MAY 2015
INSIDE
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Lunch & Learns: Your Source For Important Wellness Information
Annual ecomaine WTE Outage To Wrap Up Soon
Continued from Page 2
Carbohydrates: Simple and Complex
From staff reports
Your body needs six key nutrients for growth and
maintenance: Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Minerals,
Vitamins and Water. Carbohydrates, Fats and Protein
provide energy for your body, and come from plants and
milk. Carbohydrates should comprise about 55%-65%
percent of your daily diet.
The annual outage at ecomaine’s Waste-To-Energy facility is slated
to end on May 6 or 7, and a newly refurbished turbine is scheduled to
be installed on May 24, bringing the facility’s power production back
on line.
“Both the A and the B boilers will be back in operation on May 6 or
May 7, at the latest, and we’ll begin processing material again,”
ecomaine Waste-To-Energy Plant Manager Kevin Trytek said. “The
turbine will come back on line on May 24, and we’ll begin producing
power as soon as that’s installed.”
There are two kinds of carbohydrates: processed, and
natural. Processed carbohydrates include bleached flour and
refined sugars. Natural carbohydrates come from fruit.
Processed carbohydrates are often “simple” carbohydrates,
like sugar, and provide glucose, which your body uses for
“quick energy. But simple carbohydrates are “EMPTY
CALORIES” and provide no nutritional value.
The annual outage, a period when ecomaine’s WTE facility shuts
down for cleaning and maintenance, began on April 3. Trytek said
this year’s outage saw several large projects, in addition to the turbine
refurbishment, as well as an ambitious program of maintenance
efforts.
Complex, unprocessed carbohydrates – whole grains, fruits,
legumes, vegetables, etc. – are better because they provide
your body with a sustained source of energy.
Specifically, Trytek said, the major projects include:
Starch is a complex carbohydrate that is hard to digest, needs
to be cooked, and is found in seeds. Digestion of this
complex carbohydrate starts in the mouth and the body
absorbs nutrients from it in the small intestine.
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Fiber, often part of complex carbohydrates, is the
indigestible part of a plant. Enzymes cannot break it down. It
provides no energy but makes you feel full. Fiber fills you
up, not out.
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There are two kinds of fiber: soluble (barley, legumes, fruit
& oats) and insoluble (the outer layer of grains, strings of
celery, kernels of corn, etc.) Sources of fiber include: whole
wheat, bran, fresh or dried fruits and vegetables.
“The tiles are new to us,” Trytek said. “With this material in place,
we should see both improved performance and a longer life.”
Don’t Miss The Lunch & Learns!
As part of ecomaine’s Wellness Program, you can earn up to 30 points for active participation with Lunch & Learns. More
importantly, you can pick up some great information about how to make some positive changes that will help you improve
your health and well-being. Upcoming seminars include:
Proteins
Good Fats/Bad Fats
EAP web site review
Proteins
turbine refurbishment,
water wall tube replacement,
super-heater tube replacement,
precipitator hopper replacement,
scrubber duct replacement,
significant work on the cooling tower, including new fill,
timbers and replacement of the variable frequency drivers,
and
complete replacement of the roof and most of the sidewalls
on the A boiler.
In addition, Trytek said, the refractory material in the A boiler was
replaced with tiles.
Read labels. Processed foods often contain empty calories
such as high-fructose corn syrup and other sugars.
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A view of the interior of the ecomaine A Boiler from
above, shortly after the roof was removed to facilitate
cleaning and repairs.
Wednesday, May 6, 7:30 a.m., 3rd-floor conference room
Wednesday, May 13, Noon, 1st-floor conference room
Thursday, May 14, Noon, 1st-floor conference room
Wednesday, May 27, 7:30 a.m., 3rd-floor conference room
You may also earn points by logging in to the ecomaine Employee Assistance Program and reading or watching the monthly
promotion. The current monthly feature is, “Disaster Planning Basics: Why Prepare?” There are many other features in the
archive that you may read or watch as well. Log in by going to www.anthemEAP.com and using the password MMEHT.
The massive 10-ten turbine at the heart of ecomaine’s
power generation operations was removed by crane so it
can be refurbished and reinstalled.
The turbine cover weighs 17 tons, and the turbine itself weighs
another 10. Moving them was not a small challenge. The turbine
project went beyond cost estimates, due to the age and condition of
the equipment.
The turbine was shipped to St. Louis, Missouri, where it is being
rebuilt. From there, it will go to Houston for rebalancing, before
coming home for reinstallation on May 24. Trytek said the turbine
mechanism also received upgrades: a new governor, which limits the
output of the steam turbine and generator, controlling the production
of electricity, and a new vibration monitor.
“This year’s outage was an enormous undertaking,” ecomaine CEO
Kevin Roche said. “There was a lot of hard work by a lot of people,
and we’re thankful for those efforts. As a result of their work, we are
looking
Fromforward
st
to being up and operating at full capacity as soon as
possible.”
A view through the interior of the turbine housing,
shortly after it was removed during the annual outage.
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The HR Corner
Television Quiz Show Featuring Area Students To Shoot At ecomaine
Lunch & Learns: Your Source For Important Wellness Information
The ecomaine Wellness Lunch & Learns aren’t just for lunch
anymore! These informative seminars are now offered at a range of
times and locations to maximize the ability of all ecomaine
employees to attend, regardless of which shift they work.
