Cranberry Isles Sustainability Initiative

BULLETIN BOARD

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18 Comments

18 responses so far ↓

  • Marya Spurling // March 11, 2008 at 9:15 pm | Reply

    Any thoughts on making our own biodiesel? Especially in the summer we could use the fry grease from the restaurant and the store, and the processor itself would soon pay for its own start up costs. Restaurants usually have to pay to get rid of leftover grease, and we could just take it off their hands for free or offer a lower price. It could fuel lobster boats or diesel cars on the island, tractors, whatever, either with 100% biodiesel or a mixture of bio- and regular diesel. We make it at Gordon with the leftover grease from the dining hall and it fuels all our diesel engines, so I could look into how it’s done here and get some tips.

  • Hannah Folsom // March 11, 2008 at 9:19 pm | Reply

    I am glad the ball is rolling with this program and I hope it stays this way. Looking foward too it! Hannah

  • Eric Dyer // March 11, 2008 at 9:20 pm | Reply

    As we discussed at the first meeting, sustainability can mean many things. I’d like to re-focus on sustaining the local economy through local production, buying, and trade. Last year I was able to buy most of my Christmas gifts locally, but not all. This year I’m going for 100%.

    Usual suspects aside (or maybe not), does anyone have any gift-type items they want to sell or trade?

    To start, I have about a dozen quarts of tasty ‘Islesford’ apple sauce and about a dozen jars of delicious ‘Islesford’ apple jelly I made this fall. All fruit came from trees on the island! I could just hand these out to my family and friends, but… I’d love to trade for other local jellies, crafts, oddities, etc.

    What’ve you got?

  • Bruce and Barb // March 11, 2008 at 9:22 pm | Reply

    Bruce and Barb Fernald started off the new year by signing up for Maine Renewable Energy. It was easy to do on line. We will now be getting all of our Bangor Hydro electricity from hydro power and wind power. It might cost a little more, but what an incentive to turn off those lights and look for ways to cut back on energy use.

  • Alden Hathaway // March 11, 2008 at 9:23 pm | Reply

    I’m glad to see the island looking at wind power. How about solar power? The Islesford Dock has enough southern exposure on the roof to generate nearly 50 kW of power – enough to power ten to twelve homes.

    How many of you are tired of power outages on the island? You can do something about it and, at the same time, increase the sustainability of the island, reduce global warming, and save money.

    Seven years ago, I built my first zero energy home, and for six and a half years I averaged energy costs for my home in Virginia of only $30.00 per month. This was a reduction in energy costs of nearly 90% through the use of solar and energy efficiency. Although, I sold my house last year, when we moved to Georgia, I plan to build another one.

    You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, I have posted my experience in an eleven chapter book. Fell free to download and contact me if you have questions. http://www.ert.net/solarhome

  • Bruce Komusin // March 11, 2008 at 9:23 pm | Reply

    uvan idea to save gasoline & reduce emissions: instead of 30 people hopping in 30 cars & going to the post office every day (and every car never warming up to efficient operating temperature due to short trip) why not have one car deliver all mail (which car will soon warm up to efficient temp due to longer island-wide trip.)

    the delivery person can also carry shed items, groceries, and local news to shut ins…

  • Alex Pogany // March 15, 2008 at 8:56 pm | Reply

    Energy from Waves? This technology is still a bit new, but its interesting and worth looking at considering that at our latitude we have some of the worlds largest tides (that is to say the largest difference between low and high tides) Here is a very informative link, http://www.ocsenergy.anl.gov/guide/wave/index.cfm Some day it might even be affordable for us to put into use…I’m ecstatic that this web site is up and am looking forward to being as big a part of it as I can. E-mail me if there is anyway I can contribute. Plus here is my phone number 360 927 0361

  • Alex Pogany // March 15, 2008 at 9:04 pm | Reply

    one more thing, if anyone is looking for a great and comprehensive book to read on these new environmental sustainability issues try Cradle To Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart. I hope many have already found this book enlightening.

  • Hugh Dwelley // March 17, 2008 at 7:57 pm | Reply

    I think that tidel power is a great idea along with wind. However, the massive Quaddy Tidel Power Project was tried during the 1930s and I’m told that in never produced a kilowat. Quaddy Village, near Eastport, is still there. Perhaps another look should be taken at generation of power from the rise and fall of the tides. Current technology might make it work were it did not in the 1930s.

  • Brendan Ravenhill // March 18, 2008 at 3:08 pm | Reply

    http://www.mainetidalpower.com/index.html
    This is an interesting site with lots of information bout tidal power possibilities in Maine. Check out their project page to see what a tidal generator looks like.

