energy wise 2011

2 | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Thursday | April 21, 2011

By David M. FitzpatrickBDN SPECIAL SECTIONS

Pay-as-you-throw programs in Maine first beganin 1987, and over 24 years the idea has caught onacross the state — albeit slowly. But with 141 Mainecommunities — 28 percent of the total communi-ties in Maine — it looks as if the movement is gain-ing steam amidst rising trash-processing prices andprofits from recyclables. Many communities areinstituting a one-two punch of PAYT and ramped-up recycling programs.

Here’s how PAYT works. Residents pay to disposeof their garbage, usually by purchasing officialstickers or special bags; the trash crews only haulaway authorized trash. To compensate, communi-ties frequently offer recycling programs to help res-idents reduce their garbage. Recycling is either bycurbside pickup, drop-off at a recycling center, orboth.

The biggest complaint is probably “Aren’t myproperty taxes supposed to pay for trash pickup?”Maybe, but communities offer free recyclingbecause they can sell the recycled waste. Chargingfor trash pickup encourages residents to recycle.Property taxes might not drop, but they won’t go up

either due to rising trash-pickup costs.The city of Brewer instituted a PAYT

program beginning in January 2011,and represents the largest populationnorth of Topsham in Maine to launch aPAYT program. And so far, results havebeen tremendous.

“The response from residents hasbeen above and beyond our expecta-tions,” said Karen Fussell, Brewer’sfinance director and the person whospearheaded the research and public-information efforts.

For the first three months of 2011,trash has been reduced by about half.Recycling in January, February, andMarch has increased 424, 436, and 445percent respectively over those monthsin 2010.

Many people were nervous at first,but Fussell said that education was key.“Once people heard the City’s reasonsfor adopting the change and learnedabout the expanded recycling program,most agreed it made sense,” she said.

The idea for PAYT has been bandiedabout in Brewer for over a decade, butFussell said it resurfaced again in late2009. “It was certainly not a new idea,but it was an idea whose time hadcome,” she said.

So why did Brewer do it? Two keyreasons. The first is that the city’s con-tracts with Pine Tree Waste for trashand recycling pickup were due to expiresoon, and the city expected a substan-tial increase in contract fees — whichwould likely have been passed on to res-idents in the form of taxes. The secondis that the city’s contract with the PERCplant in Orrington, where waste isincinerated, will expire in 2018. IfPERC is still around, Brewer expects ahefty increase in fees; if it isn’t, Brewerwould have to pay to have wastetrucked a long distance to be incinerat-ed. With trash and incineration con-tracts almost certainly going to sky-rocket, residents will likely be paying alot more in taxes if the recycling andPAYT programs hadn’t been imple-mented.

And Fussell said that since Brewerpays for trash by the ton, residents who were throw-ing out very little garbage were subsidizing thosewho threw out a lot. The PAYT program insteadencourages people to recycle for free as much asthey can, which reduces their waste.

Brewer opted for a one-two punch of single-stream recycling through Pine Tree Waste, whichcalls its process “Zero-Sort Recycling,” and PAYT.Instead of residents having to separate various typesof recyclables — such as paper, certain types ofplastic, metal, and glass — residents need only putout any recyclables without sorting. The city alsoincreased recycling pickup from once to twice amonth. Along with PAYT, this has helped reduce

garbage pickup and increase recycling. There’s a fairlist of things that aren’t allowed, but it doesn’t takelong to get accustomed to what goes in the trashand what goes in the recycling.

While Brewer residents seem to have mostlyembraced the PAYT program, not everyone else-where has done so. In March, nearly 100 Palmyraresidents turned out for a marathon five-and-a-halfhour meeting in which two proposed PAYT pro-grams were shot down. Sanford recently worked toenact a PAYT program, but after a lot of work, resi-dents voted it down.

To become better informed before getting deepinto the PAYT idea, Fussell did plenty of research

with other communities with successfulPAYT programs — and Sanford, whichhad done the distance only to see theplan fail. Fussell says she’s open to con-tacts from any communities consideringPAYT if they’d like to benefit from herexperience, which she says has beenoverwhelmingly positive.

“Brewer’s been very pleased with thesuccess of both of the programs,” shesaid. “The results in terms of trashreduction and recycling increase haveexceeded our most optimistic estimatesand for that Brewer residents deserve thehighest praise.”

(In the interests of full disclosure,I’m a Brewer resident who is happy withthe program. So far this year, my wifeand I have thrown out just one bag oftrash every two or three weeks. We’redefinitely recycling the vast majority ofwhat we used to throw away. We expectto spend about $40 to $50 in orangePAYT bags over the course of the year,which isn’t bad considering our taxeswould likely have gone up significantlyif trash pickup and incineration costswere to rise.)

BBaagg PPrroobblleemmss??There has been one complaint of

note in Brewer: The bags tear too easily,people claim. But where typical store-bought garbage bags run from 0.9 to 1.1mils, Brewer’s PAYT bags are 1.5 mils. Inan attempt to address comments aboutbag quality, the city is increasing thethickness of the large bags to 1.7 mils,but according to bag manufacturerWaste Zero, that’s never been much of aproblem.

Some people have reported splitseams; others say the drawstrings ripout. Waste Zero President Mark Dancysaid that they haven’t seen any specificquality-control issues during produc-tion. Common problems involve peopleoverstuffing the bags, which haveweight limits, or trying to pull a bag outof a trash can by the drawstrings; asanyone who has tried this with any bagknows, the suction from the can mightput quite a strain on those strings.

But “It still needs to perform, and we take thatvery seriously,” Dancy said. Dancy instituted a checkon the Brewer bags at the factory, and found notrouble with seams or drawstrings. He stressed thatif any Brewer residents have problems with badbags, they can return them to the retailer toexchange for new bags or to get refunds.

Waste Zero serves 300 cities, mostly east of theMississippi and in the Northeast, including Bath,Brunswick, and Portland. Between those three com-munities and Brewer, Waste Zero’s bags cover near-ly a third of the Maine population using bags withPAYT programs.

“We make lots of bags,” Dancy said.

This Bangor Home Show supplement was produced and published by the

EEddiittoorr//LLaayyoouutt:: David M. Fitzpatrick WWrriittiinngg//PPhhoottooggrraapphhyy:: David M. Fitzpatrick, et al.CCoovveerr DDeessiiggnn:: Chris Quimby SSaalleess:: John Browning, Linda Hayes

To participate in next year’s Energy Wise, contact Linda Hayes at (207) 990-8136 [email protected] or John Browning at

(207) 990-8177 or [email protected].

