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Green Star E-News
Green Star E-News Vol. 6, No. 11 November 4, 2005
Recognizing Alaska organizations committed to environmental responsibility.
In this issue:
* Shining Stars
* Green Star’s Annual Meeting – November 15th
* Electronics Recycler Opens Shop in Anchorage
* Students Celebrate Anchorage Recycles Day
* Anchorage Trash Haulers Consolidate; Recycling Affected
* Recycling Volunteer Opportunities for Fall
* Students Dig into West High’s Trash
* Win a Zippered Sweatshirt!
* Air Quality in Anchorage – Clean Air Transportation Week
* This Month’s Hot Link: Fuel Economy
* Thank you 2005 Sponsors
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SHINING STARS
Welcome recent enrollees
Our recent Green Star enrollees are Willow Crest Elementary School, Klatt Elementary School, and the Municipality of Anchorage’s City Hall. Willow Crest hopes to achieve its Green Star and Air Quality Awards. Klatt will work toward its Green Star Award while participating in the School Recycling Pilot program. City Hall wants to act as a model of efficiency for other City buildings by achieving a Green Star Award. Good luck to all!
Welcome new team members
Tara Callear joins the Green Star team this month as office manager and program assistant. She most recently worked at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center as a senior naturalist. She was responsible for volunteer recruitment and training, internship supervision and training, education and curriculum development, newsletter preparation, and event coordination. Tara received a BA in Biology from the University of Colorado.
Kim Wetzel joined Green Star’s team several months ago and will be with us for another month working as a program assistant on Air Quality issues. She is working with the media on the Plug@20º campaign and forming new partnerships for air quality education with auto dealerships, parts stores, and service shops. Kim interned with Green Star and ACE last summer, researching recycling activities in Anchorage. She completed her master’s degree at University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment this spring and spent the summer interning at RurAL CAP (funded by Alaska Conservation Foundation).
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GREEN STAR’S ANNUAL MEETING – NOVEMBER 15th
Green Star’s will hold a social and annual meeting on Tuesday, November 15th from 4:30 to 5:30pm at the BP Energy Center (900 E. Benson Blvd). Anyone interested in learning more about Green Star’s current or future projects is encouraged to attend. Come out and enjoy refreshments, meet the Green Star staff and board, and share your ideas for the coming year. For more information or to RSVP if you plan to attend, please call 278-7827 or email info@greenstarinc.org.
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ELECTRONICS RECYCLER OPENS SHOP IN ANCHORAGE
For the past two years, Green Star has worked with Total Reclaim, Inc., in Seattle, to process and recycle the thousands of pounds of electronics waste collected at our annual Electronics Recycling Event. This month, Total Reclaim is opening a shop in Anchorage. The company will accept a variety of items for recycling, including electronics, fluorescent lamps and ballasts, as well as its flagship material, refrigerants.
Total Reclaim is located at 12101 Industry Way, Unit C4 (in Huffman Business Park) and will be open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 10am – 7pm and Saturday, 10am-4pm. Businesses can drop off items on Friday, 8am – 4pm.
Electronics, including monitors, will be 45¢ per pound. TVs will be 55¢ per pound. Cell phones and small battery packs can be dropped off for free. Fluorescent lamps will cost 12¢ per foot.
For more information, contact Larry Zirkle at 229-0183.
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STUDENTS CELEBRATE ANCHORAGE RECYCLES DAY
Last year, Mayor Begich declared November 15th to be Anchorage Recycles Day, corresponding with the annual celebration of America Recycles Day. This year, area schools will celebrate Anchorage Recycles Day with a Recycling Festival.
What: Celebrate Anchorage Recycles Day: A Youth-Led Celebration
When: Tuesday, November 15th, 4:30 – 6:30pm
Where: West High School
Who: Students, families, teachers, school recycling/environmental/service clubs are invited to attend. Guest speakers include Mayor Mark Begich (5pm) and Kevin Harun, the City of Anchorage’s Renewable Resources Manager.
Activities: Educational booths created by high school clubs ranging from “What can be recycled in Anchorage?” to a recycling relay, recycled craft booth, and a Recycled Fashion Show (5:30pm). Teens, families, and community members can sign up for several citywide recycling projects at this event and get community service hours/credit.
Get Involved: We also will be COLLECTING OLD ATHLETIC SHOES for reuse or recycling. Please stop by to drop off your old athletic shoes for a good cause.
For more information, contact Kaeli Casati at 244-8282 or kcasati@gmail.com or contact AYEA@nwf.org or 339-3907.
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ANCHORAGE TRASH HAULERS CONSOLIDATE; RECYCLING AFFECTED
Alaska Waste has purchased Great Alaska Sanitation, leaving Anchorage with one private trash hauler outside of the municipal service area. Great Alaska Sanitation decided to sell due to rising operating costs and health problems experienced by the owners. The company had been seeking subscribers to a new curbside recycling service over the summer, and was in the process of ordering the necessary equipment for the service when the sale occurred.
