Time for Maine to take role as environmental leader

The map shows the average wind power across the United States. The darker blue the area is, the more power the wind has on average in that area.

Maine has become one of the nations leading eco-friendly states but it could do more to pioneer a strong national movement towards a healthier environment.

Nationally Funded Programs

The perceived notion of global warming has brought worldwide awareness to energy efficiency over the last decade. The state of Maine is widely recognized as a leader for energy efficiency in the United States and for this was granted $30 million by the federal government as a part of The Recovery Act. The amount given was the second most to any state; only New York Received more money than Maine.

As a part of this plan, both businesses and homeowners alike will be offered funds to “go green.” This will be offered through a newly created loan agency called the Maine Home Performance fund. This will allow a cycle where loans will be given to create a more eco-friendly environment and then will be repaid. The results of this system will not just help the environment, it will offer new jobs to may people and it will save people money with lower energy costs once they have switched over.

To be eligible for a loan the home or business must be located in a town that has adopted the Property Assessed Clean Energy program (PACE).

Possible Wind Resources

This is a good sign for clean energy management in Maine because it actually has an impact on society and the environment; it is not just another idea that gets wasted. There have been previous ideas to put up wind turbines along the coast although nothing ever happens, as people seem to be more concerned with what they have to look at in the present than the future of the environment. Maine contains some of the greatest resources in the country to be retrofitted with wind turbines that could be used for alternative energy purposes.

Don’t be mislead, some places in Maine have installed wind turbines but these places are mostly inland areas and there are numerous untapped resources along the coast. The downside of these seems to be a loss in property value and some noise complaints have been made in the form of lawsuits.

Conservation

If people are not willing to install wind turbines in their towns then the other option is simple; make better use of the resources provided. It’s as easy as turning the light off when you leave a room, or unplugging the “beer refrigerator”. Do what you can, when you can to save energy. Other things may require the spending of money to save money but that is where the Maine Home Performance fund can be utilized. A few examples of this would be: weatherizing a home to save money on fuel consumption costs in the winter; or installing solar panels on the roof of your house to be more bio-friendly and less costly; or buying appliances with an energy star rating.

Now, with all of the different resources and options at hand to make the state more eco-friendly, it is the people that have to make the difference. Privately owned corporations, the state government, and the federal government have done all they could be expected to do to allow the country to become more energy efficient

The reoccurring problem with the effort to become more eco-friendly is that it would force us to change, and it is in human nature to resist change. If Mainers are truly willing to change the way they want to live for the good of the environment and for their own financial gain then they need to make sacrifices.

A new complex or a new trend?

An apartment complex design was brought to the Orono Community Development Committee on Wednesday April 21. This may sound like business as usual at a first glance but it could signal a change in the town setup.

For years, the town of Orono has had a distinct traditional style of architecture mostly constructed using brick. When the lot of the old Webster Paper Mill became available, Developers Collaborative LLC saw an opportunity to create a new riverside living area. The architects, David Lloyd and Kevin Bunker, thought it might be time to try something different. Their intent is to come up with something not offered on the market right now. They have planned the building to have a very modern look and merging a piece of the past by using both metal and brick siding. The complex was also designed to have the front entrance be reminiscent of the old mill.

Depending on how much popularity the apartments get from the town this may start a trend for the future of Orono architecture. It will also open up the real estate market by giving buyers more options. As with any new idea, there are always critics. One board member is worried about how it will look “ten years down the road.” His concern is that it will have a dated look that will look nice now but will be out of style in the future. With the exception of this one idea all other concerns brought up by the board seemed to be previously thought out by the architects and they are willing to make some changes if the board deems necessary.

As of Wednesday, the building will have 4 floors and a total of 24 units. A nice amenity to the buyer is that half of the units will have riverfront views and all will have a private deck. The complex also offers different sized apartments; the larger ones will be located at each of the four corners of the building.

An interesting piece of information that the buyers might want to know about is that there are two sources of contamination on the site. Only one area of contamination was discussed at the meeting and that was the coal storage yard. This space could be cleared to make way for a parking lot but the more likely option is that it will be filled. The company is willing to negotiate on what to do with the area as the plans are “very loose” on this topic. Once all the plans have been set in place the demolition would take two to three weeks and the construction is estimated to take 10 months.

Towards the end of the meeting the draft agreement was proposed to the committee. It dealt with a lot of logistics and legalities but some important information was brought up. To make a profit on the deal one-third of the units must sell at a minimum of $200,000.This is not too big of a worry for the company seeing as how the economy has been looking up. Now the only question that remains is, will it sell?