To reach a wide audience with your organization’s message, run your ownSpecial Section. For information, contact Mike Kearney at (207) 990-8212

or [email protected].

THE LAST 10 YEARS:PAYT IN MAINE

PAYT grew steadily from the first programsin the 1980s, and in 2001 128 communitieshad PAYT programs. Ten years later, the num-ber has only grown to 141, but that number isexpected to grow quickly in the coming years.But the methods of PAYT have changed a lot.

22000011 22001100SSttiicckkeerrss 70 52BBaaggss 29 63WWeeiigghhtt 15 12CCaasshh 6 4OOtthheerr 2 10

TTOOTTAALL:: 128 141

Other systems include punchcards, tokens,tags, tickets, and by weight.

A FEW MAINE PAYT FACTSBBaaggss rruullee.. In 2001, more than half of all

PAYT programs used stickers; about one-fifthused bags. In 2011, half use bags, with a littlemore than a third using stickers.

BBiigg ccoommmmuunniittiieess.. Eleven communities —Portland, Brunswick, Windham, Gorham,Kenebunk, Falmouth, Wells, Bath, Topsham,Old Orchard Beach, and Freeport — accountfor almost half of all Mainers with PAYT pro-grams.

BBrreewweerr’’ss bbiigg.. North of Topsham, Brewer isthe largest single community doing PAYT, with8, 987 residents. Bucksport and Orland com-bine for 7,042, Ellsworth has 6,456, andBelfast has 6,381.

CCoosstt ppeerr bbaagg.. Stickers or bags run from 50cents to $3, depending on the community.Some have weight limits; others give X num-ber of stickers or bags free, and you paybeyond that.

CCoosstt iinnccrreeaasseess.. 38 communities reportedcost increases since 2001. Others charge perbag at drop-off centers, with no special stick-ers or bags.

Pay-as-you-throw disposal programs gaining strength statewide

PHOTO BY JAMES DUNNING, CASELLA/PINE TREE WASTETrash and recycling being picked up in Brewer. The orange bag is

a pay-as-you-throw bag. The trash can, marked with a recyclingsticker, is unsorted recylables. Brewer residents don’t have to pay

for recyclables, which Pine Tree can turn into a profit. Pine Treessingle-stream, unsorted recycling program, which the company

called “Zero-Sort” recycling, has been a bit hit in Brewer. In thefirst three months of 2011, residents have well exceeded a 400

percent increase in recycling over the first three months last year.

By Pine Tree WasteA DIVISION OF CASELLAWASTE SYSTEMS

Most people see trash simply that:worthless scrap to be thrown out,buried, and forgotten. At Casella, we seethings differently. We believe that we livein a closed-loop environment, and wehave an obligation to work towardsresource sustainability. It’s critical tofind ways to reduce our waste, andrenewing the life cycle of our consum-ables is an important first step. Withtrash, we see only potential — every-thing from new sources of clean energyto the raw materials for new products.Our mission rests upon this idea givingresources new life.

Sustainability has always been ourfocus. For more than three decades,Casella has worked to change the indus-try by crafting an innovative strategythat encourages sustainable valuebeyond traditional disposal methods. In1977, we built the first recycling center inVermont, an early effort that has evolvedand flourished into recycling facilities in15 states. In 2002, we launched our Sus-tainable Environmental and EconomicDevelopment program and constructedsustainable infrastructure around ourlandfill sites and disposal projects.

We continue to pioneer in the recy-cling field, investing heavily in recyclinginfrastructure and research and develop-ing the next generation of recyclingtechnologies and programs. Considerour recent Zero-Sort Recycling program,which makes recycling easy and pro-motes greater participation; all types ofrecyclables go unsorted into a single bin,where they’re later mechanically sortedat our facilities. It saves time, effort, andmoney, and has been remarkably effec-tive at many locations. Recent successstories include dramatically increasedrecycling levels at the American FolkFestival, the offshore community ofIslesboro, the towns of Northport andAbbott, and, most notably, the city ofBrewer, where the Zero-Sort implemen-tation has resulted in a 400-plus percentrecycling increase.

We’re leading the industry in thestruggle to meet the demand forresource conservation, transformation,and renewal. We’re a charter member,and the only solid waste and recyclingcompany involved in, the EPA’s ClimateLeaders Program, an industry-govern-ment partnership dedicated to develop-ing comprehensive, long-term reductionin greenhouse-gas emissions. As CLPmembers, we’ve set an aggressive com-pany-wide greenhouse gas emissionsreduction target of 10 percent over sevenyears, from 2005 to 2012. This willreduce our emissions by 100,000 metrictons of carbon-dioxide equivalents each

BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Thursday | April 21, 2011 | 3

Casella Waste Systems follows ‘Giving resources new life’ credoCompany developing and implementing technologies on many levels for reclamation, recycling

See CASELLA, Page 13

By David M. Fitzpatrick

BDN SPECIAL SECTIONS

Need to make energy-efficientimprovements to your home? Thanks toEfficiency Maine’s winning grant pro-posal to the U.S. Department of Energyin December 2009 — one of just 25nationwide — Maine qualified for feder-al stimulus funds for just that purpose.Mainers have the opportunity for low-interest loans that can help make theirhomes more efficient. Perhaps best ofall, the loan is attached to a property, nota person, so if you sell your home, theloan transfers to the new owner.

The program is called PACE, forProperty Assessed Clean Energy. Similarprograms have received negative press inother states, but Maine’s program han-

dles things differently: loan pay-ments will not be added to, ortreated like, property tax, anddon’t have priority over a homemortgage. And as homeownerspay back their loans, the fundreplenishes — providing moneyfor future applicants.

So what can you do with theloan? Just about anything to makeyour home energy efficient,including air sealing with foam orcaulk, heating-system upgrades,installation of efficient hot-waterheaters, installation of better con-trols and thermostats for boilers andfurnaces, and insulating. The loan is setat a fixed 4.99 percent over five, 10, or 15years.

There are rules. Your proposedimprovements must meet the cost-effec-

tiveness test — basically, that your finan-cial benefits from the improvementsmust exceed the financial costs over thelife of the improvement. Homeownersmust also have a debt-to-income ratio ofnot more than 45 percent and be current

on all taxes and sewer payments,and the property must be lien-freeand not subject to a reverse mort-gage.

