Dispatches from the Field & Project Summaries
One Year Update – Maine Huts & Trails
April 15, 2011
Questions & Answer: Dave Herring – Executive Director
Have additional huts been built/added to the trail system in the past year? Are you closer to reaching your 12-hut goal?
Yes. We opened Grand Falls Hut in October 2010. It is located approximately 11 miles north of Flagstaff Lake Hut below the spectacular Grand Falls above the banks of the Dead River. We are currently creating a five year plan and will likely look to add two more huts during that period. The entire 12-hut, 180-mi vision is likely more of a 10-15 yr plan.
What energy efficient elements have you added or are hoping to add to the new huts? I know solar panels and compost toilets were a main feature.
We added 50% more panels to the Flagstaff Lake Hut solar array and are planning to install solar hot water preheat systems to each of the huts over the next few years. The Grand Falls Hut is about 30% smaller than Flagstaff and Poplar Huts.
What has been the feedback from the local community to your hut-to-hut trail system?
The response has been very positive. Local guides are now leading trips on our system, local businesses (inns, restaurants, shops) are benefiting and we’re sourcing more and more food and products from local farms and providers each season. Learn more about our “local approach” here.
Have you seen an increase in tourism to the state, specifically western Maine due to the promotion of the hut-to-hut trail system? Are you finding more people using the trails for summer or winter recreation or both?
Yes – our winter business has grown faster than our summer/fall business. We will see more than 2000 visitors this year – many of them coming to western Maine for the first time to see all that we have to offer! I think our real impact on tourism in the region will come when we can bring more visitors here in the summer and fall. There are so many activities to take part in during that time of year: paddling, fly-fishing, hiking, mountain biking, birding, etc.
The Ending Dispatch
September 2, 2009
On the morning of the September 2, 
Green Living Project rushed to take our final shots and interviews, hopped into the car, and sped furiously towards Logan International Airport. Typical to Rob fashion, he hopped on the first bus to the airport from Enterprise with little more than a hurried wave and concentrated smile. Seconds later, he persuaded the driver to pull over so he could snag his power chord from Chad and Jayms’ car. I bumped fists and exchanged hugs with Chad and Jayms as they loaded onto the next bus. I too finally made it to my terminal.
Between utter exhaustion and intermittent texts with Chad about what airport bars we were at, I began to ponder my Maine experience. I reflected on what went right and what could have gone better. Exchanged laughs and moments of supreme awe. The connections GLP made with each project representative and how dedicated he/she was to the organization or company. The fact that each day brought a different perspective and ended with a hard floor or stiff mattress.
During our ventures to various Maine initiatives, I never ceased to be amazed at the harmonizing of sustainability within production, consumption, or disposal. Most projects were not only unique but avant-garde. And who would have thought? Maine? Not me, that’s for sure. But I guess as many folks across the state repeatedly pointed out, Mainers are different. Yankees. Jacks-of-All-Trades. Biscuits-in-the-Oven, or something of the like. People of a certain pride that strikes generations deep. They are folks who internalize sustainability not as a new phase of humanity but as a continuum of common sense and pragmatism that is already inherent in their being.
Green Living Project would like to thank all the persons and organizations/companies in Maine who made our trip memorable and educational. We hope to serve you justice through my writing and the film clips.
Inn by the Sea Summary I
September 2, 2009
As our last stop, 
Inn by the Sea offered a relaxing end to Green Living Project’s frenzied adventures across Maine. With an impressive and long list of green initiatives, Inn by the Sea is a Four Diamond hotel located on a mile of unspoiled beach. The Inn blends luxury and exceptional landscape with the ideals of sustainability.
As one of the first inns in Maine to be a certified Green Lodging by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Inn by the Sea has solar panels, a Spa built to Leeds specification, recycled rubber and cork flooring in the fitness rooms, dual flush toilets, environmental educational opportunities for all ages, and a biofuel heating system. Rauni Kew, Inn by the Sea’s gracious Public Relations and Green Programs Director, says she is continuously finding creative ways to update the facilities to greener and grander standards.
For example, Rauni informed us that before purchasing anything for Inn by the Sea, she considers the following questions: Where it came from? Can it be reused? Can it be bought in bulk? How can it be disposed of afterwards? The staff, which is trained on the Inn’s green initiatives, even hand sift through the recycling before sending it off to the single stream recycler, in order to make sure that the materials are properly separated.
