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Green Star E-News
* Shining Stars ================================== Congratulations for earning Green Star Award certification. Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau
Welcome to our new members. MACTEC Engineering & Consulting, Inc. Green Star says farewell and good luck to two of its own. Tara Callear is moving to Fairbanks after more than three years supporting Green Star’s mission. Tara has created strong marketing, communications and branding plans for Green Star. She headed up our recent pro bono project with the Nerland Agency among the other numerous vital tasks she performed and projects she led at Green Star. Anna Hilbruner will finish her work researching waste prevention and energy saving opportunities for the hospitality industry, leaving Green Star with a wealth of success-story information and technical resources as she returns to the Alaska Building Science Network in the new year. =================================
Outdoor Lighting Conference – December 3 & 4, Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center. As part of an ongoing initiative to upgrade all of Anchorage’s outdoor lighting with energy-efficient LED technology, the City will host the second outdoor lighting mock-up and conference Wednesday and Thursday at the Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center. Last March, the first lighting conference paved the way for residential street light retrofits, which are now being installed. This week’s conference will focus on specifications for higher-speed roadways and will also test dimming control systems. Anchorage will welcome dozens of professionals from cites, manufacturers, and utilities around the country to participate in the testing and discussion of glare reduction, advantages of white light, dimming and energy savings. One hundred participants are needed to tour the lighting display and register opinions Thursday evening. If you would like to participate, contact Michael Barber at BarberM@muni.org.
Outdoor Lighting Survey – Thursday, December 4. The Mayor’s office invites you to attend a very important lighting event the evening of December 4th, 2008. Your input and participation will directly influence the future of outdoor lighting in Anchorage, and perhaps the country at large. National lighting experts will be guiding local residents through a controlled study to evaluate sample roadway lighting installations. In your email RSVP please provide: Green Star Award Certification Quarterly Application Deadline – Wednesday, December 31 - Submit your business’ achievement report (visit www.greenstarinc.org/GSaward.php for a copy) electronically to info@greenstarinc.org or mail to Green Star, 880 H Street, Suit 106, Anchorage, AK 99501. Get certified and reap the benefits! www.greenstarinc.org/memberbenefits.php Don’t Forget to Plug @ 20º -- When the temperature drops below 20ºF, be sure to plug in your car or truck for at least two to three hours before driving it to help reduce air pollution as well as engine wear. ================================= Energy efficiency -- it’s been a popular topic in the news lately, with in-depth stories featuring local organizations and personalities. KTUU recently ran a series of segments featuring Anchorage School Superintendent Carol Comeau and her husband implementing energy-saving initiatives in their home with the help of Deborah Williams, director of Alaska Conservation Solutions; energy consultant Andy Baker; and energy rater Phil Kaluza. The first two parts of the series explore Comeau’s lighting, heating, and building envelope, demonstrating where improvements could be made and walking through the steps to make the changes. A follow-up segment will document the true savings achieved once the utility bills come in. Cutting Your Carbon Footprint, Part 1, text and video Cutting Your Carbon Footprint, Part 2, text and video KTUU also set out to debunk some common energy myths, with the help of Green Star and The Home Depot, in a segment that applies as much to businesses as to residential energy use. Check out the link below to learn the real story behind these myths. Myth #1: "When my computers and electronics are turned off, they're not using any energy, right?" Myth #2: "If I crank up my thermostat when I get home, my home will heat faster, right?" Myth #3: "Those compact fluorescent light bulbs take a long time to warm up, right?" Myth #4: “It takes more energy to repeatedly power on and off lights and electronics than simply leaving them on, right?” Energy Myths Debunked, text and video =================================
Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the holiday season. And trash generation isn’t just happening at home. Gift exchanges, potlucks and other holiday activities are generating additional waste in our workplaces too. Here are a few holiday ideas for your workplace that will help keep your waste stream under control. Holiday Parties and Potlucks Cut the Portions -- When planning a holiday party for the workplace, be sure to consider how many people will really be participating, and what types of foods and beverages will be popular but also can be “recycled” if not eaten.