And there’s a catch. In order toqualify for a PACE loan, the home-owner’s municipality must adopt aPACE ordinance. Municipalitieshave no legal requirement to doso, so it may be up to you to bringit to your town’s attention. It’s easyto do, but the town has to decidewhether to raise its own PACEfunds or use Efficiency Maine’srevolving-loan program. The town

should also develop public-outreachprogram to educate its residents aboutthe benefits of energy-saving measuresand about the loan program and avail-able rebates.

PACE is a great partner with Efficien-

cy Maine’s Home Energy Savings Pro-gram. HESP offers cash rebates forweatherization and efficiency measuresthat reduce energy use by at least 25 per-cent. This is great, but the homeowner’sup-front costs can be quite expensive.With a PACE loan, those costs can bedeferred, and paid back at an impres-sively low interest rate. And when youfactor in federal tax credits, this might bethe perfect time to do such projects.

For more information about PACEand how you can enjoy its benefits, orhow you can establish a PACE ordinancein your municipality, visithttp://www.efficiencymaine.com/pace.


Top 10 Dream Home Features(MS) -- If you were given a chance to design a dream home, what fea-tures would you choose first? Take a look at the most popular wish list in2011 from Nudura, a leading firm in building technology, and how those10 things can be made energy efficient, sustainable, or green.

CCuurrbb aappppeeaall.. Home exterior, driveway, and landscaping must attractadmiring attention. Blacktop looks great when new, but grays andcracks, and the tar comes from fossil fuels. A well designed and main-tained gravel drive can look just as good.

CCoonnccrreettee aanndd nnaattuurraall ssttoonnee,, rather than wood framing and brick.These homes are not only beautiful, they are stonger, more sound resist-ant, and far more energy efficient than wood frames and brick.

MMaaxxiimmuumm eenneerrggyy eeffffiicciieennccyy,, from top to bottom. That’s the key focusfor many today, particularly in new construction. Many people think it’ssuper-expensive to add energy-efficient features to a home, but for newconstruction, it isn’t that dramatic. And new or old, energy-efficientextras can pay for themselves.

SSoollaarr ppaanneellss to generate a personal energy source. Financially, solarpower is where it needs to be for the average homeowner, and with aPACE loan (see above) and other incentives, it’s a solid answer.

AA llaarrggee ddeessiiggnneerr kkiittcchheenn with natural stone countertops and futuristicappliances, cabinetry and waterworks. Appliances alone are shoo-ins forenergy efficiency, as anything being made today sticks to stringent stan-dards. They’re big money-savers over old models.

NNaattuurraall hhaarrddwwoooodd fflloooorrss like Brazilian cherry and sustainable bamboo.AA ssuunnrroooomm,, a front porch, and a backyard finished patio. A sunroom

can really be an energy saver, warming up nicely even in the winter, andproviding a breeze in the summer.

VVeesssseell ssiinnkkss,, or freestanding bowls above the bathroom countertop,accompanied by wall-mounted faucets. Low-flow toilets, faucets thatconserve water, and anti-drip mechanisms all help save money.

BBeeddrroooomm wwaallkk oouutt oorr bbaallccoonnyy.. Instead of cranking up the AC in thesummer, imagine stepping out of your bedroom and relaxing on the bal-cony on a cool evening.

DDeessiiggnneerr bbaatthhttuubbss aanndd wwaallkk-iinn sshhoowweerr with marble tile, a seatingbench and rainfall showerhead. Again, water-conserving fixtures canmake a difference, along with low-flow showerheads.

Low-interest PACE loans for energy-efficient home improvements



With the recent nuclear disasters inJapan, more than ever people are askingif nuclear power is worth it. Proponentspoint to the fact that it took a 9.0 earth-quake and a major tsunami just off thecoast to lead to those failures and do thekind of damage it did, especially in acountry that built its nuclear reactorswith those sorts of disasters clearly inmind. Opponents argue that all thepreparation in the world can’t outwitMother Nature.

Probably most reactors aren’t built aswell as those that catastrophically failedin Japan, where they built them withearthquakes in mind. But even if theywere, the potential for deadly problemsis always there. So what alternatives arecost-effective and can provide the powerwe need? And how can we find anysource capable of generating our entireglobal power requirements?

The fact is, nuclear power is theanswer, but not in power plants. Instead,we could access the biggest, most power-ful nuclear reactor within about 25 tril-lion miles of us: the Sun.

The Sun accounts for 99.86 percent ofthe mass of the entire solar system. It’s109 Earths wide and has the volume of1.3 million Earths. In its core, it fuses620 million metric tons of hydrogen intohelium every second. It’s been doing itfor about 4.57 billion years, and willcontinue to do so for longer than that. Itwill be producing energy for a long time.

That energy is in the form of lightand heat, and we can capture light usingsolar panels. Build large-enough solarcollectors at the best hotpots around theworld, and all our power needs are cov-ered. Build satellite facilities as backups,and power will never be a problemagain. As technology for more-efficientsolar collectors develops, upgrades willbe easy, and old collectors will work withnew collectors in the meantime.

The idea isn’t science fiction, and thedata-gathering portion of this experi-ment was done almost 20 years ago.From 1991 through 1993, continuousdata from geostationary weather satel-lites around the world mapped the solarirradiance across the whole planet.

The black dots in the graphic repre-sents the centers of solar-power systemsin key locations. Installing such systemswill supply the world’s current total pri-mary energy demand. This assumes aconversion efficiency of 8 percent (thecurrent maximum efficiency of a high-performance photovoltaic cell, accord-ing to a 2010 Caltech report, is 85 per-cent, but even their prototypes have hitnearly 100 percent). The one in the Unit-ed States would need to be 170,455

square kilometers, more than two-fifthsof the Great Basin. And if we could con-struct such systems with that 85-percentefficiency Caltech reported, instead of 8percent, those systems could feasibly beless than 10 percent those projectedsizes.

These seven systems could provide allthe energy we currently use in the formof electricity, nuclear power, fossil fuels,propane, and so on, in all homes, busi-nesses, factories, cars, trains — anythingthat uses any kind of power.

These systems would produce 18 ter-awatts per year, which is equivalent to anenergy output of over 13.5 billion tonsof oil. To put that in perspective, in 2003,the total primary energy supply world-wide was equivalent to burning about10.5 billion tons of oil. (Note that not allenergy output is achieved by burning oil;

energy production on a worldwide scaleis often described of in terms of howmany “toe” — tons of oil equivalent — itwould take to produce it.)

