Falmouth Recycling and Energy Advisory Committee (REAC)
The Recycling and Energy Advisory Committee grew out of the Recycling Committee in 2010 with the added responsibility of addressing the recommendations of the Falmouth Green Ribbon Report and finding more ways to reduce fossil fuel use while saving money and lowering GHG emissions.
Please sign up on the Falmouth town website (
http://www.town.falmouth.me.us/subscriber) to receive the updates by checking off “Recycling & Energy Advisory Committee Bulletins”.
Greener Consumer Options
Central Maine Power offers a variable rate “time of use” option for electricity that offers a lower rate for
consumers for electricity usage during off peak times of the day. Here is a news article on MPBN
http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/25030/Default.aspx and here is CMP’s FAQ page about two “time of use” (TOU) plans:
http://www.cmpco.com/smartmeter/#OffPeak. Rates and details can be found on linked pdfs
http://www.cmpco.com/MediaLibrary/3/6/Content%20Management/Suppliers%20And%20Partners/PDFs%20and%20Doc/atou.pdf
http://www.cmpco.com/MediaLibrary/3/6/Content%20Management/Suppliers%20And%20Partners/PDFs%20and%20Doc/atouopts.pdf
Upcoming Energy Events
David Leonard, Founder of Evergreen Geothermal, LLC
Tuesday, January 8, at 12:00 noon
From the Falmouth Memorial Library newsletter:
“Join us as we welcome David Leonard, founder of Falmouth-based Evergreen Geothermal, LLC. Evergreen Geothermal specializes in installing geothermal heat pumps, providing low cost heating and air-conditioning for residential and commercial customers. David will explain how it works and how it can benefit your home, bank account and the environment, both inside your home and globally. Proper sizing of systems, drilling of boreholes, and installation costs of geothermal heating and cooling systems will be covered. Annual running costs and comparisons with conventional systems will be discussed as they relate to typical Greater Portland homes. Bring your bagged lunch; the Friends will provide dessert and coffee.”
Tar Sands Event
The potential for tar sands to be pumped through our region has some Mainers extremely concerned, including some of us on the REAC committee. The Natural Resources Council of Maine is holding an event Saturday, January 26; a march from Monument Square (on Congress Street) through downtown Portland, ending at the Maine State Pier. If you are interested, you can sign up on their website for further details or you could contact NRCM Grassroots Organizer Todd Martin at (207) 430-0115 or tmartin@nrcm.org if you have questions or would like to help with the event.
Energy News and Resources
Biofuels, Plug-ins and the Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
The New Year’s Day “Fiscal Cliff” tax deal extended or reinstated tax credits on various biofuels, charging stations and plug-in vehicles according to this article
http://www.fleetsandfuels.com/fuels/cng/2013/01/tax-relief-and-then-some/. Natural gas and LNG infrastructure credits were also made retroactive for 2012. A piece in the Portland Press Herald highlighted a local company, Maine’s only commercial biodiesel plant Maine Standard Biofuels, and the potential impact the deal will have on the industry.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/fiscal-bill-gives-biofuel-maker-an-extra-spark-_2013-01-04.html?searchterm=maine+standard+biofuels
For a full list of the tax incentives for alternative fuels and vehicles, click here:
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/laws/fed_summary
University of Maine Wins First Phase of $93.2 Million
Deepwater Floating Offshore Wind Demonstration Program
Orono, Maine (December 12, 2012) – The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center has been awarded the first phase of a potential $93.2 million deepwater offshore wind demonstration project by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The UMaine Composites Center-led team of industry leaders and national laboratories is one of five awardees selected from over 70 competing proposals.
[For full story click here
http://www2.umaine.edu/aewc/content/view/431/20/. For related TEDxDirigo talk click here
http://tedxdirigo.com/speakers/habib-dagher/ ]
New Consumer Guide Illuminates Home Energy Savings
10th Edition Features New Lighting, Home Electronics, and Water Heating Information
Washington, D.C. (December 18, 2012): "Save Money, Save the Earth." That motto has appeared on the cover of every edition of the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings (
http://www.newsociety.com/Books/C/Consumer-Guide-to-Home-Energy-Savings-10th-Edition) since the first book was published in 1991. It's a big promise, and one that appears on the 10th and newest edition released today by the co-publishers, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and New Society Publishers (NSP).
But is it true? According to Jennifer Thorne Amann, ACEEE buildings program director and lead author of the Consumer Guide: "Every kilowatt-hour you avoid using saves over a pound of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be pumped into the atmosphere. So, if you take your 20-cubic-foot refrigerator from 1998 and replace it with an energy-efficient 2012 model, you'll save more than 300 kilowatt-hours and 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year. That translates to real savings on your energy bill, and real progress toward curbing carbon dioxide emissions from your home!" [The guide is available here
http://www.newsociety.com/Books/C/Consumer-Guide-to-Home-Energy-Savings-10th-Edition.]
Recycling “Did you know?”
Did you know ecomaine (our local recycling and waste processing plant) has a very informative website:
http://www.ecomaine.org/recycling/index.shtm
E-waste recycling guidelines, disclosure of the top three towns’ recycling rates each month (Falmouth tied for 2nd with 41% for Fiscal 2012), free guides to what can/can’t be recycled, how-to videos and other details! Click here for their 1-page guide for Recycling “Dos and Don’ts”.
http://www.ecomaine.org/recycling/Dos%20Don't%20web%202012.pdf
