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Green Star E-News
Green Star E-News Vol. 7, No. 12 December 8, 2006
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Recognizing Alaska organizations committed to environmental responsibility.
In this issue:
* Shining Stars
* Still Don’t Have a Timer?
* Crafters Smackdown – Year Two
* Give a Gift of Green Tags and Get a Free Gift Card
* A Second Life for Christmas Trees
* What To Do with Holiday Packing Materials
* This Month’s Hot Link: Green Gifts
* Thank you 2006 Sponsors
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SHINING STARS
Green Star congratulates Snow City Café for achieving its Green Star Award on November 29. Snow City has incorporated numerous waste prevention and energy efficiency initiatives, including a remodel that replaced overhead T-12 lamps with super-efficient T-5 lamps. Not only do they save money, but they look much better! Visit www.greenstarinc.org/latestawardees.php for details about Snow City’s Green Star activities.
Reminder: The last deadline for submitting your Green Star Achievement Report in 2006 is December 30th. In 2006, nine organizations completed their Green Star Award achievement report. Seven of them received a Green Star Award in 2006 and two more are expected in early 2007:
Providence Alaska Medical Center
HDR, Inc.
Sierra Club – Alaska Chapter
OASIS Environmental
American Lung Association of Alaska
Clarus Technologies, LLC
Snow City Café
City Hall
Royal Celebrity Tours
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STILL DON’T HAVE A TIMER?
In the past month, Green Star has distributed more than 1000 timers for engine block heaters to Anchorage area residents. That’s a lot of energy savings!
Still Need One?
If you missed the timer giveaways and still need a timer, give Green Star a call. While supplies last, we will be offering timers through our office location on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 5pm. Please call ahead to be sure someone is in the office.
Incentives for Businesses
If your business is enrolled in the Air Quality program through Green Star or has already earned an Air Quality award, you may be eligible to receive free timers to distribute to your employees. Contact Jean Marie at 278 7869 or jeanmarie@greenstarinc.org for more information.
Why Use a Timer?
If you plug your vehicle into a timer that is set for just two hours before your morning commute instead of just plugging in when you get home at night, you’ll reduce your energy use. If everyone who received a timer this season set their timer for just two hours instead of plugging in all night long, they would reduce energy consumption by about 75% or 171,000 kwh over the course of one cold month (this November for example!). This would save $17,100. Each individual would save about $17 per month and it would cost only about $5/month on the coldest of months.
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THE CRAFTERS SMACKDOWN – YEAR TWO
In its second year, the Crafters Smackdown, hosted by Green Star Award Winner Beth Sholom’s ReCreation Program, promises to be even bigger and badder than last year! Sign up your team of friends, family, or co-workers to show off your skills or just talk tough to cover up your lack of crafting talent. It’s all for fun! If you do have talent that you’d like to showcase, consider the vendor market, new this year at the event.
Crafters Smackdown: A crafting competition like no other – February 18, 2007. Teams of two to four people compete in on-the-spot challenges using a variety of media. Dress up, talk smack and otherwise act like an idiot while creating great stuff. Team registration is $50 and the deadline is February 1. Call 337-1672 for more information.
Smackdown Vendor Market: A juried showing of local artisans during the fundraising event. Cost is $50 per table for the event, which is from 2 to 7pm, Sunday, February 18, 2007. Deadline for submission is January 15. Space is very limited, so submit your work early! Please send photos of your work to tarakarnes@hotmail.com. Preference will be given to artisans who use found objects or recycled materials in their pieces. Call 337-1672 for more information.
The ReCreation Program is an after-school program that transforms used materials into art to heal the soul.
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GIVE A GIFT OF GREEN TAGS AND GET A FREE GIFT CARD
This holiday season give your friends and family a gift that supports clean energy by purchasing a Green Tag! Bonneville Environmental Foundation is a national non-profit organization that reinvests all the net revenues from Green Tags sales to further develop alternative energy such as wind and solar power. Each Green Tag offsets 1,400 pounds of greenhouse gas pollution.
