 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||
E-News: Green Star's Electronic, Environmental Newsletter!
|
||||||||||||
Green Star E-News Vol. 4, No. 1 January 8, 2003 Recognizing Alaska organizations committed to environmental responsibility. In this issue: * Shining Stars * Become a Green Event Site * Learn About The Potential For Bio-Oil From Biomass * Alternative Fuel Vehicles: The Electric Vehicle * It’s Christmas Tree Recycling Time Again * A New Life For All Those Holiday Cards * Brown Bag Series Begins * This Month’s Hot Link: Alaska Forum on the Environment * Thank you 2003 Sponsors ================================== SHINING STARS Happy New Year! Thank you to our newest sponsors: BP (an additional contribution to support our Air Quality event), and Green-level supporters Yukon Equipment and R&M Consultants! ================================== BECOME A GREEN EVENT SITE By now you have probably attended at least one Green Event, whether it was a ski race, a festival, or the Alaska State Fair. To be a Green Event, each event incorporated recycling but, most likely, the facilities where the events were held did not have permanent recycling. The newest part of the Green Events program is to certify facilities as Green Event Sites. These sites are facilities that have year round recycling and are able to handle the recycling of the typical events held at the facility. If you are associated with a facility that hosts events, consider becoming a Green Event Site (GES). Green Event Sites will be recognized as such through several means, including: - A listing on the Green Star web site - A list compiled and provided to local organizations, such as the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau - A telephone yellow pages ad listing - E-News articles Green Event Sites are facilities that host events on a regular basis and provide for permanent recycling both during regular activities and event activities. Specifically, Green Event Sites: - Have adequate recycling bins present and available during daily activities. - Have adequate recycling bins present and available to accommodate materials generated during typical events hosted at the facility. - Have a plan in place for managing recyclables collected. - Accept the recyclables generated most. For example, a facility that typically hosts parties, wine tastings etc., should collect glass for recycling, or a facility that hosts numerous ski and foot races should provide recycling bins for plastic water bottles. - Have identified staff or volunteers to handle the recyclables during and after each event to ensure the largest quantity possible of clean, uncontaminated recyclables reach the recycling center. This may include self-transport or arranging with a hauler or recycling company to pick up materials on a regular or on-call basis. - Include recycling in their event planning language as part of the facility’s policy. - Actively encourage or require event planners to participate in the facility’s recycling program when holding an event at the facility. Contact Green Star at 278-7839 or Jeanne@greenstarinc.org for more information. ================================== LEARN ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR BIO-OIL FROM BIOMASS: Using Wood and Fish Waste to Produce Liquid Fuels Can you get liquid fuel from wood? Can fish oil run a diesel generator? Join the Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology to learn the latest on efforts to convert biomass to bio-oil. Terry T. Brady, with Huskywood LLC in Anchorage, and Peter Crimp, with the Alaska Energy Authority, will speak on their research efforts. Mr. Brady is working on a technique to derive oil from wood through a process called "fast pyrolysis." Mr. Crimp is involved in efforts to test the effectiveness of fish oil as a replacement for diesel oil. Both projects represent unique ways to potentially use waste products as alternative energy sources. Space is limited, so RSVP soon! WHEN: Thursday, January 9th, 7pm to 8:30pm WHERE: BP Energy Center COST: ACAT members and students are FREE, Non-members are $10. RSVP: For directions and other information, contact Mark Masteller at m.masteller@acat.org, or 907-376-6275 ================================== ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES: The Electric Vehicle This is the third article in a series about alternative fuel vehicles. Electric vehicles (EVs) can be powered by a battery or by fuel cells. In an EV, the electricity is stored in a battery as an energy storage device. EV batteries have a limited storage capacity and must be replenished by plugging the vehicle into a recharging unit. The electricity for recharging the batteries can come from the existing power grid, or from distributed renewable sources such as solar or wind energy. Much less pollution is generated by an EV than by a traditional fuel vehicle since there is no internal combustion process to produce emissions from the vehicle. Any pollution generated is generated at the source of the electricity, such as a power plant, and it is less pollution per vehicle than with a gas-powered vehicle. About eight light-duty passenger EVs have been developed to date. Visit http://www.evaa.org/evaa/pages/ele_product_on-road.htm for details about each of the vehicles listed below. Based on the current availability of these vehicles, the EV has a long way to go before there is one in every garage. However, consumer demand is part of the equation to make these vehicles more readily available for the general public. &Mac183; DaimlerChrysler EPIC Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle – out of production &Mac183; Ford Ranger EV Light-Duty Pickup Truck – retail and fleet sales &Mac183; General Motors Gen I & II EV1 Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle – out of production &Mac183; General Motors S-10 Electric Light-Duty Pickup Truck – out of production &Mac183; Honda EV-Plus Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle – out of production &Mac183; Nissan Altra EV Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle – demo only &Mac183; Toyota RAV4 Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle – fleet sales only &Mac183; Toyota Force Light-Duty Passenger Vehicle – retail and fleet sales Electric vehicle use among the general public has actually declined in the past few years with 2001 figures at 733 vehicles purchased, this is down from 1,017 in 2000 and 1,270 in 1999. Whereas, the trend in hybrids (using a combination of electric and gasoline power) is the opposite, with an explosion in sales. In 1999, only 17 hybrids were sold. By 2000, the figure was 9,350 and in 