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E-News: Green Star's Electronic, Environmental Newsletter!
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Green Star E-News Vol. 4, No. 10 October 3, 2003 Recognizing Alaska organizations committed to environmental responsibility. In this issue: * Shining Stars * Green Star Seminar: Sustainable Design and Building in Alaska: Tour of National Park Service Building * Green Events Summer Summary * Reuse-A-Shoe * Donate Cell Phones * Welcome New Board Members * Member Moment: Waste Management, Inc. * Office Space Needed * This Month’s Hot Link: National Institutes of Health Household Products Database * Thank you 2003 Sponsors ================================== SHINING STARS Green Star welcomes The Wilderness Society, our newest enrollee and the latest nonprofit organization to take advantage of Alaska Conservation Foundation’s (ACF) Member Challenge. ACF has offered to pay the enrollment fees for any environmental nonprofit organization to enroll in the Green Star program. ================================== GREEN STAR SEMINAR: Sustainable Design and Building in Alaska: Tour of National Park Service Building October’s event will be a talk and tour highlighting “Sustainable Design and Building in Alaska.” Join us on Wednesday, October 15th, from 11:45 am until 1 pm at the new National Park Service building at 240 W. 5th Ave. Representatives from RIM Architects will discuss many of the LEED sustainable design features of the new National Park Service building and will provide a short tour of the facility, highlighting various indoor environment quality, sustainable material use, and waste preventing features. Space is limited so please RSVP to 278-7827 or info@greenstarinc.org. Meet at 11:45 am in the National Park Service building's lobby. ================================== GREEN EVENTS SUMMER SUMMARY Alaska State Fair Green Star, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS), and the Alaska State Fair organized the second year of successful recycling on the fairgrounds. During the 12 days of the Fair, volunteers collected more than 15.75 tons of recyclables, up from 14.5 tons in 2002, which is a 10% increase. The figures for the four primary materials collected during both years were down slightly from last year (see the first four items listed below) but the overall total is higher because of several items informally collected this year that were not tallied last year. Specifically, we weighed, and recycled the plastic HDPE milk jugs collected this year, and large quantities of mixed paper, including boxes of extra brochures and flyers, 4-pack and 6-pack paperboard containers, molded paper fruit trays, and more. Lower figures may be the result of the rainy weather at the Fair for much of the week. Attendance figures for this year are higher than last year -- 312, 419 attendees in 2003, up about 4,500 people from 2002. However, on cooler, rainy days, those people are less likely to purchase beverages. State Fair Statistics: Corrugated Cardboard = 19,000 pounds Aluminum Cans = 1,104 pounds Glass Bottles = 5,800 pounds PET Plastic Bottles = 1,308 pounds HDPE Plastic Bottles = 154 pounds Mixed Paper = 4,000 pounds Downtown Saturday Market Recycling at Saturday Market evolved throughout the summer, beginning with the Arc of Anchorage implementing the recycling in May and June, just as they did last year. When the Arc could no longer assist with recycling, the market was left without recycling for a few weeks. Then an enthusiastic volunteer stepped in to help collect the materials for the remainder of the season. Thanks Marilyn! From July through September, Market staff put the bins out and a dedicated volunteer collected, sorted, and delivered the materials to the recycling center each week. The goal for next year’s recycling effort is to work with Scout groups to staff each Saturday with a different troop. If anyone is involved in a Scout group that might want to participate, contact Green Star at 278-7839. Upcoming Green Events October brings two Green Events. The North American Association of Environmental Education conference on Oct 7 –11 at the Egan Center and Hotel Captain Cook will offer recycling for all participants, including collection bags for recycling items in the attendees’ hotel rooms. The 18th Annual Bear Fair Bazaar takes place on October 10 and 11 at Goldenview Middle School (Friday 6-9 pm and Saturday 9 am-4 pm). Organized by Bear Valley Community School, the bazaar features 100 crafters, kids carnival, and food court. If you would like to make an upcoming event GREEN, contact us at Jeanne@greenstarinc.org or 278-7839. ================================== REUSE-A-SHOE As part of the upcoming North American Association of Environmental Educators national conference to be held in Anchorage during the second week of October, several local organizations are spearheading a program to reuse and recycle used athletic shoes. Alaska Natural Resource and Outdoor Educators Association (ANROE), Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA), Skinny Raven Sports and Green Star are teaming up to collect athletic shoes for reuse in the community, as well as collaborate with Nike, Inc.'s national "Reuse-A-Shoe" program to recycle the remaining shoes. To participate, collect all of your old running shoes or sneakers from your classroom, school, workplace, community center, or home. The program does not provide boxes or collection bins, but you can collect shoes in used cardboard boxes or bags and deliver them to the drop off site. Collect only running shoes and sneakers. Do not collect sandals, Tevas, or shoes with metal parts (cleats/shanks) or blinking lights. Shoes can be in any condition but should not be wet or muddy. Drop off shoes at the Egan Center (555 West 5th Avenue, Anchorage) on October 9, 10, and 11 between 10 am and 5 pm. If you collect shoes at your office or school, or