Rich Maranto, Author at The future is what you make of it!

Rich Maranto March 3, 2015

Save Your Stream From Your Lawn

Originally published, 2014 Maryland Solar Tour guide by Shannon Moore.

Your yard is a heaven where dogs frolic, flowers bloom, and a lush green carpet of grass creates a sense of order and calm. It’s also a source of pollution from pet waste and fertilizer. The hot water coming off your roof, walkways and driveways combines with your neighbors’ yards to create intense storm flows that erode your yard, damage stream banks and cause heat pollution that can kill fish. But there is a way to have it all, and that is to control the runoff coming from your property, and for your neighbors to do the same.

If you’re lucky, your property was built with runoff reduction in mind. Maybe your roof drains, instead of being connected the storm drains that go directly into streams, drain to a nice grassy patch in your yard

or into a rain barrel that you use to water your plants. Maybe you have conservation landscaping or a rain garden that came with your house. And maybe you know exactly how much fertilizer to use so that you save money and pollution by not overfertilizing, or you don’t fertilize at all. If so, good job, and turn the page. If not, hey, you are not alone! Most lawns are like this.

The bad news: polluted stormwater runoff from developed areas is damaging our waterways to the point that they cannot fully support their designated uses. In Frederick County where I work, we have impairments to streams and reservoirs from phosphorus, sediment, and bacteria that are damaging to fisheries. This is especially the case in waterways that support brook trout, where populations will likely become extirpated in 50 years if we don’t do something.

If you live in certain areas of Frederick County, you can take advantage of a new program called Neighborhood Green that provides no-cost landscape plans, fertilizer plans, and cost share for the installation of stormwater practices; see http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/NGreen for more information. You can also learn more about how to restore your yard by participating in the Green Homes Challenge at www.frederickgreenchallenge.org, which has a ton of actions you can do and resources that show you how to do them. There are also resource guides on the internet like the Homeowner Guide for a More Bay-Friendly Property available at http://chesapeakestormwater.net/download/3770/.

Rich Maranto January 3, 2015

One Day in October

Originally published, 2014 Maryland Solar Tour guide by Ron Kaltenbaugh.

The first weekend in October – little did I realize six years ago that this weekend would become so important to me. Discovering the solar tour has sent me down a path leading to many changes in my life, our house, our driving habits, and even new friends.

“Going Solar” had been something I’d thought about, but not actively pursued, before visiting homes on the Solar Tour. By year two, I started to think, “Yeah, we should seriously look into doing this.” By the 2010 Solar Tour we were in the process of having 37 solar panels installed. Visiting those homes in 2010, I was already thinking, “Next year we should have our home on the tour.”

Once those panels went up, I had joined a new community and started meeting so many people and making so many connections that led to more actions. The first two important connections were to Green Drinks and the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, D.C. (EVADC). Green Drinks is a monthly get-together of people interested in green technologies and sustainability. Through Green Drinks I met folks, both homeowners and installers, which led to a geothermal system when we needed to replace our HVAC system in 2012. I also met folks involved with the Green Homes Challenge (www.frederickgreenchallenge.org) and participated with their challenges. In 2013 the Green Homes Challenge Solarize program was launched, and I became a Green Ambassador volunteering at events to help get the word out about the program and about solar. The program reduced costs so much we added 32 panels to our solar system.

EVADC (www.evadc.org) has been another great source of friends and new paths to travel. The group meets monthly, and members volunteer their time at events showing their cars and educating people about electric vehicles. In 2012, we made the move and leased a Nissan Leaf. Just having the Leaf has led to lots of interactions when people ask about it and want to know more. Our main action in 2014 was replacing our lawn tractor
with a Cub Cadet RZT-S Zero all-electric lawn tractor. It is so quiet, and there is no need to fill the gas can or smell those gas fumes. I firmly believe that EVs are the future.

Since we’ve done about all we can do for our home, I needed to find new outlets, so this Spring I became a member of the Frederick County Sustainability Commission. This is a group of county residents who volunteer their time to help chart a course for a more sustainable Frederick county. As I think back about the steps we’ve taken, it is easy to just think of all the technology and what was purchased. However, the impact on myself has been so much more than that. I’ve literally met hundreds of people and made many friends through all of this. And it all started
one fall day in October 2008. Hope to see you on the tour this year.

Rich Maranto December 3, 2014

Neighbors Going Solar Together, Saving Money

Originally published, 2014 Maryland Solar Tour guide by Emily Stiever.

Over the last year more than 500 homeowners from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area have organized themselves into solar co-ops to go solar together and save money! Working with local non-profit Community Power Network (CPN), the co-op members leverage their collective buying power and get technical expertise from CPN in order to achieve dramatic savings on installation costs and make the process easier.

How does a solar co-op work?
Homeowners organize themselves into a group and developed a list of factors that are important to them when selecting a solar installer. CPN then solicits completive bids from area installers and provides technical expertise to assist the group as they select a single installer to complete all of the co-op’s installations.

Who is involved in organizing solar co-ops?
Neighbors and community members from all over the DMV are forming solar co-ops. For example, Fran Toler is a small business owner and is participating in the Hyattsville/Mt. Rainier Solar Co-op. She had first hand experience with how daunting the process of installing solar power on her home can be:

“I have been interested in solar energy for decades, but in the last 5-6 years, I felt like, with the tax incentives, I should be able to make it work. Nonetheless, on several different occasions I contacted companies, solicited bids, and each time got stalled in the process,” Fran explains.

Fran highlighted a number of advantages to working with a group purchase solar co-op model that CPN facilitates.

“One, I got to work with friendly helpful people who explained the technical aspects and guided me through the process, but weren’t trying to sell me anything. Two, I got to efficiently and painlessly compare complex bids from multiple companies. Three, I got an astonishingly fantastic price break, reducing the need for financing. I love getting a bargain!”

As a small business owner herself, Fran also appreciates the important role the large scale of such solar co-ops can play in creating work and jobs for area solar installers.

“As a small business owner, I understand how difficult it can be to build capacity and a great reputation. These bulk purchases should allow a smaller company who might be ready to take the next step into larger contracts work with a group that isn’t expecting the same level of efficiency and expertise that a government or corporate contract would.”

She also noted the positive business impact that building a strong reputation with third party consumer advocacy groups such as CPN and CPN’s state programs: DC SUN, MD SUN, and VA SUN.

CPN has helped community members form 15 solar co-ops in Washington, D.C., and several more in Maryland and Virginia.