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E-News: Green Star's Electronic, Environmental Newsletter!
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Green Star E-News Vol. 3, No. 6 June 7, 2002 Recognizing businesses committed to environmental responsibility. In this issue: * Shining Stars * Other Green Star Chapters * Commuter Choice * Recycled Products * Green Events Update * Aluminum Recycling Rates * Recycling 101: White Goods * This Month’s Hot Link: Energy Star Sleep Mode Software * Thank you 2002 Sponsors * Next Month: How to Reuse or Recycle Propane Tanks SHINING STARS Green Star would like to applaud the efforts of the Arc of Anchorage. For a second year, the Arc is taking on the task of recycling for the entire summer at the Downtown Saturday Market, as well as recycling at the Three Barons Renaissance Fair, which runs for two weekends in the beginning of June. We appreciate the Arc’s support of the Green Events program and we would not be able to provide recycling at Saturday Market or Three Barons without their help. Thanks to everyone who “Dined Out for Green Star” on Earth Day. By dining at our supporting restaurants, you helped raise $2,217, which went toward Green Star’s programs to reduce waste at Anchorage area businesses! Special thanks to sponsoring restaurants: Bear Tooth Grill and Theater Pub, Café Del Mundo, Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria, Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse, La Mex, Side Street Espresso, and Snow City Café! Green Star would like to welcome all of the businesses that enrolled in May and wish them luck in working toward earning a Green Star Award. Welcome to PSI Environmental and Instrumentation, Guild Mortgage Company, Safehaven, Inc., and Lynden Transport. Finally, congratulations to Wonder Park Elementary School for achieving the Green Star Award! Wonder Park received the award during a school awards assembly on June 5th. ***** If your office has excess used letter-sized file folders, don’t throw them away or even recycle them – call Green Star and we’ll reuse them!! We’ll even pick them us. Thanks!***** ================================== OTHER GREEN STAR CHAPTERS We supply you with all the news about Green Star in Anchorage but did you know there are other Green Star chapters? In Alaska, you can find Green Star chapters on the North Slope, the Kenai Peninsula, and in the Interior. There also are a handful of Green Star chapters in the Lower 48. Green Star in Anchorage is the original Green Star chapter. It began in 1990 as a program of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Alaska Center for the Environment and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Now Green Star is its own 501(c)(3)-status nonprofit organization with a full-time Executive Director, several part-time staff members, and a board of directors. From this organization, several other chapters formed. The Arctic Chapter of Green Star serves the North Slope region of Alaska and is operated by the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, based in Anchorage. Green Star applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with site visits and environmental meetings occurring on the North Slope on a quarterly basis. Since the Arctic Chapter’s formation in September 1995, 14 North Slope facilities have earned their certificate and reaped the rewards of higher environmental performance and a more favorable public and business image. Interested businesses should contact The Alliance for an enrollment packet; registration is just $50. If you have facilities on the Slope, consider signing them up and getting a Green Star award. Interior Alaska Green Star is based in Fairbanks and covers the entire Interior region, extending as far south as Denali National Park. The organization’s board of directors meets monthly and is made up of delegates and representatives from around the Fairbanks North Star Borough and beyond. All represent businesses and individuals with a growing concern for our environment. The Interior chapter has recently begun offering individual memberships for households. The Green Household program offers three different levels of assistance, ranging from a monthly newsletter or a waste assessment kit, to a customized waste reduction plan for your household. The chapter’s web site also has comprehensive information about what can be recycled in the Fairbanks area. The Kenai Peninsula Chapter of the Green Star Program was founded by the Kenai, Soldotna, and North Peninsula Chambers of Commerce and is operated by local business, regulatory, and environmental groups. It is the most active chamber program on the peninsula with its own autonomous committee and program coordinator. The chapter began in 1994 and has enrolled more than 70 businesses and organizations representing more than 3,300 employees. Other regions of Alaska, not covered by a local Green Star Chapter may enroll with the Anchorage Green Star office. Enrollments in multiple chapters may be made on the Anchorage Chapter’s web site. There also are active chapters in Vail, Colorado; Lewiston, Idaho; and Kalispell, Montana. These chapters are operated through other nonprofit organizations or local chambers of commerce. Like the Anchorage Green Star, all