesne and Senator Seth Goodall.  They helped craft the final language that won overwhelming support in both Houses. 

-Matt Prindiville, Toxics Project Director

Alternative commute "fueled" me for the busy day ahead

For “Commute Another Way Week” I parked in Gardiner and ran six miles up the Kennebec Rail Trail to Augusta.  The trek saved a small amount of gasoline and emissions, but fueled me for the day with great images of a vibrant river, and thoughts about the role NRCM has played in cleaning up this river and helping protect Maine’s environment through our work at the State House over the past 50 years. 

First, what a great trail!  In the past, I used to bike the 36 miles from Brunswick to Augusta a few times every summer, with one of those rides timed with “Commute Another Way Week.”  Before the full 6.5-mile trail was completed a few years ago, the bike ride through Farmingdale was pretty hairy – no shoulder and a steady flow of rushing commuters.  Now the trail provides a safe and smooth alternative path, with great views of the river.

As I ran the course this morning I passed other runners, bikers, and walkers, and I realized that forty years ago nobody in their right mind would have wanted to be this close to the polluted Kennebec.  Fish kills in the 1960s took the lives of thousands of fish, but today I saw osprey overhead, and I kept looking for a possible sturgeon leaping – a sight I’ve seen other times along the Kennebec.

As I approached Augusta, with the State House dome looming, my mind shifted toward the legislative battles of yesterday, and today.  NRCM staff was tracking eleven different bills yesterday in three committees.   We helped defeat a few bad bills, achieved some important improvements in the big energy efficiency bill under development, but also watched a couple bills get more support than they should have.  We have our work cut out for us again today, which is supposed to be the last day of work at the committee level before bills are sent to the full House and Senate for action.

Showered and revived by the alternative commute, I’m now ready to head back to the State House.  Today’s scheduled action includes work sessions on bills to promote community-based wind power, require notification about pesticide spraying, and boost energy efficiency programs for homes.  We also have some more work to do today to defeat some bad bills. 

I’ll catch a ride back to Gardiner at the end of the day, with a small feeling of having done my part for this annual awareness raising week about the benefits of getting out of one’s car, or jumping into a car with others, and commuting another way. 

-Pete Didisheim
NRCM Advocacy Director

Watch NRCM's hilarious new video!

The Natural Resources Council of Maine encourages you to join others around Maine for Commute Another Way Week next week - May 11-15, 2009.  We thought we would give you some ideas of ways to commute to work that won't pollute or harm the environment.  Let us know how you are commuting to work, and what you think of our video! 

To sign up or learn more about Commute Another Way Week, visit http://www.gomaine.org/cawday/.  

Thanks! 

Hot Tips, Cool News

When it comes to energy issues, everyone agrees that Maine needs a new direction. There are 100 energy bills being discussed in Maine’s State House. For the first time, the federal government is seriously focused on global warming legislation—as an opportunity to further stimulate our economy with a clean energy renewal. Here at NRCM we are working to design and help build a secure energy future for Maine. With so much going on we wanted to let you know about some great events, as well as opportunities for you to get involved.

About once a month, NRCM sends an e-news update called Hot Tips, Cool News! to our members and activists interested in clean energy and global warming. If you haven't yet signed up to receive this e-newsletter, you can sign-up today by sending an email with your name and email address and a subject line of "energy news" to nrcm@nrcm.org. 

Hot Tips
Get Audited  Have an energy audit done on your house to find out exactly how you use the energy you are paying for and where you can start economizing.  It's more fun than getting audited by the IRS and more likely to save you money. For a list Maine certified energy auditors click here.
Keep It Low  Turn down your thermostat 10 degrees or more when you are sleeping or away from home.  An automatic timer makes this task easier.
Our Environment's in Hot Water  Install a tankless "on-demand" hot water heater.  Running a conventional hot water heater is like leaving a kettle boiling 24 hours a day in case you want a cup of tea!

Cool News
Maine businesses urge congressional delegation to lead fight to help stop climate change Business leaders from across Maine gathered at the Maine State House on February 4th to release a letter to Maine’s congressional delegation, urging swift, strong, and effective action to help address the threat of climate change. The letter was signed by more than 100 leading Maine businesses such as Hannaford Brothers, Lee Auto Malls, Oakhurst Dairy, Verso Paper, Lamey Wellehan, Mattson Development, and the Harraseeket Inn. To read the letter and to learn more click here.

A green cheer for the stimulus bill The stimulus package will invest $37.5 billion in energy savings, including $4.5 billion to boost the energy efficiency of federal buildings; $6.3 billion for local energy efficiency and conservation grants; and $5 billion to weatherize homes, all of which promises to put idle construction workers back on the job, and the list goes on. Read more here.

America has become the world leader in wind power Last year the U.S. ramped up wind-power capacity to 25,000 megawatts (MW), overtaking the previous leader, Germany. The U.S. added 8,400 MW of installed power in 2008, more than any other country. Read more about this news here, or visit NRCM’s wind power pages to find out what’s happening right here in Maine.

As you can see, this is a busy time for clean energy work in Maine. Please consider signing up for our monthly energy and global warming e-newsletter. To sign up, please send an email with your name and email address and a subject line of "energy news" to nrcm@nrcm.org. To learn more about upcoming energy-related events, visit www.nrcm.org/energy_events.asp. 

