2011 Midcoast Sustainable Living Fair
Round Top Farm, Damariscotta
Monday, April 25th through Sunday, May 1st
If you're interested in an energy-efficient home, renewable energy, locally grown food and other ways to "go green," then the Midcoast Sustainable Living Fair is for you.
This seven-day event, presented by Midcoast Green Collaborative, takes place April 25 through May 1 at Round Top Farm in Damariscotta. Admission to evening events and a Sunday picnic is free but donations are welcome. Included will be a Food & Farm Film Festival, how to build inexpensive interior storm windows to cut heating costs, solar power and heat, how energy audits and more.
The weekday evening programs run from 6-8. On Saturday, April 30, Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset will host an open house 9-4, with tours of alternative energy projects.
On Sunday, everyone is invited to a local foods picnic and celebration at Round Top Farm, noon to 4 p.m. A dozen local growers and vendors will offer a variety of foods, and beverages will include Maine-made beer and wine. The band Old Grey Goose will play folk and traditional tunes.
For several years the collaborative, a group of volunteers with a spectrum of skills and experience, has produced the Midcoast Sustainable Living Expo in Damariscotta. This year is a departure from that format. Organizers hope the weeklong event will attract anyone who wants to learn about ways to save money, eat a healthy diet, conserve resources and protect the environment.
The goal of the Fair is to encourage sustainable products and practices and to educate the public on the need for them. This will be the fourth annual Midcoast Sustainable Living Fair where consumers can learn about energy-saving and affordable options for a more environmentally responsible lifestyle.
Although all events are free, in order to continue our work, we appreciate any dontations you can offer.
Workshops & Movies
A Movie, and 4 Workshops are scheduled for Monday through Friday nights.
6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Schedule
Monday, April 25th
1. Food and Farm Film Festival
Food, Inc. In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli - the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising - and often shocking - truths about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
Presented by: Samuel Kaymen, Midcoast Green Collaborative
2. It's a long walk to Portland: Other options when gas hits $4.00 plus
Energy costs are on their way to consume 3/4 or more of a Maine family's budget. And of every dollar spent on energy 50 cents is spent on transportation by automobile. How long can we afford to not consider better alternatives? This seminar is an overview of our 21st century post-gasoline options.
Presented by: Paul Kando, Midcoast Green Collaborative
3. Making interior insulating storm windows
Learn how to make simple inexpensive double pane window inserts that will reduce the heat loss from your windows and seal up the drafts. 2 layers of clear shrink film on a wood frame is edged with foam that compresses as it fits into the window. You can do a whole house for less than the cost of 1 replacement window!
Presented by: Bob Hardina, Midcoast Green Collaborative
4. I Can't Afford (not) to Weatherize my House
Weatherization starting with a $0 budget. Paying so much to heat your house that you can't afford to fix it? This workshop will start with techniques that cost nothing but time and free materials. The savings will then be applied to build on that, with the goal of substantial energy savings.
Presented by: Topher Belknap, Green Fret Consulting
5. Capitalizing on Midcoast Maine's Assets: Farm-to-School as a Sustainable Model
The Farm-to-School initiative is an invaluable model for sustainability in that it has the capacity to perpetuate itself. This program brings opportunities to the classroom that may not have otherwise been incorporated, with the goal of exposing students to a new way of thinking about what they eat and where their food is grown or produced. Find out more about the accomplishments and goals of Farm-to-School in Midcoast Maine, and learn how to incorporate these practices at home by pairing eating with education.
Presented by: Heather Bolint
Tuesday, April 26th
1. Food and Farm Film Festival
The Power of Community; How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (53 minutes) When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half and food imports cut by 80 percent, people were desperate. This fascinating and empowering film shows how communities pulled together, created solutions, and ultimately thrived in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy.
Presented by: Samuel Kaymen, Midcoast Green Collaborative
2. Deep Energy Retrofit: Getting Your Home Ready for the Next 50 years.
You don't have to build a new home to achieve high levels of energy efficiency. The "Greenest" home is the one you already own. Deep Energy Retrofits aim to reduce you energy consumption by at least 50%and much more is possible. Good planning and smart utilization of existing materials and technology make Deep Energy Retrofitting your home a very smart move.