Although this sale may slow curbside recycling, progress continues. Alaska Waste has reinstated curbside recycling service in the Turnagain area (discontinued by Waste Management last year) and has committed to working to expand route-by-route across the Anchorage Bowl. The route already has close to 700 customers. Any residents who signed up for Great Alaska Sanitation’s program who are located in the Turnagain area may want to consider contacting Alaska Waste at 522-0905.
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RECYCLING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FALL
Help improve Anchorage recycling services by volunteering. Even a few hours will make a BIG difference. For more information about any of these opportunities, please contact Kevin Harun, the City’s renewable resources manager, at 343-4174 or by email at HarunKA@muni.org.
Downtown Cardboard Project. Volunteers are needed to conduct a door-to-door survey of downtown merchants to develop block-by-block maps of potential locations for cardboard recycling bins. Volunteers will then work with the City to develop a workable recycling plan. Currently, thousands of tons of cardboard are being thrown away in the trash instead of being recycled. Your volunteering can help make downtown cardboard recycling a reality. Time commitment required: 2-4 hours a week during November 2005.
Turnagain Aluminum Can Recycling. For years, Turnagain residents have conducted a regular volunteer aluminum can pick-up. But they now need new volunteers to keep it going. Alaska Center for the Environment (ACE) has agreed to use its member list to help recruit more Turnagain volunteers. Volunteers are needed to help ACE call the members on the list. Time commitment required: 2-4 hours a week during November 2005.
City Green Star Project. City Hall recently enrolled in the Green Star program and wished to earn the Green Star Award. Experienced recyclers are needed to help canvass City Hall to identify recycling opportunities as well as key recycling contacts within each city department. Time commitment required: 4 hours a week during November and December 2005.
Thunderbird Falls Door-to-Door Canvass. The Native Village of Eklutna recently bought a recycling trailer, which will enable them to start comprehensive curbside pick-up. Eklutna wants to canvass the Thunderbird Falls subdivision to see if local residents are interested. Time commitment required: 3 hours, one weekend in November or December.
Help Alaska Waste Expand their Curbside Pick-up. Alaska Waste recently began curbside pickup of mixed paper on the west side. Volunteers are needed to go door-to-door to help build their customer base. Time commitment required: 4 hours a week on an ongoing basis.
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STUDENTS DIG INTO WEST HIGH’S TRASH
As part of a grant project led by Green Star students from several Anchorage high schools participated in a waste sort at West High last month. About 30 students sorted through almost a half-ton of trash generated in just one day at West High. The students sorted trash into about a dozen categories in order to determine what was being recycled and what could be recycled.
Based on this one-day “snapshot,” about one-quarter of the waste stream is being recycled and most of this is paper. One-quarter of the waste could be recycled, and about half of the waste stream is not recyclable. A majority of this is food and food related items, like plastic drink cups, and paper and plastic food packaging.
The students found a large quantity of uneaten food in the trash, as well as numerous plastic bottles with beverage still in them. Besides improving recycling in their schools, students plan to investigate ways to reduce generation of the non-recyclable portion of the waste stream.
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WIN A ZIPPERED SWEATSHIRT!
Be the first person to email us back with the answer to this Air Quality question and we’ll give you a free Plug @20º white, zippered, pull-over sweatshirt. Email your answer to enews@greenstarinc.org.
Q: In Anchorage, what is the main source of carbon monoxide in our air?
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AIR QUALITY IN ANCHORAGE – Clean Air Transportation Week
Clean Air Transportation Week is here so please do your part to keep our winter air clean. Anchorage celebrates Clean Air Transportation Week from November 7th to 12th. The easiest thing you can do is plug in your car or truck. As you know, using an engine block heater for two to three hours prior to starting your personal or business vehicle on cold days can cut carbon monoxide emissions by an average of 60%. By using a programmable timer to warm your vehicle’s block heater a few hours before driving, you will cut electricity costs to about 15 cents per plug-in, while saving on fuel, engine wear, and idle time.
As a kick-off to our 2005-06 winter season, the following events are planned:
Pick up a Free Timer – For those Anchorage residents who already have an engine block heater in their vehicle, Green Star will be giving away free programmable outdoor timers (a $15 value) at the Spenard Rec Center on Saturday, November 12th from noon to 4 PM. To qualify, you must be a resident of Anchorage, and park outdoors overnight. We’ll be giving away more than 500 timers at the event.
Install a $25 Engine Block Heater - Municipal residents who don’t already have an engine block heater, but park outside overnight, are eligible to have an engine block heater installed through the Municipality of Anchorage’s Engine Block Heater Installation Program.
Appointments are now being accepted at Agen's Automotive and at the Automotive Skills Facility on Elmendorf Air Force Base. Most installations will cost participants just $25. Some participants may be required to pay more if the installation requires particularly expensive parts or extra shop labor.
For the general population, installations will be done at Agen’s Automotive located at 737 E. International Airport Road. Appointments can be made by calling 563-2436 from 8 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Saturday.
