*Photographs by Greg West

Today, it seems that just about everyone is doing their best to reduce their carbon “footprint” and to be greener and more environmentally friendly, the new Portsmouth oasis, Two Ceres Street, was designed from the ground up to be green in every possible way. But older establishments are getting with the program, too, as you'll see in this article.—Ed.

The Greening of Ceres Street

There is a little green oasis at the corner of Ceres and Bow streets in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. No, it’s not a park, but a small restaurant that is ecologically “green” in nearly every aspect of its decor and products. Two Ceres Street is a charming bistro run by Marlisa Geroulo, a Boston pastry chef, and her husband, John Golumb, the owner of Poco’s Bow Street Cantina. According to Geroulo, the two made a commitment to design Two Ceres with green and sustainable products because that is how they live.

“We both drive hybrids, we shop the farmers’ markets, and we have a rain barrel at home,” she explains. “We try to carry this commitment over into other areas of our lives. Being ‘green’ is a lifestyle for us. It comes naturally, and it’s good for the community.”

The 300-year-old brick building that houses Two Ceres lends itself perfectly to the decor, which is done in earth tones and uses a wide variety of natural materials and textures. The soft brown floor feels like cork, but is actually made of 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. The bar top, which is one smooth, dark curve, is fabricated from PaperStone, a unique composite material resembling soapstone. Made from recycled cashew nut oils and water-based resins, PaperStone is nontoxic, stain-resistant, repairable, and can withstand extreme heat. “It’s made of the same materials used in high school chemistry labs,” notes Geroulo.

The front of the bar is created from kirei board, a panel product constructed from the stalks of the sorghum plant. After sorghum has been harvested for food, the left over stalks are pressed with a non-toxic adhesive to form the lightweight but strong, Kirei board.

When she learned that the 100-year-old barn door from nearby Moran Towing was being replaced, Geroulo asked if she could have it. Her carpenters then turned the wood into the new fireplace mantle and extra beams for the ceiling and such. Similarly, the stools and small end tables are created from a 100-year-old silver maple that came down in a storm. The seating is leather, and was selected for durability, as well as being a natural product.

Those walls that aren’t brick are painted a dark tan, using low VOC paint (paint with low volatile organic compounds), and the soft kiwi green and black rug is woven from 100 percent pure wool. Indeed, the color scheme plays off the fabric art over the mantel, which itself reuses other materials. Created by Lisa Grey, the art panel features silk squares which have been worked into designs and mounted on boards.

Geroulo thought of every detail when designing Two Ceres; the bistro uses low-voltage electricity inside, and solar lighting outside. The terrariums in the bay window are layers of mossy greens and blue stones, and they, like the nearby jade tree, require little water.

“Even our sign is recycled—in a manner of speaking,” laughs Geroulo. “The sign was already there with the name ‘Two Ceres World Industries’; it is nice bronze work, so we said ‘Let’s call the restaurant Two Ceres’ and just grind out the rest of it.”

Architect Lisa DeStefano, of DeStefano Associates in Ports-mouth, totally supported Geroulo’s desire to go green. “We made the best use of the existing bricks and beams, and installed mechanical and electrical systems that are energy efficient,” she says. “The use of cork, stone, and wood gives the place an organic feel. It’s cozy yet open and airy at the same time, thanks to the windows. And they have great mojitos!”

Two Ceres has an extensive appetizer menu, and the soon-to-debut entrée menu will highlight dishes from the slow food movement. The alcohol used in the cocktails is organic and low sulfur. Even the menu is in a cork binder and printed on recycled paper. Still, Geroulo isn’t done.

“I want to have a rain barrel outside,” she says. “We’ll use that water to water plants inside and out and for scrubbing things down. I’m also networking with local pig farmers to find out how to get scraps to them. Most of what I did here, I learned from magazines and the Internet, but I’m hoping to learn more. I’m taking a class in environmental management, and I’m hoping that what we do will have a ripple effect among other businesses and restaurants. I’m sure it will. Portsmouth is a great community that way, and I believe that people will get involved and work for change.”

No website yet, but call (603) 433-CERE for more information.

Others Who are Doing Their Part

The Recycler: At Fogarty’s restaurant in South Berwick, Maine, you might say that everything old is new again. Fogarty’s has been a landmark eatery for fifty years, and according to owner Larry Fogarty, is now returning to its thrifty Yankee roots.

“Our entire staff has a commitment to being green,” he says. “Much of this is just common sense—like our grandparents used to do—you use it up, make it last, or find another use for it. We first started making changes when we noticed how much trash we were producing every week. We were horrified! We’ve now reduced that amount from two dumpsters every week to one dumpster every other week. We’ve cut our trash in half, and we’re continuing to do more. We recycle cardboard, glass, metal, paper, and plastic. It goes to the local transfer station and now the town makes money from it.”

