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Green Star E-News
* Shining Stars ================================== Congratulations to our newest Green Star Award certified businesses! Welcome to our new May enrollees!
Thank you to our newest sponsor: Green Events in June =================================
**NEW DATE** Support Anchorage’s Recycling Plan – Tuesday, June 10, 6pm. The Assembly will address the ordinance that provides community-wide recycling programs for Anchorage. To learn more about the plan, visit www.muni.org/sws/recycling.cfm. Non-profit Day at Total Reclaim – Wednesday, June 4, 10am – 4pm, 12101 Industry Way, Unit C4. Qualifying non-profit organizations are invited to recycle their waste electronics for just 10 cents per pound, rather than the full price of 35 cents per pound, thanks to a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation. For more information about the reimbursement program, visit www.greenstarinc.org/electronicsrecycling2008.php. Green Star Day at Total Reclaim – Wednesday, June 11, 10am – 4pm, 12101 Industry Way, Unit C4. Green Star Award certified businesses and organizations are invited to recycle their electronics waste at Total Reclaim on this day for just 25 cents per pound -- a discount of 10 cents per pound off the standard 35 cent per pound fee. This is an additional discount of 5 cents over the standard 5 cents per pound discount that Green Star Award certified businesses already receive. Enjoy free food, learn about recycling all types of materials, and see Total Reclaim receive its Green Star Award! Visit www.greenstarinc.org/awardees.php for a list of current Green Star Awardees eligible for the discount. Total Reclaim’s Household Electronics Recycling – Saturday, June 14, 10am – 3pm, Service High School, 5577 Abbott Road. Bring your household electronics, including computers, printers, TVs, stereos and much more, for recycling. A small fee per item will be charged. The Total Reclaim warehouse in the Huffman Business Park also will be open during the hours of this event, so you have two places to take electronics on Saturday. Visit www.greenstarinc.org/electronicsrecycling2008.php for fees, locations and other details. ================================= Green Star members have already started to see a new name and face at Green Star. Andrew Cutting, Green Star’s new Member Relations Coordinator, came on board in mid-May and will soon be getting to know each of Green Star’s member organizations. Andrew comes to Green Star with a strong background in communications and business outreach. He previously was Outreach Coordinator at REI and a Project Coordinator at RurAL CAP. The Green Star staff is excited to have Andrew on the team. His experience and enthusiasm will help Green Star to achieve its mission. Anna Sorensen also recently joined Green Star as an intern. After a stint as a legislative aid, she will be working with Green Star this summer on several environmentally preferable purchasing research projects that will help Green Star businesses to identify and purchase environmentally preferable paper and cleaning products. Andrew’s contact information is Andrew@greenstarinc.org or 278-7869. Anna will begin work in the Green Star office in July. Anna’s contact information will be coming soon. ================================= There are several new developments this summer in the area of organics recycling. Yard Waste & Horse Manure This site is open Monday through Saturday, 8am – 6pm. Rates for yard waste are $20/pick-up load or $25/yard for larger trucks or containers. Horse manure is accepted for $30/yard. Call Evergreen at 344-2588 for more details.
Wood Waste
The Girdwood Wood Lot is open on Saturdays from 9am to 6pm, through August 30th. The site is located at the Industrial Park on Ruane Road (en route to the transfer station). You must sign in with the attendant. Maximum size of material: 6 ft in length, 8 inches in diameter. The Eagle River Wood Lot, at the Anchorage Regional Landfill, is open Fridays and Saturdays through August 30th from 8am to 5pm. Also, when bringing woody material to ARL, you must deliver this load separately from any trash, otherwise SWS will charge you per ton. You must sign in with the attendant. Maximum length is 6 feet, no diameter limit. The Anchorage Wood Lot is operated by the Anchorage Soil & Water Conservation District. It is open 7 days a week, from 9am to 7pm through the summer. It is located at the corner of 100th Avenue and C Street, just south of Dimond Blvd. The charge is $8 per pick up load or $6 per yard. Firewood and landscape mulch are available for free. The District phone number is 677-7645. For a discussion about the new fees at this location, visit the Recycle Blog at www.adn.com/recycleblog. Other Ideas ================================= Dark Horse Coffee has always tried to be eco-friendly, by recycling and using ceramic cups, for nearly ten years. Recycling bins on the front porch are a familiar site to anyone who frequents Dark Horse. Now Dark Horse has taken the next step by switching all paper and plastic cups to 100% compostable Eco Hot cups and Corn plastic cups. The Eco Cup is a hot cup made of paper but unlike other hot cups, Eco Hot Cups are inner-lined with PLA, a compostable plastic derived from corn. Dark Horse also uses cold drink cups made from PLA plastic derived from corn. Corn plastic products look and feel just like regular plastic. But unlike regular plastic cups that are made from petroleum, they are much more sustainable and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. The next time you're in Dark Horse, you may have to take a look at the bottom of your cup (carefully) for the PLA or Eco Cup symbol/logo to realize you're looking at a compostable product. To be biodegradable, an item must break down to elements found in nature, however there is no time frame in which this may happen, it could be 30 days, 100 years, even 1000 years. To be certified compostable, an item must disintegrate within 30-45 days in commercial composting conditions. Composting may take longer in a home composting bin. Most landfills are not designed to allow biodegrading of their contents but PLA will react in landfills like other organic waste such as food. Dark Horse Coffee has also made spent coffee grounds and tea leaves available for home composts or gardens. They have made them easily accessible so you can take as much or as little as you want. =================================
Green Star is co-hosting a training on June 26th on spray-painting techniques with the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC), Driven Auto Body, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is a certificate training that will keep painters in compliance with the newly tightened “area source” regulations affecting auto body paint shops. The instructor, Ken Grimm, is a former auto body painter who has worked at PPRC for the past decade, consulting with industries on effective methods of preventing waste and increasing quality in manufacturing processes. This training focuses on improving the overall efficiency of manual spray coating operations by enhancing the techniques of painters. Improving spray efficiency can keep your business in compliance with the recently changed air quality regulations, ensures a better finish, and saves up to $4,200 per year per employee. When: Thursday, June 26, 10am – 1pm Where: Driven Auto Body, 5011 Spenard Road, Bldg C Who: Auto body painters and anyone else who uses commercial spray paint techniques Cost: $25 for Green Star member organizations; $50 for non-members How: Register online for this free training at www.greenstarinc.org or call 278-7869. Class size is limited so register now!