There are further challenges, such asstoring solar energy. Since the weathercan make a major difference in howmuch solar energy can be collected atany given moment, it’s imperative to beable to store the solar energy for uselater. But check out solutions like the oneby Palo Alto-based Ausra, where solarpower is converted into steam andstored for later use.

Sound ambitious? Certainly. But ifyou consider the replacement of oilrefineries and coal mines with solarfields and refinery workers and minerswith field tenders, and redirected manu-


It is possible to reduce home energy costs without compromising your comfort. Dead River Company can show you how. Here are just a few ideas:

A programmable thermostat: This is one of the easiest ways to save energy and money. An ENERGY STAR® certified programmable thermostat can help you regulate your home’s temperature and save you upward of $150 a year in heating costs.

Space heating: Reduce your overall fuel oil consumption with a propane space heater. Turn back your home’s central heat and use a propane space heater to warm the room you spend the most time in.

A fuel economizer: An energy-saving device like the IntelliCon® Heating System Fuel Economizer can be installed on an existing heating system. With the IntelliCon Economizer, you’re guaranteed to reduce fuel consumption by at least 10%.

A more efficient water heater: Heating water is the third largest energy expense in your home. You can conserve by using less hot water, insulating your hot water heater, or lowering its thermostat. You can also install a more energy-efficient water heater. Dead River Company offers several models, including the Rinnai® propane tankless water heater, which provides up to 30% energy savings over electric models.

Your energy source: Dead River Company is a full-service fuel oil and propane company dedicated to keeping our customers comfortable throughout the year. That also includes helping you save money on your energy bills. To learn more about how we can help, call our office.

Ideas in energy efficiency.

certified programmable thermostat can help you regulate your home’s temperature and

Save money by preventing heat loss. Call us to learn more.

Brewer: (207) 989-2770 • Ellsworth: (207) 667-4681 Calais: (207) 454-7511 • Houlton: (207) 532-2283

Madawaska: (207) 728-6307 • Presque Isle: (207) 769-2931 Millinocket: (207) 723-5151

www.deadriver.com

Two years of satellite surface mapping produced this heat map of theEarth’s surface. Building massive solar-collection facilities on the black

dots would result in power generated for all the human race’s needs.Continued on next page


facturing to capturing, storing,and using solar power, itwouldn’t be so outlandish.

If it’s money the money-makers want, there’s plentyof money to be made in thisproject — all while satisfy-ing the need to protect the

environment. Sounds like apretty easy choice.

And the best part? A limitlesssupply of energy from the most

massive nuclear reactor around...with no worries of a meltdown!

Three Fun School Solar Projects:hhttttpp::////wwwwww..wwiirreedd..ccoomm//wwiirreeddsscciieennccee//22000099//0033//ddoonnuuttssoollaarr - Make a solar cell out of a donut and tea! Inefficient, but cool!

hhttttpp::////sscciittooyyss..ccoomm//sscciittooyyss//sscciittooyyss//eecchheemm//eecchheemm22..hhttmmll - Make a solar cell by cooking a copper sheet on the stove!

hhttttpp::////sscciittooyyss..ccoomm//sscciittooyyss//sscciittooyyss//eecchheemm//eecchheemm33..hhttmmll - A flat-panel version of the copper-sheet project.

Build Your Own Inexpensive Panelshttp://www.mdpub.com/SolarPanel/index.html

This guy built a solar panel for a fraction of the cost of similar commercial units using inexpensive, mildly damaged solarcells bought on eBay. Damaged cells work just fine, even if they don’t look so nice. One Web site even demonstrates making a

solar panel using shattered panel shards!

SIMPLE S LAR EXPERIMENTS

1. PLASTICS AREN’T NEWThe first plastic, celluloid, was developed in

1855, and was later used as motion-picture film.And Hans von Pechmann accidentally createdpolyethylene in 1899, although it was 34 yearsbefore it came into use. We’ve made it into every-thing from plastic wrap to soda bottles ever since.

2. PLASTIC CAN COME FROM THE EARTHPlastic can be made from natural gas. But it’s often

made from the byproducts of petroleum refining. Thatmakes it another product supporting our dependencyon oil —and our dependency on foreign oil.

3. PLASTIC CAN BE GROWNMany plants, such as corn, potatoes, and sugar

cane, produce dextrose, which can be used to makepolylactic acid, which is formed into polymers.Biodegradable plastics are ideal because they breakdown very quickly, unlike those we’ll discuss next.

4. PLASTIC DEGRADES SLOWLYOkay, you probably knew this one. But did you know

how long? It can take 1,000 years or more for plastic todegrade in a landfill. Plastic bags generally take 10 to 20years if exposed to air and sun. Biodegradable bags arebecoming more common, which quickly decomposewith the help of microorganisms.

5. PLASTIC ISN’T ALWAYS RECYCLABLECheck the plastic for the triangular resin

identification code, which contains a numberthat identifies the type of plastic. Some commu-nities with recycling programs limit which typesof plastic they’ll take.

6. YOU MIGHT WEAR PLASTIC CLOTHINGPlastic fibers are found in carpeting and cloth-

ing. Think “polyester,” which is a type of plastic.Plastic can also be found in the dyes used tocolor them. We don’t often think about recyclingshirts and rugs, but we should be.

7. PLASTIC COMPONENTS WON’T GROW YOU A BEARDBisphenol-A, an organic compound used in some plastics,

won’t make women grow little beards, despite Gov. Paul LePage’swoeful misunderstanding of the science. BPA simulates the femalehormone estrogen, which we’ve known since the 1930s. It canleach out of plastics into food and drink. BPA’s confirmed sideeffects, and other potentials being studied, are especially harmfulto developing humans — such as fetuses, infants, and young chil-dren. There’s no doubt BPA is bad news. Sorry, governor.

8. PLASTIC IN FIBERBOARDSpeaking of LePage, the murals he had removed

from the Department of Labor offices contain plastics.The medium-density fiberboard that artist Judy Taylorpainted on contains resin as a binder. (But I doubt

recycling the murals is the answer.)

9. PLASTICS AREN’T ALL TOXICNot all plastics leach toxic chemicals into your food and

drink. Polyethylene products marked #2 or #4 are safe. Butwhile polyethylene is recyclable, most of it ends up in land-fills, where it takes several centuries to degrade. However, in2008, Daniel Burd, the 16-year-old winner of the Canada-Wide Science Fair, discovered how two strains of bacteriaworking together can degrade over 40 percent of the weightof polyethylene bags in just three months.

