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Green Star E-News
* Shining Stars ================================== Welcome to our new members who enrolled in the Green Star Award certification program in September. Environ Commercial Service =================================
Green Star Annual Dues & Sponsorship Match – Membership dues renewal notices recently went out to all Green Star members. Thank you for your membership with Green Star and thanks to those who have already renewed! In a recent exciting development, Arctic Wire Rope and Supply, a Green Star Award certified business, is offering to match dollar for dollar any contribution up to $5,000, from a Green Star business above and beyond your member dues if paid by October 31. Please consider rounding up your membership dues on the form when it is returned. If received by October 31, your company will be listed in our Anchorage Daily News sponsor recognition, which will be published in November. All contributors will receive a year’s worth of sponsor recognition
================================= Are you looking to reduce the costs associated with energy use at your organization? Log on to this free webcast hosted by Building Operating Management Thursday, October 23, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (ET) – that’s 9am Alaska time.
This no-cost, 75-minute event will show you ways to improve equipment performance and decrease energy consumption without compromising the safety, security or comfort of your facility's occupants.
What you will learn from the Webcast: * How to take an integrated approach to your building's automation system design * The value of increased system automation * How to select the automated building controls that are best for your facility For more information or to register, visit: Sign up today for "Automated Building Controls: Specifications to Boost Energy Efficiency." Participation is limited and given the timeliness of the topic, it is expected to fill up quickly. ================================= The Anchorage School District has brought a new Recycling Coordinator on board. Amy Kirn-Leist will work toward improving and expanding recycling at all District schools and facilities. This will include implementing a comprehensive mixed paper recycling program with classroom and office collection bins, as well as pick-up service for the collected material. “I am honored to be involved with the recycling efforts of the District. This is a passion of mine and my goal is to make this a solid, successful program,” said Kirn-Leist. “On a personal level, I see this as a way for me to become more involved in, and contribute to, the community and our environment. It is allowing me a sense of purpose in my work, which is fabulous!” The program will start with mixed paper recycling, with the goal of having all schools and facilities on-line by the beginning of the 2009 - 2010 school year. Once mixed paper recycling is established and operating smoothly, other recyclables will be added to the program. Approximately 28 schools already have mixed paper recycling dumpsters and another 28 or so will receive recycling dumpsters by the beginning of 2009. Green Star Award certified schools have been given top priority and will be included in this next phase of the program, so look for your mixed paper dumpster in early 2009! Kirn-Leist comes to the District with a background in environmental studies, geology and hydrology. She spent time working in water conservation, managing and coordinating programs within the San Francisco Bay Area in groundwater resources planning and as an environmental consultant. Amy Kirn-Leist can be reached at 348-5151 or kirn-leist_amy@asdk12.org. ================================= There’s a new certification in town and it’s just for the travel and tourism industry. While Green Star’s certification program encompasses all business types, the Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association (AWRTA) recently announced Adventure Green Alaska (AGA), a voluntary certification program solely for tourism businesses operating in Alaska. The certification includes standards of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Businesses may qualify for Gold, Silver, or Bronze Level certification, earning the right to use the AGA label and participate in AGA promotional activities. “We are excited to announce the first tourism certification program in Alaska,” said Kent John, AWRTA’s President and owner of the Great Alaska Adventure Lodge in Sterling, Alaska. “This program will help promote businesses that are using green practices and encourage other businesses to do the same.” Ginny Fay, an economist and former Alaska State Tourism Director, said that tourism is becoming one of the world’s largest industries and Alaska is in a unique position to take advantage of this trend. “In other tourism destinations, community and business leaders have encouraged sustainable forms of tourism that minimize impacts on natural areas, respect indigenous peoples, and benefit local economies. These destinations are experiencing robust economic development,” said Fay. “Our goal is to attract travelers to sustainable businesses and provide an economic incentive for other businesses to improve their operations,” said John. “Adventure Green Alaska is good for the environment, good for communities in Alaska, and good for our bottom line.” Adventure Green Alaska, the first certification program of its kind in Alaska, was developed in partnership with tourism business owners, industry consultants, and conservation group representatives. AGA is now accepting applications, which can be accessed online at www.awrta.org. Businesses submitting applications by December 1, 2008 will be eligible for certification in January 2009. The Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association is a nonprofit trade association representing over 100 wilderness-dependent businesses and communities. For further information about AWRTA, please visit www.awrta.org. ================================= As a central component of Mayor Mark Begich’s long-term commitment to a more sustainable Anchorage, he recently joined Solid Waste Services (SWS) and other community members to kick off the city’s curbside recycling program. Beginning the last week of September, approximately 3,500 SWS customers will receive trash and recycling roll carts in preparation for new automated collection services, which begin October 6. “The introduction of variable trash rates and curbside recycling in Anchorage is the realization of a long-sought goal for the community,” said Mayor Begich. “We heard the need loud and clear when I first took office, and I am very pleased to be here today as we make this goal a reality.” The first phase of automated collections, covering roughly one-third of the SWS service area, begins in October. The remaining SWS households will receive the services by the end of 2009. “The initial move to automated trash collections was to modernize our vehicle fleet, reduce worker injury and make trash routes more efficient,” said Brian Vanderwood, SWS collection foreman. “The Municipality is seizing the opportunity of automated collections to provide better service for its customers.” Automated collections will include roll carts for trash and