Maine YardScaping Workshop
Wednesday June 25, 2008, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Counting House Museum, South Berwick, Maine

Join the growing number of Mainers who have decided to change their yard care ways for the health of the environment, people and wildlife.  Learn the six step program to reduce your reliance on pesticides, fertilizers, and water, and minimize polluted runoff from stormwater.

6:30 Introductions/Historic Museum and Park landscape
6:45 YardScaping presentation (Master Gardener, Pat Ianni)
7:15 YardScaping Game/Tour of Park
7:45 Door prizes/wrap up
8:00 End Program

Pat Ianni is a Master Gardener from Falmouth and has been gardening in her home gardens for 15 years.  Employed as a Senior Environmental Specialist for TD Banknorth in the risk management department, her education and career have focused on environmental science, with an undergraduate emphasis in biology, chemistry and soil science, and a 25 year career specializing in assessment of the risks posed by hazardous wastes and toxic materials at properties around the country.  In 2005, she completed her Master Gardener training, and subsequent YardScaping training through the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension Service.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Kristie Rabasca, PE, LEED AP at Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc. 207.829.5016

(The second floor of the Counting House Museum is not handicapped accessible.  Please call advance if you cannot navigate stairs so the program can be adjusted accordingly.)  Sponsored by:  The Towns of Kittery, Eliot, South Berwick and Berwick; Maine YardScaping, and The Old Berwick Historical Society

The following is a guest editorial from South Berwick citizen Nicholas G. Tsakiris. Mr. Tsakiris is a member of the South Berwick Solid Waste Committee.

Recently, South Berwick Councilors, voted to institute a “Pay-as-You-Throw” (PAYT) program to help manage the town’s growing solid waste problem. This means that residents of South Berwick will soon be asked to buy special garbage bags, with the sale of these bags going to help fund the cost of waste disposal. I admit that when I first heard about PAYT, I was very skeptical. Since that time, I’ve been researching the program and came to realize that PAYT actually rewards recycling. (more…)

Most of us spend a lot of time thinking about our stuff. We dream about the stuff we want. We work to earn money to buy stuff. We research the best stuff to get. We spend time shopping for stuff. We spend time and money to maintain our stuff. We then spend more money so we can store our stuff. We stress about how much stuff we have. Then we get rid of our stuff. Unfortunately we often haven’t thought a lot about what happens to our stuff when we are done with it.

The staff at the South Berwick Transfer Station spends a lot of time thinking of what happens to the steady stream of waste that the citizens of South Berwick create. On a warm spring day Gary Boucher, the supervisor of the transfer station gave up his lunch time to give me a tour of the transfer station and help me understand what happens to all the stuff we bring to the transfer station.

After getting the full tour I came away understanding three things I didn’t know about the transfer station. First, and you probably know this if you’ve spent any time at the transfer station, almost everyone who comes to the transfer station has an opinion or a question about how the transfer station is run, a suggestion about what should be done, or some color commentary about the state of the town. I have new appreciation for how friendly and patient the staff is.

Second, I realized what a logistical challenge it is to funnel the steady flow of people and waste into the transfer station to make it easy and safe for citizens to navigate and to get all the waste to the right place at the transfer station. The staff is not only dealing with the waste, they are constantly answering questions, explaining policies, teaching about what goes where, monitoring and enforcing rules, and keeping an eye on safety of cars, adults, and children. (more…)

The strawberries will still be red but the Strawberry Festival is going GREEN!

The Strawberry Festival Committee has announced that they will serve Strawberry Shortcake and Cheesecake on biodegradable bowls, plates and spoons. They have collaborated with BIOSMART- a company that sells “Bagasse” tableware derived from the by-product of sugar cane. In order to promote these biodegradable products, BIOSMART is offering Strawberry Festival visitors a promotional deal to introduce their products to Maine.
For more information, visit
www.southberwickstrawberryfestival.com .

South Berwick Strawberry Festival
June 28, 2008 -9:00-4:00

You can be a part of this great community event:

To help serve strawberries in the tent on Saturday call 384-5848 or
tent@southberwickstrawberryfestival.com.

To help hull strawberries on Friday, call 207-752-6396 or
volunteer@southberwickstrawberryfestival.com.

The Strawberry Festival Committee is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. All proceeds from the Strawberry Festival are given back to the Community in the form of grants. Over the past 32 years, the Festival Committee has provided over $150,000 in grants and scholarships to the local community and MHS students. The Festival also supports South Berwick non-profit organizations giving them a venue to earn money for their respective groups.

