Here in Lancaster County, PA we have a nice local paper called the Hempfield Suburban News. One of the contributors is Lisa Sandhaus, who is a local advocate and reporter. She penned a great article for the most recent issue of Hempfield Suburban News (March.April 2008), and since it's not online I thought I would reprint it here so she gets the propers recognition for her work. This sort of article should be written about every town, including yours!
Enjoy the article:
How Green is Hempfield?
By Lisa Sandhaus
We hear a lot of talk today about "going green." It's not a new concept, but perhaps new information on the effects of greenhouse gases on the ozone, coupled with the popularity of Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" (followed by his Nobel prize) have created a renewed enthusiasm toward saving our planet. Hybrid cars, organic foods, natural cleaning products, carbon footprints - these are the types of buzz words we hear every day. Even some of your favorite television programs joined the cause. Last November, NBC and their cable networks (Bravo, SciFi, USA, MSNBC) ran an entire week of green episodes. Programs ranging from The Biggest Loser to The Office had an eco-friendly twist. There was even a "green" wedding on The Days of Our Lives.
Being green can mean different things to different people, and green initiatives can involve a large range of commitment. It can be anything from recycling your newspapers and turning off lights when you leave the room, to driving an electric car, to living totally off the grid. The idea is to make less of an impact on the environment. One way to do this is to become less dependent on fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Utilizing renewable energies and recycled building products, and preserving our natural resources all help.
What is Being Done
Simply putting out your recycling bin is a step in the right direction. Besides recycling newspapers, glass, cans and plastic, many communities also collect yard waste. Residents can now also recycle cardboard in three municipalities. East and West Hempfield Townships both have dumpsters at their municipal buildings. East Petersburg's dumpster is located at the fire hall on Pine Street. Each location accepts heavy, non-coated corrugated cardboard. Call your borough or township office if you have questions about what they accept.
In September, 2005, Hempfield School District teamed up with the Little Conestoga Watershed Alliance to install a riparian zone on the campus, along a tributary to Swarr Run. A total of 235 natural trees and shrubs were planted. LCWA also restored 2,000 feet of a stretch of Miller's Run in East Hempfield Township which included regrading banks and planting 775 trees and shrubs. In 2007 LCWA returned to East Hempfield to plant trees and another riparian zone in Jacobs Creek Park, across from the Lancaster Health Campus. Projects like this, and the restoration of Lake Grubb Nature Park in West Hempfield Township aid the environment by providing homes for wildlife and reducing erosion. In addition, trees can help slow the growth of greenhouse gases by removing CO2 from the air.
Hempfield School District operates many buildings throughout the district. They have recently completed a $3.1 million performance contract with Siemens electric control company. It took the company about one year to update buildings with state of the art controls for electric systems, says Rich Schrecengost, director of financial affairs. Work included upgrades to lighting and HVAC systems. New energy efficient light bulbs and ballasts were installed. In some cases, fewer lights were installed than were removed, because their output is so much better, he says. Upgrades to the HVAC systems include isolation valves and variable control pumps to help equipment run more efficiently. A self-monitoring CO2 air exchange system automatically balances air quality. The district expects the upgrade to save a minimum of $6 million in utility costs over the next 10-15 years, while using less energy.
Over several years, the district has also installed geothermal heating and air conditioning at Centerville, Rhorerstown and Mountville elementary schools, and Centerville middle school. These systems have a high up-cost, $800,000 - $950,000, but they pay for themselves in 6 - 7 years, Schrecengost says. And as natural gas and electric rates are deregulated, it could mean even greater energy savings in the future. As the district considers future renovations, it must be careful what types of products to include, he says. Some eco-friendly products are not tested for industry use and may not hold up well over time. Being economically aware, as well as cost aware, is "very much on our radar," he says.
Powl's Speedometer and Auto Repair Center on Dairy Road has a solar thermal hot air system on the roof of their building. The system dates back to the 1970's, says Steve Mellinger, owner of Blue Moon Enterprises. Blue Moon designs, installs and maintains solar electric, solar hot air and solar hot water systems. They recently installed a new fan in Powl's system, which consists of a black metal box with plexiglass-type material mounted on the front. The sun heats the air inside the box, and a fan and dampers bring the hot air into the building. Although it had not been used for some time, Mellinger says the system was in pretty good shape. He expects it will continue to work for another 30 years. Powl's has been at this location for about nine years, but owner Rob Keough says he was not aware the unit existed until recently. He figures since it is there, they might as well use it to heat the garage and pull in fresh air. He's excited to see what kind of energy savings he will experience.
