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Thank You to our Sponsors
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Visit Our Sponsor List
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This Month's Hot Link
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Green Alaska Solutions
Green Alaska
Solutions™ provides biodegradable and compostable
disposable products to food service establishments
and the general public.
Sign up for the newsletter to keep up with the latest bioware news.
Get a 10% discount on products if you're a Green Star Member.
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Green Star Staff
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Kim Kovol
Executive Director
Lilly Capell
Technical Assistance
Coordinator
Megan Pool
Membership
Coordinator
Jeanne Carlson
Outreach
Contractor
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SHINING STARS
Congratulations to our newest
Award-certified organizations:
Come out to support recent Award-certified organizations as they receive their awards:
- Lewis & Lewis Computer Store - Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make It Monday" presentation scheduled for February 8
- ERM - Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make It Monday" presentation scheduled for March 1
- Rural Energy Enterprises - Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make It Monday" presentation scheduled for April 12
Green Star's web site has a new look!helpful resources for your workplace, including recycling information, energy efficiency tips and calculators and specific assistance for several industry sectors. The site is still under construction so let us know what's missing.
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EVENTS & REMINDERS
Alaska Forum on the Environment - Feb ruary 8-12
AFE will be held this year at Anchorage's Dena'ina Convention Center. AFE is offering more than 80 technical breakout sessions and four sensational Keynote Events. The event offers a comprehensive series of sessions on climate change, energy, environmental regulations, cleanup and remediation, fish & wildlife, solid waste, and special programs for Alaskan youth. Plan to attend for one day, several days or all week. Visit the Alaska Forum on the Environment web site for details about sessions, speakers, fees and registration. And don't forget to visit Green Star in the Exhibitor Area!
Member Mixer Event - February 23
Who: Green Star members (new, old, prospective), member benefit partners, staff and board members
What: Member Mixer
When: Tuesday, February 23, 3-5 pm
Where: Midnight Sun Brewing Co., 8111 Dimond Hook Drive
Why: To network, introduce new and prospective members to Green Star's programs and to other members. Free food from Midnight Sun's new restaurant The Loft and free soft drinks as well as lots of great beers on tap to try (no host). We will have giveaways, the opportunity to join Green Star, and presentations of recent award certifications.
Winter Bike Festival - March 6 
Join the Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage on March 6, 6:30-9:30pm, at the BP Energy Center, for a Winter Bike Festival. Events will include a sh owing of the locally produced and award-winning movie "Fat Bike," a presentation by Roger Cowles about his trips to Nome via six-wheeled bike, and a contest for the Most Visible Cyclist. We want to see the best you can do with bright clothing, lights, and reflective materials. Get creative! The winner will receive prizes from local bike shops and luck audience members will receive door prizes. Suggested donation for the Winter Bike Festival is $5 - $10.
Pick.Click.Give.
When you go  online to file for your 2010 PFD
you will see an
option to "Pick.Click.Give." Just follow the instructions to make a
new donation, or an additional gift. At the same time, please take the
extra step after you make your donation to provide your contact
information. We want to recognize your generous support and this is
the only way we will know who donated to us. You can find more
information about the program at Pick.Click.Give.
Recycling & Renewable Rap BLOG
Don't forget that you have a daily online recycling resorce at the Anchorage Daily News. Visit the Recycling Blog to see what's happening in the recycling world or to ask questions.
Cascadia Region Green Building Council's "Living Future" - May 5-7
This event is coming to Seattle on May 5-7, 2010. Group rates are available for firms wanting to send  multiple employees. Get conference content and pricing info. Last year the conference sold out!
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MEMBERSHIP CORNER
Green Star Award Logo Decals
Awardees, are you displaying your Green Star Award Logo publicly? Have you lost your
Green Star Award logo decals? Let us know and we will deliver them to you asap. Email
megan@greenstarinc.org.
Membership Dues
We are still
collecting dues for 2010 Membership. Thank you to those who have paid
already! If you have not received your invoice yet, please contact megan@greenstarinc.org. We can set up a payment plan for your
business or organization if need be. The deadline for paying the 2010
Membership dues is March 31st, 2010.
You can make your payments online or make a
credit card payment over the phone.
Recertification Reminder
Awardees, please fill out and return your recertification form that was emailed
along with your dues invoice. If you have recertification questions please
email lilly@greenstarinc.org. Thank
you to all who have already returned recertification forms!
Site Assessments
If you are
enrolled in the Green Star program but have not had a site assessment, let us
know. Green Star site assessments can help you reduce your waste and increase
your efficiency. During a site assessment, we take a look at waste generation,
disposal habits, energy use, and hazardous materials management. Plus, we enjoy getting to know our members!
Call us at 278-7839. We are ready to schedule your site assessment today.
