|
 |
Green Star E-News
Green Star E-News Vol. 6, No. 5 May 16, 2003
Recognizing Alaska organizations committed to environmental responsibility.
In this issue:
* Shining Stars
* Electronics Recycling Was Over the Top
* Green Star Wants to Hear From You
* Sustainable Building and Design Fair – May 24
* Reuse Highlighted in New After-School Program
* National Plastics Recycling Update
* Walking School Bus: Sand Lake Elementary Does It First!
* Public Transportation on the Rise in Anchorage
* Palmer Spring Clean-Up
* This Month’s Hot Link: Integrating Green Purchasing Into Your Environmental Management System
* Thank you 2005 Sponsors
==================================
SHINING STARS
Welcome to our newest enrollees, Congregation Beth Sholom and RuralCAP.
==================================
ELECTRONICS RECYCLING WAS OVER THE TOP
We thought last year that the electronics-recycling event couldn’t get any bigger. We were wrong. This year’s numbers are in and Alaska has broken its own record. The Electronics Recycling Event, held at the end of April, brought in 325 tons of electronics for recycling from both households and businesses, easily topping last year’s 305 tons. With this event, we retain the honor of hosting the largest one-time electronics-recycling event in the country.
Our 2005 statistics (last year’s numbers in parentheses):
325 tons of electronics recycled (305)
325 volunteers helping (200+)
29 trailers shipped (26.5)
355 businesses and organizations participating (250)
1450 households participating (1445)
45 sponsors lending support (47)
Green Star wishes to thank all of the sponsors, volunteers, and participants. It took the generous support and participation of all three entities to make the Electronics Recycling event such a success. The following sponsors gave generously to help this event succeed.
Presenting Sponsor:
BP
Platinum Sponsors:
Anchorage Solid Waste Services
FedEx Express
Rasmuson Foundation
Total Reclaim, Inc.
Totem Ocean Trailer Express
Gold Sponsors:
Anchorage Media Group
Carlile Transportation Systems
GCI
Harriett Fenerty
Horizon Lines of Alaska
Lynden Transport
Weaver Brothers
Silver Sponsors:
Airport Equipment Materials Handling Division
Anchorage Daily News
Graphics Solutions
Bronze Sponsors:
Alaska Laser Wash
Arctic Ice Productions
Cellular One
Teamsters Local 959
United Freight
Wal-Mart A-Street
Wal-Mart Wasilla
Green Sponsors:
Action Sign & Graphics/Warning Lites of Alaska
Alaska Waste Transfer
Delta Airlines
Dick Wilson
From the Far Corners Photography
Independent Lift Truck of Alaska
Thompson & Associates
Supporters:
21 North Designs
Anchorage Maintenance & Operations
Arctic Circle Air
Mettler Toledo Scales
Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria
Northern Air Cargo
Smurfit Stone Recycling Co.
Spenard Builders Supply
Contributors:
ALPAR
AWWU
Costco Debarr
Great Harvest Bread Co.
Green's Enterprises
Habitat for Humanity
Hot Licks Ice Cream
Odom Corporation
Pepsi Cola Bottling Group
Ted Stevens Anchorage Int'l Airport
VendAlaska
==================================
GREEN STAR WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU
The newest member of our Green Star team is Jean Marie Doherty. She is a graduate student from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, earning her Master’s Degree in Natural Resource Management. She will be sending a survey via U.S. Post to all Green Star Awardees and Enrollees to discover what matters most to the diverse organizations that participate in the Green Star Program. The results of the survey will be used as part of Jean Marie’s thesis research, and used internally here at Green Star to develop our programs in ways that are most useful to our participating organizations. Please keep an eye out for the survey, and we look forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance for your time!
==================================
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING AND DESIGN FAIR – MAY 24
Green Star and the U.S. Green Building Council - AK Chapter will host a Fair on Tuesday, May 24th at the BP Energy Center highlighting local sustainable building and design opportunities. The purpose of the Fair is to increase public and commercial awareness of sustainable building practices and materials available in Alaska. For details about the Fair, visit www.greenstarinc.org/sustainfair.php. Green Star plans to add details to the site, including resources, and product and service information so check back regularly.
12 noon–1pm “What is Sustainability?” a presentation by Mark Masteller of the Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology. The presentation will provide an introduction to the topic of sustainability, why it is an important consideration, and how it relates to building and design.
12 noon–7pm The Sustainable Building and Design Fair will include about 20 local organizations and vendors/manufacturers of sustainable products and services. Sustainable products include products made from rapidly renewable resources, recycled content, low-VOC products, energy-efficient products, and alternative energy products and systems. The event will feature recycled carpet, sustainable flooring, alternative energy systems for residential use, low-VOC paints, weatherization techniques, energy efficient windows, insulating panels, joists, and other products and services that will save you money while reducing your impact on the environment.
The products will be on display and representatives will be available to answer questions. In addition, organizations such as the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s Resource Library, the Alaska Building Science Network, the U.S. Green Building Council – AK Chapter, and Green Star will be represented to offer assistance, advice, and technical information.
6-7:30pm “Sustainability Applied” – a panel discussion is planned that will highlight applications for sustainability in residential and commercial construction, i.e., how can homeowners, renovators, builders apply sustainable ideals in Alaska? What are basic practices architects, designers, engineers, landscape architects can use in their projects?
==================================
REUSE HIGHLIGHTED IN NEW AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
Congregation Beth Sholom, a recent Green Star enrollee, is starting a new after-school program this fall that will combine arts, recycling, and community service. The program will kick off this month with a Spring Cleaning Sale. The program, called ReCreation, will incorporate donated new and used art and craft materials.