The grounds at Inn by the Sea are as splendid as the indoor accommodations. Derrick Daly, the Head Gardener, gave the camera crew a private tour of the outside facilities. The gardens that divide lawn and line the porches are complete with plants that are native to the area. Inn by the Sea also prides itself on having a registered Butterfly Waystation and growing milkweed, which invites Monarch Butterflies to hang out and feed off of the garden. Moreover, the National Federation has designated the grounds as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Finally, one of Green Living Project’s favorite details, Inn by the Sea promotes a kid and pet friendly atmosphere by choosing not to use any chemicals on the surrounding lawns and gardens.
Unfortunately, myself and
another team member were unable to enjoy the sustainable initiatives at Inn by the Sea since we occupied a cottage, which has not been updated to the hotel’s standards. However, thanks to Rauni and other staff, we were able to take a late night visit the spa and enjoy the bamboo towels, dual flush toilets, and ten headed shower (which I am still pondering over its water efficiency.)
If a vacation by a pristine beach complete with luxurious lodging and a reputation as one of the World’s Top Ten Green Hotels by Trip Advisor as well as one of the Top Ten Green US Hotels by Forbes Traveler interests you, the Inn by the Sea is a perfect place to unwind in an inspirational atmosphere that harmonizes People, Planet, and Profit into one relaxing experience.
Inn by the Sea
September 1, 2009
Whenever two people find themselves riding 
a tandem bicycle, the said partners must demonstrate extreme precision, coordination, and balance. Although the two cyclists may possess differing strengths and body structures, when unified they excel in a synchronized fashion. Thus together the duo becomes more than a sum of its parts; it becomes an intricate powerhouse of harmony and equilibrium.
Striving to effortlessly pair tourism in tandem with sustainability, Inn by the Sea (www.innbythesea.com), located on the pristine Crescent Beach, considers every detail of their guests’ stay to be an opportunity for environmental education and equilibrium as exemplified through their over-arching message of “Preserve, protect and inspire”.
Preserve. Eight years ago, Inn by the Sea made the green switch with a simple but trendy vegetation alteration- the gardener ripped out the exotic plants and rehabilitated the assorted gardens with indigenous plants. This significant move reduces the amount of chemicals and water, teaches the guests about native Maine flora, and creates a natural habitat for wildlife. In addition, Sea Glass, the inn’s high-end restaurant, uses fresh produce and seafood from regional farmers and fisherpersons, thus sustaining the local food movement.
Protect. Head Gardener 
Derrick Daly, one of GLP’s favorite personnel, gave the camera crew a private tour of the outside facilities, including the registered Butterfly Waystation. Hosting the Monarch butterfly, the waystation provides housing and a nectar garden. In addition, Inn by the Sea encourages the growth and spread of the native milkweed plant, which is the only plant where the monarch butterfly can lay its eggs. What’s more, whenever guests choose not to have their sheets and towels washed and changed during their stay, the money from the energy savings goes directly to a village in Mexico to help preserve the Monarch butterflies.
Inspire. Inn by the Sea has been certified, awarded, and recognized as an outstanding luxury hotel. Such accreditations include the National Geographic Traveler’s “The Stay List,” Tripadvisors’s Top Ten Green Hotels worldwide, and a certified Maine Department of Environmental Protection Green Lodging. The inn has also set many firsts in Maine in terms of the first carbon neutral hotel, the first spa to be built to LEED’s specifications, and the only hotel in Maine to heat with biofuel.
Finally, my favorite inspirational detail- 
the vegetable garden, which is really more informative than anything else. As Derrick mentioned, “You wouldn’t believe how many young kids today don’t even realize that a tomato actually grows on a tomato plant.” And it’s true; most kids see the tomato either in the grocery store in a bin or on their plate without any sense of origin or cultivation. Such exhibits are the simplest yet most magnificent points of revelation that provide congruity between the cultivation and the consumption of food.
Unfortunately during Green Living Project’s stay, however, Amoris and I were unable to enjoy the sustainable initiatives at Inn by the Sea in our cottage, which has not been updated to environmentally friendly standards. Therefore, I cannot personally comment on the given room experience. I did not see any recycling bins nor were our toilets dual flush. However, thanks to Rauni Kew, Public Relations and Green Programs Director, and other staff, we girls were able to take a late night visit the spa and enjoy the bamboo towels, dual flush toilets, and a ten headed shower (which I am still pondering over its water efficiency and energy usage.)
Despite the grandeur and comfort that Inn by the Sea offers to affluent guests from across the world, the ability to step across a whisped chemical-free lawn, through the certified bird sanctuary buzzing with vitality, and onto the hot sands of Crescent Beach State Park is incalculable in worth and immeasurable in organic sanctity. This experience alone, one of human equipoise with nature, is the most soul gratifying of all.
