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Green Star E-News
Green Star E-News Vol. 6, No. 1 January 7, 2005
Recognizing Alaska organizations committed to environmental responsibility.
In this issue:
* Shining Stars
* New Links Added to Web Site
* Christmas Tree Recycling Available Until January 15th
* New Online Program Helps People Find Commuter Carpools
* Ride DART to Hilltop Ski Area
* Keep Up With Events on Green Star Web Calendar
* This Month’s Hot Link: Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service
* Thank you 2005 Sponsors
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SHINING STARS
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Green Star welcomes the Dimond Center Hotel, our newest Green Star enrollee.
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NEW LINKS ADDED TO WEB SITE
In an effort to continue to provide useful information to our members, Green Star has recently compiled, by topic, all of the hotlinks listed in E-News over the past three years. These links provide information about recycling, pollution prevention, toxics reduction, energy efficiency, recycled product purchasing, emissions calculations, air quality, sustainability, local resources, and more. Additional links will be added in the future. Visit www.greenstarinc.org/resources.php for the list of links.
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CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING AVAILABLE UNTIL JANUARY 15th
Give a gift to the environment this year and “spruce” up our public paths and
gardens all summer long -- recycle your Christmas tree!!
Anchorage residents can again recycle their Christmas trees this holiday
season at Carrs stores in Anchorage. Eagle River and Valley residents can
take their trees to the Eagle River and Palmer Carrs. (Wasilla residents
can take their trees to the Palmer Carrs store). Recyclers are asked to
look for the barriers and signs designating "Christmas Tree Recycling" and
to leave bare trees only in these designated areas behind the barriers.
ALPAR (Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling) is making the service
available in cooperation with Carrs and the Municipality of Anchorage Solid
Waste Services. Media sponsors are the Anchorage Daily News, Mix 103.1, KBEAR 104.1 and GCI. Boy Scout Troop 268 will be on hand to pick up trees
for a small donation. Call 868-8899.
Residents value being able to recycle their Christmas trees and give them
new life especially knowing that the wood chips from the trees are put to
good use on public trails, paths and gardens. "Carrs is very happy to again
join ALPAR and the Municipality's Solid Waste Services in making this
service available to the public during the holiday season," said Joe Gulley,
Carrs District Manager.
All local Carrs stores (except Wasilla) will have clearly marked areas in their parking lots to drop off trees, starting Tuesday, December 28. The last day to drop off trees is Saturday, January 15th.
All lights, ornaments, tree stands and plastic bags must be removed from
trees before they’re dropped off. Recyclers are asked not to drop off
wreaths: they are not recyclable. The public is asked to help keep the
sites clean and NOT leave any of these items.
Trees are made into biodegradable wood chips and distributed to local non-profits, schools and government agencies. Chips have lots of uses including trail cover, erosion control, and fragrant mulch for landscaping. Some of this year's
recipients of the Christmas tree chips are the Boys and Girl Scout Camps,
Nordic Ski Association, several of our Anchorage Dog Parks, Centennial Park
Campground and the Bartlett High Pool.
ALPAR estimates that more than 14,000 Christmas trees will be recycled this holiday season, saving valuable landfill space for products that cannot currently be recycled. For more information, contact ALPAR at 274-3266 or alpar@gci.net.
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NEW ONLINE PROGRAM HELPS PEOPLE FIND CARPOOLS
Sharing a ride to and from work is just a few simple clicks away. Share-A-Ride, Anchorage Public Transportation’s commuter ride-matching program, has launched a free online service that provides instant matches for commuters seeking carpools. With gas prices high and dark winter road conditions, now is the time for commuters in the Mat-Su Valley, Chugiak-Eagle River, Anchorage and Girdwood to give carpooling a try. In addition, taking advantage of carpooling will improve our air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and help your business earn an Air Quality Award.
Users can sign up for the service by visiting www.peoplemover.org and clicking on the “Commuters, Start Your Computers” button.
The site asks users to enter their home address, place of employment and travel time preferences. After a few seconds, a list of matches comes back of people who share similar commutes.