In the holiday spirit, and in partnership with Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), the Bonneville Environmental Foundation is offering a special holiday promotion of free REI gift cards with each Green Tag purchase.
- Each purchase of four Green Tags ($80 or more) includes a free $20 gift card from REI
- Each purchase of six Green Tags ($120 or more) includes a free $40 gift card from REI
Buy Green Tags now at: www.DenaliGreenTags.org
Enter Promotional Code: PartnerHoliday06
All Green Tags are certified as 100% renewable by Green-e®.
The REI gift cards can be redeemed online, by phone, or at any one of REI’s retail stores across the U.S. This special offer ends on December 31. Orders placed after December 14 are not guaranteed to arrive by December 25.*
Thank you for your support of wind and solar energy!
* Limit one REI gift card per order. Free gift cards will be sent to the gift recipient unless otherwise specified in the comments field (or unless order is not a gift purchase).
Questions? Contact Lisa Riehl at lisariehl@b-e-f.org or call 866-BEF-TAGS. For local information about Green Tags, contact the Renewable Alaska Energy Project (REAP) at 745-6000.
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A SECOND LIFE FOR CHRISTMAS TREES
As you purchase and decorate your Christmas tree this year, be sure to think about what you’ll do with it after the holiday. Thanks to Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling (ALPAR), Carrs Supermarkets, and Anchorage’s Solid Waste Services, you can recycle your tree for free. Just bring your bare tree to any Carrs parking lot in Anchorage, Eagle River or Palmer between December 28 and January 15. You’ll see a designated area with signs and barriers. Please remove any ornaments, lights and tree stands before dropping off your tree. No plastic bags or wreaths either.
If you’d like your tree picked up, contact Boy Scout Troop 268 at 868-8899. For a small donation, they’ll come to your house and take your tree for recycling.
The trees are chipped and donated to non-profits, schools and government agencies for use on trails, paths and gardens. Call ALPAR at 274-3266 if you have any questions about Christmas tree recycling.
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WHAT TO DO WITH HOLIDAY PACKING MATERIALS
In Alaska, the holidays mean boxes shipped in and out and around the State as far away families send each other gifts. With each gift usually comes packing material. What can you do with all that material?
Cardboard boxes – Reuse boxes to ship other gifts or items out again. Be sure to mark over all the old addresses and information and retape the seams. Or recycle the boxes at the Anchorage Recycling Center or landfill recycling drop-0ff area. Be sure to flatten your boxes when you recycle to be sure there’s enough room in the bins for everyone’s boxes.
Plastic “pillows” and bubble wrap – Both of these cushioning materials can be recycled with plastic bags and film at the Anchorage Recycling Center. Just puncture the pillows to release the air to save space. No need to pop all the bubbles (unless you really want to!!).
Brown kraft paper – Crumpled brown paper is a more environmentally friendly packing material. If it’s not too crumpled, smooth it out and let the kids at it with a box of crayons. Then it should be recycled with corrugated cardboard.
Other paper – Any other papers can be recycled with mixed paper. Newspaper can be recycled separately in the newspaper bin. The separated newspaper supports Thermo-Kool of Alaska, a local business that uses newspaper to make several new products in Anchorage. Tissue papers are typically low-quality papers and should be put in recycling only in small quantities if at all.
Packing peanuts – Expanded polystyrene packing peanuts may be the most unwelcome item you find when you open your gifts and packages. It sometimes takes several people working together to pour them out into a large plastic bag, especially on dry days when static cling takes over. Take your clean packing peanuts to any of the UPS Stores in the area, the Packaging Store on W. International Airport Rd., or The Mail Cache on Arctic Blvd. Check the Alaska Materials Exchange for requests as well. (www.greenstarinc.org/ameindex.php)
On some cardboard boxes you may find a message that says "Call for packing peanuts recycling: 1-800-828-2214." A recorded message will tell you where to recycle peanuts in your area. When we tried, we got a message that told us of three locations in Anchorage and Eagle River, without our having to enter a zip code or any other information.