Guyot Designs Summary II
August 31, 2009
Albeit that Guyot Designs
is now a four-person operation, the office furnishes a feeling openness that pairs nicely with the company attitude of environmental responsibility and integrated corporate ethics. The C-Minus program is a prime example of Guyot Designs’ intentions to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by actually making their products carbon negative. Customers can even track their C-Minus merchandise, such as MicroBites, on the website to find out the specific transactions that purchased and retired the product’s carbon offsets. In addition, Guyot Designs asks customers to send back their old merchandise instead of throwing it away, because the company will willingly recycle the used products.
Although Guyot Designs manufactures their products outside the country, they claim that they are always is looking for new ways to manufacture domestically. Furthermore, Guyot Designs is constantly seeking opportunities to begin incorporating local Deer Islanders into the company. In the future, Josh would like to hire interns from the local school so he can expose youth to a small business operation, sustainability, and product design.
Although still maturing into a comprehensive anatomy of green strategies, Guyot Designs is attempting to strike a balance between corporate practices and environmental preservation by creating enjoyable and practical items that can be used again and again.
Guyot Designs Summary I
August 31, 2009
The idea suddenly 
came to Josh Guyot in 2001 as he drove back from a trip to Lake Tahoe with his wife, Sloan. As Josh explains it, the couple was rounding a corner, or hitting a bump, and water effortlessly splashed out of his Nalgene bottle and landed in his lap. Trained in industrial design, Josh whipped out his notebook and sketched a solution to his liquid woes- the SplashGuard. After proposing the water bottle mouthpiece to several outdoor equipment retailers, Josh and Sloan had a bite- Eastern Mountain Sports wanted 40,000 SplashGuards as soon as possible. Thus Guyot Designs was born.
Similar to the simple style of the SplashGuard, Guyot Designs fashions sleek outdoors products that are reusable, durable, and can be incorporated into the household. Next came the Gription, a detachable handle/ spout control that fits most wide-mouthed bottles. Then the Fireflye, a device that serves as a lid and a LED light. And the latest products: Squishy Bowls, silicone based bowls that are easy to clean and compactable, and the TapGuard, an iodine filter that encourages consumers to use tap water instead of bottled water. Today, Guyot Designs’ products are sold nationally at several outdoor retail stores, such as REI, EMS, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
As Guyot Designs’ mission statement reads, “Ideas are treated with dignity and enthusiasm while people and the environment are treated with reverence.” This ethic seeps deeply into the work atmosphere, as Melissa Raftery, Vice President of Logistics and Sales, described to me her other job. In light of her productivity during the year, each summer Melissa has been able to take a few weeks off to work with Pacific Discovery, a small group adventure tour company. Furthermore, Guyot Designs takes a total team approach to productivity by hiring only local staff who multitask and support one another’s efforts.
Island Institute Summary III: Fox Islands
August 31, 2009
As the precursor to 
Monhegan project, the Fox Islands Wind Project, serving the islands of Vinalhaven and Northhaven, has already begun construction. With a year round combined 1,800-person community and a 99% approval rating on the wind project, the Fox Islands are currently constructing three turbines on less than three acres of permanently disturbed land. These 1.5 megawatt General Electric turbines with 135 foot long blades are sized to supply what the community utilizes in a year, around 1,100 megawatts, and should be oscillating by November of 2009.Lucky for us, Green Living Project was able to witness the site in its preliminary stages the very day before the turbine construction began.
When completely erected, the turbines will be visible on a clear day at about 10-20 miles away. Some complain that wind turbines are visually obstructive, but for many they stand as pieces of working art, symbolic of community unification. As George Baker, CEO of Fox Island Wind, LLC, reflected, “ There really is nothing cutting edge about this project, except for the way it was designed for and by the community as a distributive and locally owned generation that will serve as a model for other communities…It is better to get the community excited instead of fighting.”
And its true, the Fox Island Wind Project has become a prototype for other communities like Blue Hill, who also sent a few representatives on our Fox Island tour. Being that the community forever owns and operates these self-sustaining turbines, alternative energy approaches have become an extremely attractive model.
One story best illustrates the collective energy and excitement surrounding the Fox Islands Wind Project. As the first barge loaded with turbine blades pulled up to the dock at Vinalhaven, locals were actually lined up along the wharf, cheering and routing on the driver. It was first time, the driver said astounded, that anyone has ever cheered for me.
From GLP’s short time 
in Maine, the enthusiasm around renewable energy became very tangible. In our several conversations with locals, Maine residents would often mention Fox Island Wind Project with much vigor and optimism. Similar to the Island Institute, GLP is also hopeful that the Fox Island Community Wind Project will rewrite the history of New England as an esteemed model for wind energy production.
