Exeter Helps Promote Green Growth

EXETER—
A drive down the Swasey Parkway in Exeter reveals sprawling farmland that gives way to Revolutionary War-era buildings and a downtown bandstand decked out in tri-colored flags. It’s clear at a glimpse that Exeter is a city that takes pride in its history and natural beauty, so it’s not surprising that Exeter is also just one New Hampshire city helping to lead the way to an independent, sustainable future.
According to a study by the Brookings Institution released this past June, New Hampshire has the fastest growing green economy in New England, with an average 5.3% increase in green jobs from 2003 through 2010. In fact, green job growth outpaces overall job growth in New Hampshire, which is already second in the nation at 1.4%. The southern counties of Merrimack, Hillsborough and Exeter’s own Rockingham, are the epicenter of this trend and provide most of the state’s green jobs.
Alternative energy companies represent the largest sector of the green economy anywhere, but especially in New Hampshire. ReVision Energy, which has locations in Portland and Liberty, ME as well as Dover, has been installing solar energy systems since 2003. This past July, they opened a new location in Exeter.
“Alternative energy is becoming a viable option for more people, and New Hampshire residents have always been independence-minded,” says Fred Greenhalgh of ReVision Energy. “We do business across the breadth of the state. Exeter is not only centrally located, but seems to embody that independent attitude. We knew we’d be welcome here.”
ReVision Energy is a part of the Green Alliance, a Portsmouth-based organization that strives to make owning a green business easier through activism, outreach, and discounts. This summer, three other Green Alliance businesses—Acorn Organic Salon, Zev Yoga, and eZee Bikes—decided to put down roots in Exeter as well.
Acorn Organic Salon started clipping and coloring without toxic chemicals in Dover, in 2008. Their Exeter shop is their second location, and so far they’ve seen a great reception from the town. Hair salons have largely skipped the trend of going green, so owners Laura MacKay and Allison Degan saw the opportunity to show people that style shouldn’t come at the cost of putting the toxic chemicals found in dyes and fragrances into their bodies.
Jonas Amberger, who founded Zev Yoga in Portsmouth in 2006, also sees the intimate connection between going green and physical health. After practicing in Portsmouth for five years, he opened a second studio in Exeter this past August.
“As we care for ourselves we care for nature,” says Amberger. “As we take accountability for our lives we will see how to be more in harmony with our environment.”
Perhaps nobody understands that sentiment better than Tom Hemenway. After learning he had developed diabetes several years ago, he took up bike riding to get his body back on the right path. When he saw a commercial for the eZee bicycle with an electric motor that could be switched on for a boost of up to 20 mph, he knew it was the perfect product for people who wanted to get in shape or get to work without getting frustrated by steep hills and/or intimidated by their fitness level. Since then, Hemenway and his wife, Teresa, have become the exclusive New Hampshire distributors of the eZee Electric Bike as well as some of the first entrepreneurs to introduce the product to the United States.
To Michael Schidlovsky, the President of the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce, it makes perfect sense that green business would spring up in Exeter.
“Certainly green businesses take more capital to start, but it’s not just about the money,” says Schidlovsky. “It’s about understanding how things affect each other, how they’re interconnected, and that comes with an educated population. Here we have Phillips Exeter Academy and UNH just up the road. Look at Exeter High School—they just installed one of the largest photovoltaic farms in the state.” Indeed, another Green Alliance Partnering Business provided the installation for Exeter High’s new system; Revolution Energy is a cutting edge renewable energy systems purveyor based in Dover and Portsmouth.
When one green business opens, it becomes an example for other responsible businesses to follow. The fact that companies like ReVision Energy, Acorn Organic Salon, Zev Yoga and eZee Bikes—as well as the Green Alliance—choose to go the extra mile helps to assure other that it’s possible to go green while still making money.
“The way I see it, Exeter is a network of towns,” says Schidlovsky. “But certain areas have more gravity, and I think Exeter is the center of gravity here. People who understand the benefits of doing things in a green fashion and have the wherewithal to make the upfront investment are attracted to Exeter; simply put we have a community that will support these sustainable entrepreneurs.”
This article was submitted by Andrew Tiebout.

Museum of Art, UNH, Opens New Exhibits

DURHAM—

Two new exhibitions — featuring the work of internationally acclaimed artist and cultural activist Chris Jordan, and works of art recently acquired by the Museum of Art, UNH — will be on view beginning January 28. “Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers” and “What’s New: Recent Additions to the Collection,” will open to the public with a preview reception on Friday, January 27, from 5-7p.m. The Museum of Art is located in the Paul Creative Arts Center, 30 Academic Way at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.
“Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers” features 16 large-scale digital images that explore contemporary mass culture from a variety of photographic and conceptual perspectives. Walking the line between art and activism, beauty and horror, and abstraction and representation, his fabricated landscapes ask us to consider our own multi-layered roles in the deterioration of our environmental surroundings. These thought provoking images use the language of statistics to examine issues important to contemporary American culture through the depiction of specific quantities of something tangible—the number of cell phones retired each day or the number of plastic bottles used in the United States every five minutes. By translating these numbers into photographs, he asks viewers to question their responsibilities in a society that is increasingly based on consumption.
In conjunction with “Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers,” the Museum of Art and the UNH Sustainability Academy have announced a UNH Student Image and Video Contest: “What Sustainability Means to Me.” The goal of the contest is to create a collection of thought-provoking videos and images showcasing the sustainability commitment and actions UNH students are undertaking and to make these videos and images available to the public.
“Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers” is co-sponsored by the UNH Sustainability Academy and the Museum of Art, with additional support from The Carsey Institute, The Center for the Humanities, The Office of Inclusive Excellence Initiatives, and The Office of the Provost, UNH. All works are courtesy of Kopeikin Gallery, Los Angeles.
Photo caption: Chris Jordan, Cans Seurat, 2007, pigmented ink-jet print, 60” x 92” (Courtesy of the Kopeikin Gallery, Los Angeles)

“The Immortal Marilyn” Authors Speak in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH—

Fifty years after Marilyn Monroe’s death, the screen legend’s influence on theater, television, film and other performing arts will be the subject of discussion at the Portsmouth Public Library on Wednesday, January 18, at 7:30 p.m.
John De Vito and Frank Tropea, co-authors of “The Immortal Marilyn: The Depiction of an Icon,” have studied more than 100 examples, ranging from documentaries to works that reference the star in more ambiguous ways. Masters of trivia on Monroe, the authors will answer questions from the audience following their talk.
Additionally, one of the plays studied by the authors, “Body” by David Mauriello, will be presented at the Players’ Ring Theatre in Portsmouth from January 27 through February 12. In “Body,” De Vito and Tropea write, “Marilyn’s role is analogous to the poor young woman of so many fairy tales who is transformed by some magical, otherworldly means into a beautiful princess or golden goddess.”
De Vito is a film technician at the Boston Public Library and holds a BA in visual studies from Harvard University. Tropea holds a BA in English Literature and psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a MA in literature and psychology from Harvard University.
This special presentation comes with much anticipation, as Monroe has been quite the topic of popular culture in the past few months. Specifically of note is Michelle Williams portrayal of the titular character in “My Week With Marilyn,” a film that has been followed by Oscar-buzz since it’s opening. The Simon Curtis-directed film was produced by The Weinstein Company.
Their January 18 discussion, “Marilyn Monroe: An Icon for All Seasons,” is free and open to the public in the Levenson Community Room of the Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Ave. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the discussion is from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. (Courtesy image)