By Raine Raynor
All photos: Salty Lens Photography

The Green Home + Energy Show returned this April for another day of excellent conversations, connections, and education. 1,000 people including homeowners, students and professionals flocked to South Portland, Maine for the sustainability-focused home show that the team behind Green & Healthy Maine HOMES has produced since 2019.

With climate change’s impacts on the rise, information about how to make homes more energy efficient, comfortable to live in, and healthy for the environment and inhabitants is as important as ever. Over the years, the Green Home + Energy Show has grown to a multifaceted event which includes over 80 booths, a full schedule of workshops, test drives at an Electric Vehicle Expo and shopping from Maine makers. “I had the opportunity to speak at some length with vendors and builders who are aligned with our own plans for building or energy-related projects,” says one person who took advantage of the educational offerings and attended five workshops.

“First time I have attended…and spent almost the entire day!” says a member of Wells Energy Advisory Committee, who came to network and bring knowledge back to the committee. “Been living in an almost-tiny net positive solar home for eight years, great to see what I did starting to catch on with builders and home buyers!”

This year added a Sustainable Landscape Expo, expanding the event’s focus on the home to the outdoors. Organic gardening, native plants and sustainable lawncare were of top interest. In addition to chatting with exhibitors including local nonprofits, designers, and other businesses, attendees were also able to enjoy six Sustainable Landscape workshops on topics including permaculture, soil health and dealing with invasive species. “My goal of going there was to get ideas for my summer gardening project,” said one person who attended both the 2023 and 2024 Green Home + Energy Shows, and who cited Landscaping for Wildlife as their favorite workshop this year.

With the Green Home + Energy Show’s focus on reducing environmental impacts at home, reducing waste was also a priority at the event itself. A partnership with Garbage to Garden provided compost and recycling receptacles, resulting in 89% of waste being diverted from landfills! Another business partner, East Pine Plant Shop, designed and staged lush plant arrangements which could be disassembled and reused at future events. Finally, attendees were encouraged to return unwanted programs and handouts instead of tossing them so that they could be re-used.

As a 1% for the Planet member, donating to environmental nonprofits is another pillar of the Green Home + Energy Show. This year, $3,490 from ticket sales was donated to Wild Seed Project. The North Yarmouth-based nonprofit organization works to build awareness of the role native plants play in supporting biodiversity and mitigating the effects of climate change. They engage with community members and groups to provide tools and education on growing native plants from seed. Wild Seed Project plans to use the Green Home + Energy Show donation to support projects including their Native Seed Center, where the organization will cultivate native plants in natural habitats and build genetic diversity through seed collection and propagation. The center, located at Turkey Hill Farm in Cape Elizabeth, will be open to visitors and serve as an educational space. Previous Green Home + Energy Show beneficiaries include Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland, WindowDressers and Maine Foodscapes. Donations from the past four Green Home + Energy Shows now total $14,422.

The Green & Healthy Maine HOMES team is thrilled by the amount of people who have been inspired to create more sustainable homes after attending the Green Home + Energy Show. As one person sums it up, “I always look forward to the Green Home + Energy Show to learn what is new in technology and what new way I can become more energy independent.”

Please contact info@thesunriseguide.com if you would like to participate next year or nominate a nonprofit for a future event.