Island Institute Summary I
August 31, 2009
To the citizens of Maine, 
familial ties are particularly important. If your family tree spans anything less than four generations of established in Mainers or your family married outside of the state boundaries, you are considered “from Away.” As the saying goes, “A cat can have kittens in the oven, but it doesn’t mean their biscuits!” GLP is still debating this phrase as possibly being relevant to almost any and every situation. But I digress…
So it makes sense that in order for any initiative to develop, communities in Maine must autonomously decide what is best for their vitality. Flourishing around this concept, the Island Institute, a non-profit organization headquartered in Rockland, seeks to establish partnerships with Maine’s year round island and working water front communities to help conserve the island and marine biodiversity for generations to come.
Instead of leading the communities into different projects, the Island Institute provides information as well as guides the communities to resources that can assist them in finding ecological solutions. The projects are entirely developed and owned by, and designed to benefit, the community. In other words, the Institute is not the decision maker but rather a technical information service. Thus, one of the Island Institute’s most current and successful projects has been the Community Wind program.
Two hundred years ago, over 300 island communities around the Gulf of Maine harnessed wind energy to power their vessels and transport several goods across the open ocean. Today due to several factors, including the use of combustible engines and interstates, only about 15 year-round island communities still exist.
Undeniably, island life is one of fragility, and the nature of the island ecosystems is finite. According to statistics provided by the Island Institute, on average the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour in 2008 was around 10 cents nationally, 14 cents in Maine, 28 cents on the Fox Islands, and a whopping 70 cents on Monhegan! With the recent revival of capturing and translating energy through wind turbines, different regions around Maine are reconsidering their most precious and abundant resource. So of course, the answer my friend is blowing in the wind…
Guyot Designs
August 31, 2009
While driving to Kamp Kiwani in 1996 with my fellow 
Brownies, I stumbled upon what I considered my most brilliant invention yet- a cd player that belonged in the car. No longer would I have to listen to the rewinding and fast forwarding of the tape deck in my leader’s mini-van. My cd player would be the gateway to the audio future, and I would be rich.
Unfortunately, the discovery went completely unnoticed (despite how many fellow girl scouts I evangelized on the perks of the automobile compact disc). Meanwhile, I remained steadily on my $10 per week allowance. To add insult to injury, a few years later cd players became standard in most vehicles. Nevertheless, I am sure that most of us have had a similar epiphany where innovation has struck abruptly. For Josh Guyot, it struck him right in the lap- cold, wet, and serendipitously.
While traveling back from a cross-country ski trip at Lake Tahoe with his wife, Sloan, Josh, like many outdoors enthusiasts before him, was exposed to the infamous round-the-corner-and-accelerate-Nalgene-slosh episode. Unlike other passive victims, Josh, with a background in industrial design, quickly sketched what would become later known and patented as the SplashGuard. As Josh joked with GLP, “ At the time, splashguards were mud flaps or something for toilets.” Thus with the genesis of the SplashGuard, Guyot Designs (http://www.guyotdesigns.com/) was born.
Following in creative suit, Guyot Designs has fashioned several reusable products that can be found at your local outdoors store: the Gription, a detachable handle/ spout control that fits most wide-mouthed bottles; the Fireflye, a device that serves as a lid and an LED light; Squishy Bowls, silicone based bowls that are easy to clean and compactable; and the TapGuard, an iodine filter that encourages consumers to drink tap water instead of bottled water. Like Josh, each of these items are quirky yet extremely resourceful.
In terms of environment, Guyot Designs’ 
C-Minus program is a prime example of the company’s effort to reduce their carbon footprint. Customers can even track their C-Minus merchandise on the website (http://www.guyotdesigns.com/C-Minus-SN-Lookup) to find out the specific sales transactions that purchased and retired the product’s carbon offsets. Furthermore, several items, like the squishy bowls, are made with silicon rather than petroleum and can be recycled or down-cycled.
Although most of the outdoor items are manufactured in Taiwan, Josh stated that the company is always looking for domestic partnerships and opportunities. Green Living Project anticipates and highly encourages Guyot Designs to go local and therefore green in their production endeavors. In addition, Josh has directed the company into the Deer Isle community by hiring only local folks and will be devising an internship opportunity for youth exposure to product design, small business ventures, and sustainability.
Much like their office, which has no truly enclosed space, the four-person staff at Guyot Designs is innovative, open, and unbelievable hospitable. After GLP’s documentation of the company, Josh, Melissa, and Megan treated us to a beach picnic of freshly-caught succulent lobster, butter dripping corn on the cob, and several ice chilled Geary Summer Ales.