Green Star chapters are designed to recognize businesses and organizations that go above and beyond minimum requirements to reduce waste, prevent pollution, conserve energy, and recycle. CHAPTER CONTACT INFORMATION Arctic Green Star Contact: Cindy Middelstadt, Communications Manager Alaska Support Industry Alliance 4220 B Street, Suite 200 Anchorage, AK 99503-3791 Phone: (907) 563-2226 Fax: (907) 561-8870 E-mail: theallia@alaska.net www.akalliance.org (Green Star is a Programs menu item) Interior Alaska Green Star P.O. Box 70985 Fairbanks, AK 99707 Phone: (907) 378-7824 Fax: (907) 456-2292 E-mail: info@green-star.org www.green-star.org Kenai Peninsula Green Star Contact: Deric Marcorelle Kenai Peninsula Green Star P.O. Box 2431 Kenai, AK 99611 Phone: (907) 262-5210 ext. 249 Fax: (907) 262-6090 E-mail: dmarcorelle@endircon.state.ak.us www.ptialaska.net/~grnstar/ Colorado—Vail Contact: Adam Palmer Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability P.O. Box 4923 Vail, CO 81658 Phone: (970) 479-2440 Cell: (970) 470-3565 Fax: (970) 479-2452 E-mail: apalmer@ci.vail.co.us www.eaglevalleyalliance.org Idaho—Lewiston Contact: Hudson Mann Idaho DEQ 1118 F Street Lewiston, ID 83501 Phone: (208) 799-4370 Fax: (208) 799-3451 www.uidaho.edu/greenstar/ Montana—Kalispell Contact: Mayre Flowers Citizens for a Better Flathead P.O. Box 771 Kalispell, Montana 59903-0771 Phone: (406) 756-8993 Fax: (406) 756-8991 E-mail: citizens@digisys.net ================================== COMMUTER CHOICE Commuter Choice is a program that allows businesses to assist their employees in commuting to work by paying vanpool fees or public transportation bus fares. Anchorage Public Transportation — both People Mover buses and Share-A-Ride vanpools — have recently started participating in this program. Your employer may pay the full amount or a portion of your monthly commute cost, up to $100 a month for an individual employee. Currently bus passes are only $36/month and all vanpool fares are less than $100/month so your employer may pay your entire amount if they desire. You benefit by having your commute cost reduced or eliminated and your employer may declare the expense as a deduction on federal corporate income taxes. There are already a number of businesses in Anchorage participating in this program either by paying the full amount or a portion of the cost of bus passes under People Mover’s ESP (Employer Sponsored Pass) Program or, more recently, by paying monthly vanpool fees or buying Transportation Certificates. The US Government has recently started paying the full amount for bus passes or vanpool fees for any federal employee using Anchorage Public Transportation to commute to/from work. First National Bank, Phillips Alaska, Guess & Rudd and Preston & Gates are some of the employers paying 100% of employee’s cost. Providence Hospital pays 50% of the commute cost for their employees and the Municipality of Anchorage pays $13.50 of the monthly cost for a bus pass or vanpool fee. A number of other businesses also participate in this program. Your business could also take advantage of this opportunity for a Federal income tax deduction while helping employees ‘commute for clean air.’ Encouraging public transportation in this way is also a big step toward earning a Green Star Air Quality Award for your organization. Talk to your employer and let them know about the program or, if you prefer, contact the folks at Anchorage Public Transportation and they’ll talk to your employer for you. For more information, contact: Nancy Killoran Anchorage Public Transportation/Marketing 3650-A E. Tudor Road Anchorage, AK 99507-1252 Phone: 343-8491 Email: KilloranNB@ci.anchorage.ak.us ================================== RECYCLED OFFICE PRODUCTS Most of us think of recycled copy paper when we think of recycled products. But there are dozens, even hundreds, of other recycled-content products that can be purchased for the workplace. If you check your office supply vendor’s catalog, you may find an entire section of recycled products or specific products marked with a recycled symbol. A few examples of recycled products available at various office supply stores in Anchorage include: White and colored copy paper Fine printing paper Composition books and notepads Binders Desk accessories Folders Envelopes Desk pads Tab dividers Adding machine tape Photo paper Pencils Post-it notes and dispensers Sorters and organizers Storage file boxes Tape dispensers Transparency films Trash and recycling bins Calendar refills Desk drawer organizers Report covers Tissues, napkins and paper towels Why purchase these products? Purchasing recycled products supports recycling by closing the recycling loop. Recycling is only economically feasible if there are markets for recycled products. As we recycle more and more materials in our community, it is just as important to increase our purchases of recycled products. Most of these products cost no more than their virgin material counterparts and are of equal quality. The next time you make a purchase for yourself or your office, take a minute to consider whether there might be a recycled-content alternative. ================================== GREEN EVENTS UPDATE Green Events are springing up all over the Anchorage area this June, after