Lou McNally learns all about building recycling as he hosts
this episode of Made in Maine from the Portland
Architectural Salvage Company. Started by Alice Dunn
in 1994, the company has grown from a small retail shop on
Munjoy Hill in Portland to a 12,000 square foot showroom
of architectual elements, antiques and decorative accessories.
Next, Made in Maine checks into the classic Colony
Hotel in Kennebunkport, where they recycle everything
from linens to lettuce, winning numerous national awards
for their efforts. The
Colony Hotel is a member of the Green
Hotels Association, properties whose managers pledge
to institute programs that save water, save energy and reduce
solid waste in order to help protect the environment --
all while saving money.
Viewers also meet artist Jeff Clapp, an “eco-art” pioneer
who, after seeing a documentary about the tons of litter
left behind by climbers of Mt. Everest, traveled over twelve
thousand miles to recycle used oxygen bottles littering the
slopes of the world’s highest mountain. Come along
as we visit his studio
in Brunswick to watch him create unique hand-turned bells
and bowls from discarded bits of mountaineering history.
Finally, Made in Maine profiles the Chewonki
Foundation’s efforts to develop a commercial bio-diesel
processing facility using recycled cooking oil. The
Chewonki Foundation is a non-profit educational institution
organized based in Wiscasset, where it produces 2,000-3,000
gallons of biodiesel annually from used cooking oil and
uses it to run the farm tractor, fuel two of its 15-passenger
vans and partially heat one of its buildings.
