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Green Star Enews
Green Star E-News Vol. 5, No. 7 July 9, 2004
Recognizing Alaska businesses committed to environmental responsibility.
In this issue:
* Shining Stars
* Upcoming “Green Bags”
* State Fair Recycling Volunteer Needs
* Green Star is Moving
* Green Star’s Summer Recycling Intern
* Anchorage Gets a Recycling Coordinator
* Turning Aluminum into Gold
* Recycling 101 Update
* This Month’s Hot Link: Alaska Conservation Volunteer Directory
* Thank you 2004 Sponsors
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SHINING STARS
A special thank you to Total Reclaim, Inc. Total Reclaim processed all of the electronics that Anchorage collected for recycling at the May recycling event. The company accepted almost 27 trailers full of electronics, which were sorted and processed in its Seattle facility. Green Star staff had an opportunity to visit Total Reclaim’s facility recently and see the recycling process in action. Visit www.greenstarinc.org/electronicssummary2004.php for a more detailed explanation and photos of the recycling process.
Thank you to ACS for its Bronze level sponsorship. ACS has donated the use of a cell phone and air time for Green Star’s intern this summer.
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UPCOMING “GREEN BAGS”
Our August Green Bag will be Wednesday, August 18th, 11:45am – 1pm at the BP Energy Center. The topic will be Recycling 201: Advanced Recycling. Have you figured out the basics but are still confused by a few of the tricky materials? Come to the green bag and we’ll explain what plastics are recyclable in Anchorage and why, the differences between cardboard and paperboard, whether your office or home is really collecting office paper or mixed paper, and the importance of proper sorting. Bring your specific recycling questions.
An overview of Anchorage’s current recycling activities also will be presented.
Our October Green Bag, a Sustainable Design and Materials Fair, will be held on Monday, October 4th at the BP Energy Center. The event will include at least one speaker at noon and numerous vendors who will share information throughout the afternoon and evening about sustainable building materials that are available in Anchorage. Many of us, whether it is for a work project or a home remodel or update, have researched the numerous wonderful “green” products on the market. However, we often find that products may be unavailable or prohibitively expensive in Alaska. This event will showcase many of the products that are available here. More details on the event will be provided in next month’s E-News.
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STATE FAIR RECYCLING VOLUNTEER NEEDS
The Fair is approaching quickly so plan to help out while enjoying a day at the Fair. Groups working just one four-hour shift receive free admission for the rest of that day, plus free parking.
Shifts are everyday from Thursday, August 26th through Monday, September 6th -- 12noon-4pm and 4pm – 9pm. Shifts are filling up so call soon for the shifts you want. There is a sign-up sheet on the web at www.greenstarinc.org/2004statefair.php. Full shifts are indicated on the form.
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GREEN STAR IS MOVING
Green Star will be moving across town this month. By the end of July, our new offices will be at 880 H Street (between Skinny Raven and the Park Strip). The exact address will be sent out shortly.
Here is a list of items that Green Star needs to help establish a new office. If you have any of these items to donate or for sale at a reasonable (e.g., affordable for a nonprofit) price, please let us know. We appreciate your assistance.
* Nortel M5316 speaker phone
* Room dividers/cubicles
* Small round conference table and chairs (to seat about 4)
* Moving assistance (trucks and/or muscle)
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GREEN STAR’S SUMMER RECYCLING INTERN
This summer, Kim Wetzel will be working with both Green Star and Alaska Center for the Environment (ACE) on Anchorage recycling issues. Kim is a graduate student at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment who hails from Anchorage originally. She is a perfect fit to help continue the mission of improving Anchorage’s recycling opportunities. With strong recycling knowledge through her studies and work experiences and a familiarity with Anchorage, she has jumped right in to lay a foundation of research on which to base later recycling decisions.
Kim is concentrating on identifying successful programs in other communities similar to Anchorage, and learning about the current local recycling efforts by meeting with various stakeholders in the Anchorage area.
Kim also is investigating the possibility of establishing recycling cooperatives and shared recycling drop-off points in the downtown area to overcome the challenge faced by many downtown businesses of a lack of space for bins. If any downtown businesses are interested in participating, please contact Kim.