a quiet winter season. So far, there are at least seven green events scheduled for June, with more in the works. Volunteers are needed for almost all of the events (events in bold need volunteer help) so if any catch your eye, please contact Green Events at 278-7839 or jeanne@greenstarinc.org. June 1 Reading Rendezvous at Lucy Cuddy Family Memorial Park June 1,2,8,9 Three Barons Renaissance Fair at APU Campus June 8 Alaska Run for Women June 21,22 A.W.A.I.C. Summer Solstice Celebration at Town Square June 22 Alaska Highland Games, Lions Park, Eagle River June 22 Midnight Sun Mayor’s Marathon June 29,30 Alaska Botanical Garden Faire Volunteers receive free entrance to events and can enjoy the festivities while they help recycle. If you attend any of these events, look for the bins and be sure to recycle! ================================== ALUMINUM RECYCLING RATE This article was taken from a news release by the Container Recycling Institute Last year, more aluminum cans were littered, landfilled, or incinerated than were recycled, according to the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), a research group that studies container recycling issues and tracks container recycling rates. CRI data also show that the rate has been declining for ten years, after peaking at 65 percent in 1992. Using industry data, U.S. Department of Commerce trade data, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) formula for determining recycling rates, CRI found that the recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans dropped below 50 percent in 2001 for the first time in 16 years. "The 50.7 billion aluminum cans wasted last year squandered enormous energy resources. The energy value of those trashed cans was equivalent to 16 million barrels of crude oil, or enough energy to supply 2.7 million American homes with electricity for a year," said Pat Franklin, executive director of CRI The Aluminum Association recently reported an aluminum can recycling rate of 55.4 percent for 2001 -- a rate CRI says is not accurate. "First they inflate the recycling rate with 6.4 billion imported scrap cans. Then, despite a drop of nearly 7 percentage points in one year, based on their calculations, they fail to acknowledge the drop in the rate and the 12 percent drop in the tons of cans recycled. Finally, they offer no explanation for the decline, or how we might reverse the wasting trend." In 1997, the industry, led by ALCAN, announced an aluminum can recycling goal of 75 percent by 2001. "Whether one accepts the inaccurate figure from the aluminum industry (55.4 percent) or the Container Recycling Institute's figure, which uses USEPA's methodology and reflects the true recycling rate (49.2 percent), the fact is we are much further from that goal of 75 percent today than we were in 1997 when the recycling rate was at 59.8 percent. "The only recycling programs recovering aluminum cans at rates above 75 percent are container deposit programs," said Franklin. ================================== RECYCLING 101: WHITE GOODS This is the seventeenth in a series of articles about recycling in Anchorage. White goods are major appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, and water heaters. The name originated when most of these items were manufactured in just one color – white. These items may not be discarded as often as other, more disposable products, but because of their size, they are a substantial part of the waste stream. While the lifespan of a washer may be 20 years and the lifespan of a soup can may only be a few days, it only takes disposing of one washer to equal almost a decade’s worth of soup cans, by weight, even if you eat soup every single day. The National Picture In 1999, about 3.7 million tons of white goods were generated. This is about 1.6% of the total municipal solid waste stream. About 1.9 million tons were recovered for their valuable ferrous metals, or a little more than 50%, leaving 1.8 million tons to be discarded. By weight, the typical appliance consists of about 65 percent steel. This steel is recyclable, as is all steel, and is being recycled today. The steel used in appliances, like all steel, is made with a minimum of 25 percent recycled steel. For this reason, all appliances contain recycled steel and are recyclable when they have reached the end of their useful lives. According to the Steel Recycling Institute, the 2000 appliance-recycling rate was 84 percent. This means that the steel in appliances is recycled at a rate that exceeds the overall steel-recycling rate of 64.1 percent. As of 2000, 18 states have enacted landfill bans for appliances, meaning that they must be recycled. Anchorage does not currently have such a ban. White Goods in Anchorage No data are available to determine the quantity of white goods generated, disposed, and recovered in Anchorage. How Do I Recycle White Goods? White goods can be recycled at Alaska Metal Recycling. Based on recycled steel markets, the company is not currently paying for the materials but if you bring the appliance to Alaska Metal Recycling, the company will recycle it. All refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners must be accompanied by a certificate from a USEPA-certified technician stating that the refrigerants/coolants