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Green Star E-News
Green Star E-News Vol. 5, No. 3 March 3, 2004
Recognizing Alaska businesses committed to environmental responsibility.
In this issue:
* Shining Stars
* Green Star Application Reminder
* Carbon Monoxide and Your Home: What You Need to Know
* Electronics Recycling Event – May 7 & 8
* Green Business Profile: Thermo-Kool of Alaska
* People Mover Youth Activities
* U.S. Green Building Council In Alaska
* Innovative Air Quality Business Incentives – Part I
* This Month’s Hot Link: Carbon Calculator Web Sites
* Thank you 2004 Sponsors
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SHINING STARS
Green Star welcomes our newest enrollees -- Grubstake Auction and St. John United Methodist Church. We hope to see them earn a Green Star award soon!
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GREEN STAR APPLICATION REMINDER
Remember that Green Star has implemented a quarterly review process for Green Star and Air Quality Award applications. The deadline for first quarter applications is Wednesday, March 31. If we receive your application after that date, it will be reviewed as a second quarter application, after the second quarter deadline of June 30th.
More information about how to earn a Green Star award can be found at http://www.greenstarinc.org/earningsteps/earning.php or by calling 278-7827.
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CARBON MONOXIDE AND YOUR HOME: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
A free presentation will be held at 7PM, Thursday, March 4, 2004, in the AHFC Board Room, 4300 Boniface Parkway. It will cover potential sources of carbon monoxide in your home, situations that may cause carbon monoxide poisoning to occur, and how to prevent carbon monoxide problems. Additional information resources will be available on this "silent killer." Call Fina Schlosser at 907-330-8194 to register.
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ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT – MAY 7 & 8
Hold onto your old electronic equipment for just two more months! On May 7th and 8th, Green Star will host its second annual electronics recycling days. A location has yet to be determined but other details will be similar to last year’s event. Materials from businesses and organizations will be accepted on Friday, May 7th, while household electronic wastes will be accepted on Saturday, May 8th. Hours on both days will be 10am – 4pm.
The big changes in this year’s event include the fees charged. Households will be able to drop off materials for free, thanks to a grant from Dell, Inc. Likewise, nonprofit organizations with 501 (c )(3) status can drop off materials for free, thanks to a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation. Businesses and government agencies will be charged a small fee.
Electronics include items such as computers, monitors, laptops, televisions, fax machines, printers, copiers, stereos, cell phones, and other similar devices that contain a circuit board.
If you are an organization that repairs and reuses computers within the community and would like an opportunity to divert computers and monitors before they are sent for recycling, please contact Green Star. We are developing a short list of organizations to work with businesses before the Electronics Recycling Event and to help at the event to divert some materials. Please call 278-7827 for more details.
If you are a business planning to bring large quantities of materials to the Electronics Recycling Event, please contact Green Star at 278-7827 to arrange for a scheduled drop-off time. Scheduling larger deliveries throughout the day should alleviate some of the bottlenecks experienced last year.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the event, please call 278-7839 or email Jeanne@greenstarinc.org. Look for information in E-News and in the local media as more details are confirmed.
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GREEN BUSINESS PROFILE: THERMO-KOOL OF ALASKA
Green Star promotes green businesses in many senses. A green business can be defined as any of the 115 or so businesses that have earned a Green Star award – Green Star’s core program of rewarding businesses for voluntarily complying with a series of environmental standards. These businesses recycle, purchase recycled and less toxic products, replace fixtures and equipment to conserve energy, and implement many other conservation initiatives. A green business also can be one that actually manufactures a “green” product. This type of green business uses recycled materials to make new products.
In Alaska, this second type of green business is rare, for economic and geographic reasons. Those that do exist are typically small businesses. Without the cost-effective transportation infrastructure and the large, dense populations of the Lower 48 to generate raw materials, it is not economically feasible to site large recycling businesses such as steel smelters, glass bottle plants, or plastic lumber facilities, in Alaska. Instead Alaska has several small, innovative businesses that use a portion of the recyclables we generate.
Thermo-Kool of Alaska, Inc. is one such business. In business for more than 25 years, former long-time owner Tom Davis started Thermo-Kool to fill a need for building insulation. Today, Dick Divelbiss continues the business, employing eight full-time workers to process Anchorage’s old newspapers into a variety of products including cellulose insulation, hydroseed mulch and animal bedding. In the past few years, new products have been added to the line-up, including an asphalt binder, an absorbent product, and Lawn Renew, a hydroseed mulch product with grass seed premixed for sale to residents.
Dick Divelbiss and his wife, Karen, purchased the business in July 2003 when Davis retired. Divelbiss says that he was interested in the business because he liked the idea of using recycled resources to build a product. It was a hands-on process – plus, he didn’t have to work 24-hours a day, referring to his previous business of operating convenience stores.
