Going green is their Maine thing, though the guests might not notice

[jpak]

http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/maine/articles/2009/09/27/going_green_is_their_maine_thing_though_the_guests_might_not_notice/

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Maple Hill Farm B&B Inn and Conference Center, Hallowell This renovated 1906 farmhouse, set on 130 acres laced with trails and next to an 800-acre wildlife preserve, was green long before it became a household word.

Co-owner Scott Cowger served in the Maine Legislature and chaired the Natural Resources Committees of both its House and Senate. “It’s important to me that we leave this world a better place,’’ he says. “I put my money where my mouth is. We’ve made major investments in going green.’’

The inn, Maine’s first certified Environmental Leader green lodging, produces its own energy using 202 evacuated tube collectors, 126 photovoltaic panels, and a wind turbine. It has a combined solar hot water and electric system that generates enough power to reduce CO2 emission by more than 40,000 pounds annually. “Some days we get all of our power from solar and wind, but typically, it’s about 50 percent overall. We do get most of our domestic hot water from solar,’’ Cowger says.

Now he is tackling lighting. “We have a lot of fixtures where we can’t use compact fluorescents. We want to switch to LED, but it’s a major expense. The LED

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edit: they have a 10 kW Bergey wind turbine and fixed roof-mounted PV panels.

[midnight]

1. I would love to stay at this beautiful resort... I'm going to have to

keep this in mind for a getaway break.