Slide show the complete retrofit process of a 70 year-old home in Bath lasting 60-90 min with lots of Q and A. Renovation completed last summer projecting 75% energy savings. Almost 1 year's energy saving results will be premiered for the first time.
Presented by: Al Heath, ColdClimateHome.com
3. Houses Without Heating Systems: Warm Without Breaking the Bank.
As we struggle to pay our growing heating bills, it is good to know that there are houses so energy efficient that, in cold climates like our own, they need no heating system at all. How are they built? What are their features? How do they work? What do they cost? What can we learn from them? How can we apply that knowledge to our own house? How can we reduce our energy consumption without a government grant? How can we be sure that tightening a leaky house does not lead to unsafe or unhealthy indoor conditions? What should we do first and what should we avoid doing? We will explore the basic science of a heated house, share insights and techniques to solve specific problems. And we will work to find answers to your specific questions.
Presented by: Paul Kando, Midcoast Green Collaborative
4. Aging at Home
We must pioneer new ways for elders to stay in their own homes securely and happily, and to be more connected to family, friends, community and interests. 95% of older individuals wish to stay in their own houses for their entire lives and yet few options exist to help them. Current costs for care are astronomical: $100 K/yr for a nursing home bed; $50-60 K/yr for an assisted living bed; $200 K/yr for private care to stay in one's own home. This program will present ways to make your home safe to age in. Designed for people who sense the need to make decisions about their future and for children who are aware that their parents are aging. It is aimed at helping people discover how and where they will live so that others will not have to make, decisions they may not like, for them
Presented by: Bob Hardina, Midcoast Green Collaborative
5. Fiberglass - Cellulose - Spray Foam - What is the best type of Insulation for YOU?
An overview of different types of insulation, which types are best for different situations and how to decide. Choices differ for new vs. retrofit installation. Sometimes a combination will work best. Learn from an expert.
Presented by Charlie Huntington, I&S Insulation
Wednesday, April 27th
1. Food and Farm Film Festival - Double Feature
Nourish (26 minutes) Do you ever stop and wonder: What's the story of my food? Where did it come from, and how did it get to me? Food connects us to some of the most important questions of our time. The food choices we make, individually and as a society; create a ripple that is felt around the world.
Meet your Farmer (56 minutes) 8 short films about Maine farmers. Meet Your Farmer is a series of short films about farms in Maine. Produced for Maine Farmland Trust, an organization that works to preserve farm land in Maine for farming use, the films offer a glimpse at the many different types of farms in the state. From the potato harvest in Aroostook County, to the innovations of a seventh-generation farmer Downeast, to the struggles of a dairy farmer in Western Maine, the short films remind viewers that farming is more than just a historical feature of Maine; farming in Maine is alive and well.
Presented by Samuel Kaymen, Midcoast Green Collaborative
2. Living Sustainably and saving money
Guy presents many simple and practical steps for living more sustainably and saving money. Everything from efficient lighting to an overview of solar energy options. Guy speaks exclusively from direct experience.
Presented by: Guy Marsden, ART TEC
3. Making interior insulating storm windows
Learn how to make simple inexpensive double pane window inserts that will reduce the heat loss from your windows and seal up the drafts. 2 layers of clear shrink film on a wood frame is edged with foam that compresses as it fits into the window. You can do a whole house for less than the cost of 1 replacement window!
Presented by: Bob Hardina, Midcoast Green Collaborative
4. New Houses for a New World
We are coming to a world with increasingly scarce and expensive energy. Building a new house needs to take that into consideration, from the selection of a building site, placement of the building, through material choices, on to final landscaping. Much of the work can be done in the dream stage, and thus cost nothing but some thinking time. This will take a broad look, with time for specific questions from the participants.
Presented by: Topher Belknap, Green Fret Consulting
5. Cooperatives and Community Economic Development
What is a cooperative business and how can cooperatives be the engine of community economic development? Hear a firsthand account on how a small natural foods cooperative has grown into one of the leading economic incubators in Lincoln County, Maine. From job creation to local purchasing to reinvestment of all profits back into the community Rising Tide has been able to transform the local food system and our community's economic environment. Prepare to be inspired and tasked with taking the community-owned cooperative model to the forefront of community economic development across the state of Maine.