“Once commuters sign on, they are able to get instantaneous matches for carpooling from within a mile of work and home,” said Nancy Killoran, Manager of the Share-A-Ride program. “Before the program, commuters had to wait for matches to be sent to them.
“As word of the new online ride-matching grows, we expect our database of commuters to grow rapidly, so if a rider can’t find a ride match the first time he logs on, try again, the chances of a good match will grow daily,” Killoran added.
Through a process called “geocoding” Public Transportation’s new RidePro software matches addresses and coordinates of the person’s home and work sites. Riders can also view an online map to get a better feel of the distances between carpool matches and work destinations.
The list of matches displays names, business addresses, work times, business phone numbers and e-mails of others who have similar commutes. No home address or home phone numbers (unless approved by commuter) are given out to protect commuter’s privacy.
“We encourage participants to meet before hitting the road to discuss issues, such as their taste in music, smoking preference and how often they have to work late. People should feel comfortable before making a commitment,” Killoran said.
Share-A-Ride was started in 1974 by the Anchorage Public Transportation to promote alternatives to driving alone, the program is entirely grant funded through Federal Highway Administration, through AMATS.
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RIDE DART TO HILLTOP SKI AREA
Ride weekdays to Hilltop Ski Area or the Alaska Zoo on DART Route 491 for the regular People Mover fare of $1.50. People Mover’s South Anchorage DART Route 491 will deliver skiers to the Hilltop’s Abbot Road parking lot if they schedule the trip up to two hours in advance.
This service is an excellent opportunity for teens so that parents don’t need to drop off and pick up, increasing air pollution, wasting gas, and taxing already busy schedules.
Call 277-DART to schedule your trip up the hill from Dimond Center, Carrs on Abbott, or one of many DART bus stops in south Anchorage. Remember to schedule your return trip at the same time. Trips must be scheduled at least two hours in advance, and may be scheduled up to one week in advance.
Ski tips and poles must be covered while on the bus. Please bag your ski tips with a plastic bag before beginning your trip. South Anchorage DART Route 492 can take people to H2Oasis, as will regular People Mover Route 2. For DART scheduling and information, call 277-DART.
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KEEP UP WITH EVENTS ON GREEN STAR WEB CALENDAR
Be sure to check Green Star’s Events Calendar for classes, workshops, Green Events, board meetings, other meetings, and local, state, or national events. Visit www.greenstarinc.org/events.php.
Here are some January events you’ll find on the calendar. These are USEPA-sponsored online presentations focusing on energy efficiency for commercial buildings. These presentations are a must for facility managers at schools, universities, hospitals, large office buildings, and retail stores who want to create a more efficient work environment while saving money.
January 10, 9:30am -- Higher Education ENERGY STAR Overview
This presentation offers a broad introduction to ENERGY STAR for colleges and universities. Learn about the range of program offerings, including technical assistance for campus building upgrades, purchasing strategies, IT system efficiency, financing advice and activities to engage students. During this 45-minute session you will learn about the strategy, products, services, and tools used to integrate ENERGY STAR in your organization. Facility, energy and business managers, procurement specialists, information technology staff, residence hall advisors, and other college and university personnel interested in a more environmentally friendly campus with less financial and energy waste should consider participating.
January 13, 7:30am (sorry, it’s based on East Coast time) -- Public Sector ENERGY STAR Overview
This descriptive presentation offers a broad introduction to ENERGY STAR. Learn about what ENERGY STAR can do for your organization, including energy-efficient solutions that not only save money, but also protect the environment for future generations. During this 60-minute informative session you will learn about the strategy, products, services, and tools used to integrate ENERGY STAR in your organization.
January 19, 7:30am -- Money for your Energy Upgrades
In today's tight economy, operating and capital budgets are being reduced despite increasing infrastructure needs. This 60-75 minute session focuses on using operating budgets as a potential source of "revenue" to pay for energy efficiency projects. Public sector financing options are discussed, including an overview of tax-exempt lease purchase agreements and energy service performance contracts. In addition, the Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator (CFO Calculator), a model that calculates the costs of delaying energy efficiency improvements, is introduced. Financial decision makers and facility managers in state and local governments, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities; federal government, public hospital administrators and energy service providers are encouraged to attend.