Donate Leftovers – If there are leftovers that are still usable, and coworkers have already taken their share for later, contact Bean’s Café about dropping off the items for use. Serve Sustainably -- Even if your office typically uses reusable dishes and mugs for daily office lunch and coffee breaks, office parties tend to be that exception when the foam plates and plastic cups come out. Keep up your green leanings by using bioware for these events if you just don’t have enough reusable dishware to go around. Several companies in Anchorage sell biodegradeable/compostable plates, bowls, cups and even cutlery made from renewable products like potato starch and sugar cane wastes. Even if these items can’t be composted in the end, you’ll be supporting the use of renewable resources and reducing your carbon footprint. -- Corporate Express’ Ecoffice Source catalog www.EcofficeSource.com -- Greenware Alaska www.greenwarealaska.com -- Loopy Lupine Distribution www.loopylupine.com Office Gift Exchanges Give the Gift of an Experience – Skip the junk, the gag gifts, the Christmas candle or ornament. Give gift cards for the climbing gym, a restaurant, a day of skiing, a spa visit and other experiences that can be enjoyed without clutter and gift wrap. Bake, Don’t Buy – Homemade goodies are always appreciated and enjoyed. Who doesn’t wait all year for Christmas cookies? Get your Co-worker a Goat – Did you pull a name for an office gift exchange and have no idea what to get? Consider buying a farm animal in their name from Heifer International. Animal gifts, including llama, water buffalo, ducks, cows, sheep, chickens and more, help families in developing countries become self-reliant, raising their own food and earning their own money. http://www.heifer.org Collect for a Local Charity – Choose a charity, such as the Food Bank or AWAIC, or ask about a needy family, and collect items for them. Non-perishable food items and household goods are especially needed during the holidays. In the article below you’ll find a list of charitable organizations that may benefit from your holiday giving. ================================= This new holiday trend is a fun way to bypass the annual stress of holiday shopping and "stuff" accumulation while honoring friends and relatives with donations to causes that fit their values. What's more, Alternative Gift Fairs provide critical support for a diverse collection of local, national and international organizations with established track records of helping people and the environment. In Anchorage, join 30 local nonprofit organizations on December 7 for the first annual Mitzvah Mall, an alternative gift fair, offering holiday shoppers a chance to give gifts to family and friends and also support charities and non-profit organizations. Mitzvah means good deed in Hebrew. Sunday, Dec 7th, from 1-4pm at Congregation Beth Sholom, 7527 E. Northern Lights Blvd, just west of Carrs Muldoon “Gifts” are in various price ranges beginning at $5 up to $50-$100. Shoppers receive decorative “gift cards” to present to the person in whose honor the gift was purchased. Some of the participating organizations: Alaska Native Heritage Center Alaska Youth for Environmental Action American Diabetes Association Anchorage Waterways Council Anchorage Urban League The Arc of Anchorage Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis-AWAIC Bean’s Café The Children’s Lunchbox Covenant House Alaska First Book Anchorage Food Bank of Alaska Friends of the Library Girls Scouts Susitna Council Helping and for Nepal Hospice of Anchorage Kids’ Corps, Inc. Mabel T. Caverly Sr. Center Make-A-Wish Foundation Malawi Children’s Village March of Dimes Alaska Chapter My Stuff Bags Foundation VSA Arts of Alaska Out North Planned Parenthood of Alaska Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) YWCA Anchorage =================================
Alaska Conservation Solutions has unveiled significant improvements to Alaska’s premier climate change website, www.alasakaconservationsolutions.com. The updated site now features an expanded Alaska Carbon Calculator, a community-specific Alaska Carbon Reducer, and information in both English and Yup’ik.