Next, the staff looked at other areas where waste was occurring; they quickly eliminated Styrofoam containers, switching to ones made of rice instead. Food service film and Saran wrap were the next to go, as Fogarty invested in storage containers with covers. Plastic bags were soon targeted.

“We’d been using the bags for portion control when one of my cooks became concerned about the waste,” says Fogarty. “The idea was that the bags would help the cooks work faster, but then we tried going without them. The cooks adapted, and we actually freed up a person since we no longer need someone on the line portioning things into bags.”

Fogarty got his customers involved, and they have embraced the restaurant’s efforts to reduce waste. “A year ago, I put up a notice on our bulletin board asking if any customers wanted our scraps for their pigs,” he recalls. “Within an hour, someone called and asked for the scraps. When she found she didn’t have to pay for them, she decided to buy more pigs! That worked so well, I invited our customers to take our leftover pickle barrels, fish boxes, and tomato boxes. I go through a lot of these and used to throw them out; now I put them out with a ‘Free’ sign and they’re gone within thirty minutes! I actually have a waiting list for them! You know, my father never had to pay anyone to take his trash. Everything was reused, used up, or swapped with someone else. When you look at what you throw away and how it might be reused, it’s amazing the ideas you can develop.”

Fogarty gives a bonus to employees who come up with good recycling ideas; this led to the composting of their coffee grounds. Coffee grounds were a huge part of the restaurant’s waste until a server offered to take them to the community compost pile where they are now used on the town’s gardens.

Fogarty’s ecological thinking has brought changes to the menu, as well. “We used to offer a lot of imported beers, but I thought about the energy used to bring them here and decided it wasn’t worth it,” he says. “We have great local beers right here. By using them, we’re saving energy and supporting local business, and the customers have been fine with the change.”

Fogarty and his team are excited about the changes they’ve made and have more planned. They are working on solar hot water and using rainwater for landscaping and flushing toilets.

“Every little bit helps reduce the strain on our natural resources,” says Fogarty. “And in Maine, our natural resources are a big part of who we are. You know, when the gas prices shot up, it made me rethink a lot of things. I found I drove half as much. I really evaluated whether I had to go somewhere or not, and when I did go, I was more efficient with my errands. I actually wound up with more free time. Changing my mindset back to
a more old-fashioned way of doing things has been good.”

Fogarty’s is located at 471 Main Street in South Berwick, Maine. Call (207) 384-8361 for more information.

The Energizer: Cevon Corporation of South Berwick, Maine, is in the oil business—not the Houston kind, but the vegetable oil trade. Cevon opened in 2005 as a green energy company, providing consultation and materials that promote energy conservation and efficiency. They work with renewable and alternative fuels, and also install solar panels and other systems that combine heat and power. Recently, they’ve begun converting diesel engines to run on vegetable oil.

Cevon collects the vegetable oil from area restaurants, filters it, then removes the water so it is ready to be run in a diesel engine. “The oil has to be heated in order for it to work,” explains Rich Nowak, president. “The diesel engine is retrofitted with a system that preheats the vegetable oil—this is a separate system from the regular diesel system; there is a separate tank for the oil. When operating, you start the engine with the diesel, and the heat from the engine warms up the vegetable oil. Once the vegetable oil reaches 160 degrees F or higher, then you flip a switch and you’re engine is running on 100 percent vegetable oil. The exhaust actually smells like french fries! With vegetable oil, the mileage is the same and the power is the same. You really don’t notice a difference.”

Nowak became intrigued by the vegetable oil idea after seeing a television program about the concept. He did some research, found it was viable, and began doing the work himself.

“Around the early 1900s, Rudolph Diesel developed the diesel engine,” he says. “And the first fuel he used was actually peanut oil. He thought that if farmers used peanut oil they could then cheaply grow their own fuel for their farm machines. Then came the big petroleum discoveries out West and suddenly gas was cheap, so peanut oil was pushed out of the picture. Now, it may return.”

While Nowak hopes that one day the diesel conversion may be done on a large scale, currently the cost and complexity of the process are holding that effort back. “It does require retrofitting and two separate systems,” he notes. “The cost is $2,500 to $5,500 to retrofit, and currently the vegetable oil is in limited supply—not because there’s not enough available, but because there are not that many people collecting it, filtering it, and providing a supply.”

Nowak hopes to expand his collections so he can not only do more conversions but also become a vegetable oil fuel provider. At that point, he will then be able to provide fuel to more engines than just the ones he converts.

To learn more, visit www.CEVONCorp.com, or call (877) 807-7700.

The Naturalists: Built in 1780 as a working farm, Clay Hill Farm in York, Maine, is now a 220-seat restaurant and special occasion venue nestled among thirteen acres of rolling lawns, protected woodlands, brooks, a pond, and colorful gardens.

In 1991, Clay Hill Farm became the first restaurant in the country to be certified as a natural wildlife habitat and bird sanctuary, with more than 150 birdhouses around the property. Thanks to these early and continued conservation efforts, wildlife thrives throughout the property, preserving a unique slice of Maine and delighting the Farm’s many guests.

