Investing in Sustainability

April is Financial Literacy Month and Earth Month, so it’s only fitting that we share stories of local businesses encouraging their communities to minimize waste and practice more sustainable living—while also busting the myth that sustainability is “too expensive.”

Meet Ed Szczepanik, a skilled woodworker committed to minimizing lumber waste. “For the last five years, we’ve embraced the concept of urban lumber by connecting with local tree fellers, arborists, and homeowners to source sustainable material,” said Ed. Upon request, his team will mill logs on-site and transport them to his wood shop to be kiln-dried and transformed into custom furniture. “Trees store carbon, and repurposing them into urban lumber is a sustainable way to sequester that carbon by containing it in long-lasting wooden furniture.” He also owns URBAN | EAD Woodwork Showroom, a retail gallery recently opened in Portsmouth, where woodworkers, cabinet-makers, builders, and enthusiasts can buy sustainably sourced slabs and dimensional lumber locally.

Another local business committed to minimizing waste is Mr. Fox Composting. Since 2016, owner John Watts has led a small but efficient team, providing compost services to Seacoast residents, municipalities, schools, and businesses. “We try to make it as easy as possible for people to participate. If it grows, it goes; when in doubt, throw it out.” Customers put their organic waste in a separate, designated bin, and Mr. Fox picks it up weekly or bi-weekly with affordable service starting at just $18/month. Customers can also buy Mr. Fox compost and soil.

For Samuel Evans of Sevans Wormery, putting food waste to better use began as a hobby. While working in a restaurant in 2013, he started taking food scraps home, adding them to his worm farm, and turning them into compost. “In 2020, when everyone was stuck at home, I grew my worm population to about 60,000 worms,” said Sam. Today, he sells worms, starter worm farms, and worm castings (organic fertilizer made by earthworms) and provides a free online DIY guide to help people start their own worm farms for vermicomposting. His motto is, “Feed worms, not landfills.”

Along the Bellamy River in Dover, New England Superior Oysters (NESO) is farming an organism that feeds itself—the oyster. “Wouldn’t it be great if New Hampshire was known for maple syrup, foliage, and lobster—and oysters, too?” asked Sheyne Branconnier, founding farmer, along with partners Troy Payne and Cleo Huggins. Oysters play a critical role in maintaining the health of the ocean and its delicate ecosystems. Plus, they are an excellent protein source and can be farmed sustainably. NESO operates on Southeast Land Trust of NH (SELT) land donated by the Huggins family, who originally purchased it in the 1700s. The family also donated lands to the National Audubon Society to prevent the construction of a proposed highway, thus protecting the area for future generations. NESO (www.nhgreatbayoysters.com) wants to expand its wholesale business and will continue to shuck these homegrown NH treasures for private events.

Speaking of highways, Jesse Lore of Green Wave Electric Vehicles in North Hampton wants to take gas guzzlers off the roadways. They’ve been selling pre-owned EVs and hybrid vehicles (HVs) to fit people’s lifestyles and budgets for over a year. Think you can’t get into an EV that has room for the family and performs well in the snow? Think again. Green Wave offers more than 20 makes and models—including trucks and SUVs. “When someone buys from us, we provide a climate impact report and plant 100 trees in their name. We also plan to open more locations to make EVs more accessible to more people,” Jesse said.

Since 2020, Marla Baldassare of We Fill Good has made sustainable living more accessible for the seacoast community. Her low-waste retail and refill store in Kittery offers over 100 eco-friendly body and home care products like sponges, reusable bags, toys, and makeup. Customers can bring containers from home or borrow from the store’s collection of free glass bottles. “Filling is just part of what we do,” said Marla. “We offer reusable, non-toxic alternatives to common household products that are comparable in price and won’t end up in the landfill.”

While each business is unique in its services and offerings, they all share a passion for leaving the Earth better than they found it—and inspiring those around them to do the same. Their success proves sustainable living is not just possible but easy and doesn’t have to break the bank.

“Wouldn’t it be great if New Hampshire was known for maple syrup, foliage, and lobster—and oysters, too?”

"If it grows, it goes; when in doubt, throw it out.”