The Strawberry Festival Committee thanks the hundreds of community volunteers and non-profit organizations for all their hard work. Their volunteer hours have been crucial in making the Festival such a success.

For more information and for a schedule of events, visit www.southberwickstrawberryfestival.com.

The Great Works River Watershed Coalition (GWRWC) is a volunteer group that monitors the water quality of the Great Works River and its tributaries at sites in Sanford, North Berwick, and South Berwick. The group seeks volunteers and members to assist in the biweekly monitoring program that begins on Saturday, May 31. Coalition members and volunteers also participate in several other events including watershed surveys, stream habitat surveys, and canoe trips.

On Saturday, May 10, a water quality training session will be held in South Berwick at Leigh’s Mill Pond on Vine Street, between 9AM and 10:30AM. The purpose of the training is to ensure that all monitors make the same measurements and record their data in the same way. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer monitor should attend this training program.

On Saturday, May 24, the group will guide a canoe/kayak trip and river clean-up on the Great Works River starting at the Emery’s Bridge Road in South Berwick, and ending at Brattle Street, also in South Berwick; this trip starts at 12:30 PM and takes about 2 hours to complete. This is a very easy section of the river to paddle, with no white water or portages. The purpose of the river trip is to identify any pollution sources, to clean up litter along the shoreline, and to enjoy our river resource. Don’t forget to bring a PFD, lunch, water, and a bag to store litter!

Water quality monitoring begins on May 31 and continues biweekly until September 6. On the final day of sampling the coalition will gather for a volunteer recognition party! Anyone interested in joining the coalition and assisting in their endeavors should contact GWRWC President Mike Cannon at 207-384-5881. More information is also available on the GWRWC web site, www.gwrwc.org.

Mamie Ney, South Berwick’s new library director, and Don Markley, a York Woods Road resident (who happens to be married to me) took up the Conservation Committee’s Earth Day challenge to clean up the town’s roadsides. Here is their haul from the vicinity of the intersection of Route 91 and Witchtrot Road after just one hour of work. People do throw an amazing array of things on our roads: bottles, cans, stuffed animals, shovels, bags, CDs, buckets, coolers, cigarette packages, clothing, and many unidentified disgusting things.

On March 18, 2008 the Town Council had a workshop with the Solid Waste Committee. The Committee has been researching potential alternatives for the town to consider in handling solid waste and gave a very thoughtful presentation. The Town Council had specifically asked the committee to investigate the options of pay-per-throw and regionalizing solid waste collection. The committee’s research included visits and phone calls to other towns and visits from and calls to a variety of waste companies.

Sorry it took so long to write it up. Darn that day job! It seems important to get the information up now since pay-per-throw is part of the Council’s plan to deal with the budget this year. There are no minutes to the meeting posted yet on the town web site. If anyone from the Solid Waste Committee has corrections or additions to my notes, please put them in comments.

In their presentation the committee gave information on the following options:

(more…)

Well Water Testing for South Berwick Residents deadline April 12
The South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring well water testing for South Berwick residents. The testing will be performed by Demers Lab in Sanford . The basic complete testing for $50.00 includes the following: total coliform and E-coli, nitrate, chloride, hardness, pH, iron, manganese, sodium, color, odor and turbidity. Add a test for arsenic for $15.00.  Pick up kits and directions at town hall and drop off at town hall Saturday morning April 12 from 9 am -12 noon.  For more information, call 384-3300 ext 336 (conservation commission voice mail) or email prnel@comcast.net with the subject “well water test.”

Earth Day 2008: Compost Bin Sale ends April 11
South Berwick residents can get a home compost bin and how-to-guide for only $40.00, a 50% saving on the $80 retail value. The bin is made of 100% recycled plastic, has a ten year warrantee, and is large enough for a family of five.  Contact Gary Boucher at 603-978-1669 to order your bin. You can also place your order in person at the transfer station during their regular hours. The bins will be sold until April 11. Find out more information at the transfer station pages on the town web site.

Tonight, between 8 and 9 PM millions of people, businesses, governments and civic groups all around the globe will join together to turn off the lights for one hour to show commitment to finding climate change solutions. More than 35 US cities will participate, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco.

Earth Hour, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, is designed to heighten awareness about climate change and to inspire people to take practical actions to reduce our carbon footprints. Individuals are encouraged to participate by turning out their lights and by replacing a traditional light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb.