More Can Be Done
Jeff Geoghan of Long & Foster Real Estate, focuses on green building opportunities. When working with clients, he points out the qualities each home has that make it more eco-friendly, and the ones that don't. He wants to help those looking to sell or buy a greener home to make more knowledgeable choices. But Jeff would like to see more green building in Hempfield. There are alternative building products available, he says, but we won't see them used in the mainstream until consumers demand it. When building and remodeling, homeowners can consider materials' recycled content and choose non-toxic paints and natural fiber carpets. Sustainable products like wheat board, cork and bamboo are examples of green building products. Unlike hard woods, these products are readily renewable.
If you're serious about making upgrades to your home, there is help available, Geoghan says. Keystone Help is a program sponsored by the Pennsylvania Treasury Department to provide low-cost loans to homeowners for making energy efficient upgrades. Geoghan obtained a Keystone Help loan last July when he replaced his old furnace with a new 2-stage, multi feature unit. The program provides up to 10 years financing at 8.99%, and some folks qualify for 6.99%. Geoghan says the process went smoothly, and his gas bills have decreased up to one third. The program might be just the thing for homeowners who are thinking about bigger-ticket upgrades, like PV solar, he says.
There are a few solar energy systems in Hempfield, Mellinger says. Blue Moon maintains a few systems which were implemented with state grants as part of a PPL initiative to help customers who were struggling to pay their electric bills. But Hempfield (and Pennsylvania in general) is behind the curve when it comes to utilizing renewable energy. Our state policy is to blame, he says. In other areas of the country, homeowners are given huge tax credits for making energy efficient upgrades. In Pennsylvania, residents can get a 30 % tax credit, but it is limited to $2,000, no matter how much the project costs. A typical solar electric system will run about $20,000. Solar hot air and solar hot water could run to $5,000 and $10,000, respectively. Homeowners looking to add solar energy can combine their 30 % tax credit with the Keystone Help loan to help make upgrades more affordable.
But Hempfield can be doing a lot more. Whereas the average homeowner may be limited by costs, Mellinger says larger retail, warehousing and banking venues in the area are perfect candidates for solar projects. Commercial businesses receive the same 30 % tax credit on upgrades as residents, but there is no limit to the amount of credit they can receive. In addition, businesses can write off a portion of their costs the year the system goes into service, for about 42% of credit for the total cost of the project. Mellinger says he is convinced we will see electricity rates double by the end of 2009. Using solar energy systems would not only affect large decreases in a business's energy costs, it would mean a great change in the effect that business has on our environment. And how would all that add up 10, 15, 20 years out, he says.
Mellinger says solar energy is a technology that is showing triple digit growth each year. Rather than living behind the curve, he suggests that Hempfield could be "a region wide leader in the renewable energy market." Our open land and low terrain make the area a good environment for utilizing solar energy systems, he says. Farmland being sold to developers could be used for commercial scale solar projects. "I would love to see some people with money in Hempfield put up solar farms." The energy could be sold back to PPL, or perhaps sold off to the community in some other way, he says.
There are many things we can do to improve our environment. Whether you are a home owner or business owner, it's up to you to choose your own course of action to help make Hempfield a greener place.
Four Seasons at Elm Tree
At the end of last season, parents of racers at 
It was fun putting this site together, and it'll be interesting to see where it goes since I'm including a Google Group in the design, to allow for discussion and posting of photos, etc. Should be a great season!
Highligts of the weekend will be musical artists. 80+ vendors featuring organic and environmentally-friendly products. The Renaissance Fair grounds encompass 35+ acres and is an interesting layout to hold such an event as the "Great Green America Fest". The website is 
Folks, spring is definitely here in Lancaster County! Homes for sale that are well-priced are starting to go "under agreement" rather quickly. I'm working with several homebuyer clients in the $150-220 price range and we're seeing homes disappear right as we want to go see them...and we're not waiting around either. Clearly, the pent-up legion of homebuyers are getting itchy to put our "winter of discontent" behind them and move on with their life. 
Some good news for Lancaster County homebuyers - FHA recently raised their top loan amount quite a bit, to $383,750. That means that first-time homebuyers can still access the better mortgage rates FHA offers while buying more home. In fact, $383,750 really is a big number for Lancaster County, PA. If you're a first-time homebuyer here, you can do quite well for that level of sale price!