  • Skip Stevens // March 18, 2008 at 3:26 pm | Reply

    Just got back from Steve Perrin’s presentation on the ecology of coastal Maine. Learned a lot from Steve, and it struck me how important education is, education about the natural world, in this case. Steve talked about being close to nature on an island, and we are. To an extent. The extent ot that intimacy depends on many things, including education. How much do we actually know about the natural world? The average islander probably knows more than does the average city dweller, but can always know more. I know I can (some days , after staring at the computer screen all day, “talking” with students about stuff in books, I’m not sure I can tell the difference between a spruce and a moose).

    The sustainability initiative can and does initiate many things that address the environmental crisis. One of these is education. The TCI community is blessed with people who know a lot about the natural world around us. And there are other educational resources, such as the Internet, now brought closer by our friends at Red Zone. (I wonder what Red Zone’s carbon footprint is. :> )

    As we become more active as a community, with more meetings, more presentations such as Steve’s, more planning, more initiatives such as this website, let’s include a big dose of learning about the natural world we all admire and love.

  • Christy Spurling // April 4, 2008 at 2:45 am | Reply

    http://action.1sky.org/t/1426/signUp.jsp?key=121

    Look at this opportunity to make a difference for Mother’s Day. It involves people, paint, some creativity and a collective desire to respond to climate change in Washington. It made me think of our progressive island community and what we can do together! :)

  • Richard Beal, Selectman Town of Cranberry Isles // April 26, 2008 at 5:45 pm | Reply

    Earlier this month at the Sustainability Meeting on Great Cranberry one of the suggestions made concerned gathering of information on use of Tidal Energy, particularly as it might be possible in the “gut” between Great and Little Cranberry Islands.

    For information Maine Maritime Academy is exploring the possibility of establishing a Tidal Energy Device Evaluation Center in waters local to Castine, and will be hosting an open forum on Wednesday, April 30. from 7 to 9 PM in the Harborview Room of the Harold Alfond Student Center on the MMA campus. This forum, has been convened by Maine Senator Dennis Damon, (D-Hancock County), with the goal of the meeting being identification of community concerns and interests and to establish a format for dialogue.

    Amanda and members of the Sustainability Committee: What do you think about asking Senator Damon, who is already very familiar with our Town, to visit and participate in a future Cranberry Isles Sustainability Meeting?

    Perhaps it would be possible for him to discuss in detail what the MMA exploratory phase of the permitting process entails and how the cooperative group of MMA and industry partners intend to provide a tidal energy device evaluation center to economically and efficiently test and evaluate a variety of tidal energy devices currently under development around the world. I offer these thoughts in support of comments made by Hugh Dwelley on 17 March 2008.

    For more information I suggest interested persons visit http://tedec.mma.edu/ or call Jarlath McEntee (326-4311) or Ron Beard (667-8212).

  • Samuel Hyler // May 13, 2008 at 7:01 pm | Reply

    Screwing in a cfl doesn’t take much time or effort and can significantly reduce your energy consumption….I challenge everyone to “Just Do It”!!

  • Greg Theriault // May 19, 2008 at 11:14 pm | Reply

    Screwing in a CFL. Great Idea-How about what to do with it when it needs to be un-screwed? I had a couple last month and was told the following: ” They are considered hazardous waste and cannot be disposed on the Island. they must go with the hazardous waste” I was then advised to “Just go throw them in a dumpster on a job site” Nice Solution. I still have things in front of my house from last spring waiting for hazardoud pick-up. So here is my challenge-A reasonable way to dispose of them!

  • Philippe Donald // June 28, 2008 at 11:39 am | Reply

    Has anyone researched composting toilets? If so, I would appreciate any help as I look into this crappy technology– as I see it, every home, where possible, should separate solid waste from greywater, which can sustain and be filtered by a constructed wetland, the poo becoming quality topsoil. Besides, as far as I understand, composting toilets cost at most half the price of a leach field.

  • peyton eggleston // July 18, 2008 at 3:59 pm | Reply

    you may be interested in this url for a tidal power project that has been running in Nova Scotia for years. Perhaps worth a field trip! http://www.nspower.ca/environment/green_power/tidal/index.shtml

  • Philippe Donald // October 3, 2008 at 5:26 pm | Reply

    I take it this forum is dead. Shame, really, there is quite a bit of potential seeing as the internet can bridge our summer and winter communities, but I have high hopes for next year! We need wind and tidal power, and compost! Among many other exciting things, of course.
    Lets not forget the dream– at some point we may not have to wake up.
    Be well, ladies and gentlemen.

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