*Photo taken by Justin Fisk

links for assignment

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Portal+News&id=95952&v=article-2008

http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx

http://www.pacenow.org

http://www.efficiencymaine.com/pdfs/CorningCaseStudy.pdf

http://en.openei.org/wiki/Maine_-_Property_Assessed_Clean_Energy_%28Maine%29

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/business/energy-environment/22CAULK.html?src=busln

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/141698.htm

http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2010/04/19/daily37-Maine-snags-30M-stimulus-grant-for-energy-retrofits.html

http://www.efficiencymaine.com/

http://www.dcpsc.org/images/energy_map.gif

http://wiki.colby.edu/download/attachments/109805653/AquaticLife.gif

Sprinkler accident wreaks havoc in Cumberland Hall

Orono, Maine – Wednesday seemed to be a pretty normal day, partly cloudy, not too hot, not unbearably cold, just normal. The residents in Cumberland Hall were surely going about their everyday study routine and then it happened. A sprinkler in room 327 was unintentionally set off by the male resident whose name is being kept undisclosed. As a result, the building had to be evacuated at approximately 4pm and had to wait three hours to be allowed back in.

The residents were quite angry with the series of events. It was a disruption to their everyday lives; one girl said “it made [her] late getting to class.” For those living in the rooms beneath 327 on the second and first floor it was more than just a disruption. The sprinklers supposedly release 60 gallons per minute. The water eventually leaked all the way down to the first floor, damaging many valuable items in the rooms along the way. Some of the students living in these rooms were displaced to other rooms or halls.

A resident said that the “fire department, police, and UVAC were all called in” to take care of the situation. The water was turned off and then the cleanup process started. Although the majority of the water was gone by the end of the night, the cleanup process is still far from over. Ceiling tiles still need to be replaced and there is a possibility that mold spores may grow from the leftover moisture.

Rumors are flying abound on the whole ordeal. Questions like “who is going to be charged for the damage?” “how much is this going to cost?” and “how did the sprinkler actually go off?” are already being answered by many residents. But the simple truth remains that these questions have yet to be officially answered and the dorm has not been assessed for damage.

Bibliography for Social Networking in the Media

http://www.examiner.com/x-14552-Social-Media-Examiner~y2010m4d1-Rhode-Island-flooding-Where-is-the-help-Twitter-rock-stars-celebrities-RI-needs-you

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9ER47682

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/04/in_ri_coping_wi.html?comments=all#readerComm

http://www.facebook.com/

Social Networking in the Media

The new fad in the media is the use of websites like facebook, twitter, and wikipedia as resources for current event coverage. The reliability of the information from these social networking sites can be called into question, so news sources often say that this information is “unverified.” If the information cannot be verified then why should it be published? It is the job of the journalist to present the public with true information which seems to be at risk with the use of these websites as sources.

There are some cases in which the media could successfully use these websites but not to retrieve information. Over the last three days Rhode Island has been battered by severe rain storms, resulting in statewide flooding. Governor Donald Carcieri says, “It has been the worst, worst flood in our state's history.” Media outlets such as CNN and Fox News should use the social networking sites to get opinions on issues or to gain support for certain causes rather than trying to piece together a story by peoples recollections that have very little accountability if any. In the case of the Rhode Island flooding, facebook or twitter could be a good way to get some personal stories or opinions on what has happened to people living in areas affected.

Cheryl Phillips, a writer for Examiner.com, was upset with the amount of support that has been given to the people of Rhode Island by the rest of the country. She thinks it’s great that the country is willing to donate so much time and money to Haiti to help support the earthquake victims but she asks “who takes care of the people who are right here?” So many people used facebook and twitter to help the cause in Haiti but not too much has been done to help our fellow American citizens in Rhode Island. There aren’t any celebrities that are going out of their way to draw the attention of the public to the events in Rhode Island like they did for Haiti.

If a person were to go on to facebook to find groups supporting the disaster in Haiti, they might find hundreds of groups but not many for Rhode Island flood victims that most likely will not be covered under insurance. It is also important to note how quickly the wikipedia page went up for the Haitian Earthquake in 2010 and no wikipedia page has been published for the worst flood in Rhode Island state history. Is a change needed in the media or in our own mindsets and how we perceive the media through social networking?

VO Broadcast Script

[Newscaster]

President Barack Obama spoke at the House Democratic Caucus to reiterate the importance of the proposed healthcare bill on Saturday.

[Take VO]

[CG: patients and doctors walking down the halls at the Mayo Clinic]

He explained the importance of the bill for the entire country. It would especially help those who have been greatly affected by the recession and those who have had prior health conditions.

[Take VO]

[CG: Random patient talking to a doctor]

These people would be given the opportunity to get the public option for healthcare.

[Take VO]

[CG: President Obama speaking to the House of Representatives]

His main talking point was that the government has the responsibility to do what is best for the people, and that is the reason why he went into politics.

[Newscaster]

Obama will be hoping that he has done enough to convince the house to pass the bill, which will be brought up later this week.