10. PLASTIC IS RAMPANTAmericans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

But a 2008 report showed that, worldwide, humansused 1 million plastic bags every minute. And each year,we manufacture about 60 million tons of polyethylene.Oh, and if you lined up all the polystyrene foam cupsmanufactured in just a day, they’d circle the Earth. Talkabout the importance of recycling.

11. PLASTIC IN STYRO-FORMSpeaking of polystyrene, commonly known by the

brand name Styrofoam, it’s not biodegradable. But itis recyclable; unfortunately, recycling it isn’t cost-effec-tive, so we recycle very little of it. That’s a lot of plasticto sit in the ground for a lot of years.

12. PLASTIC FILM IS ABUNDANTIf you took all the plastic film and plastic wrap

manufactured in one year, you could shrink wrapTexas. Or you could shrink-wrap Maine seventimes, and use what’s left over to wrap the city ofBangor 602 layers deep.

Plastic is everywhere. It’s taking over the world and we’ll soon be swallowed up byit! Plastic-based life forms will evolve in landfills and wreak havoc on the land! Well,it might not be that bad, especially if we continue surging forward with recyclingefforts. Here are a few things you might not know about plastic.

12 interesting things you might not know about plastic

Continued from previous page

On the surface, cats have rela-tively small carbon footprints.They don't drive gas guzzlers,their smaller statures mean theygenerally consume less foodthan dogs and, for the mostpart, they self-groom. However,cats use a litter box for theirbusiness and all of that discard-ed litter and waste can be anenvironmental hazard dependingon the type of litter used. Litteris often scooped and disposed ofin plastic bags, which don'tdecompose, compounding theproblem.

In the past, finding eco-friend-ly cat litters was hard to comeby. Today, many of the productson store shelves are environ-mentally friendly, and manybrands offer eco-conscious catowners a host of options.

Shoppers can consider aclumping product, in whichwaste is flushed down the toiletand the box is not frequentlydumped. Environmental productslike shredded newspapers, recy-cled paper, corn husks, peanutshells, and even garden mulchcan be used as litter. Some peo-ple choose to bury the used lit-ter in the yard to naturallydecompose instead of putting itin the trash.

Eco-friendlyKITTYLITTER

By StatePoint Media

With Earth Day on the horizon, it’sthe perfect time to get the whole familyinvolved in doing something at home forthe good of the environment.

Composting is a great project to getyou started going green: It’s easy for theentire family, costs nothing, is simple tokeep doing and can save you money onfertilizer.

A natural form of recycling, compost-ing turns your organic garbage — suchas food waste, paper, disposable table-ware, grass clippings, and much more —into one of nature’s best mulches foryour garden or yard. By setting up a

compost pile or bin, your family can takepositive steps in reducing its carbonfootprint while saving money on com-mercial fertilizers.

“The average American producesfour pounds of landfill waste daily.That’s more than 50 tons over a lifetime.About half of this waste is compostable,which means we have fantastic opportu-nities to put our garbage to use to helpsave the planet,” says Julie Stoetzer,brand manager and environmentalexpert for Chinet disposable tableware.

And with gardening the number onepastime in America, all that waste can beadded to yards to improve soil fertilityand root development in plants andgrass.

Here are simple steps from Stoetzerand the experts at Huhtamaki, the mak-

ers of Chinet, to get underway compost-ing:

• Select a convenient spot. It shouldbe semi-shaded and well drained. Don’tput your compost pile under acid pro-ducing trees like pines. If you do nothave space for an outdoor pile, use a binindoors which can be purchased ormade at home.

• Combine organic wastes such asyard trimmings, food wastes andbiodegradable paper plates into a pile.Add bulking agents such as wood chipsto accelerate the breakdown of organicmaterials, allowing the finished materialto fully stabilize and mature through acuring process.

• When choosing disposable table-ware such as plates, bowls and platters,select those made of 100 percent pre-

consumer recycled content, such asChinet Casuals and Chinet Classic Whitelines that also are biodegradable inhome composting.

• A properly managed compost binwill not attract pests or rodents andwon’t smell badly.

• Typical compost will turn into richsoil in two to five weeks. Use compost inhome gardening or donate it to city orpublic benefit projects.

“Composting is a simple solution toreduce the waste your family puts into alandfill,” stresses Stoetzer. “We kept thisin mind when developing premium dis-posable Chinet tableware, using recycled

materials that otherwise would havegone into a landfill, to produce newbiodegradable plates and bowls.”

For more tips on composting andother environmental activities, visitwww.mychinet.com and click on “Envi-ronment.”

For more information, check out theState Planning Office atwww.maine.gov/spo; the Maine Com-posting School at www.composting.org;the U.S. Composting Council atwww.CompostingCouncil.org; and theCompost Council of Canada atwww.compost.org.


TIPS ABOUTCOMPOSTING

From the UMaineCooperative Extension

• Aerate the compost pile at least onceper week. Compost needs oxygen tohelp break down the compostingitems. A long stick will do to aeratethe pile.

• Add fluid to your compost. The pileshouldn’t be too wet, or too dry.Watered-downed fruit juices are agreat treat for your compost pile.

• Keep a covered pail in your kitchen tocollect the items for your compostereach week.

IItteemmss tthhaatt ccaann bbee ccoommppoosstteedd• Paper goods: Shredded newspaper,

plain white computer paper, card-board rolls, clean paper, biodegrad-able disposable tableware;

• Grass clippings, yard trimmings, andleaves not treated with pesticides;

• Fruits and vegetables;• Coffee grounds and filters, tea bags;• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint;• Eggshells, rice and pasta;• Fireplace ashes (sporadically to pre-

vent the compost bin pH from get-ting out of balance);

• Hair, nail clippings, and fur;• Algae and seaweed (rinse excess salt

off before putting in the bin);• Shredded branches and disease-free

garden plants;• Straw, hay, or manure.

IItteemmss tthhaatt sshhoouulldd NNOOTTbbee ccoommppoosstteedd::

• Coal or charcoal ash which may con-tain substances harmful to plants;

• Dairy products such as butter, eggyolks, and milk;

• Meat or fish bones and scraps maycontain parasites, bacteria andgerms, fats, grease, lard, and oils,which can create odor problems;

• Pet waste and animal products;• Diseased or insect-ridden plants that

can contaminate other vegetation;• Sawdust.

