The Green Earth Fair at Earthplace kicked off on April 25 with the presentation of the We Green Westport Award by the Westport Green Energy Task Force, which recognized individuals and businesses who have worked to inspire others to reduce their carbon footprint and help the environment. The 2009 honorees were: John Rountree, Staples student A.J. Kiefer, resident Rebecca Howe, and the Westport Green Village Initiative, represented by Dan Levinson, Liz Milwe, Sherry Jagersen and Monique Bosch.

The honorees were introduced by Kim Lake, chairman of the Westport Green Energy Task Force, and awards were presented by Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff. State Representative Toni Boucher was present as well to read a state proclamation honoring the Westport Green Village Initiative for all their efforts.

Trashing the Fridge

FOR the last two years, Rachel Muston, a 32-year-old information-technology worker for the Canadian government in Ottawa, has been taking steps to reduce her carbon footprint — composting, line-drying clothes, installing an efficient furnace in her three-story house downtown.

About a year ago, though, she decided to “go big” in her effort to be more environmentally responsible, she said. After mulling the idea over for several weeks, she and her husband, Scott Young, did something many would find unthinkable: they unplugged their refrigerator. For good.

Ms. Muston estimated that her own fridge, which was in the house when they bought it five years ago and most likely dates back much longer, used 1,300 kilowatt-hours per year, or produced roughly 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide — the same amount from burning 105 gallons of gasoline. And even a newer, more efficient model, which could have cut that figure in half, would have used too much energy in her view.

Ms. Muston now uses a small freezer in the basement in tandem with a cooler upstairs; the cooler is kept cold by two-liter soda bottles full of frozen water, which are rotated to the freezer when they melt. (The fridge, meanwhile, sits empty in the kitchen.)

She acknowledges that living this way isn’t always convenient. For starters, it has altered the couple’s eating habits.

“When we had the fridge, we were eating a lot of prepared food from the grocery store,” she said. But the cooler has limited room, and the freezer is for meat and vegetables. Without the extra storage, Ms. Muston finds herself cooking more — which requires more time and forethought because items from the freezer must be thawed.

Seems extreme and some aspects of it are inconvenient. But it will reduce your carbon footprint, save energy and change one’s diet to a healthier one (saving money there too).

Asked whether the couple had to give up any cherished foods, Ms. Muston sighed. “Cold beer,” she said. “Scott can’t come home and grab a cold beer out of the fridge anymore. He has to put it in the cooler and wait an hour.”

That may be the hardest part to live with.

Due to the weather….

Interested in learning more about creating a green home? Then get ready for the latest Business & The Environment lecture.

Are you ready to consider energy efficient, sustainable technologies but don’t know what you want or where to begin? Solar panels or geothermal? Greened roofs or rainwater recovery? Which insulation? What building materials? With the industry changing so rapidly, making the right decision can be very confusing, not just for the homeowner, but for architects and contractors.

To help in that decision, Stephen Grasso and Rainer Schrom of Partners for Architecture will identify the wide spectrum of available technologies and improvements that can make a building more energy efficient and sustainable, and compare them according to effectiveness, cost of installation, cost savings potential and environmental impact. It promises to be a lively and informative program. Bring your questions.

Speakers: Stephen Grasso & Rainer Schrom, Architects
Partners for Architecture

Date: February 11, 2009

Time: 12 noon – 1:30 pm
Lunch: 12 – 12:20pm
Presentation: 12:20 – 1:30 pm

Place: Purdue Pharma
201 Tresser Blvd., Stamford

Co-Sponsor: Purdue Pharma

Reservations: soundbusiness@soundwaters.org or 203-406-3335

The Green Cup Challenge is …

a first-ever competition between Westport, Weston and Wilton to see which town is the “greenest.”

The contest ends on January 31, 2009.

To help Westport win, visit the site today and take the simple survey. That’s it!

Three simple things to do today:

1. Sign up for Clean Energy
2. Take the We Green Westport Pledge
3. Complete the Green Cup Challenge survey