2001, with the introduction of the Prius, sales reached more than 21,000 vehicles. Fuel Cell Vehicles Fuel cell vehicles use electricity produced from an electrochemical reaction that takes place when hydrogen and oxygen are combined in the fuel cell "stack." The production of electricity using fuel cells takes place without combustion or pollution and leaves only two byproducts -- heat and water. Fuel cells have been developed for numerous applications, including stationary power sources (such as the fuel cell facility at the Airport Post Office), residential, transportation, portable power, and landfill/wastewater treatment. In the transportation realm, almost all of the major automotive manufacturers, including Honda, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, GM, Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen, have a fuel cell vehicle either in development or in testing. They speculate that the fuel cell vehicle will not be commercialized until at least 2004. Resources The Electric Vehicle Association of Greater DC http://www.evadc.org Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas http://www.evaa.org Fuel Cells 2000 http://www.fuelcells.org ================================== IT’S CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING TIME AGAIN ALPAR once again is sponsoring tree recycling during this post-holiday season. The program began December 27th and runs through Sunday, January 19th. Trees can be dropped off at the following locations: • All Anchorage Carrs stores • Eagle River Carrs stores • Palmer Carrs (Wasilla residents please take trees to the Palmer Carrs) Boy Scout Troops 186 and 268 will pick-up your tree for a small donation - Call 868-5058. Please drop off BARE trees only – no plastic bags, no ornaments, no lights, no tree stands! Tinsel is the only thing that’s okay to leave on the tree. There is no fee to drop off a Christmas tree for recycling -- IT’S FREE! Each Carrs store (except Wasilla) has a designated area in the parking lot to drop off trees. Trees are processed into wood chips, and distributed to local non-profit organizations and government agencies for use in compost and on trails, paths, and gardens. This program is sponsored by ALPAR (Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling), Carrs, and the Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services. ================================== A NEW LIFE FOR ALL THOSE HOLIDAY CARDS Once you’ve dropped off your Christmas tree at the recycling area at Carrs, now it’s time to consider all of the holiday cards you’ve received both at home and in your workplace. Most are recyclable as mixed paper (unless they include glitter, foil, or other non-paper materials). However, you may want to consider giving these cards a second life before they are recycled. St. Jude's Ranch for Children is an organization that has been collecting used greeting cards for many years. St. Jude’s is dedicated to eliminating child abuse and welfare dependency. They care for abused, abandoned and neglected children. The children also are taught a work ethic so they are not as dependent on welfare. One of the ways used to teach this work ethic is the recycling of greeting cards. As part of the “Born Again Card” recycling program, the children trim the card fronts and glue them onto new, pre-printed card backs. The cards are sold by word of mouth, through their newsletter, and in the Gift Shop. The Children earn 15 cents per card and the money is divided among savings, pocket money, and a special Cottage Fund for group outings and other fun activities. The children also are encouraged to give a portion of their earnings to other needy people and organizations. Send your greeting cards (Christmas cards and any other holiday cards are acceptable) to: St Jude’s Ranch for Children 100 St. Jude's Street Boulder City, NV 89005 Please only send the front (picture part) of the card. This will reduce your postage costs and keep your personal holiday message private. Do not send card fronts that have messages written on them. ================================== BROWN BAG SERIES BEGINS Green Star will host a series of brown bag presentations over the course of the year, presenting one per month. The first brown bag presentation will be in conjunction with the Alaska Forum on the Environment in February. The presentation will be held on February 12th from 10:15 to 11:45 am as a session of the Forum at the Egan Center. Register for the Forum at http://www.akforum.com. Beginning in March, the presentations will take place on the third Wednesday of each month. The tentative schedule for the first few months is as follows. Dates and times may change so check upcoming E-News issues or visit www.greenstarinc.org for updates. Everyone is welcome to attend. March 19th -- Electronics Recycling in Anchorage, 12:00 to 1:30, BP Energy Center April 16th -- Earth Day Tour of Anchorage Regional Landfill, New Recycling Area at Landfill, and Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility, 11:30 am – 1:30pm. Transportation arrangements will be made as we get closer to the date. Topics will be announced for the remaining dates in future E-News issues, but keep the lunch hour on the third Wednesday of each month open for learning more about waste prevention, energy, and other Green Star topics. ================================== THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: Alaska Forum on the Environment “Alaskans working together to promote a clean healthy environment through communication and education.” This weeklong conference includes outstanding keynote presentations and smaller sessions on a wide variety of environmental topics. February 10-14, 2003 at the Egan Center. Early registration rates available through January 18. ================================== THANK YOU 2003 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 2003 sponsors! Platinum: BP Exploration Alaska, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services Gold: Alaska Conservation Foundation, 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: La Mex, Odom Corporation, One Northwest, Sam's Club, Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Anchorage, Wal-Mart ‘A’ St. Store Green: Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Serigraphics, Alaska Wildland Adventures, 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, R&M Consultants, Side Street Espresso, Snow City Cafe, Webb Consulting & Management Services, Yukon Equipment ================================== 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 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
Receive Green Star E-News. |
||||||||||||