Thank you for your interest in Maine’s clean energy future,

Emmie Theberge
NRCM Clean Energy Outreach Coordinator

This Old, Old House and Our Energy Audit

In advance of Maine’s winter winds blowing through our 200-year-old house, and blowing a hole through our budget, my wife and I decided to have an energy audit done on the house. We had already purchased our annual allotment of heating oil, but we bought less than usual, figuring that we would undertake some of the suggested retrofits from the audit.

We hired Curry Caputo of Sustainable Structures in Whitefield, who did a fantastic job.  Curry set up a fan in our front door to create a strong air flow throughout the house, which reveals where hot air leaks out in the winter.  (He had a cool infrared camera to see the hot and cold spots.) He visually inspected the house from attic to basement. He checked the efficiency of our furnace and checked for gas leaks from our stove and propane tank.  We followed him around for most of the morning, peppering him with questions.

(Photo above: An infrared shot of a cold spot in our kitchen floor, under the dishwasher.) 

The upshot? Our biggest issue is the air barrier between our house and the cold Maine winter.  You see, it’s all about the air flow.  The air seal in our basement is bad, due mostly to the condition of the foundation under the ell.  (We already guessed that was the culprit of our high oil bills.) In addition, the metal bulkhead needs to be insulated, and the basement under the main part of the house needs to be air-sealed where the foundation meets the sill. As air leaks into the basement from outside, it creates a chimney effect, which pushes warm air up through the house—and eventually out the attic and roof.  In our house, this effect was worsened by a large hole in the ceiling of a second-floor closet—a perfect avenue for warm air to zoom into the attic. That was something we never suspected was a big deal. But with a little drywall we’ll make a huge difference.

Does it help to have your furnace serviced every year? You bet.  I always wondered about this. Curry found that our furnace was running at 82% efficiency—not as good as the newer models, which can get into the high 90s, but good performance for this one, given its age.

How to keep cool and save energy this summer

Something we use to save a bunch of global warming gases and $$$

Tip: After insulating our house we now...

Manipulate the windows and oversize thick curtains and blinds to take advantage of temperature changes during the day.

In warm weather, we watch the thermometer, and when it cools, we open most of our windows to let in the cool air.  Then in the morning we close all the windows, blinds and curtains until it re-cools in the evening - thus trapping in the cool air.  Then we repeat the process.

In cold weather, we reverse things - we open all the south, west and east facing blinds and curtains during the day, and close them at night.

We use overhead and window fans to increase the effect.

It is nothing for us to raise or lower the temperature in our house by 4 to 5 degrees.  We have used the air conditioning one day this year, and we live in Virginia when we are not in Maine.

By the way, we usually take the train to Boston, and the bus to Bangor when we visit Maine.  We us an econo rental car to get around.

Greg and Catharine Moser
Richmond, VA

What are you doing to save energy in your home and workplace this summer?  We would love to hear from you.  Post your tips on our blog and check back often at http://blog.nrcm.org to learn about what others are doing.

Bicycling to work: less carbon, less money, more exercise, and more ice cream!

I thought it was about time to share with you all my adventures in bike commuting from Great Pond in North Belgrade to our office in Augusta this summer! I’ve been meaning to post an entry but it seems that the only time I’ve had to write has been while I’ve been riding my bike! I began longer distance bike commuting last summer when I decided to move out to our family’s camp on Great Pond. I found an excellent deal on a road bike on Craig’s List, got some shoes, new bike helmet, and some spandex and hit the road. I’d done some bike commuting previously when I lived in Boulder, CO, and Burlington, VT, but my trips were never longer than 10 miles round trip. Now that I moved out to camp I had a 20-mile ride each way! Because I wasn’t as comfortable on one of the roads which had a narrow shoulder, I decided to ease into it by driving 7.5 miles and parking my car at Christie’s on Rte. 27 and biking the remaining 12.5 miles to work. I probably did this an average of 2-3 times per week and worked from home one day per week. I thoroughly enjoyed this time on my bike, and became more comfortable as the summer passed by....

Motorcycling Saves Dollars and Makes Sense

I have always been a wee bit more adventurous than some, and had been considering buying a motorcycle to cut down on the gasoline I burn.  We American citizens have all been too cavalier about our fuel consumption.  Now that our prices are catching up with those in the rest of the world, we are forced to find new ways to cut back.

Since I am now 55 years old, and am not quite as fearless as I once was, I decided to take a motorcycle driver education class.  I wanted to make sure I had some instruction in proper riding and safety issues, and truthfully, I wasn’t certain that I would even enjoy riding a cycle at this stage of life.  I took a very thorough 2-day instructional class, actually riding a bike through training lessons.  I highly recommend anyone who has never ridden to go this route; you learn a lot about handling the motorcycle as well as rules and regulations.

After taking the class, I decided to buy a bike of my own.  I purchased a Suzuki 250.  It is a size that I am very comfortable with, and where I used to put about $60.00 worth of gas into my SUV, I now ride the bike to work and around town for errands, including to my grandchildren’s sporting events.  I estimate that it has saved me about 25 gallons of gas per week, and leaves a much smaller ecological footprint.  Another added benefit is that as I ride along, I notice many things I never did in my closed-in vehicle, such as the sight of an eagle flying along the river, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the feel of patches of warmer or cooler air, to name a few.

Cheryl Maschino