Presented by: Scott Cooper, Co-Manager, Rising Tide Community Market
Thursday, April 28th
1. Food and Farm Film Festival
The Real Dirt on Farmer John (83 minutes) The award-winning true story of third-generation American farmer John Peterson's hero's journey of success, tribulation, failure and rebirth. Peterson is a true American original. His story parallels that of the family farm in 20th Century America. What makes The Real Dirt on Farmer John so special is the fact that John Peterson is not only a farmer....he's an artist, too.
Presented by: Samuel Kaymen, Midcoast Green Collaborative
2. Community Supported Agriculture and it's Value for the Community.
Why CSAs are such an important part of of the future Agricultural economy and Maine's ability to feed its self.
Presented by: Jan Goranson, Goranson Farm, Dresden
3. Houses Without Heating Systems: Warm Without Breaking the Bank.
As we struggle to pay our growing heating bills, it is good to know that there are houses so energy efficient that, in cold climates like our own, they need no heating system at all. How are they built? What are their features? How do they work? What do they cost? What can we learn from them? How can we apply that knowledge to our own house? How can we reduce our energy consumption without a government grant? How can we be sure that tightening a leaky house does not lead to unsafe or unhealthy indoor conditions? What should we do first and what should we avoid doing? We will explore the basic science of a heated house, share insights and techniques to solve specific problems. And we will work to find answers to your specific questions.
Presented by: Paul Kando, Midcoast Green Collaborative
4. Indoor Air Quality - Is it Really a Problem? Ventilating New & Existing Homes - Why It's Not a Luxury but Rapidly Becoming a Necessity
Building and renovating homes in Maine's climate is a challenge. In Canada and Europe indoor air exchange is now code! Learn how to protect your health and your property. This talk stresses why controlling the ventilation in a home is necessary to protect occupants from indoor air pollutants. (radon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, combustion pollutants, chemicals) The tighter the house the greater the risk of moisture damage and subsequent biological contamination.
Most people want their homes to be constructed or renovated to minimize heat loss - never considering the demand for adequate ventilation. Yet exchanging air in a Maine home, particularly an energy efficient home, is one of the most critical issues Maine builders and homeowners need to address. The program will discuss the most common sources of indoor air pollution in homes, how they get there and what physical processes are present (air flow, pressure, moisture) and practical solutions to protect you and your property.
Presented by: Kurt Johnson, Fresh Air Ventilation systems
5. Energy on the Farm.
Rob co-owns Goranson Farm and speaks from many years of practical experience dealing with energy and sustainable farming practices.
Presented by: Rob Goranson, Goranson Farm, Dresden
Friday, April 29th
1. Food and Farm Film Festival
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution (112 minutes) French w/English subtitles, Food Beware follows an experiment in a small village in the mountains of France, where - in opposition to powerful economic interests - the town's mayor has decided to make the school lunch menu organic, with much of it grown locally. Featuring interviews with children, parents, teachers, health care workers, journalists, farmers, elected officials, scientists and researchers, we learn about challenges and rewards of their stand - both the abuses of industry as well as the practical solutions at hand. What will it take to save our health? This moving testament to one community's answer is food for thought, and provides a blueprint for a growing revolution.
Presented by: Samuel Kaymen, Midcoast Green Collaborative
2. It's a long walk to Portland: Other options when gas hits $4.00 plus
Energy costs are on their way to consume 3/4 or more of a Maine family's budget. And of every dollar spent on energy 50 cents is spent on transportation by automobile. How long can we afford to not consider better alternatives? This seminar is an overview of our 21st century post-gasoline options.
Presented by: Paul Kando, Midcoast Green Collaborative
3. Making interior insulating storm windows
Learn how to make simple inexpensive double pane window inserts that will reduce the heat loss from your windows and seal up the drafts. 2 layers of clear shrink film on a wood frame is edged with foam that compresses as it fits into the window. You can do a whole house for less than the cost of 1 replacement window!
Presented by: Bob Hardina, Midcoast Green Collaborative
4. I Can't Afford (not) to Weatherize my House
Weatherization starting with a $0 budget. Paying so much to heat your house that you can't afford to fix it? This workshop will start with techniques that cost nothing but time and free materials. The savings will then be applied to build on that, with the goal of substantial energy savings.