have set up a drop-off location, someone will need to deliver the shoes to the Egan Center during the indicated collection period. Locally, Skinny Raven Sports staff will help sort the shoes to identify approximately 100 pairs of reusable shoes for redistribution to those in need in the Anchorage community. This is a continuation of Skinny Raven’s existing program to collect usable shoes and redistribute them to local shelters. The remaining pairs of shoes (the goal is to collect 2,000 pairs!) will be shipped to the Nike headquarters to be recycled. As part of Nike, Inc.'s national "Reuse-A-Shoe" program, hundreds of thousands of used sneakers and running shoes are diverted from landfills each year. These shoes are recycled into material to make athletic tracks, tennis courts, and football fields for low-income communities across the country. Volunteers are still needed to help collect and sort the shoes on Oct. 9, 10, and 11. Morning (10 am-1 pm) and afternoon (2 pm-5 pm) shifts are available. Contact Polly Carr at 339-3907 or carrp@nwf.org if you are interested in volunteering or would like additional information about the program. ================================== DONATE CELL PHONES As a result of Green Star’s Electronics Recycling event, held this past spring, hundreds of cell phones were collected for reuse and recycling. A total of 59 useable cell phones were reprogrammed by ACS (for 9-1-1 emergency use only), and recently donated to the Alaska Women’s Resource Center (AWRC) as part of its program to establish safety plans for at-risk clients. AWRC could use approximately 50 phones per month, so please call 276-0528 and ask for Mary Whitmore if you would like to donate used cell phones. ================================== WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS The Green Star board and staff would like to welcome four new board members to Green Star’s leadership team. Col. James Sturch, Vice Commander of the U.S. Air Force Third Wing, at Elmendorf Air Force Base; Col. Donna Boltz, Garrison Commander for the U.S. Army at Fort Richardson; Joni Wilm, a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alaska, representing the Alaska Center for the Environment; and William Evans, at attorney at Dorsey & Whitney, representing the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. ================================== MEMBER MOMENT: Waste Management, Inc. In May 2003, Waste Management, Inc., implemented a pilot curbside recycling collection program for household paper waste in a targeted area of Anchorage. As of June 30, the program had already collected 26.6 tons of paper, which was diverted from the Municipal Landfill and shipped to mills in the Lower 48. ================================== OFFICE SPACE NEEDED Green Star is seeking a new home. The organization has been housed by members since its inception in 1990. Please contact Sean Skaling at 278-7809 if you can suggest office space for a three-employee office. We can offer several financial and promotional benefits to a housing sponsor. ================================== THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: National Institutes of Health Household Products Database ~ http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov What's under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room? Do these household products pose a potential health risk to you and your family? Find out what's in these products and what are the potential health effects, and other safety and handling information. The Health & Safety Information on Household Products database links more than 4,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) provided by the manufacturers and allows scientists and consumers to research products based on chemical ingredients. ================================== 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 at http://www.greenstarinc.org. A huge thank you to our 2003 sponsors! Platinum: BP, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage Solid Waste Services Gold: Alaska Conservation Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, Wells Fargo Silver: Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Anchorage Refuse (A Waste Management Company), Princess Tours, The Home Depot, Bronze: Anchorage Daily News, AT&T Wireless, Carrs-Safeway, Horizon Lines, Merrill Lynch, Northern Printing, Odom Corporation, One Northwest, Pallet Services of Alaska, Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Anchorage, Philip Services Corporation, Sam's Club, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Wal-Mart ‘A’ St. Store, Warning Lites of Alaska, Weaver Brothers Green: ACS, AirLand Transport, Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Computer Society, Alaska Serigraphics, Alaska Support Industry Alliance, Alaska Textiles, Alaska Wildland Adventures, ALPAR, American Red Cross, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Anchorage Fur Rendezvous, Anchorage School District, Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility, Arctic Office Products, Bredeson Company, Carlile Transportation Systems, Chugach Electric Association, Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce, Continental Allied, Corporate Express Alaska, Costco, Denali Commission, Federal Express, Hartig Rhodes Hoge & Lekisch, Hotel Captain Cook, Kaladi Brothers, Mettler Toledo, Nabors Alaska Drilling, National Wildlife Federation, Northern Printing, Pallet Services of Alaska, Public Relations Student Society of America – Seawolf Chaper, R&M Consultants, Recycle Alaska, Spenard Builders Supply, Tikigaq Corporation, United Way of Anchorage, USEPA Region 10, Yukon Equipment, Zach Voris – Eagle Scout ================================== 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 Beth Verrelli, Membership & Communications Coordinator Jeanne Carlson, Program Coordinator |
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