If you would like to contact Kim at Green Star, you can reach her at 244-2719 or kim@greenstarinc.org. She is in the Green Star office on Wednesdays and Fridays but can be reached any day of the week via phone or email.
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ANCHORAGE GETS A RECYCLING COORDINATOR
Anchorage finally has a recycling coordinator! Teri Crawley-Norton was recently hired though the Municipality’s Office of Economic Development as a part-time recycling coordinator. She will work with that office as well as Solid Waste Services.
The position is the result of a process that began many years ago. One of the recommendations put forth in the 2000 Municipality of Anchorage Waste Reduction and Recycling Management Plan, prepared by the Anchorage Waste Reduction & Recycling Task Force, was to hire a Waste Reduction & Recycling Economic Development Coordinator. In fact, it was the very first recommendation listed in the plan, and this coordinator would be the one who could implement many of the other numerous recommendations in the plan.
At a December 2003 quarterly recycling meeting, Mayor Begich agreed to look into appointing a recycling coordinator. In June of this year, a coordinator was appointed. Teri Crawley-Norton is the former executive director of ALPAR (Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling). She left that position several years ago, but is now back in the recycling arena as Anchorage’s first recycling coordinator.
Teri says that she plans to meet with the stakeholders involved with recycling to learn more about the current state of recycling, as well as each stakeholder’s vision for the future of recycling in Anchorage. This information will help Teri to determine what future recycling initiatives are the most productive and feasible for the Municipality to pursue. Teri can be reached at crawley-nortontl@muni.org or 343-4487.
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TURNING ALUMINUM INTO GOLD
In July 2000, Anchorage Fur Rendezvous and several local business partners created the Recycle for Rondy program, which allowed people to donate the value of their recycled aluminum can to the Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race. All one needed to do was bring your cans to the recycling center, turn them in to be weighed, and tell the staff that the value was to be donated to Rondy.
Since October 2000, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company has made it easier to donate by designating the entire aluminum can collection bin at the recycling center as a fundraiser for the Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race. To date, Fur Rondy has received about $40,000 from the can donation program.
For more information about recycling for Rondy, contact Sarah Hobart, Communications Manager for Fur Rondy, at 274-1182 or sarahh@furrondy.net.
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RECYCLING 101 UPDATE
Below is an update on several materials about which we’ve written in the past. See previous articles in the E-News archive for details about these materials.
Propane Tanks
If you have an old propane tank that does not have the new connector but still contains propane, you can take it to Suburban Propane and they will evacuate the propane for reuse, then recycle the old tank.
Refrigerators (look under White Goods in the E-News archives)
When you take a refrigerator to the transfer station or the landfill, it is now recycled rather than discarded. A contractor removes the Freon and it is delivered to Alaska Metal Recycling.
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THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: www.akvolunteer.org
The Alaska Conservation Volunteer Directory was developed through the Alaska Conservation Foundation as a way for organizations and volunteers around the state to connect. If you are looking for an opportunity to volunteer within the conservation community, check out this site for your options.
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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, FedEx Express, Horizon Lines, TOTE, Weaver Brothers
Silver ($2,500-$4,999): Anchorage Daily News, Anchorage Refuse (A Waste Management Company), Denali Commission, KTUU - Channel 2, Princess Tours
Bronze ($1,000-$2,499): Airport Equipment (Materials Handling Division), Arctic Ice Productions, ACS, Cellular One, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Graphics Solutions, Lynden Transport, National Recycling Coalition, NorthWest Handling Systems, ProComm Alaska, Teamsters Local 959
Green ($500-$999): Alaska Showroom. Alaska Support Industry Alliance. Alaska Warehouse, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Carlile Transportation Systems. Carrs-Safeway, Corporate Express Alaska, Mettler Toledo. Scott McLeod Trucking, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company, Waste Management, Inc.
Supporter ($250-$499): ALPAR, AWWU, Great Harvest Bread Company, Warning Lites of Alaska
Contributor (up to $250): 3M Alaska, Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, Alaska Showroom, American Red Cross of Southcentral Alaska, Coca-Cola Bottling of Alaska, Emerald Alaska, Grizzly's Gifts, I Copy, Iron Dog, Moose’s Tooth, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Spenard Builders Supply, United Way, 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
Kim Wetzel, Recycling Intern
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