Nearer to Nature

Add comment May 16th, 2008 admin

Art In Bloom

Inspired by the rich colors and iconic imagery, garden clubs and specialists contributed to the Boston Museum of Fine Art’s thirty-second annual Art In Bloom show. A limited engagement for obvious reasons, the show only ran for a few days. We can’t wait until no. 33 to see what they dream up next. Thanks Debbie N for sending in the photo!

Add comment May 1st, 2008 Kim

How Did You Spend Earth Day?

Exactly a year ago this week, I was walking through dirty foam that covered the York Beach area, talking to local business people who were once again assessing their damages after the second “100 year storm” in just two years. But, as I learned today, touring the Stormwater Center at the University of New Hampshire, the damages caused by rain water go far beyond washed-up roads and flooded basements.

The tour took place in the center’s demonstration site where staff and faculty test different stormwater management techniques using water that washes off the adjacent 9-acre West Edge parking lot.

The problem is that if rain water (from major storms or normal rainfall) isn’t properly managed it can flow into streams, creeks, and marshes, polluting the water with all the bad stuff it picks up along the way, including toxic chemicals, pesticides, fertilizer, trash, road salt, and harmful bacteria. It’s the number one water quality problem in the United States today, according to Steve Miller, coastal training coordinator for the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, whose organization sponsored today’s tour in an effort to spread the word about the center.

The center currently tests 15 systems at its field site, including conventional swales and retention ponds, manufactured devices, and Low Impact Development (LID) designs, and is set up so that each receives an equal amount of rain from the parking lot. The researchers evaluate their impacts on water quantity and quality. The LIDs, including a gravel wetland and a bio retention system, were by far the most effective at both retaining water and filtering it.

What can we do to protect water quality? Phase II of the Water Quality Act mandates that communities protect water quality, but often they lack the resources to find cost-effective solutions. The Stormwater Center at UNH tries to bridge that gap by holding workshops throughout the year and publishing a ton of useful information on their website (http://www.unh.edu/erg/cstev/). The crowd of about 25 people included a mix of engineers, landscape architects, a representative from the city of Concord, developers, and conservationists.

Homeowners can help too. One conservationist I talked to, who is working on protecting the water quality of Portsmouth’s Hodgson Brook, said she had just sealed her own driveway but had graded it in a way so that stormwater would run off into a rain garden–a type of bio retention system.

I learned a lot today and plan to write more about it in future stories for Accent. It was also great just to learn something new on Earth Day and have the opportunity to share it here. Let us know in the comments if you’ve done anything special or made any resolutions in honor of Earth Day.

Add comment April 22nd, 2008 Melissa

Cooks in the Kitchens

Another fabulous turnout for the Music Hall Kitchen Tour this year - this time back in the hall’s hometown of Portsmouth.

This group of grinning attendees seemed to be having a good time - Roe Cole, Roe Cole Custom Design & Construction, Julia Madden, Kitchen Tour Committee, Jenna Pelech of ACCENT, Mike Myers of Jewettfarms & Co, Marjorie Ferris of ACCENT, and Justin Gamester of Piscataqua Landscaping. 

Add comment April 16th, 2008 Kim

Meant to Be

Just this last Thursday was the grand opening of Cathy Kert Interiors of downtown Nashua, NH. Dozens of well wishers enjoyed food and wine, and a quick introduction to the space, which for Cathy, has an auspicious connection. Apparently the space was previously occupied by the Edwards campaign, prior to that a frame shop. The frame shop, in business years ago in Nashua, had gone out of business but when Kathy moved in, she was cleaning through the basement workshop and came upon a picture of her own daughter. The story goes that the picture had been brought in to be framed but then the business went under and they never saw the picture again - until Cathy renovated the shop for her own showroom. No doubt a sign that this was meant to be!

Good luck with the new venture Kathy!
www.cathykertinteriors.com

Add comment April 16th, 2008 Kim