To make its different product lines, Thermo-Kool purchases 3,000 tons of newspaper from Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company each year. Smurfit owns and operates the Anchorage Recycling Center and receives newspapers through its drop-off bins onsite, at all Carrs stores in Anchorage and Eagle River, and at the Anchorage Daily News. The Recycling Center also receives newspaper from the Mat-Su Borough and the Kenai Peninsula. Thermo-Kool is able to use about 60-65% of the Anchorage Recycling Center’s newspaper. The products made are all sold within the State of Alaska.
Cellulose insulation is still Thermo-Kool’s primary product with 2,000 tons sold annually. The insulation is sold in several stores across the State under different brand names, including Northern Fiber sold at The Home Depot, Arctic Fiber sold at Lowe’s, and MonoTherm sold at Spenard Builders Supply. Anyone who purchases the product at one of these outlets also can use a blower machine for free, which installs the insulation. Divelbiss says that cellulose insulation is far superior to fiberglass insulation. “Not only are people helping save resources, they are getting a higher quality product,” he says.
Commercial contractors using the insulation product also often bring their empty bags back to Thermo-Kool’s facility when they pick up new product. Thermo-Kool employees haul the used bags to the Anchorage Recycling Center once they get a truckload, rather than discarding them.
Hydroseed mulch is a commercial pulped paper product used as a medium to reseed disturbed areas. Landscape architects use it to reseed new developments. It also is used to reseed highways after road construction. Thermo-Kool sells about 350 tons of hydroseed mulch annually. In addition, Lawn Renew, the company’s consumer version of the product, is available for sale seasonally at The Home Depot and Fred Meyer.
Thermo-Kool also sells about 115 tons of its animal-bedding product, called Stable Bedding, to Anchorage customers annually. The bedding is used primarily for horses but it is sold for small animal bedding as well. It is available at Animal Food Warehouse and Alaska Mill & Feed, as well as other sources.
The asphalt binder product produced by Thermo-Kool is used in the top layer of asphalt in high-traffic areas to reduce wear. The product is 87% recycled newspaper. The government specifies the product by name in its bids so contractors purchase it from Thermo-Kool during the construction season for road projects. About 150 tons are sold annually.
Thermo-Kool’s newly developed absorbent product is a resource-friendly alternative to cotton and polyester absorbents and kitty litter often used in maintenance shops to clean up oil and other fluid spills and leaks. Thermo-Kool has sold about five tons of AK-Zorbit to date.
Thermo-Kool’s is an excellent example of a green business in Alaska. For more information about Thermo-Kool’s products or processes, contact Dick Divelbiss at 563-3644.
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PEOPLE MOVER YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Anchorage People Mover is hosting several activities this month targeting the youth in the community. Increasing bus ridership through these types of promotional events is a positive way to reduce air pollution caused by commuter vehicles and traffic congestion. The first activity is the Anchorage People Mover 30th Anniversary Youth Art Contest. Kindergarteners through high school seniors are invited to submit artwork based on the theme "Riding the Bus in Anchorage."
The prize-winning posters will be used in advertising, promotional materials and on People Mover Buses to promote the 30th Anniversary. People Mover will develop a coloring book from selected winning and honorable mention entries.
Entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2004. Entry forms and guidelines are available online at www.peoplemover.org or at the Customer Service office of the Downtown Transit Center on the first floor of the 6th and G Parking Garage.
People Mover also will be honoring the birthday of Dr. Seuss and the 2nd Anniversary of the Anchorage People Mover Books on Buses program. All children boarding a People Mover bus on Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, will receive a free book of their own to take home.
The two-day book giveaway is an extension of the designated “Kids Reading Room” in every People Mover bus. Complete with a book rack and age appropriate children’s books, the special reading area has invited young bus riders to read and ride their way across Anchorage since the Books on Buses program began in March 2002. The program is made possible by a generous donation of books by Scholastic Books through the Volunteers of America.
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U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL IN ALASKA
An interested group has established the Alaska Organizing Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. The group meets monthly via teleconference, including attendees in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. The group’s goal is to establish either a chapter or a branch of the U.S. Green Building Council in Alaska in an effort to share information about green building and the LEED process, to increase the number of LEED-certified architects in the State, and to increase the number of building projects that are LEED certified.
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environment Design) is a rating system for designing, constructing, or remodeling residential and commercial structures. It is a voluntary standard that defines high performance green buildings. To evaluate a building, the LEED system awards points for achievements in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.
The February meeting’s green technology presentation offered a close-up look at building with straw bales. Mike Musick of Ester Construction and the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) in Fairbanks and Gerald Goodman, also of CCHRC, each presented talks on straw bale construction in Alaska. These PowerPoint presentations will soon be available on CCHRC’s website at www.cchrc.org.
The next general meeting in Anchorage will be Tuesday, March 16th, 5:30-6:30pm, at Bezek Durst Seiser (3330 C Street, Suite 200). For teleconferencing from Fairbanks, meet at Bettisworth (212 Front St.) and from Juneau at Minch Ritter Voelckers (800 Glacier Ave., Suite A). At the meeting, participants will vote on whether to continue to pursue the establishment of an Alaska chapter or whether to accept an invitation of the Cascadia chapter to become a branch of that chapter. A green technology presentation also will be offered. However, the topic has not yet been determined.
The meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about green building and the establishment of a chapter or branch of the USGBC.
For more information about the meetings, please contact Claire Noll at 562-6076 x21 or clairen@bdsak.com.
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INNOVATIVE AIR QUALITY BUSINESS INCENTIVES – PART I
On February 23rd, two businesses presented their innovative air quality business incentives at a Green Bag event at the BP Energy Center. One of the businesses, Ecology & Environment, recently earned both the Green Star and Air Quality Awards. Dan Frank of E&E described four employee incentive programs:
&Mac183; “It Pays to Carpool” Program
&Mac183; Carpool Raffle
&Mac183; IRS Code 132(F)
&Mac183; Hybrid Vehicle
The “It Pays to Carpool” program began 30 years ago as a corporate-wide incentive program to use alternative means of transportation. Last year, it was integrated into the company’s electronic timecard system. Each employee can receive $1/day for using public transportation; $1.50/day for walking, biking, or using a motorcycle; $1/day for carpooling with one other person; or $1.50/day for carpooling with two or more other people.
The electronic system tracks the type of commute and includes a field to enter the roundtrip miles of the commute. Using these data, E&E can analyze the success of the program by employee, office, region, or company-wide. Since the program began, through the end of 2003, the company calculates its employees have avoided driving 31 million miles by using alternative commuting methods. This reduction in vehicle travel has reduced fuel use and emissions -- 1.7 million gallons of gasoline, 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 1.5 million pounds of carbon monoxide, 12,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and 215,000 pounds of hydrocarbons.
The Anchorage office has decided to track and analyze its own commute pollution contribution. Dan Frank has compiled baseline data from all employees including their roundtrip commuter miles and car make, model, and year. With this, he has calculated the commuter pollution baseline for the office. When the data about carpooling is added to the calculation, Frank calculated that between March and December 2003, the total number of carpools for the Anchorage office was 268 trips, or about 11% of the potential number of carpool trips. This reduced emissions by 1,988 pounds, which is an 8% reduction from the baseline data collected.
An additional part of the company’s carpool program is a corporate-wide raffle. E&E raffles off $500 each month to employees who have used alternative transportation during the month. Names are entered for each use of alternative transportation, so if someone walks to work 15 days within the month, he or she has 15 chances to win. At the end of the year, another $1000 is raffled. The cost of the program is $7,000 but savings are estimated to be $50,000. Savings include reducing the need to expand parking but does not even take into consideration savings from reduced plowing, lighting, and maintenance needs.
Another program available to all E&E employees is Internal Revenue Code Secion 132(f), which allows pre-tax dollars to be diverted for qualified parking and mass transit costs. Qualified parking is parking used by employees when commuting to work using a transit pass, in a commuter highway vehicle, or by carpool. Qualified mass transit included bus, train, subway, or vanpool.
Finally, E&E is “walking the walk” with the purchase of a hybrid electric vehicle at its headquarters. The Toyota Prius will be delivered this month and will offer mileages of 60 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway. And that’s not a misprint – hybrids offer better gas mileage during city driving. This is due to how the combination internal combustion engine and battery-powered electric motor work together. The electric motor is operating under city driving conditions, while the gasoline engine is powering the vehicle during highway driving.
Other initiatives implemented in E&E’s Anchorage office include installing on-site showers for employees who commute on foot, bike, or skis; and working at home and flexible hours to avoid rush hour are allowed when practical. In addition, the company’s Anchorage office is located downtown, near restaurants, hotels, and other amenities for out-of-state visitors.
For more information about E&E’s initiatives, contact Dan Frank at dfrank@ene.com or 257-5000.
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THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: Carbon Calculator Web Sites
Check out these various interactive calculators to see how your home and vehicle stack up. By inputting some basic information, the calculators can determine how much CO, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other pollutants you generate in your daily life.
http://www.americanforest.org/resources/ccc
http://www.safeclimate.net/business/measuring
http://www.carboncounter.org
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/tool_pop.cfm?tool=tailpipe
http://www.climcalc.net
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THANK YOU 2004 SPONSORS, GRANTORS & CONTRACTORS
Green Star could not exist without the generous financial and in-kind support of many individuals and leading local businesses and organizations. 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 2004 sponsors!
Platinum ($10,000+): Anchorage Department of Health & Human Services, Anchorage Solid Waste Services, BP, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Dell Inc., Rasmuson Foundation, University of Alaska Anchorage, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10
Gold ($5,000-$9,999): Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Silver ($2,500-$4,999): Anchorage Refuse (A Waste Management Company), Denali Commission, Princess Tours
Bronze ($1,000-$2,499): Cellular One (formerly AT&T Wireless), Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Green ($500-$999): Corporate Express Alaska
Supporter ($250-$499):
Contributor (up to $250): Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, Carrs-Safeway, Coca-Cola Bottling of Alaska, Emerald Alaska, graphXgirl, Great Harvest Bread Co., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Wal-Mart Store #2074
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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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Additional Links:
Green Star Award
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