On Sunday, May 22nd, from 10am to 4pm, the Congregation Beth Sholom will hold a sale to earn money for the program. They are looking for donations of a variety of craft items, including yarn, fabric, cans, paint, paper, cups, boxes, markers, crayons, and clay. Contact Tara Karnes Witterholt at 248-8272 or tscriber@alaska.com for more information. The sale will be at Congregation Beth Sholom at 7525 East Northern Lights Blvd., next to Carrs at Northern Lights and Muldoon.
==================================
NATIONAL PLASTICS RECYCLING UPDATE
According to a recent article in Plastics News, demand for recovered PET containers (soda and water bottles) is way up. Carpet makers, beverage companies and strapping manufacturers, as well as overseas buyers, are all looking for more recovered plastic.
Unfortunately, according to the article, the premium price for recovered PET plastic (an average of about 25 cents per pound) has not been enough to increase container recovery. The 2003 recovery rate for plastic soda, water and other PET bottles fell for the eighth consecutive year since 1995. That year, the United States recovered 39.7 percent. By 2003, the rate had dropped to 19.6 percent, according to the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR).
Recycle your plastic soda and water bottles! Twenty-four hour drop-off is available at the Anchorage Recycling Center. For more information on this topic, visit http://plasticsnews.com/subscriber/printer.html?id=1114634068.
==================================
WALKING SCHOOL BUS: SAND LAKE ELEMENTARY DOES IT FIRST!
Sand Lake Elementary is putting the first Walking School Bus in Anchorage into action for students during the school week of May 23-26. Jordis Clark, a nurse at Sand Lake Elementary, is the organizer and energizer behind the movement to get students out of buses and cars, and exercising more. As an avid walking and bicycling commuter herself, Ms. Clark is a perfect role model and champion of the program.
With her background in health, and the Anchorage School District’s desire to start addressing the rising epidemic of obesity among our student population, Ms. Clark thought this program would be a wonderful way to increase activity levels of children, and encourage their parents to get involved too.
The children will be picked up by adult “drivers” at the same location as their motorized bus stops, and “dropped off” along the same route in the afternoon. Ms. Clark is hoping to have two adult leaders for each route. The program will be tried for a week, and if it is successful, a Walking School Bus will be put into place for Sand Lake Elementary students when the new school year begins in the fall.
The Walking School Bus is a program that Green Star is promoting in an effort to reduce air pollution. Green Star provided Ms. Clark with the preliminary details and information on how programs such as this have worked elsewhere, and is supporting Ms. Clark’s efforts along the way. Green Star is interested in getting Walking School Buses started in schools throughout Anchorage.
If you are a Sand Lake Elementary parent who would like to volunteer as a “driver,” or would like to sign your child up for the program, please contact Jordis Clark at 243-2161 x 8003. For more information about the Walking School Bus, please call Beth Verrelli at Green Star at 278-7827.
==================================
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ON THE RISE IN ANCHORAGE
After achieving a ridership milestone of more than 14,000 trips in one day on February 28, 2005, followed by 10 days in March with more than 14,000 trips, Anchorage People Mover has reached yet another milestone -- 15,180 trips on March 31.
“This is a phenomenal increase, up from an average of 12,000 trips in a day in 2004,” explains Tom Wilson, Anchorage Public Transportation Director. “Three years of route restructuring is paying off with better service, and the public is taking note by taking a seat in our buses.”
In 1982, transit’s annual ridership was just under 4 million trips with 155,000 hours of service annually. Buses and service hours were curtailed as a result of the municipal budget crisis in the early 1980s. Over the next 10 years bus ridership plunged to 3 million trips in 1994. From 1994 to 2001 People Mover saw small increases in service hours and steady growth up to 3.2 million trips.
“Funding from a federal demonstration grant in 2003 let us continue to increase our service hours which brought us more than 3.5 million trips in 2004,” Wilson added.
People Mover’s three-year route restructure program began in July 2002. The Municipal Transit system added cross town and airport routes; introduced DART (Dial A Ride Transit) service in South Anchorage and Eagle River, developed less complicated bus schedules, improved weekend service and streamlined some routes.
If it’s been awhile since you’ve ridden the bus, or if you’ve never taken advantage of this municipal service, now is the time to change your commuter habits. You’ll save money and help to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion around Anchorage.
==================================
PALMER SPRING CLEAN-UP
For those of you who commute from the Valley, the City of Palmer’s Spring Clean-Up will be Saturday, May 14th from 8:30am to 12 noon. Participants should meet under the pavilion in the parking lot across from the Tourist Center to pick up trash bags. Prizes for the kids and refreshments for all will be available at the pavilion at the end of clean-up at noon. Trash from the clean-up activities can be dropped off at the dumpsters at the pavilion on Saturday or bagged for roadside pick-up between 10am and 2pm that day. Contact 907-745-3271 for more details.
==================================
THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: Integrating Green Purchasing Into Your Environmental Management System (EMS)
The goal of this report is to help Federal facilities integrate green purchasing into their Environmental Management System (EMS). The intended audience includes those tasked with implementing an EMS, reducing environmental impacts, meeting green purchasing requirements and/or buying products and services in a Federal facility.
==================================
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 Transfer, 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
==================================
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, UAF Research Intern
|
|
Additional Links:
Green Star Award
Green Events
Green Star Schools
Site Assessments
Electronics Recycling
AK Materials Exchange
AME Listings
|
|
home about programs participate membership events resources