March 6, 2001
For Immediate Release


SPECIAL OLYMPICS RECYCLES IN ANCHORAGE


Recycling is happening at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Alaska. With the help of Green Star, an Anchorage-based nonprofit organization, and a team of dedicated recycling volunteers, spectators and athletes alike are able to put their plastic bottles and aluminum cans into recycling bins located in the sporting venues and at Special Olympics town in the Egan Center. The Olympic villages also are collecting recyclable materials. From behind-the-scenes areas, volunteers are collecting cardboard and mixed paper.

The effort is part of Green Star’s recently developed Green Events program to help special events recycle in Anchorage. It is also a result of the strong environmental ethic of the Special Olympics organizers, who developed their master plan for the Games to include a recycling component.

All the material collected at the venues is transported to the Special Olympics warehouse where a team of volunteers sorts the materials to remove contaminants before it is brought to Anchorage’s Recycling Center (owned and operated by Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company) and shipped out of state for recycling. Both Green Star and the Special Olympics hope to reduce the burden on the Anchorage community by diverting as much material as possible from the waste stream.

Look for recycling bins this week at the six sporting venues from Girdwood to Eagle River, and throughout Anchorage, as well as at the Egan Center and the Olympic villages. This high-profile, international event showcases Anchorage’s public recycling efforts as spectators from around the world witness the City’s environmental commitment to recycling.

Green Star developed the Green Events program during the summer of 2000, with the help of several University of Alaska students, in response to a visible need to enhance public recycling in Anchorage. As a tourist and business destination, Anchorage benefits greatly from an improved environmental image, while event planners and facilities benefit from the increased efficiency and reduced waste disposal that recycling and waste prevention creates.

Since the program’s inception, several events have become certified Green Events, including the Harry Chapin Youth Arts Serve-a-Thon, the Alaska Forum on the Environment, the Alaska Hospitality and Foodservice Expo, the 2001 Tour of Anchorage ski race, the 2001 Iditarod Musher’s Banquet, and now the Special Olympics World Winter Games. So far, almost one ton of recyclables have been collected from the various events, and this number should increase dramatically as the Games continue.

The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is very supportive of the Green Events program and has indicated that it wishes to certify this year’s Mayor’s Marathon and several other events as Green Events. Bonny Sosa of ACVB says that Green Events is a much-needed program that will help Anchorage improve its image with visitors from the Lower 48 who are accustomed to seeing recycling bins at their local events.

Green Star began 10 years ago and currently has close to 400 members. Members work toward achieving one of Green Star’s two awards – a Green Star Award or an Air Quality Award – by meeting a series of standards. As Green Star Awardees, businesses, institutions, government agencies, schools, and other organizations gain recognition for their environmental initiatives. Awardees also benefit from improved business efficiencies by implementing waste reduction and energy conservation measures.

Green Events is just one of Green Star’s programs to assist local businesses and institutions to meet their waste reduction goals. Any type and size of special event can become a Green Event. For more information about the Green Events program or any of Green Star’s Award programs, contact Green Star at (907) 278-7827 (general information) or 278-7839 (Green Events information). Send email to greenstr@alaska.net. Visit Green Star’s web site at www.greenstarinc.org.

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