Get started with simple and easy home composting for Earth Day

PHOTOS FROM WIKIPEDIAAbove left: A close-up view of a typical composting bin. Note the slits in the side. This helps keep the composting matter aerated, as the microor-

ganisms within require oxygen to live. Even still, you’ll need to “turn” your compost about once a week; basically, all you do it open the lid and stir itaround with a stick. Some compost bins have handles that let you spin the bin around for quick and easy aeration. Above right: Fresh compost. Itprobably began as leftover vegetable matter, grass clippings, and other compostable materials, and ended up as the perfect fertilizer for your lawn

or garden. And composting helps reduce the garbage you throw away.


Look To The Sky In A Whole New Way

Investments come in many forms. See how solar energy

can give you a guaranteed return right from your roof top.

91 West Main St., Liberty(207) 589-4171

www.revisionenergy.com



They used to be few and far between,but these days, solar panels are makingmore frequent appearances. And it’s nowonder — with an effectively limitlesssupply of energy shining down on usevery day, and with a properly installedsystem capable of supplying most oreven all of our electrical needs, solarpower might well be the ideal solutionfor anybody.

ReVision Energy of Liberty knowsthis better than anyone. Since forming in2003, the company has done over 2,500installations of grid-tied solar electricsystems, which tie directly into yourhouse power and the power company’sgrid instead of using batteries, and solar-thermal arrays, which heat your hotwater.

Business has been so good that the32-employee company has expandedseveral times, with offices in Portlandand now in Exeter, N.H. You can findReVision’s projects everywhere. Locally,the new SuperCuts building in Brewer isvery visible, with a roof full of solar pan-els. The building was carefully designedand situated at the perfect angle to takethe best advantage of the sun for most ofthe day. Installed on the building are 78solar panels that pipe DC current tothree inverter boxes, which transform itinto the AC power the building needs toproduce roughly 23,000 kilowatt hoursper year.

“This is an industry that’s really comea long way just in the time that I’ve beendoing it,” said John Luft, general manag-er of ReVision’s Liberty branch, whobegan doing solar-thermal installationsin 2004. “Things are really getting moreand more mainstream.”

As with any experienced solarinstaller, ReVision assesses a potentialproject to determine what sort of systemwill work best for the residence or busi-ness. The engineers need to know whatthe building’s annual electricity usageand roof orientation is to design an effi-

cient system.The idea is to engineer an affordable

system that is reliable and significantlyreduces the building’s energy load.Because of high up-front costs, designerstypically suggest conservation measuresfirst and then try to cover the rest of theenergy load with a system the fits on theavailable roof or budget.

With advent of the grid-tied inverter,on longer summer days, a solar systemcan generate more electricity than youneed; the rest is sent to the electricalgrid, and you get a 1:1 credit from thepower company. On shorter winter days,those earned credits offset the cost of thepower you draw from the grid. Exceptfor a base charge through the powercompany, a solar system that offsets 100percent of a building’s electrical usage ispossible.

Through 2016, installing a solar sys-

tem qualifies a home or business for anuncapped 30 percent tax credit; busi-nesses can take the credit as a grant anddepreciate the equipment cost. At thesame time, Maine will pay you a $2,000rebate on a solar-electric system, provid-ed you have an energy audit first. Wrapthose incentives up with a PACE loan,and a solar system becomes a veryattractive option.

Luft said that although ReVision is inbusiness, he’s just as concerned that hiscompetitors excel as well. He’s con-cerned that poorly designed systemsmight breed a perception that solarpower isn’t viable, reflecting badly on theindustry as a whole which is a good rea-son to have these systems installed by acertified installer.

“We feel like there’s a lot on the linehere,” Luft said. “We’re trying to makethis a viable industry.”

Electrical future: Solar panels gleaming their way across Maine

By David M. FitzpatrickBDN SPECIAL SECTIONS

In the Greater Bangor area, one solarproject is very noticeable. Supercuts,which recently opened on Wilson Streetin Brewer where Coffee Express used tosit, is quite an eye-catcher. It features adramatically sloped roof adorned with aglimmering array of solar panels.

Carol Epstein, who owns the build-ing, was familiar with the work ReVisionEnergy had done, because the companyhad outfitted her house, too. She’d builther super-efficient home 12 years ago,oriented to the south and planned forpanels. “Finally, I felt the economics andthe technology had come to the pointwhere it really made sense,” she said.“The numbers really work on solar elec-tric now.”

When Epstein Commercial RealEstate entered into talks with Supercuts,Epstein found the company’s vision ofenergy efficiency a good match for hers,and she and her team took the challengeof creating the new store very seriously.“We looked at their electric bills for threeof their typical stores around New Eng-land to figure out how much electricity

they use,” Epstein said. “We sized the sys-tem to that.”

Epstein Commercial Real Estate hasbeen pushing for energy efficiency inseveral of its properties in the past fouryears, doing such things as installingenergy-efficient lighting inside and out-side, increasing insulation, and addingtimers and motion sensors.

“We’ve really looked at the wholespectrum with heating, lighting, air con-ditioning, insulation on all our proper-ties,” Epstein said. “I think we’ve put inclose to a thousand new lighting fix-tures.”

That push translated well to theSuperCuts building, and it was morethan function. Epstein wanted to show-case the exciting new building.

“We could have done a flat roof andput panels on a little stand, but we reallywanted to show off the panels, so we didthis big, pitched roof,” she said. “We’rewithin a couple of degrees of perfecthere. That’s what made this site work sowell.”

The building sports an 18.3-kilowattsystem, which ReVision assessed wouldcover the needs of the business. So long

Supercuts a great localsolar-power example

See SUPERCUTS, Page 14

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASAYou can’t run an extension cord to the International Space Station, soNASA does it with solar panels. Without an atmosphere in the way, the

panels get plenty of sunlight to convert into electricity. Down here on theground, we still get plenty of sunlight, even in Maine in the winter. Solar-

panel costs have been falling quickly, and such a system is now finan-cially manageable for the average homeowner. A properly designed sys-

tem can balanceyour power needs, return power to the grid when youhave excess to qualify you for credits when you need extra power, and

reduce your electric bill to almost nothing.

Where most people see garbage,the folks at Casella see raw mate-

rials for manufacturing new prod-ucts. Above, material is droppedonto the floor and is being pre-

pared to travel through Casella’sstate-of-the-art sorting technolo-

gies. At right, Elroy Morgan of Brad-ford shows off the 1,200-pound

pumpkin he grew with the help of Casella’s Earthlife products, a lineof bulk composts, mulches, and custom soil amendments for land-scapers, garden centers, golf courses, nurseries, sports fields, and

contractors. Left: Bangor’s annual American Folk Festival attractsabout 100,000 people every year. Roughly 100 trash barrels have a

Casella Zero-Sort recycling bin next to them. A team of Casellaemployees and their families volunteer to patrol sections throughout

the event and handle all the waste and recyclables.


year. We’ve also improved the fuel effi-ciency of our vehicle fleet, deployedenergy conservation programs at ourfacilities, and implemented the bestenergy-saving practices created by ourteam of employees.

