Ending Hunger Walking Tour

OLD TOWN – Representatives from Maine’s credit unions joined Brenda Davis, executive director of Cross Roads Ministries, on Oct. 24 at Penobscot County Federal Credit Union in Old Town to launch the seventh Maine Credit Unions Ending Hunger Walking Tour. Cross Roads Ministries is a food pantry based in Old Town, which serves thousands in eastern Maine.

At the ceremony, representatives from the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger sent Davis off with a donation marking the launch. The ceremony included a donation to the Red Shield Emergency Food Pantry to assist the employees of Red Shield Environmental in Old Town.

The walk is expected to encompass more than 700 miles and 56 communities from Kittery to Madawaska. For the third year, the tour will visit every Maine county. At each credit union Davis visits, she will pick up a campaign contribution to support the cause.

Again this year, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger will make a $100 donation to a food pantry in each of the 56 communities Davis visits. In all, the campaign has pledged to contribute nearly $25,000 to the tour.

The walk is an effort on the part of the credit unions and Davis to build awareness about hunger in Maine during November, which has been designated Ending Hunger month.

The walk began on Oct. 28 at Maine State Credit Union in Augusta, the top fundraising credit union for ending hunger in 2007, and will conclude with a Dec. 1 ceremony at University Credit Union in Orono.

Since 1990, the Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger has raised more than $2.7 million to help end hunger in Maine.

Retaining wall technology

ORONO – Researchers at the University of Maine have been awarded a patent on new technology that could change waterfront construction methods for both private individuals and large companies looking to build docks, piers and port facilities.

Using technology developed at UM’s AEWC Composites Center, a team of researchers created extruded composite sheet piling panels to be used as retaining walls on waterfront property.

“These materials are intended to replace steel,” said Habib Dagher, Advanced Engineered Wood Composite Center director. They are resistant to corrosion even in saltwater and can be made in any color using new or recycled materials. Each panel is sturdy enough to be driven into the ground, but light enough to be lifted by one person. The panels easily connect to one another to form a continuous retaining wall or sea wall against almost any landscape.

“This material will outlast traditional materials – steel, concrete and wood,” Dagher said. “And unlike pressure-treated wood, there are no chemicals that can leach into the water.”

The sheets are made from wood flour, which can be described as very fine sawdust, and plastic resin from new, recycled or a combination of materials.

“At the end of its life, 100 years from now, you can pull these sheets out of the ground and recycle them,” Dagher said. “That’s the beauty of it. It’s a product that not only uses recycled material to make, but it can be recycled at the end of its life. It’s a truly green material.”

The panels have been tested in the lab and now are ready for commercialization, according to Dagher.

“We are looking to go ahead and commercialize the technology at a larger scale, starting with demo projects and then commercial development by licensing the technology to commercial facilities,” Dagher said. “The goal, of course, is to do this in Maine.”

Farm bill opportunities

ORONO – Farmers, forest landowners, land managers and others interested in the Conservation and Commodity Titles of the 2008 Farm Bill are invited to attend an information workshop 2-4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the Black Bear Inn in Orono.

The workshop host is the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the USDA Farm Service Agency will provide up-to-date information on the Farm Bill and what assistance may be available. A question and answer session will follow.

The 2008 Farm Bill, which became law on May 22, increases funding for conservation programs by 38 percent. The meeting will provide land owners with the opportunity to hear about changes made from the 2002 Farm Bill and how it will benefit Maine farmers and forest landowners. Detailed information on the forestry aspects of the new Farm Bill will be further highlighted and discussed at separate workshops in 2009.

Those who plan to attend the workshop, or who require special accommodations, should notify Chris Brewer by calling 990-3676, ext. 3.