In 2008, Clay Hill Farm became one of the first businesses in Southern Maine to be recognized as an Environmental Leader. The restaurant was cited by the State of Maine’s Environmental Leadership Program for providing and protecting natural wildlife habitats, composting, preserving Maine’s natural resources with holistic gardening, growing their own herbs and vegetables for the restaurant, recycling, eliminating the use of pesticides and chemicals throughout the property, and creating a menu committed to seasonal fresh and local products.

For more information, visit www.clayhillfarm.com.

The Super Kitchen: In Eliot, Maine, the huge Regatta Commissary Kitchen supplies not only the Shipyard Brew Pub and the Regatta Room function center, but also six other Maine restaurants—and it does so with the utmost energy efficiency. The hot water is solar heated and the lighting is energy efficient. All machinery and motors are energy efficient, and energy-saving appliances are the only kinds used in the kitchen. Preheated water and cooking systems utilize steam generated by natural gas. In the massive refrigeration room, the hot waste air from the compressors is recycled and pumped back to heat the kitchen and other parts of the complex. Plans are underway for a wind turbine, composting, and for the kitchen to grow its own herbs and spices; the restaurant complex recycles but looks to reduce its waste footprint even more. “We’ve done a good job, but we can do better,” says Ed Nadeau, food and beverage controller. Call (866) 566-6469 for more information.

Did You Know?
• When eating out locally or on the road, you can help the environment by choosing green restaurants. Find one by checking out www.dinegreen.com. Each restaurant is certified by the Green Restaurant Association, which requires eateries to have full-scale recycling programs in place.

• Supermarkets throw away $20 billion in food each year. Stores in the United States waste twice as much as those in Europe. One reason is that food travels an average of 1,500 miles to reach your plate, and some of it spoils in transit. Americans are also used to lavish produce displays so more is put out than can be sold. Some supermarkets are trying to do better by reducing display items, and many, including some in New Hampshire, are composting spoiled produce, meat, and even flowers. Let your grocer know that you support their “green” efforts. (Source www.parade.com)

THE GREENING OF THE REGION
• The Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, is a truly eco-friendly resort. Rooms are cleaned with nontoxic Green Seal products, the fitness room has recycled rubber floors, and the pool is heated with solar panels. The Sea Glass restaurant features indigenous fare from surrounding farms and fishermen, including Maine-foraged mushrooms, Maine mussels, scallops, and lobster.

• The Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has received the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging and Restaurant Program Environmental Champion Award.

• The 2008 Hampton Seafood Festival in Hampton, New Hampshire, recycled all plastic containers from the sale of soda and water bottles. More than 25,000 bottles were recycled during the two-and-a-half day festival that attracted more than 250,000 people. This recycling effort was the first phase of a multiyear plan to make the festival, ranked as one of the top 100 American festivals, more eco-friendly.

• In Kennebunkport, Maine, The Nonantum Resort adopted an environmental policy that states the resort is committed to reducing its environmental footprint. A range of property-wide efforts have gained the resort Environmental Leader status, and reduced the hotel’s solid waste, conserved energy, and increased recycling. No Styrofoam is used, and all organic matter is taken to a composting outlet. All chemicals used in the housekeeping and laundry departments are certified “green,” and no chemicals are used on the gardens. Low-flow faucets and toilets, and waterless urinals have increased water conservation. Motion sensors in all guest rooms and public restrooms have reduced electricity usage, and energy-efficient bulbs are in place throughout the property. In the kitchen, the chefs are committed to using organic and Maine food whenever possible, and The Nonantum grows their own herbs and edible flowers.

“We receive wonderful positive feedback from our guests,” says Tina Hewett-Gordon, general manager. “The comments make the effort all the more worthwhile. We’re so excited about the changes that we now have a bottle donation program where we collect returnables from the restaurant, bar, and guests.”

• Also in Kennebunkport is On the Marsh restaurant, another certified Environmental Leader.

“We received our certification in February of 2008,” says Denise Rubin, proprietor, “but we have been doing many of these things for a long time. I grew up in Europe and have also lived in Holland for many years. Because Holland is such a tiny country, they are very aware of chemicals and are very focused on environmental practices. I wanted to bring some of those efforts here.”

On the Marsh recycles diligently, grows their flowers and herbs organically, uses energy-saving lights, has Thermopane windows, uses only “green” cleaning chemicals, and focuses on sustainable and locally grown products in its menus. To announce its mission to become as environmentally conscious as possible, the restaurant gave guests packets of seeds with a note encouraging everyone to go green. 

“You have to be committed to doing this,” says Rubin. “In the old days, people recycled out of necessity—tires, tin, scrap metal—all were reused; in homes, even bits of soap were used until gone. We know how to do this, but we’ve forgotten our old methods. Now, it’s time to remember them again. The United States has an abundance of natural resources and its time we started protecting them.”