The training will provide current technology information and the opportunity to practice recommended methods in a typical spray booth setting. Even the most experienced painters have been shown to improve their efficiency by more than 25% through increased attention to advance application techniques. For more information about the training, visit www.pprc.org/star. =================================
As the summer visitor season gets underway, hotels and tour companies are gearing up to meet the demands of the public. One such demand that is becoming more common is the demand for “green” and “eco-friendly” products and services. Hotels and tour companies can meet the needs of the public by becoming Green Star certified. By meeting ten standards, businesses can take advantage of the positive publicity associated with Green Star Award certification. Green Star is focusing on the Hospitality, Travel and Tourism sector during 2008 so this is the perfect time to get involved. Well, maybe not! We know summer is your busiest time, so we’ll be here to work with you in the fall when things die down a bit. Other things you can do: 1) Purchase Denali Green Tags to offset carbon emissions. Visit http://www.greentagsusa.org/greentags/denali.cfm and clink on “I Toured Green” to learn about the Denali Green Tags’ Tour Green program, specifically designed for offsetting the carbon dioxide emissions from tourism activities and their related travel in Alaska. 2) Become an Energy Star partner for Hospitality. Visit http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=hospitality.bus_hospitality for resources specifically for the hospitality industry, including products, services, and tracking programs. 3) Get Green Seal certified. Visit http://www.greenseal.org/programs/lodging.cfm for information about this national third-party certification program that provides resources, success stories, and specific certification criteria for the lodging industry. =================================
Anchorage’s infamous status as one of the largest cities in the country without curbside recycling may soon be a thing of the past. The city is moving ahead with new curbside recycling opportunities appearing almost daily. These services are available to any residence or small business that has “can or bag” collection service (not dumpster service). Alaska Waste has been building its subscription curbside program, which now includes much of Anchorage west of C Street and south of the Park Strip. This subscription service costs $6/month and allows residents to put all recyclable materials, except glass, into one 96-gallon recycling cart, which is provided by Alaska Waste. Visit www.alaskawaste.net for a map and more details about the program.
Solid Waste Services, the Municipality-operated collection service will roll out recycling in about one-third of its service area in the fall. The rest of SWS’ collection area will get curbside service within the next year and a half. Curbside recycling will be available for all current can/bag customers (not dumpster customers) and it will involve an integrated trash and recycling service. Customers will choose the size of trash cart they think will fit their needs, paying based on the size. Along with the trash service, they will get a 96-gallon recycling cart. Based on this pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) system, customers can reduce their trash bill by recycling as much as possible. For more information about the SWS recycling program, visit www.muni.org/sws/recycling.cfm. If you are not in an area that is currently receiving curbside recycling service, there are several other recycling companies and services that can provide recycling pick-up for a variety of materials. Several of these companies provide service to both residential and commercial customers. Contact each for details about prices and services.
For larger business, Alaska Waste and McDonald Waste both offer recycling dumpster service for mixed paper and corrugated cardboard. ================================= Learn more about biodegradable tableware that’s available in Alaska. Loopy Lupine Distribution LLC sells recycled, unbleached, chlorine free, biodegradable, and environmentally responsible products. Located in Homer, Loopy Lupine also serves Kenai, Soldotna, Ninilchik, and Anchor Point. The company ships to customers in other Alaskan locations, such as Anchorage and Fairbanks, on a pallet order basis. Shipping is included for large orders. Loopy Lupine specializes in products for food service, such as coffee cups and lids, napkins, cutlery, and to go containers. The company also carries a wide array of products for janitorial use, office, institution, and home. A large inventory is kept in stock. ================================= 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 2008 sponsors!
Platinum ($10,000+): BP, ConocoPhillips, GCI, Municipal Light & Power, Rasmuson Foundation, University of Alaska Anchorage, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gold ($5,000-$9,999): Anchorage Daily News, University Center Silver ($2,500-$4,999): Chugach Electric, Microsoft, Total Reclaim, Inc.
Bronze ($1,000-$2,499): Anchorage Media Group, Best Buy, Mini-Brute, Peak Oilfield Services, Princess Tours Green ($500-$999): Anchorage School District, Dan Miller Graphics, Frames Etc. Supporter ($250-$499): Alaska Communication Systems, Lynden Transport Contributor (up to $250): Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Interstate Construction, Alutiiq, Inc., Carolyn Foundation, Choffie’s Kitchen, Chugach Electric, Clear Channel Radio, Egan Civic & Convention Center, Food Service Warehouse, Free Spirit Wear, Great Harvest Bread Company, Kroeker Consulting, Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria, Odom Corporation, Pacific Environmental Corporation (PENCO), Peppercini’s, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, USKH, Within the Wild Adventure Lodge ==================================
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