5. An overview of solar power and heating
An overview of the various types of solar energy: electric and heating systems that can be applied to your home. Guy will explain the technologies and fiscal realities of 'going solar' - why and when to consider taking the plunge. He will discuss incentives and return on investment time periods for each technology. Discussion and questions will follow.
Presented by : Guy Marsden, ART TEC
Tours at Chewonki
Saturday, April 30th
At the Chewonki Foundation campus, 485 Chewonki Neck road, Wiscasset: 9:30, 11:00am and 1:00pm Tours of the renewable energy systems on the campus include a hydrogen energy system, wind power, solar power and solar heating systems, geothermal heating and sustainable building designs and retrofits. See it all up close and personal!
Movie screening: 11:00am and 1:00pm
DEEP GREEN: Solutions to Stop Global Warming Now (2010) (Run time: 101 minutes) This film is a celebration of the possible. Almost every time we use energy, we burn carbon. Every time we burn carbon, we heat up the atmosphere. Global Warming cannot be stopped as long as fossil fuels run our planet. We can fix this! Over three years in the making, Deep Green is the first documentary devoted exclusively to showing us how. With an international team of cinematographers, director Matthew Briggs takes us on a compelling journey to nine countries, including China, to uncover the best ideas, cutting-edge technologies and restorative solutions to get the job done. Based on six years of intensive research and devoted exclusively to solutions to man-made global warming, Deep Green brings new clarity to an increasingly-urgent situation: the best applications worldwide in energy efficiency, green building, de-carbonizing transportation, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and smart grids, and forest restoration. Some are profoundly personal and practical, like what one person can do to lower their carbon load in their own house, their own lifestyle, on their own land. Others are more complex. We hear compelling insights from dozens of prominent thinkers, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and government officials on de-carbonizing energy and restoring the natural environment. Included are legendary authors Lester Brown and Michael Pollan; renowned scientists Amory Lovins and Dr. David Suzuki; powerful voices in China and green energy pioneers in seven countries across Europe. We go behind-the-scenes of China's green revolution; journey to France for a close-up of Alstom's 224-mph super high-speed trains; visit "the greenest city in Europe" in Sweden; listen in on a town hall meeting in Germany; preview Project DESERTEC - a super-sized smart grid to supply diverse renewable energies to all of Europe and North Africa. And much more!
Local Food Picnic
Sunday, May 1st, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Round Top Farm
Join your neighbors for a musical picnic! Celebrate and feast on local food and drink. 15 vendors will be on hand to sell you all you need and you can use our free BBQ grills to roast veggies and meats. With live music from the Old Grey Goose band. Rain or Shine!
List of Providers:
Providing Maine produced Foods & Beverages Only
| Village Cafe & Bakery | A Variety of Delectable Sweet Treats |
| Three Little Pigs Family Farm | Bratwurst Sausages |
| Sauerkraut, Fermented Foods, cuts of Pork & Sausage | |
| Sunset Acres Farm | Goat Cheese Spreads |
| Rising Tide Community Market | Caldwell Grass Fed Beefbergers, Chips & Water |
| Real Food Institute | Local Cider, Maine Root Beer |
| King Eiders Pub | Maine Beer & Maine Wine |
| Harvest Moon Pizza | Wood-Fired Pizza |
| Jyang-Lee Kitchen | Chinese Dimsum Treats & Oriental Super Sauces |
| Johns River Shellfish | Steam Clams & Shuck Oysters |
| Hahn’s End Cheese | Aged Cheese from Cow Milk |
| Goranson Farm | Farm Fresh Vegetables |
| Damariscotta River Grill | Wolf's Neck Hot Dogs, Clam Chowder, Veggie Roll-ups |
| Borealis Breads | Aroostock Wheat Bread, Maine Coast Focaccia, Baguettes |
| 3 Level Farm | Salad and Braising Greens, Turnips, Radishes & Scallions |
Live Music:
Our Sponsors:
- Damariscotta River Association
- Chewonki Foundation
- ReVision Energy
- Waldoboro Business Park
- Midcoast Energy Systems
- Cheney Insurance Agency
- Newcastle Square Realty
- Medomak Valley Land Trust
- Coastal Enterprises Inc.
- Reny's Department Stores
- Evergreen Home Performance
- Rising Tide Community Market
- Copy Shop
- Maine Energy Performance Solutions
- Real Food Institute