For those with access to Elmendorf Air Force Base, block heater installations are available at the Automotive Skills Facility, located at 6136 Doolittle Drive. Call 552-3473 from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
As part of the $25 engine block heater installation, you will receive an extension cord and outdoor timer. To participate, you must show a current vehicle registration that reflects residency in the Municipality that verifies your vehicle meets I/M program requirements. Unfortunately, diesel and fleet vehicles are not eligible.
Listen & Win - A variety of radio stations, including KGOT (FM101.3), KBFX (100.5FM), and KASH (107.5FM) will be giving away Arctic Leashes, Plug@20º sweatshirts, ice scrapers and thermometers in an effort to get the message out this week. In addition, on TV, keep an eye out for our commercial on KTUU Channel 2, and catch reminders from Jackie PUrcell whenever she expects the temperatures to drop below 20 degrees. For movie buffs, see if you can spot our ads running before movies at Century 16 Theaters, Dimond, Fireweed and Muldoon Theaters. If you’re lucky, you might even catch our ads at the Bear Tooth Theater.
Auto Community Outreach
Green Star has been working hard to reach out to different segments of the business community to help encourage plugging in. In particular, we have been working with auto dealerships, repair shops, and part stores. A variety of local dealerships that are promoting the sale of cars that have engine block heaters include Continental Motor Company (4900 Old Seward - Acura, Honda, Mazda, Suzuki, Volvo, and Subaru dealerships), Alaska Sales and Service (1300 E 5th), Lithia Hyundai of Anchorage (5400 Old Seward), and Nye Frontier Toyota (731 E 5th).
Businesses that are helping promote the Plug@20º campaign include: Lithia Chrysler Jeep of Anchorage (4434 Old Seward), Morrison Auto Group (935 Gambell), Land Rover Anchorage (625 Gambell), Stanley Motors Inc. (802 Gambell), and Cal Worthington Ford (1950 Gambell), NAPA Auto Parts (1827 E 5th & 1130 Dowling), Schuck’s (111 E Northern Lights), Qwik Lube (4627 Old Seward & 3606 Old Seward), Accurate Import Center (6407 Greenwood St), Quick Lane (5th & Unga), Midas (711 E Northern Lights), and Alaska Professional Auto (1147 E Dowling).
Of special interest, Anchorage Chrysler Center (2601 E 5th across from Merrill Field) is not only displaying air quality information, but they’re also the only Anchorage distributor and installation site for the Arctic Leash car extension cord system. This “Made in Alaska” product is a pre-coiled 18’ cord that allows you to plug in at work or at home with an easy retractable cord.
This program is funded through AMATS (Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions) using Federal Highway Administration money designated for air quality improvement projects.
Please call Green Star at 278-7827 or the Municipal hotline at 343-4003 for additional information, or visit www.greenstarinc.org or www.plugat20.com for further details.
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THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: Fuel Economy
This site, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides gas mileage (MPG), greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution ratings, and safety information for new and used cars and trucks. Check out how your car or truck rates.
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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 2005 sponsors!
Platinum ($10,000+): Anchorage Department of Health & Human Services, Anchorage Solid Waste Services, BP, ConocoPhillips Alaska, FedEx Express, Rasmuson Foundation, Total Reclaim, Inc., Totem Ocean Trailer Express, University of Alaska Anchorage, Weaver Brothers
Gold ($5,000-$9,999): Alaska Conservation Foundation, Anchorage Media Group, Carlile Transportation Systems, GCI, Harriett Fenerty, Horizon Lines of Alaska, Ivan Moore Research, Lynden Transport, Weaver Brothers
Silver ($2,500-$4,999): Airport Equipment Materials Handling Division, Anchorage Daily News, Denali Commission, Graphics Solutions, KTUU - Channel 2, Lynden Transport, Princess Tours
Bronze ($1,000-$2,499): Alaska Laser Wash, Alaska Public Interest Research Group, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Arctic Ice Productions, Cellular One, Chugach Electric Association, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Municipal Light and Power, Teamsters Local 959, United Freight, Wal-Mart “A” Street, Wal-Mart Wasilla
Green ($500-$999): Action Sign & Graphics/Warning Lites of Alaska, Air Van Lines, Alaska Power Association, Alaska Support Industry Alliance, Alaska Waste, Corporate Express Alaska, Delta Airlines, Dick Wilson, From the Fair Corners Photography, Independent Lift Truck of Alaska, Kotzebue Electric Association, Mettler Toledo Scales, Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, Northern Air Cargo, Sierra Club, Thompson & Associates,
Supporter ($250-$499): 21 North Designs, Anchorage Maintenance & Operations, Arctic Circle Air, Northern Air Cargo, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company, Spenard Builders Supply, Yukon Equipment
Contributor (up to $250): Alaska Center for the Environment, ALPAR, AWWU, Coca-Cola Bottling of Alaska (Odom Corporation), Costco Debarr, Great Harvest Bread Company, Green’s Enterprises, Habitat for Humanity, Hot Licks Ice Cream, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, VendAlaska
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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
Jeanne Carlson, Program Director
Beth Verrelli, Program Director
Jean Marie Doherty, Member Relations Coordinator
Tara Callear, Office Manager/Program Assistant
Kim Wetzel, Program Assistant
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