Explore the Spring 2025 issue
On the cover: Vibrant red and yellow enliven the comfortable, contemporary furnishings of this modern family compound in downtown Bath, while the triple-paned, enormous windows and minimalist metal cable deck railings enable a constant connection with the natural world. PHOTO: DAREN SETLOW PHOTOGRAPHY LLC.
Architecture: David Matero
Interior Design: Jeanne Handy Interior Design
Structural Engineering: Trillium Engineering Group
Mechanical Engineering: BuildingWorks, LLC
Builder: Chartier Building & Remodeling
Hardscaping and Landscaping: Landcrafters, LLC
Editor’s Note
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THIS ISSUE KICKS OFF our 11th year of publishing Green & Healthy Maine HOMES, and as I review these pages, I feel gratitude to all the people who help to make it happen:
Our staff, who bring their heart and soul, energy and creativity to their work every day.
Our team of writers, editors, photographers and designers, who share their talents to translate sometimes technical information into compelling, interesting and understandable content.
Our advisory panel of Maine building and design experts, who share their wisdom every issue and help us continue to expand understanding of high performance building technologies and approaches.
Our advertising partners—industry leaders who support our work and trust us to showcase their businesses.
And you, our readers and subscribers, for putting your trust in us and supporting local, independent media.
We work hard to provide you with the education, resources and inspiration you need to create a home that is not only healthy, efficient and comfortable but also affordable to maintain and sustainable—ensuring there are enough resources for us to all thrive for many generations to come.
This issue is packed with building science-backed content, including articles on the balance of airtightness and ventilation; on home energy modeling and how it can inform design and energy choices; and on what rain screens are and when to use them. You’ll also find practical tips such as how to assemble a team for your building project that aligns with your goals and values, how to simplify keeping track of your home’s routine maintenance and what a radon mitigation system looks like.
This month’s Green real estate dispatch shares how climate research is helping homebuyers make better decisions. And the What’s your number? column explores whether electric vehicles really are better for the environment (spoiler: they are).
We also love to showcase beautiful design that balances art and science. Look for the feature on a Kennebec River home that successfully considered the unique needs of its sloping site alongside the goals of its owners. And in Good lighting, you’ll get a bit of science on illumination and meet four Maine artists who help us not only to see, but to see beauty.
Lastly, one of the things we love most is to shine a light on the people and organizations who are going above and beyond, and whose work helps us all. A prime example of this is passivhausMAINE, an organization for which I am proud to serve as a volunteer board member. Learn more about their work in Building the future.
Find all this and more in this issue.
Thank you for supporting our magazine with your subscriptions and gift subscriptions. If you like what you find here, please stay in touch by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter.
Heather Chandler
Editor & Publisher
Contributors
Christy Crocker is the executive director of the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating healthy, environmentally sustainable indoor environments through education, communications and advocacy.
June Donenfeld is a Midcoast Maine writer, editor and writing coach focusing on sustainability, design, education and social entrepreneurship. In previous lives, she also worked in philanthropy and cross-cultural communication.
Chuck Hayward is an EV infrastructure designer and analyst at ReVision Energy, a local, employee-owned company on a mission to Make Life Better by building our just and equitable electric future with EV charging, solar, heat pumps and battery storage.
Anna Heath is the Production Manager at Maine Passive House, a high performance construction company in Bethel. She is also the Executive Director of We Built This, organizing inclusive carpentry and woodworking workshops across the state.
Dan Kolbert has been a contractor in the Portland area for over 20 years, specializing in energy-efficient homes. He is coauthor of Pretty Good House (Taunton Press, 2022).
Kerry Lewis leads the Landscape Architecture team at Knickerbocker Group. She has been a registered landscape architect for 30 years, focusing on ecological gardens for the Northeast.
Colin McCullough works as an independent certified energy auditor, helping people to make their homes more energy efficient and comfortable, and is a building science trainer/proctor for BPI.
Parlin Meyer is the director of BrightBuilt Home, a design firm in Portland that uses off-site construction manufacturers to build modified and custom versions of its high-performance home designs.
Amy Paradysz is a contributor and editor at Green & Healthy Maine and a longtime Portland Press Herald columnist.
Julia Bassett Schwerin is a National Association of Realtors-designated Green Broker and a member of the Sustainability Advisory Group of the Greater Portland Board of Realtors. She teaches and consults on green building subjects throughout the United States.
Justin R. Wolf is a journalist and contributing editor for Green Building Advisor, where he covers energy policy, climate tech startups and regenerative design. His first book, Healing Ground, Living Values, was published in 2024 by Ecotone. He lives and works in Biddeford.
Staff
Editor & Publisher
Heather Chandler
Copy Editing & Proofreading
Amy Paradysz
Raine Raynor
Account Executive
Cheryl Denis
Marketing & Design Specialist
Raine Raynor
Design
PELLE Graphic Design
Advisory Panel
A special thank you to the Green & Healthy Maine HOMES advisory panel members.
Julia Bassett Schwerin / Advisors Living Real Estate
Bill Bell / Maine Pellet Heating Association
Chris Briley / BRIBURN Architecture
Richard Burbank / Evergreen Home Performance
Christy Crocker / Maine Indoor Air Quality Council
Anna Heath / Maine Passive House
Ashley Hopwood Farrar / Meldrum Design
Dan Kolbert / Kolbert Building
Steve Konstantino / Performance Building Supply
Michael Maines / Maines Design
Emily Mottram / Mottram Architecture
Randy Rand / Tekton Fine Living
Meredith Randolph / Four Winds Design