Member Mixer Event
Hooray we
have scheduled our first member event of the year! Join us on Tuesday, February 23,
from 3 to 5 pm at the new Midnight Sun Brewery Co. location (8111 Dimond Hook Dr.). Thank you Midnight
Sun Brewing Co. for donating space. There will be food and soft drinks provided
from The Loft and, of course, a healthy array of fresh brews from the Midnight
Sun bar (no-host). This event is designed to encourage Green Star members (new,
and old, enrollees and awardees) to network and get to know one another. Any prospective members are also invited to
this event! We will have some fun give-a-ways. Please RSVP to megan@greenstarinc.org. We hope to see
everybody there!
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AIR QUALITY INFORMATION...NOW!
 Air quality data is now available real-time through the web. The new monitoring and reporting system, called the Alaska Air Monitoring Network updates the Air Quality Index and pollution concentrations each hour for monitoring sites in
Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, Palmer and Juneau. The new data
reporting system will be particularly helpful in the event of volcanic
activity, wildfires and high winds when pollution levels can vary
dramatically from hour-to-hour.
A federal pass-through grant to the Municipal Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS) funded monitoring equipment, shelters and
software to make this reporting possible. DHHS invited the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) to join the system and
include monitoring stations outside of Anchorage. DHHS and ADEC hope
to eventually extend the system state-wide. A monitoring station in
Soldotna is planned to be added soon.
The web site is currently in a trial phase. DHHS is requesting
Anchorage citizens to explore the Network site and provide feedback to
air quality staff. A link to "Contact Us" at the bottom of the page
can be used to ask questions or provide observations to improve
functionality.
The Network does not forecast a daily AQI for Anchorage -- this
information is still available each weekday by recorded message at
343-4899. DHHS staff can be reached at 343-4200.
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TIMER EVENT A GREAT SUCCESS
Thank
you to the 500+ Anchorage residents who
picked up engine block heater timers at the distribution event on
January 9th. Residents were lined up an hour before distribution
began, and timers were out of stock in less than three hours. So far
this winter there have been 73 days that dipped to 20F or below.
Keeping Anchorage's air cleaner will require less energy and be more
convenient with the addition of over 500 new timers.
Anne Schlapia, MOA DHHS, demonstrates setting a timer.
Green Star
volunteers demonstrated how to use the timers and set them for
recipients' commuting schedules. We appreciate the use of University
Center's beautiful facility, and our friends at REAP, ALPAR and the
Municipal Share-A-Ride Program for coming out and supporting us. Thank
you to our volunteers from Total Reclaim, MACTEC, ASRC Energy Services,
Denali Park Resorts, Alaska Community Action on Toxics and Out North.
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SOME RECENT RECYCLING TOURS
Green Star staff recently visited a few of Anchorage's recycling facilities to find out what really happens.
Smurfit-Stone Recycling Company
Smurfit-Stone operates the primary recycling facility in Anchorage. The company has a 24/7 drop-off area on Rosewood Street and also accepts the materials collected in bins at the Anchorage Regional landfill and various Carrs store drop-off locations and schools. Smurfit also accepts the commingled materials collected through the curbside recycling programs offered by both the Municipality and Alaska Waste.
Smurfit-Stone recycles mixed paper, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, aluminum cans, steel cans, #1 plastic bottles, #2 plastic jugs, plastic bags and stretchy film, and non-ferrous scrap metals (during business hours). All of these materials are baled and shipped to Smurift-Stone's Northwest facilities for sorting, then on to other Lower 48 or overseas markets, except for newspaper, which is recycled right here in Anchorage by Thermo-Kool of Alaska.
General Manager, Randy Virgin, mentioned that Anchorage has the cleanest recyclables in the Northwest region, primarily due to the fact that, because the Anchorage facility does not sort recyclables, only bales and ships the materials, the residents act as the sorters when materials are dropped off at the recycling center. Years of outreach and education about proper sorting is paying off!
Thanks to Randy Virgin, General Manager, for the tour.
Total Reclaim, Inc.
Many Anchorage residents know about Total Reclaim because of the company's electronics recycling services. However, Total Reclaim also recycles numerous other materials. Here, Gary Smith demonstrates how refrigerant is removed from this circa 1960s refrigerator for recycling. The appliance will be recycled as scrap metal once its fluids are removed and recycled. Total Reclaim recycles electronics, fluorescent lamps, non-PCB ballasts, batteries, mercury switches, refrigerants, and appliances.
Much of what Total Reclaim accepts for recycling is carefully packaged and labelled, palletized, and shipped to its facilities in the Pacific Northwest. There, electronics are shredded and the parts (glass, plastic, metal, precious metals etc.) are separated using magnets, metal detectors and other devices, then shipped to markets around the world. Fluorescent lamps are crushed in a sealed machine so that mercury vapors are captured and all parts are recycled.
Thanks to Gary Smith, Logistics Manager, for the tour.
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Access past issues of E-News, sorted by topic or date. Please send comments, questions, or suggestions for future E-News topics to us at jeanne@greenstarinc.org. Forward this newsletter freely. Send us any email addresses you wish us to add to our mailing list. Thank you!
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