But despite the increased availability, sometimes events overtake
circumstances, and employees find themselves too busy to attend. In
April, the ecomaine Wellness Program presented information on two
important topics: Nutrient Basics, and Carbohydrates: Simple and
Complex. The information is presented here.
Nutrient Basics
Nutrients are defined as the substances found in food that keeps your
body functioning. Your body needs nutrients to: fuel your energy,
help you grow, repair itself, and maintain basic function.
The six essential nutrients are: water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.
Balance is the key. There are three pillars of the food pyramid:
1. Balance: eat foods from all the groups of the Food Pyramid.
2. Variety: eat different foods from each food group.
3. Moderation: eat more foods from the bottom of the pyramid and fewer and smaller portions of foods at the top of the
pyramid.
Fat
Fat is a nutrient found in food such as butter, vegetable oils, salad dressings, nuts and seeds, dairy products made with whole milk or
cream, and meats. It provides substances needed for growth and healthy skin and enhances the taste and texture of food. Fat also is
required to carry fat-soluble vitamins through the body, and provides energy.
There are two types of fat: saturated and unsaturated fat. Saturated fats are fats that are usually solid at room temperature. Animal
foods and tropical oils are sources of saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are fats that are liquid at room temperature.
There are two types of unsaturated fat: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated fat provides two essential fatty acids
necessary for body functions; Vegetables and fish oils are sources of polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fat plays a role in
reducing the risk of heart disease. Olive oil, canola oil, nuts and seeds are sources of monounsaturated fat.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is a part of every cell in the body, and helps the body make necessary cells including skin and
hormones and aids in digestion. The human body makes all the cholesterol it needs. When cholesterol levels are too high, there is a
greater risk for heart disease. (Continued on Page 4)
ecomaine Partners With Maine Sheriff’s Association For Drug Take-Back Day
From staff reports
ecomaine CEO Kevin Roche (left) and York
County Sheriff William King display some of
the nearly 12 tons of prescription drugs
collected April 25.
From staff reports
For the second year in a row, ecomaine will be a primary sponsor
of a television quiz show called, “Kick Start,” which features
southern Maine middle school students answering questions about
science and math as they compete for college scholarship dollars.
But this year, the show, which airs weekly on WPXT-TV, will be
shot on site at ecomaine’s Recycling Facility.
“The notion that ecomaine is a leader in raising public awareness
of sustainable waste management strategies is a critical part of our
mission statement,” ecomaine Environmental Educator Leo
Maheu said, “and working with Kick Start is a great way to do
exactly that.”
The show will shoot 13 episodes in ecomaine’s Recycling
Facility, in the newspaper storage bay, on three Saturdays in May
and June. Shooting has been scheduled for May 9 and June 6,
with the third date yet to be finalized.
An artist’s rendering of the set designed for Kick Start, a television quiz
show featuring area middle-school students that airs weekly on WPXTTV. The show, which ecomaine is sponsoring for the second year in a
row, will shoot a season’s worth of episodes over three Saturdays in
May and June in ecomaine’s Recycling Facility.
The WPXT website calls Kick Start a, “wacky, fun, and
entertaining weekly game show that puts 8th graders from
different Maine schools against each other while promoting
furthering their educations. Hosted by local radio personality Jeff
Parsons, this game involves questions, puzzles to solve, and of
course, the ‘buildy thing’ challenge.”
Maheu has worked closely with the show’s producers to develop
questions for the contestants that draw on the environmental
science that informs ecomaine’s Waste-to-Energy and Recycling
operations. He is also featured in a Jeopardy-style, “ecomaine
Video Question of the Week,” that appears in every episode of the
show.
“Kick Start is a great way to reach thousands of kids across the
state,” Maheu said. “Beyond that, though, it’s also a lot of fun, for
me as well as the kids, and I’m looking forward to being a part of
it again this year.”
Leo Maheu, ecomaine’s Environmental Educator, points out an item of
interest to a WPXT-TV cameraman, who visited ecomaine to shoot
footage to be used in the upcoming season of Kick Start, a quiz show
featuring area middle-school students that airs on the television station.
ecomaine Annual Meeting Set For Thursday, June 18
From staff reports
ecomaine partnered with the Maine Sheriff’s Association to restore Maine’s annual Drug
Take-Back day this year.
ecomaine’s Annual Meeting is set for Thursday, June 18. This year’s event will feature Solid Waste
Association of North America (SWANA) Deputy Director Sara L. Bixby as the keynote speaker.
“We are proud to be a part of this event, which was an enormous success, once again,”
ecomaine Environmental Manager Anne Hewes said.
Bixby has been the Deputy Executive Director for SWANA since June 2013. Prior to that, Bixby served as a
member of SWANA’s International Board for 11 years, including serving as President for the 2010 fiscal
year. During this time she advocated for the development of SWANA’S Young Professionals initiative,
which has proven to provide a connection with this segment of the industry.
This year’s event, which was held on April 25, resulted in 23,520 pounds of expired or
unwanted prescription drugs being returned to various locations throughout the state. The
returned drugs were processed in ecomaine’s Waste-To-Energy facility.
The national drug collection effort was discontinued last September due to regulatory and
funding changes. Officials in Maine decided to keep it going.
Sara Bixby
Bixby has worked for more than 20 years in the solid waste industry, both as a solid-waste management consultant and as the director
of a regional, four-county solid-waste agency. She has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas
and a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State University. We look forward to Sara being our special guest at the
Annual Meeting.