“The new website more comprehensively serves the unique needs and demographics of Alaskan communities, both urban and rural,” said Deborah Williams, President of Alaska Conservation Solutions. “It provides a quick, free and easy way for all Alaskans to calculate and then to minimize their individual carbon footprints, and at the same time save significant amounts on their energy bills.” The Alaska Carbon Calculator has been expanded to serve residents using a wide variety of energy sources, including propane and wood. Once users determine the amount of carbon dioxide generated by their daily activities, they can then use the Alaska Carbon Reducer to learn dozens of simple, straightforward reduction strategies. By decreasing carbon emissions residents save both money and energy, and also help safeguard the Alaskan way of life. The revised Alaska Conservation Solutions site provides local contacts and links to emission-reducing resources in 18 communities across the state: Anchorage, Barrow, Bethel, Dillingham, Fairbanks, Fort Yukon, Galena, Kenai Peninsula, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak Island, Kotzebue, Mat-Su Valley, McGrath, Nome, St. Mary’s and Sitka. Ideas for reducing emissions include recycling, using compact fluorescent lamps, unplugging unused appliances, turning down thermostats and reducing gasoline-based vehicle use. The site also features information about small-scale renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, and micro-hydro systems for Alaska. The main mission of Alaska Conservation Solutions is to educate residents about both the causes of, and the solutions to, climate change. Williams notes, “Since Alaska is ground zero for global warming in our nation, we have a strong incentive to understand climate change and to do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The improved Alaska Carbon Calculator and the Alaska Carbon Reducer are very valuable new tools for our State.”
================================= You may wonder what changes Elmendorf Air Force Base is making during the current economic crisis to reduce energy use and save money. Major projects for Elmendorf involve the replacement of lighting in many of the base buildings buildings. Lighting systems are responsible for about 35 percent of the electricity costs in a typical commercial building and 10 percent in industrial settings. On a base this size with hangars, maintenance buildings, and aged lighting systems, it’s not hard to imagine how important these projects are. Not only will they save the Air Force money, they will create a more comfortable working environment. “When it comes right down to it, people don’t like working in uncomfortable conditions. For example, in rooms that are too hot or too cold or poorly lit,” said Francis Sheridan, Resource Efficiency Manager for Elmendorf. “People want to be comfortable in their work environment. How do you put a price on that?” Elmendorf has already kicked off this lighting project by replacing a large number of T12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with newer, more efficient T8 lamps and electronic ballasts. Up to 35 percent can be saved in energy costs by using the T8 lighting system. T8s offer longer equipment life, thereby reducing both maintenance and disposal costs. T8 lamps can last up to seven years in a typical office application when matched with the correct ballast. There also are a few comfort benefits the T8s offer. “They operate on a quieter level and eliminate that hum often associated with the old T12 lighting systems,” said Mr. Sheridan. Electronic ballasts drive fluorescent lamps at 20 kilohertz (kHz), a frequency well beyond the visible range of flicker to the human eye. This significantly reduces eye strain in the work place. These ballasts also generate less heat, which reduces cooling loads, and they consume fewer watts than magnetic ballasts. One more benefit of the T8 lamp is the improved Color Rendering Index, which is a measure of how well the light reflects color. This helps us to understand the importance of changing the lighting in our hangars and maintenance buildings on Elmendorf. “Maintainers and mechanics often work with small wires of a different color variety. The new lighting systems will make their job easier by allowing them to better differentiate among the various colors,” Mr. Sheridan said. Both high-bay and office lighting have already been replaced in more than a half dozen buildings, with several more to begin soon. These projects are estimated to save the Air Force $254,913 annually. Lighting retrofit proposals for another dozen large facilities have been submitted for FY 2009 funding. ================================= What is the one thing we all doing in common this holiday season? Travelling most likely. Without going through an entire carbon calculator, this travel calculator allows you to green your travel for a particular trip or event. Purchase Carbon Offsets to support renewable energy development in Alaska and offset the negative impact of your travel, whether by car or by plane. ================================= 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!
Stellar Sponsors ($30,000+): Nerland Agency
Platinum Sponsors ($20,000 - $29,000): ConocoPhillips, GCI
Titanium Sponsors ($10,000 - $19,999): BP, Total Reclaim, Inc.
Gold Sponsors ($5,000 - $9,999): Alaska Waste, Anchorage Daily News
Silver Sponsors ($2,500 - $4,999): Arctic Wire Rope & Supply, Driven Auto Body, Humphrey Computer Graphics
Bronze Sponsors ($1,000 - $2,499): ABR, Inc., ALPAR, CarQuest Automotive Finishing, Frames Etc., Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center, PPG Paints, Princess Tours, Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company
Supporting Sponsors ($500 - $999): Lynden Transport
Contributing Sponsors ($250 - $499): AMC Engineers, Capitol Glass Northerm Windows, Indigo Home Furnishings
Participating Sponsors (up to $249): Alaska Railroad Corporation, Sadie Cove, Yukon Equipment ================================== 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!
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