Foam blocks – These are the big, formed pieces that typically come with computers and other electronics. Call 800-944-8448 for information about expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling availability. Upon calling and visiting a web site – www.epspackaging.org – we learned that we can mail EPS to Maryland! This may not be the most efficient way to deal with foam waste so we will report back if we learn more.
Foam coolers and ice packs – Often you’ll receive perishable items packed in foam coolers and cooled with ice packs. All of these are reusable! The coolers make great portable containers for giving your neighbor some of your summer salmon catch or fall moose meat. The ice packs can be laid flat in your garage freezer for use in these deliveries and since it’s all free stuff, you don’t have to worry about getting the coolers back. Just ask your neighbor to reuse it all too.
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THIS MONTH’S HOT LINK: GREEN GIFTS
Visit these links for ideas for green giving this year. You’ll find gifts that are recycled, recyclable, organic, fair trade, reusable, unbleached, biodynamic, socially responsible, low impact, non-toxic, and many other positive attributes!
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greengifts
http://www.gogreengift.com
http://store.gxonlinestore.org
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THANK YOU 2006 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 2006 sponsors!
Platinum ($10,000+): Anchorage Media Group, BP, ConocoPhillips Alaska, FedEx Express, Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health & Human Services, Municipality of Anchorage Office of Economic & Community Development, Rasmuson Foundation, Totem Ocean Trailer Express
Gold ($5,000-$9,999): Anchorage Daily News, Carlile Transportation Systems, GCI, Horizon Lines of Alaska, KTUU – Channel 2, Total Reclaim, Inc., Weaver Brothers
Silver ($2,500-$4,999): Lynden Transport
Bronze ($1,000-$2,499): Adobe, Arcticom, Cellular One, Frames Etc., Graphic Solutions, Independent Lift Truck of Alaska, Petroleum News, REI, Teamsters Local 959, Thompson & Associates
Green ($500-$999): ACS, Alaska Printing, Alaska Waste, Alyeska Pipeline Services, American Credit Card Systems, Anchorage School District, Costco-Debarr Rd., Delta Cargo/Arctic Circle Air, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, Municipal Light & Power, Polar Supply Inc., Warning Lites of Alaska
Supporter ($250-$499): Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility, ARAMARK, Clear Channel Radio, Coca-Cola Bottling of Alaska, Corporate Express Alaska, Dick Wilson, Great Harvest Bread Company, Humphrey Computer Graphics, KSKA, Mettler-Toledo Northwest, Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Group, Salvation Army, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company, Syntax, TATI Broadcast, Terra Bella Organic Coffee, University of Alaska Anchorage
Contributor (up to $250): Alaska Bagel Restaurant, Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Energy Savers, Alaska Mill Feed & Garden Center, Alaska Mountain Bike Source, Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking, American Fast Freight, Anchorage Guest House, Anchorage Publishing, APIA, Bear Tooth Theater Pub & Grill, Blockbuster Video, Bus11 Design, Carrs-Safeway, Chugiak Dog Mushers Association, Chugach Electric, Dark Horse Coffee, From the Far Corners Photography, Girdwood Ski & Cyclery, Glacier Brewhouse/ORSO Ristorante, Great Harvest Bread Company, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream, Iditarod Trail Committee, Kathy Sarns/Free Spirit, Middleway Café, Mini-Brute, Municipality of Anchorage Maintenance & Operations Department, NorthWest Handling Systems, Partusch Plumbing & Heating, Princess Tours, Sack’s Café, Skinny Raven Sports, Snow City Café, Spenard Builders Supply, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Tesoro Iron Dog, Title Wave Books
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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 Guzzetti, Member Relations Coordinator
Tara Callear, Office Manager/Program Assistant
Jessica Strolle, Intern
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Additional Links:
Green Star Award
Green Events
Green Star Schools
Site Assessments
Electronics Recycling
AK Materials Exchange
AME Listings
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