I will be participating because I’m concerned about climate change but also because I’m interested in reducing my own energy use for practical reasons. In January my electric bill hit its all time high of $125. We swapped compact fluorescent light bulbs for traditional bulbs in four of our most used lights. I also started turning off my computer and printer at the surge protector since I learned that it sucks electricity even when it is off. This month my electric bill was $85 and I used 249 fewer kilowatt hours than last year the same month. I’ll be doing more of these measures–it feels good to be doing something good for the environment and saving money.

Find out more information about Earth Hour.

Here’s a sign of spring that doesn’t make me happy. I live on a rural dirt road, part of which goes along the CMP right of way. It seems to be a favorite place for people to dump refuse. Over the years I have found gas tanks, tires, household furniture, household trash, paint cans, clothing, two deer carcasses (and not in hunting season), and countless bottles and cans. In a recent walk I spotted a sewing machine, a smashed up television, a sofa, an unidentified piece of furniture and giant pieces of styrofoam.

I know I’m always telling people here at the blog to stay calm and be reasonable, but this makes me FURIOUS. Who does this? And why? Is it the cost of dumping it legally? Or are they just plain lazy and ignorant?

Now I’ve had my rant. Has anyone out there figured out a way to discourage this in your neighborhood? What can we do as a community to discourage this?

Reminder: The Conservation Commission’s Earth Day Adopt a Road Cleanup is coming up on April 19.

South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring an Earth Day Adopt a Road Clean Up. Earth Day is April 22. On Saturday, April, 19th clean up your neighborhood. Pick a road to do a roadside clean up with your friends and family, your neighbors or community group. Saturday hours at the So Berwick Transfer Station are 7 AM- 6 PM. Remember to wear gloves.

For more information and to sign up call 384-3300 ext 336 (conservation commission voice mail) or email prnel@comcast.net

An estimated 25% of an average household’s waste is yard trimmings and kitchen scraps. As part of Earth Day 2008, South Berwick is participating in a statewide compost bin sale to encourage residents to compost these wastes. South Berwick residents can get a home compost bin and how-to-guide for only $40.00, a 50% saving on the $80 retail value. The bin is made of 100% recycled plastic, has a ten year warrantee, and is large enough for a family of five.

By composting you can turn your scraps in a rich soil amendment for your lawn and garden. Composting also saves the town money by reducing the amount of waste that has to be shipped out of town for disposal.

Contact Gary Boucher at 603-978-1669 to order your bin. You can also place your order in person at the transfer station during their regular hours. The bins will be sold until April 11. Find out more information at the transfer station pages on the town web site.

The South Berwick Conservation Commission is sponsoring well water testing for South Berwick residents. The testing will be performed by Demers Lab in Sanford . The basic complete testing for $50.00 includes the following: total coliform and E-coli, nitrate, chloride, hardness, pH, iron, manganese, sodium, color, odor and turbidity. You can

add a test for arsenic for $15.00.

Pick up kits and directions anytime after April 1st at town hall and drop off at town hall Saturday morning April 12 from 9 am -12 noon.

For more information, call 384-3300 ext 336 (conservation commission voice mail) or email prnel@comcast.net with the subject “well water test.”

Communities across our region are initiating efforts to reduce energy consumption, save money, and curb global warming. Eliot has a selectmen-appointed committee that performed a town-wide energy audit and wrote ordinances to regulate future wind and solar proposals. Kittery is installing a wind turbine at their transfer station and just signed on to the Mayors’ Climate Change Agreement. Portsmouth has a Committee on Sustainable Practices to provide input on sustainability initiatives throughout the City and has signed on to the Mayors’ Climate Change Agreement and adopted a resolution making the City an eco-municipality.

It’s time for South Berwick to get on board. To find out what we can do, join your neighbors at:

KEYS Region Smart Solutions Celebration
Free and Open to the Public!
February 7, 2008, 5:30pm-8 pm, Kittery Trading Post, Kittery

Keynote: John Rudolph, Bi-State Green Project

Hear about local towns’ solutions to curb global warming and how you can be involved! Representatives from Kittery, Eliot, York, South Berwick and the Portsmouth region will talk about 2008 plans and recent successes. The “Cool Kit” for the KEYS region will also be introduced. Refreshments will be served.

The event is sponsored by Maine Partners for Cool Communities and KEYS Region Organizations.

A South Berwick group can start small and grow from there. There are plenty of ideas and assistance to help groups and towns initiate sustainability practices. If you are interested in starting a sustainability group in South Berwick, attend the meeting or send an email.