Category: Green Building

Compost Heated Outdoor Shower at Deer Isle Hostel

Figure 1. A watering can makes a handy shower. The user can easily tip the can to get water as needed. Illustration by George Eaton Figure 2. Loops of poly piping lie in pairs alongside one another, every 4 to 6 inches or so, within the compost pile. Illustration by Dennis Carter By Dennis Carter

Read More »

Wood Gasification

A wood gasification boiler. Wood is burned in the firebox (top), and gases travel downward and are burned at 1,800 to 2,000 F in the ceramic chamber below. The hot gases then pass through a fire-tube heat exchanger to transfer heat to water stored in a large tank. Flue temperatures are usually under 350 F,

Read More »

Energy efficient Structures for Agriculture

This energy efficient Quonset-style building in Waldoboro currently houses black soldier fly larvae, which break down organic byproducts. Bins holding organic materials and maggots are on the left; bins on the right hold waste from food processors. Chris Heinig of Acadia Harvest says, “My goal is to see this operation take in waste and have

Read More »

Solar Electric Backup System

Two 150 watt solar panels mounted on hinges allow easy seasonal adjustment of their angle to the sun. They are surprisingly responsive even to low light. Mounting at ground level means easy snow removal. The frame is hinged to large landscape timbers and can slide up the side of the house in case of frost

Read More »

Off the Grid

By Jane Lamb “It doesn’t make sense for us to have a big garden when we have Dad’s right across the street,“ says Rebecca Haines, who grew up on her father’s, Austin Moore’s, Uncas Farm in North Whitefield. Instead, she and her husband, Fred, have put their environmental concerns into building a self-sufficient solar-powered home

Read More »

Common Ground Center

Illustration by Holland and Foley Building Design. A Real-World Example of Sustainable Building By Sarah Holland and David Foley Holland & Foley Building Design 232 Beech Hill Rd., Northport, Maine 04849 (207) 338-9869 If you have visited the new home of The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association in Unity, you may have seen a

Read More »

Fiber and Tesseracts at A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm

Marty Elkin and MaryAnn Haxton’s new Tesseract fiber arts building. Photo courtesy of A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm. By Joyce White   A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm in Sumner, Maine, takes its name from Madeline L’Engle’s book A Wrinkle in Time, which, said co-owner Marty Elkin, was influenced by the emerging knowledge of quantum theory.

Read More »

Gonsalves

Forrest, 10, Joe, Zephiren, 6, Julia, and Atticus, 3, with Douglas Fur in the foreground and their straw bale house in the background. By Joyce White Beautiful and sturdy, the Gonsalves’ straw bale house fits snugly, organically, into its cleared niche between forest and brook with a sense of permanence and belonging. If the idea

Read More »

Farmhouse Earth Oven

MOFGA Journeyperson Kendra Michaud with her earth oven. Photo by Clayton Carter. by Kendra Michaud When the growing season here at MOFGA slowed down last fall, Clayton and I began building a wood-fired oven behind the farmhouse. Our reason was simple … I wanted to make good bread for us and our community. I have

Read More »

Country Living at Schoodic Hollow Farm

The Gagne family – Becka, Oceanna, Rowan and Jeff, strive to balance work and play. Photo courtesy of the Gagnes. by Rhonda Tate “Ahh, country living,” laughs Becka Smith Gagne as she prepares lunch for her four-year-old daughter, Oceanna, tells her apprentice Katie where to store onion braids, answers questions on life and the pursuit

Read More »
Categories
Scroll to Top