Help is desperately needed to assist York County Shelter Programs in their campaign to “Go Green!”  The agency has been seriously addressing the need to reduce energy costs for their homeless shelter in Alfred and for the twenty-four houses throughout York County that they manage in Sanford, Springvale, Kittery, Biddeford, Saco, and West Newfield.  The need for oil last year in all their housing units was phenomenal.  Over 31,000 gallons of fuel were consumed.  With the sky-rocketing costs of fuel, the situation has become critical.  So many services and products included in the coming year’s budget will be impacted.

Several efforts have been taken to reduce energy consumption.  Employees from various departments at the York County Shelter Programs have formed a Green Team to come up with ways to save energy.  The clothes dryers have been removed in the housing units.  Residents have been sent letters with hints of how to reduce their kilowatt consumption.  New construction projects such as Vinton Hall on Shaker Hill Road and Edie’s Place in Sanford have incorporated solar features and state-of-the-art heating  systems.  All light bulbs have been replaced with energy-saving CFL bulbs.  New energy-saving windows were installed at the main Shelter facility on Shaker Hill Road this past year.

    The York County Shelter Programs is receiving consultation from Luke Senecal of “The Heating Guy” in Acton in ways to regulate their heating systems.  Fuel burner controls will be purchased for each of the heating systems in the various houses.  Bruce Lambert is donating his time to conduct energy

audits in the various buildings.

      Windows will be covered with poly and insulation and weather-stripping will be installed where needed.  Water-saving devices for the shower heads and kitchen sinks will be installed and water pipes will be insulated.

     

    

Some of the members of the Green Team at the York County Shelter

Programs include from left:  Pam Hartvigsen, Russell King, Don Gean, Lori Theriault, and Joan Sylvester.  (Missing from the photo is

David Beseda)

Luke Senecal of “The Heating Guy” in Acton has been extremely generous with his time and efforts and expertise to help the Green Team at York County Shelter Programs.

Bruce Lambert has volunteered to help the Shelter learn about ways to save energy.

Some of the Projects With Which York County Shelter Programs Has Become Involved To Go Green and Buy Local:

-compost all food from dining commons and Bakery to be used in gardens at Ray Angers Community Farm

-compost shredded paper products from the Shelter in garden at Ray Angers Community Farm

-formed Energy Committee to come up with green ideas

-works closely with residents in all of our houses to conserve energy by turning down

thermostats in the evening and covering windows with plastic in the winter when possible

-recognized clients with Energy Committee awards for energy-saving practices

-coordinated use of vehicles so that driving into town would take place only at specified times to save on gas and use of vehicles

-recycling of paper, glass, metals, cardboard from all Shelter offices with collected

materials being sent to  recycling room at Shelter

-energy audits at some of our buildings

-insulating of all buildings

-Vinton Hall - Alfred- use of solar, wood, photovoltaic energy

-Edie's House -  Sanford - solar collector

-removal of all dryers from residential buildings- replaced by clotheslines

-thanks to Can Do of the Kennebunks program run by our volunteers Tom and Mary Couming, over

$10,000 has been donated to our Shelter due to the recycling of cans and bottles.  The Shelter has

recycling accounts at Alliance Redemption in Sanford and J&D Redemption in Waterboro.

-introduction of energy saving appliances

-Elm Street home  - Biddeford - solar collector, energy-saving construction

-Cox Lane home - Sanford -  solar collector, energy-saving construction

-removal of Bakery dumpster so that recycling takes place

-use of recycled paper goods when possible

-Ray Angers Farm - West Newfield- wood furnace for heat of home and water

- five Neighborhood Stabilization properties- (Waterboro, Sanford, Springvale) incorporation of energy saving construction, solar collectors, and appliances

Emergency Shelter - Alfred- in process of applying for state-of-art wood furnace to heat Emergency Shelter

Ray Angers Community Farm - West Newfield -raises free-range chickens for eggs and pigs for meat for feeding programs and bakeries.

-We work with York County Cooperative Extension Service to encourage gleaning of local farm products to be donated to our Food Pantry.

-We developed ShelterBay which recycles donated items and sells them to support the feeding programs at our Shelter.

-Windows in various Shelter houses were covered with poly and insulation and weather-stripping was installed where needed. 

-Water-saving devices for the shower heads and kitchen sinks were installed and water pipes were insulated.

-All light bulbs have been replaced with energy-saving CFL bulbs. 

-New energy-saving windows were installed at the main Shelter facility on Shaker Hill Road this past year.

-Several employees changed their wok schedule to a four-day week resulting in energy-savings

costs for transportation to work

-A Planet Aid box was installed on the Shelter property to recycle used clothing

Russell King is shown checking for

areas where heat loss takes place.