What do the design features of a building tell us about the building’s relationship to nature or natural systems? Children learn about their relationship to ecological systems and to sustainable practices through the buildings they spend time in. Children spend about eight hours a day inside schools… what are we teaching them through our architectural and infrastructure choices?

Presenters Cindy Thomashow and Alan Kuniholm will explore these questions and more in September’s Green Eggs, the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council‘s monthly breakfast forum.

Join us at the beautiful Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Environmental Center starting with networking and breakfast from 7:30 – 8:00 followed by a 45 minute presentation and a 15 minute question, answer & discussion period. Full breakfast – local, organic, creative – will be prepared by Local Sprouts Cooperative. Attendees can stick around after the presentations for a tour of the farm.

Attendance is $10 for members and $15 for non members. To register for the event, visit the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council’s website.

If you love the coast of Maine, you won’t want to miss this show, where Tradition Meets Innovation™. Come see Maine’s finest artists, architects, boatbuilders, furniture makers, craftsmen, designers, marine gear vendors, and musicians.

There’ll be a model yacht pond, live music, an area for children, exhibits, fine food, the running of the 8th Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog® Trials, some wacky zucchini boat racing, and more! As the only in-water boat show in the state, with more than 70 boats in the water and 150 exhibitors on land, there is something for every member of the family.

ReVision will be there exhibiting different solar energy options for the homeowner and business owner. Price is $12 for the day(tax included), kids under 12 FREE. Two and three-day passes available.

Summer is a great time to explore eclectic Waldo County! On Saturday August 7, 2010 the Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance in Montville is offering a fun and educational tour titled Sustainable Backyards: a tour of homes, farms, and woods. This year’s tour and annual fund raising event builds upon their 2009 tour of gardens and home energy technologies, with a more diverse offering and a greater emphasis on sustainable practices and livelihoods.

Included on the tour is our office in Liberty, where you can see a 1.8 kilowatt grid-tied solar electric system, a 40-tube solar hot water system and Tarm wood boiler, and the G•O Logic Homes in Belfast, a “net-zero” home based on the German passive house standard, where we designed and installed the solar electric and solar hot water systems. Other stops include visits to local farms and forest.

Prices are: adults, $20; students $10; children under 12 are free. More information please call Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance 589-3230 or email: buckoherin@fairpoint.net.

ReVision Energy will be at The Shelter Institute to discuss viable renewable energy options including: solar electricity, solar hot water, and wood fired boilers.

We will be presenting along with homeowner Ben Tipton, who lives in a timber frame home designed and built by Shelter Institute that has a full solar electric and solar hot water system designed and built by Revision Energy. We will be discussing renewable energy applications for your home, the costs of these systems, your return on investment, and will present a slideshow of completed projects.

The program will last about an hour and will include time for questions and answers. This is a FREE one hour workshop with a question and answer session at the end but you must register in advance as space is limited.

See the Shelter Institute Website for more details and to register in advance.

Last week several of ReVision’s participated in the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce‘s annual gulf tournament, held at Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland.

It was a beautiful day with ample sun – a perfect opportunity for us to make solar-powered lemonade thanks to a photovoltaic system we installed off the 13th fairway:

While we don’t want to go into the gory details of our golfing performance (suffice to say it was more fun than awe-inspiring) there were plenty of memorable moments including par-saving putts by Tim Jilek and this photogenic shot of John Capron with one of our solar systems in the background:

The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce has been running the tournament for over 20 years, which today attracts more than 175 participants. ReVision is pleased to join those ranks!

As part of the Taste of Greater Waterville, Sustain Mid-Maine Coalition presents their Green Expo 2010. A dozen exhibitors will be available to talk about energy related topics, sustainability and green living.

Street-side dining will feature various Waterville area restaurants’ delicious cuisines. Throughout the day there will be an array of children’s activities, food vendors and live music. A beer garden (21+) will be held from 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM with live entertainment.

See the Taste of Greater Waterville website for more details, photos and sponsors!

Come join ReVision Energy and The Center for Wildlife for a special sunset reggae cruise on the Piscataqua River. Meet at 315 Market St for a dockside party at 6pm, followed by a 7:30pm cruise aboard the historic steamship Thomas Laighton.

Bring a friend or two – all are welcome to live music, good company and cruising. Admission is free with a suggested donation for The Center for Wildlife – there will be a full cash bar on board.

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the people of ReVision Energy and the staff of the Center for Wildlife – Southern Maine and New Hampshire’s most critical wildlife rehabilitation center. Thanks to the Green Alliance for organizing the evening series and to the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company for hosting.

Join Ernest and Judy Cardinal and Will Kessler and Fred Greenhalgh from ReVision Energy on Thursday, July 29 from 6PM – 7:30PM for an open house at the Cardinal’s residence, 190 Bay Rd, Farmington, NH.

The Cardinals recently installed an evacuated tube solar hot water system for heating domestic water and a 4.3 kilowatt grid-tied photovoltaic system. Both systems were eligible for state and federal rebates including a 30% federal tax credit on both systems, a $6,000 state cash rebate for solar electricity, and a $1,500 state cash rebate for solar hot water.

In addition to seeing a grid-tied solar energy system first hand, guests will learn about solar hot water systems for domestic hot water, dramatically more affordable prices for solar panels, state and federal government incentives, and how to use solar to lower utility bills and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The evening starts with a meet and greet at 6PM, followed by a tour of the system and an informal presentation. Guests are encouraged to come by with questions and to sign up for a free site evaluation while at the open house; light refreshments to be served.