recycling. The rate structure is called “Pay-as-You-Throw” (PAYT) with the amount that customers pay being proportionate to their level of trash service. Most customers have chosen either a 48-gallon weekly service ($17.70/month) or 64-gallon weekly service ($24.65/month). All customers also receive every-other-week collection of a 96-gallon recycling cart. Providing a recycling cart as part of the PAYT service allows residents another option to reduce their waste. Acceptable recyclables include mixed paper, newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans, steel cans, #1 PETE plastic bottles and #2 HDPE plastic jugs. Municipality recycling coordinators remind residents that it is important to “Recycle it Right” and only include acceptable materials in their recycling carts to keep program costs down. Customers will be able to change the size of their trash roll cart for free once in during the first six months of service. More information on the program can be found at www.muni.org/sws/automated.cfm. ================================= Excerpted from Anchorage Daily News – 9/17/08
The State's largest garbage company plans to start converting old grease and cooking oil to help fuel its trucks next year. Alaska Waste, which hauls trash for most Anchorage households, announced plans Tuesday to build a 5,000-square-foot biodiesel processing plant in Midtown. It'll get the grease from local restaurants and open by spring, according to the company. The fuel would be blended with traditional diesel to operate the company's fleet of roughly 50 trucks in Anchorage, said Chief Operating Officer Jeff Riley. The company expects to pick up the grease -- think French fry oil -- directly from restaurants. Several businesses, such as McDonald's, Village Inn and New Sagaya, are already on board, according to Alaska Waste. The company plans to put tall containers that look like 200-gallon stainless steel water heaters in the restaurants then periodically pick up the grease. Alaska Waste trucks burn about 5,000 gallons of regular diesel in Anchorage each week, Riley said. The company's goal is to have those trucks get about 20 percent of their fuel from the recycled oil and grease this summer. Certain vehicles may run on 100 percent biodiesel fuel, he said. Biodiesel fuel is made from vegetable or animal fats blended with alcohol and other ingredients. A growing number of Southcentral drivers are converting their own trucks to run on the fuel. Alaska Waste has about 44,000 household customers in Anchorage. So is the town going to smell like French fries with all these trucks running on recycled grease? Riley said he hears that kind of thing all the time, but offered a different anecdote. When another outfit tried a similar project in the Lower 48, they found garbage truck drivers "put on a significant amount of weight" because the smell triggered them to eat more, he said. ================================= Mayor Mark Begich joined leaders from Providence Alaska Medical Center, the University of Alaska Anchorage and other institutions in the University-Medical District on October 1 to designate Anchorage’s first “green” district. A signing news conference took place on October 1 at the Providence Alaska Medical Center. Begich was joined by Providence CEO Al Parrish, UAA Chancellor Fran Ulmer, Alaska Pacific University President Doug North and local legislators and Assembly members, as well as Green Star Executive Director Sean Skaling. The signing institutions pledged to implement sustainable policies and practices in the areas of recycling and waste reduction, transportation, energy efficiency, and toxics reduction. The institutions agreed to share information and strategies for identifying best practices and to work collaboratively with each other and the Municipality to implement new ideas as appropriate. Participating institutions included: University of Alaska Anchorage, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage School District, Southcentral Foundation, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Alaska Psychiatric Institute, and Green Star. ================================= The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) received its Green Star Award certification on July 23, 2008, at AEDC’s annual investor luncheon. The luncheon’s focus was the profit potential of environmentally responsible businesses. AEDC and Green Star are equally committed to encouraging sustainable growth in the business community. Environmentally sound business practices – energy efficiency, waste reduction and pollution prevention – have proven to reduce costs and improve the bottom line for many Anchorage businesses. “We believe that our responsibility to prevent pollution and reduce waste is compatible with successful business objectives,” said AEDC president & CEO Bill Popp. Businesses are also using green leadership to spur innovation, enhance competitiveness, and boost profits. According to a recent article by Cargill, “Environmental technology is predicted to be the second fastest growing sector in the world after IT over the next twenty years.” By incorporating an environmental statement into its own policies and procedures document and assigning staff members to maintain these aspects of the organization’s operations, AEDC has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability. In addition, AEDC is committed to helping find ways to encourage the growth of renewable energy and green technology in Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska. ================================= ================================= Looking for an outlet for your construction and demolition debris? CEI operates a recycling facility at 311 N. Sitka St., Anchorage. The company recycles concrete, asphalt, ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Contact CEI for drop-off rates. =================================
Stellar Sponsors ($30,000+): Nerland Agency
Platinum Sponsors ($20,000 - $29,000): Municipal Light & Power, Rasmuson Foundation, Total Reclaim, Inc., University of Alaska Anchorage, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Titanium Sponsors ($10,000 - $19,999): BP, ConocoPhillips, GCI
Gold Sponsors ($5,000 - $9,999): Alaska Waste, Anchorage Daily News, Chugach Electric, University Center
Silver Sponsors ($2,500 - $4,999): Anchorage Media Group, Driven Auto Body, Microsoft, Peak Oilfield Services
Bronze Sponsors ($1,000 - $2,499): Best Buy, Mini Brute, Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Princess Tours
Supporting Sponsors ($500 - $999): Anchorage School District, Frames Etc., Lockheed Martin Alaska Office, Lynden Transport
Contributing Sponsors ($250 - $499): Alaska Communications Systems, Kroeker Consulting
Participating Sponsors (up to $250): Alaska Interstate Construction, Alutiiq, LLC, Carolyn Foundation, Choffie's Kitchen, Clear Channel Radio, Coca-Cola Bottling of Alaska/Odom Corporation, Egan Civic & Convention Center, Food Service Warehouse, Great Harvest Bread Company, Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, Pacific Environmental Corporation (PENCO), Peppercini's, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group of Anchorage, USKH, Within the Wild Adventure Lodge ==================================
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