Our most ambitious effort to reducegreenhouse gas emissions is our landfillgas-to-energy project. Every year, Casel-la is responsible for the safe disposal ofover 3 million tons of solid waste, which

contains organic materials; when theydecompose in a landfill, they releasemethane and carbon dioxide. Instead ofventing or flaring the gas into the atmos-phere, we’ve developed methods of cap-turing it before it escapes using a seriesof vacuum-connected wells, pulling it toour power plants, and converting themethane into electricity. This improvesair quality by substantially reducinggreenhouse gases, and it offsets the useof fossil fuels with domestic renewableenergy. Casella and its partners are pro-ducing 25 megawatts at our landfills,enough to power about 25,000 homes.

As we all meet the environmentalchallenges of this century, we’refaced with an important decision:continue with outmoded ideas, orfind sustainable, alternative ways ofliving. Casella has chosen the secondoption, and we have long devotedourselves to developing inventiveways of reducing and reusing ourwaste. No matter how large or smallyour waste and recycling needs,Casella will work with you to createa customized program. We’re com-mitted to providing superior serv-ice, and to offering innovative pro-grams that help us help you trans-form waste into resources.

CasellaContinued from Page 3

(MS) - In 2010, Earth Daycelebrated its 40th birthday.Originally the brainchild ofUnited States Senator GaylordNelson, Earth Day began as anenvironmental teach-in buthas since grown into a globalday meant to inspire awarenessand appreciation of the envi-ronment.

This year, Earth Day will becelebrated on April 22. Because it’s rightin the heart of the spring season, whenmany people feel rejuvenated after a longwinter, Earth Day is the ideal time formen, women and children to take that

extra energy they have in the spring andchannel it into eco-friendly behaviorsthat benefit the environment. To do justthat this Earth Day, consider the follow-ing tips.

TTaakkee aa wwaallkk!! Or a jog or a bike ride.Men and women can help reduce airpollution by walking, jogging or riding abike to get from place to place. Whilethis might not be doable across theboard, particularly for men and womenwith long commutes, when runningerrands around town on the weekendsdust off your bicycle instead of gassingup the car. If you’re taking kids to thepark on the weekend, walk or bike to thepark. It’s a great way to spend time out-doors and benefit the environment at

Make a difference this

See EARTH DAY, Page 16




We’ve seen solar-electric systems.But what is solar thermal? Solar ther-mal is a way to harness the Sun’s ener-gy to heat water. There are two basicvarieties: flat-plate collectors, whichlook much like solar panels, and evac-uated-tube collectors. Flat-plate col-lectors can prove very effective inMaine’s climate, but evacuated-tubesystems are gaining popularity.

Evacuated-tube collectors are usual-ly composed of glass tubes that areangled to best absorb the Sun’s heat.And how they work is pretty fascinat-ing. Each tube is an entirely closed sys-tem, with double-layered glass on theoutside, a metal sheath on the inside,and a sealed copper tube within. Insidethe copper tube is a heat-transfer solu-tion in a vacuum. The vacuum and thechemical properties of the coolantlower its boiling point to just 86degrees. It doesn’t take long, even inthe winter or on a cloudy day, for thesolution to boil. When it does, it turnsto steam and rises through the coppertube to a condenser bulb at the top.

A second closed system pipesanother heat-transfer fluid throughpipes that pass by the condenser bulbs,and the heat is transferred to this sys-tem; The steam in the in the coppertubes then condenses back into thecopper tube, and the process contin-ues. Meanwhile, the heated fluid in thecollector is pumped to a heat exchang-er in the hot-water tank, where it heatsthe water in the tank. Even on a grayday or when outside temperatures getto zero, these collectors can harvestheat from the sun; they can hit 165

degrees on sunny days inthe winter.

The most practicalapplication for a solarthermal system in Maineis to heat the domestichot water that goesdirectly to your tap. Thewater temperature canactually be too hot forour use, so a mixingvalve is employed toreduce the temperatureif need be.

What about heatingyour home? Probably 90percent of the time, itisn’t a viable solution. Ifa solar-thermal installertells you it’s easy, get asecond opinion. Italmost never can work.You’d need a well-insu-lated, modestly sizedbuilding with radiant heat, and eventhen a solar-thermal system can deliv-er about 10 to 30 percent of the annu-al heat load.

Obviously, the more sunlight, thebetter the system works, but even on asunny February day the system cangenerate enough hot water to satisfy ahousehold’s needs. Family size andwater usage makes a difference in howthe system is designed, but the rightexperts will be able to assess yourneeds and engineer a system that willwork for you.

Best of all, a solar-thermal systemlikely qualifies for a 30 percent federaltax credit, a rebate from the state ofMaine for $1,000 to $1,500 with noaudit required, and eligibility for aPACE loan (see the accompanying arti-cle in this supplement).

Solar-thermal systems heat household hot water, even in winter

BDN PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKAbove left: An evacuated-tube solar-thermal collector. Within the glass tubes are metal sheaths surrounding

sealed copper pipes. The sun heats a solution, sealed in a vacuum, in those pipes. The solution boils at 86degrees, and steam rises into bulbs atop the copper tubes. Above right: Note the pipe tube jutting into the

insulated area; the heat from the steam inside the bulbs atop those copper pipes transfers to a secondclosed system. The heated solution heads to the house’s hot-water heater, while the cooled steam in the first

pipes condenses back to liquid and falls into the pipe.

as there’s bright sun, it can generate a lotmore, which generates energy credits foruse during the winter months. On onesunny day in March, it generated 100kilowatt-hours.

That SuperCuts location also servesas a training center for its area stores,and is something of a model store for thecompany. In addition to the solar panels,the building is very green in its design. Itfeatures big windows for plenty of natu-ral light, low-watt fluorescent lighting,supplemental LED lighting, and manyother features.

As for the solar array, a remote con-trol that looks like an electronic Rolodexallows you to flip through data screensthat report the electricity being generat-ed, or what was generated that day, week,month, and so on.

“Our tenant is very excited about it,”Epstein said. “They have a number ofSuperCuts all around New England, and… they were designing this building —we were all designing it — to be theirshowcase in the area for SuperCuts.”