January 20, 10:30am -- Public Sector Benchmarking
This training teaches you how to use ENERGY STAR’s portfolio manager to benchmark your properties’ energy performance. Use this Web-based analytical tool to track the energy consumption of an individual building or an entire portfolio.
You will learn how to collect and input relevant energy consumption data and how to interpret the Energy Performance Rating, used to compare energy performance within your own portfolio and against national averages. The session will also include information on the relationship between energy and financial performance, as well as how the ENERGY STAR approach can be used to promote your organization’s environmental leadership.
Property managers, engineers, and organizational leaders interested in learning more about benchmarking should participate. Note: Be sure to register for the session that matches your property’s space type: K-12/Government Building, Commercial Real Estate, Healthcare, Hotel, Supermarket.
January 24, 10:00am -- Introduction to the Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator Spreadsheet
Are your energy efficiency projects competing with other capital budget projects for funding or being delayed due to lack of capital? Are you frustrated because decision-makers may not appreciate the urgency of installing energy efficiency equipment or understand why this is an excellent business decision? If so, you will find this presentation particularly valuable.
This 60-minute interactive session focuses on using operating budgets as a potential “source of revenue" to pay for energy efficiency projects. The Cash Flow Opportunity (CFO) Calculator, recently developed by ENERGY STAR, is an interactive model built on a Microsoft Excel® platform. The calculator helps quantify the cost of delaying investment in upgrades by addressing three critical questions:
-- How much new energy efficiency equipment can be purchased from the anticipated savings?
-- Should this equipment purchase be financed now, or is it better to wait and use cash from a future budget?
-- Is money being lost by waiting for a lower interest rate?
The CFO Calculator is designed so that managers who are not financial specialists can use it to make informed decisions, yet it is sophisticated enough to satisfy financial decision-makers. Financial decision-makers and facility managers in the public and private sectors, lending institutions, and energy service providers should participate.
The CFO Calculator spreadsheet can be downloaded directly from
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus_financing.
For details and registration for all presentations, visit http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus_internet_presentations#general.
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THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglistdave
The Direct Marketing Association offers the Mail Preference Service to help you get off mailing lists and reduce the amount of unwanted mail coming into your home. This service does not apply to mail sent to your business address, or to "resident/occupant" mail.
When you register with MPS, your name and address are placed on a "do-not-mail" file. All DMA members are required to run their list of prospective customers against the MPS file, to remove the individuals who have registered with MPS from their mailings. The service is also available to non-members of The DMA, so that all marketers may take advantage of this service to eliminate the names of those who wish to receive less unsolicited mail.
This "do not mail" file is updated monthly and distributed four times a year -- January, April, July, and October (some mailers receive the file monthly). Your name remains on file for five years, after which time you may register again.
Typically you will see the amount of mail you receive begin to decrease approximately three months after your name is entered onto the quarterly file. You are likely to see the impact of MPS faster if you register online than if you mail in your registration. Also, if you move, you must register your new address with MPS to have it affect your new address.
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THANK YOU 2005 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, Rasmuson Foundation, University of Alaska Anchorage,
Gold ($5,000-$9,999): Alaska Conservation Foundation
Silver ($2,500-$4,999): Anchorage Daily News, Denali Commission, KTUU - Channel 2, Princess Tours
Bronze ($1,000-$2,499): Alaska Public Interest Research Group, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Cellular One, Chugach Electric Association, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Municipal Light and Power
Green ($500-$999): Air Van Lines, Alaska Power Association, Alaska Support Industry Alliance, Corporate Express Alaska, Kotzebue Electric Association, Sierra Club
Supporter ($250-$499):
Contributor (up to $250): Alaska Center for the Environment
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Past issues of E-News are available on our web site, sorted by topic or date: http://www.greenstarinc.org/enews/enewsindex.php. 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 us to add to our mailing list. If you wish to unsubscribe, please email a request to unsubscribe to enews@greenstarinc.org. Thank you!
The staff of Green Star, Anchorage:
Sean Skaling, Executive Director
Beth Verrelli, Program Director
Jeanne Carlson, Program Director
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