As the tangerine sun dipped behind the vividly feathered sky, my expedition with Green Living Project began to feel more like a rosary of trips. The projects strung together as we hopped from one site to the next and the next. The team piously pressed onwards with cameras in hand towards our approaching end date, only to look up occasionally and submerge ourselves briefly in the surrounding exquisiteness of Maine and her congenial residents.
Island Institute: Fox Islands
August 31, 2009
After our first tumultuous trip to Monhegan 
(see the “Island Institute: Monhegan” dispatch http://www.greenlivingproject.com/island-institute-monhegan/), Green Living Project was reluctant to revisit the icy waters of the Atlantic. But thankfully on Monday we awoke to a bright and clear sunrise as we drove towards the Rockland docks.
Here, after coffee and greasy eggs, we met George Baker as he tethered up his modest vessel. George, serving as captain of the ship, van chauffeur, and site tour guide, welcomed us and five other passengers aboard. Glancing sideways, Amoris pointed to a dingy buoyed a few feet off, “Well, at least we’re not taking the ‘Last Chance.’” I nodded drowsily in agreement.
After a serene 45-minute boat ride, we loaded into a church-like van and received George’s fervent run down on the community wind project.
12 miles off the coast of Rockland, the Fox Islands, composed of Vinalhaven and North Haven, house around 1,800 year-around residents and twice this amount in the summer. Similar to Monhegan, Vinalhaven and North Haven experience: high electricity prices, seasonal fluctuations in electricity consumption, and the absolute fragility of island life.
In 2001, the Fox Islands’ residents began to ponder the possibility of a wind project as a sustainable source of island energy. The following year, the resident-owned and -operated Fox Islands Electricity Cooperative received a grant for a 3-year wind-resource study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Research Lab. And by 2008, the Cooperative formally invited the Island Institute to assist the community in pursuing the wind-power project, now known as the Fox Islands Wind Project. Enter George Baker.
A faculty member at the Harvard Business School,
George took a leave from academia to help the Island Institute develop a feasibility analysis for the wind project and to assume the role of CEO of Fox Islands Wind, LLC (a for-profit company created to allow the project to access tax equity investment financing). George, a quick-firing spokesman, seemed almost untouchable in his vigor for the Fox Islands Wind Project.
As we hopped out of the van and into the construction site, George advised us to be fully clad in the proper goggle-hardhat-neon-orange-vest attire. As we walked down the gravel road, the site opened up to display a crane, a flat bed truck with a 150,000-pound GE generator, and several 135-foot blades. With only 3 acres of permanently disturbed land, the construction site houses three 263-foot tall, 1.5 megawatt turbines that will generate between 10 and 10.5 million kilowatt hours per year! According to research on Fox Islands’ electricity consumption in 2007, that is enough to comfortably outfit both islands year around.
However, many people are concerned with the wind turbines’ effect on bird populations. But as George belted out during his interview, previous studies have found that a turbine kills only two to four birds per year. “Just by way of comparison,” George asserted, “the average rural, domesticated house cat kills around five birds per year!” Pretty decent odds, especially considering the islands’ ecological delicacy.
Other objectors complain that the wind turbines could be visually obstructive and noisy, but for many, like Suzanne, they stand as pieces of working art, symbolic of community unification. Standing before the massive concrete base, George reflected, “There is nothing technologically cutting edge about this project. It’s using existing stable technology; well tried. What is cutting edge about this project is the way it has been designed for and by the community…So, what is new here is a kind of distributive and locally owned generation.” Notably, the other passengers who toured the Fox Islands Wind Project with GLP were representatives from other interested coastal and island communities, such as Blue Hill, who also desire an alternative energy initiative that is collectively steered.
Back inland at the Island Institute headquarters, President Philip Conkling discussed with GLP his take on island environs. According to Philip, islands literally exist on the edges of the world in a space where life intimately and immediately interconnects. Islanders, therefore, must have a certain tenacity and cohesiveness; one in which together they can achieve sustainability and cooperation with the external forces of nature. Like Suzanne and Matty, Philip reminded us, “Islanders are instinctive environmentalists who have to be environmentally conscious. Or else they would suffer complete collapse.”
Eerily enough, this narrative is not restricted to the residents of Monhegan, Vinalhaven, North Haven, or even Maine. It is humanity’s collective story. Therefore, we must all adopt a sustainable conscious. Seedlings of disturbance only begin with the islands’ intricate ecosystem; yet eventually everyone and everything will feel the reverberations from environmental mismanagement. However with the fused efforts of communities and environmentalists, organizations like the Island Institute may be able to set precedence in how, with a little guidance, the local populace- not private contractors- can create solutions that work from the bottom up and the inside out.