have been removed. The 1990 Amendments to the Federal Clean Air Act prohibit the venting or release of Freon, or CFC and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerant gases, from discarded appliances when they are disposed or recycled. CFCs and HCFCs must be removed from each appliance before they are disposed or delivered for recycling. The act provides for a $25,000 fine for each occurrence of intentional venting of CFCs. The final person in the chain must have a certificate showing the CFCs were recovered by a certified technician using a certified recovery machine. See Resources below for companies that remove refrigerant and coolant. Reducing White Goods While you don’t need to purchase the most expensive appliance on the market, consider that you often get what you pay for. Purchasing a durable, well-built appliance will save you years of unexpected repairs. The appliance also will last longer. Consider purchasing an extended warranty with your new appliance so that you know someone will fix it if it breaks. To ensure that your appliance lasts as long as possible, clean and maintain it regularly. Visit www.appliance411.com for information about do-it-yourself maintenance and repairs. If you are replacing a large appliance that still works, look for someone who will accept it as a donation. This may be a friend or neighbor, or it may be a church, school, nonprofit organization, or charity. Resources Alaska Metal Recycling 9705 King Street, Anchorage 349-4833 Hours: M-F 9am – 4:30pm White goods recycling Alaska Refrigeration, Inc. 4205 Cope Street, Anchorage 800-619-8260 or 562-3521 Refrigerant recovery services Polar Refrigeration & Restaurant Equipment 6446 Homer Drive, Anchorage 349-3500 Refrigerant recovery services Scrap Recycling Institute Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association National Appliance Service Association ================================== THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: ENERGY STAR SLEEP MODE SOFTWARE USEPA’s Energy Star program shows up in our hot links section quite often. This month, Energy Star, the USEPA program that promotes energy efficient solutions, offers free tools that can set your entire organization's monitors to go into a low-power "sleep" mode when inactive. A simple touch of the mouse or keyboard "wakes" the machine within seconds. For every 1,000 computers, Energy Star estimates that enabling monitor power management can save your organization 200,000 kWh per year or $20,000 at 10 cents per kWh. Free of charge, Energy Star offers: EZ Save software that can activate monitor power management across networked computers all at once. To download EZ Save go to: http://www.energystar.gov/powermanagement/download.asp?orgtype Web-based EZ Wizard software, ideal for non-networked computers, that allows individual users to activate monitor power management in seconds. To run EZ Wizard go to: http://www.energystar.gov/powermanagement/wizard.asp?orgtype Consultation on the Windows 2000 or Windows XP functions to enable monitor power management throughout your organization. Please go to: http://www.energystar.gov/powermanagement/windows2k.asp?orgtype ================================== THANK YOU 2002 SPONSORS Green Star could not exist without the generous financial support of many individuals and leading local businesses. To become a Green Star individual member or corporate sponsor, please call (278-7827) or visit our web site http://www.greenstarinc.org. A huge thank you to our 2002 sponsors! Platinum: BP Exploration Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services, Phillips Alaska Gold: Alaska Conservation Foundation, AT&T Wireless, KTUU Channel 2, Wells Fargo Silver: Anchorage Refuse (A Waste Management Company), National Association of PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), Phone Directories, Inc., Princess Tours, The Home Depot Bronze: Data Pro, La Mex, Odom Corporation, Sam's Club, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company, Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Anchorage, Wal-Mart ‘A’ St. Store Supporter: ALPAR, Anchorage Daily News, Bear Tooth Grill and Theater Pub, Café Del Mundo, Chugach Electric Association, Corporate Express Alaska, Denali Commission, Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria, Nabors Alaska Drilling, Side Street Espresso, Snow City Cafe Contributor: Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Serigraphics, Alaska Wildland Adventures, Arctic Wire Rope & Supply, CH2M Hill, Fowler & Associates, Green Connection, Shoot-N-Edit, Spenard Builders Supply, The Body Shop, Webb Consulting & Management Services ================================== Past issues of E-News are available on our web site, sorted by topic or date. Please send comments, questions, or suggestions for future E-News topics to us at enews@greenstarinc.org. Forward this newsletter freely. Send us any email addresses you wish to add to our mailing list. Thank you! The staff of Green Star, Anchorage: Sean Skaling, Executive Director Jeanne Carlson, Recycling Program Coordinator Beverly Short, Air Quality Program Coordinator If you would like to discontinue receiving E-News, please write to enews@greenstarinc.org. |
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