SupercutsContinued from

BDN PHOTO BY D.M. FITZPATRICKAbove left: Supercuts employees

Geraldine Giordani and Halie Snow-man at the front counter of the

bright and spacious new Supercutsstore. The store is energy efficient

in many ways besides the solar pan-els, including low-watt fluorescentlights, supplemental LED lighting,plenty of natural light, and more.



Geothermal energy is all the buzzlately, but what is it?

Geothermal energy is energy that isgotten from the ground. You don’thave to go down very deep before theground begins getting warmer, even inthe cold of winter. Go down deepenough, and the heat is enough to keepyour house heated. The ground iswarm for two reasons: first, the Earthcontains a lot of thermal mass, and canabsorb heat from the Sun; and second,because the Earth’s core generatesheat.

Technically, true “geothermal” sys-tems require deep drilling and harvestgreater heat emanating from deepunderground. The term has becomecolloquial to refer to any ground-basedheat pump, but most such systems aretechnically “geo-exchange” systems.

Basically, geo-exchange systemswork through ground-based heatpumps that send coolant throughunderground pipes; when the coolantreturns to your home, it’s significantlyheated, and that heat is relayed forother purposes, such as in radiantheating tubes in the floor or base-board heaters. Some geothermal sys-tems don’t even have to go under-ground; they can be sunk in existingponds, lying on the bottom andabsorbing heat in the same manner.Geothermal heat pumps can also workin reverse, removing heat from a hometo cool it.

But how can you get heat out of thefrozen ground in Maine in the dead ofwinter? Simple: Only the top few inch-es of the ground is actually frozen. Digdown a bit, and the ground stays at arelatively constant temperature year-round — about 50 to 60 degreesFahrenheit, although that can varydepending on where you are on theplanet. You’d have to dig quite deep toget true geothermal energy, but withdeep wells drilled, or coils of flexiblepiping laid out in a dug trench (oreven laid at the bottom of a pond orlake), the consistent temperature is allyou need.

Through geo-exchange, the depthof the well or size of the field depends

on how big a building you have. Anaverage house, properly sealed, hasdramatically lower requirements thana sprawling commercial complex.

For closed-loop systems, theinstaller may drill 400 to 600 feetdeep. The closed lines meaning no liq-uid is dumped into the ground. Arefrigerant is piped through the sys-tem, gathering heat as needed, or car-rying heat that is dispersed to thecooler ground around it. Indoors, heatis usually transferred through radiant-floor heating or hot-water baseboard,but can also be water-to-air for heat-ing or cooling.

Like anything, installing a geother-mal system requires a level of expertisefueled by education experience. Howdeep you drill? Do you used a closed-loop system, and how deep do youbury it? If there’s a pond nearby, is it aviable source to sink geothermal tub-ing?

Because of the explosive popularityof geo-exchange, it’s easy for anyone tojump onboard the bandwagon. Justrunning a well-drilling company orelectrical service doesn’t mean theexpertise in geo-exchange is there; besure you check your potential geo-installer to ensure the business has theright education and experienceinstalling such systems.

Key to any type of energy-efficientinstallation is to have a whole-houseaudit done before you do anything —and a professional geo-exchangeinstaller should insist on one beingdone before you make your move. It’simportant to view the entire house as asystem. Until recently, we haven’t thatmuch here, but in Europse, where oilprices for years put the worst times inthe U.S. to shame, people have had tobecome more energy-efficient. Theybuild houses with thicker walls andbetter windows, which greatly helpsthe efficiency of geothermal systems— or any heating and cooling systems,for that matter.

We’re starting to get there in theU.S., and an energy audit is key. Findout if you can tighten up the windowsand doors, add insulation, seal up theroof, and so on. The best geo-exchange system in the world proba-bly won’t help you if your house isbleeding heat.


Geothermal Energy Simpli�edEarthPoint simpli�es access to geothermal energy by eliminating the up front costs and complexities that are often the barrier to installing a system. EarthPoint will install and maintain the geothermal loops for your home or business and invoice you a low, �xed rate, monthly fee for your geothermal energy. Homes and businesses currently using gas, oil, propane or electricity would immediately and signi�cantly reduce their energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

1-207-228-0141 earthpointenergy.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIATop: A typical “slinky loop” geo-exchange system before being buried underground. A heat-transfer solutionflows through the long, continuous system, either picking up heat to bring into the house or removing heat

from the house and transferring it to the ground. Above: A similar system being sunk in a pond.

So just what are geothermal and geo-exchange systems?

the same time.PPllaanntt aa ttrreeee..

Spring is a time ofyear when manyhomeowners getback to working ontheir yards. Whencultivating yourgreen thumb thisspring, plant a treeor several treesaround the yard.Also, when work-ing outdoors,lessen yourreliance on pesti-

cides. It might be difficult to eliminatepesticide use entirely, but whenever pos-sible look for more natural, eco-friendlyalternatives to keep your lawn lookinglush.

TTuurrnn oofffftthhee lliigghhttss!!

Daylight Sav-ings Time nowstarts earlierthan it did inyears past. Thereason for that isto reduce energyuse, which onlyworks when peo-ple actually reducetheir daily energy usage. If it’s still lightoutside, turn the lights off inside andenjoy a warm spring evening outdoors.

GGoo ppaappeerrlleessss.. Many banks and creditcard companies now encourage con-

sumers to go paperless withtheir statements asa means tobecoming moree co - f r i e n d l y.Some bankseven offerincentives to

c h o o s e

online statements over traditional paperstatements. When possible, reduce wasteby going paperless with bank and creditcard statements.

UUssee eeccoo-ffrriieennddllyy cclleeaanniinngg pprroodduuccttss..

Many household cleaning products posea threat to the environment by leakingharmful toxins into the air. When springcleaning this year, choose non-toxic eco-friendly cleaning products that helpreduce both air and water pollution.

Earth DayContinued from Page 13


TD Bank is committed to environmental responsibility.

TD Bank is the largest US-based bank to go carbon neutral and the first company to have a North American, closed-loop recycling system which diverts 1,500 metric tons of paper from landfills to the production of recycled paper. In addition, we purchase renewable energy credits for 100 percent of the electricity used by our operations from Maine to Florida.

TD Bank is committed to building environmentally-friendly buildings, and this year, we are building the first “net-zero energy” bank location in the US in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. To learn more about these and our other green initiatives, visit www.tdbank.com/green.

TD Bank, N.A. | ‘USGBC®’ and related logo is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.

Green is in our Nature.

energy wise 2011

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