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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 Links |
ABM offers Green Care, a customizable, green cleaning program. Begin with basic green cleaning options, such as switching to Green Seal certified cleaning products, or take a broader approach by including things like, recycling programs and touchless water conservation equipment.
Green Star
Member Discount
10% off the first three months of 12 months of janitorial services using green cleaning products.
Waxie Sanitary Supply
Waxie Sanitary Supply guides you on the path to more Sustainable Cleaning Solutions.
Green Star
Member Discounts
100% Recycled Green Seal Certified Paper Products
10% off
Green Bio Based and Green Seal Certified Cleaning Chemicals
15% off |
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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 latest Green Star Award certified organizations:
Lynden Transport, Anchorage Lynden Transport, Fairbanks Lynden Transport, Kenai Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium - Division of Environmental Health & Engineering (DEHE)
Welcome to our newest enrolled members:
Come out to support recent Award-certified organizations as they receive their awards:
- Rural Energy Enterprises - Anchorage Chamber of Commerce "Make It Monday" presentation scheduled for April 12
Green Star's web site has a new look!
Visit us at www.greenstarinc.org today to access 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.
Green Star's Member Mixer a Success
"The Green Star Mixer at Midnight Sun was a total success! I sincerely enjoyed meeting and interacting with Green Star staff and other members. Anchorage really is a well-connected, small town, and it just so happened that a few people I really needed to talk to were there as well! This was a great way for me to leverage my connections and build momentum for green business in Anchorage. Plus, I won a prize. Good work, Green Star! I'll do my best not to miss another one."
Thanks again from Hanna Waterstrat
Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association |
EVENTS & REMINDERS
Winter Bike Festival - March 6 
Join the Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage on March 6 from 6:30 to 9:30pm, at the BP Energy Center, for a Winter Bike Festival. Events will include a showing
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. How To Cut Alaska Energy Use by 50% - March 10
REAP FORUM will present HOW TO CUT ALASKA ENERGY USE BY 50% by Elisabeth Outten, Statewide Energy Coordinator for the Alaska Conservation Alliance from 6 to 8pm at the Anchorage Museum. She will discuss a new report released by the Alaska Conservation Alliance that shows how businesses and residents in the Railbelt - the State's most populated region - can cut electricity use by 50% by 2025. The "RAILBELT ELECTRICITY EFFICIENCY LANDSCAPE" report offers a roadmap to energy savings for residents, businesses and policy makers. For more information, call 929-7770, email s.nowers@REalaska.org or visit www.REalaska.org.
Submit your achievement report electronically to Green Star at info@greenstarinc.org before March 31 to be considered for Green Star Award certification this quarter.
Pick.Click.Give.
The 2010 PFD Application Deadline is March 31!!
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 resource 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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BIKE TO WORK DAY INTERNSHIP AVAILABLE
Green Star is seeking a part-time Bike to Work Day intern to work 15 to 20 hours per week from approximately March 22 through May 31. Intern will assist Green Star staff with the planning and implementation of the Municipality of Anchorage's 6th Annual Bike to Work Day (May 21) and associated events. The intern's responsibilities will include attending Bike to Work Day planning meetings, soliciting prizes and sponsorships, and participating in all Bike to Work Day events.
Qualifications
Candidate must have reliable vehicle transportation, proof of valid auto insurance, and provide a clean driving history report (MVR). Cost for MVR will be reimbursed upon hiring. Ideal candidate will have knowledge of bicycle commuting in Anchorage and will be highly motivated, very organized, self-directed, an excellent communicator and have fundraising experience. This position will remain open until filled. Please submit your cover letter and résumé to Lilly Capell at lilly@greenstarinc.org or call 278-7859 for more information.
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BUSINESS OWNER ENERGY SURVEY
Help us help you!
The University of Alaska's Center for Economic Development is conducting a survey to assess the availability and utilization of energy-efficiency resources for small businesses throughout Alaska. While energy-efficiency resources exist in Alaska, many target residential customers and some only assist entities in the larger communities.
Help the Center for Economic Development determine where the gaps are so possible funding can be sought to fill the gaps and help our small businesses to become even more competitive and efficient.
Please click on the link below to begin. The survey is 15 easy questions and should take only a few minutes to complete. Any size business can participate in the survey. The deadline for participation is March 31.
Thank you for participating in this survey! Your feedback is important.
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Member Mixer Re-CapOur first Member Mixer was a complete success. More than 45 individuals attended, representing about 20 Green Businesses in Anchorage. Thank you so much to those who attended. If
you missed the Member Mixer, be sure to make it to the next on May
11th at Midnight Sun Brewery, 3-5 pm. Stay tuned for more details. This event is a great way to network with other folks in the
green business community and to relax at the end of a work day. Green Star executive director Kim Kovol (right) presented awards to two recent Green Star certified organizations.  Tom Lucido and Bobbie Hougland of Alaskan Leopard Enterprises.  Colin Daugherty, Pete Pritchard and John LeClair of Alaska Chadux Corporation. Advertising Opportunity We
are looking for Green Star Award certified members to co-advertise in Alaska
Business Monthly. Green Star has reserved space for 2010 to
feature and highlight the good work of our Green Star Award recipients.
Please contact megan@greenstarinc.org if you are interested in this deeply discounted advertising opportunity.
Member Dues and Recertification If
you have not paid your annual Green Star Member Dues yet, now is the
time. After March 31st we will be dropping unpaid members. If you
have not paid but would like to work out a trade or a payment plan, let
me know at megan@greenstarinc.org. Also, many Green Star Award certified organizations still have not
completed their Recertification Form. If you have lost the
email or are not sure if you ever received one, let me know and I can
get you a new one.
Award Application Deadline March
31st is the deadline for enrollees to submit their Award Applications
for the Standards Committee to review. If you need help in this process
let me know.
Your Membership Coordinator, Megan Pool
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MEMBER MOMENT
ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., Alpine Oilfield
 One of the incentives the ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., Alpine Green Star program included during 2009 was a new consumer product test program. Alpine is a remote oil-producing and processing facility located on the North Slope of Alaska. The objective was to encourage employees to try environmentally friendly, recyclable, or reusable items that they would not normally purchase. Some of the items included different types of reusable shopping bags, stainless steel water bottles, hot and cold bags for lunches, reusable sandwich bags, and an indoor electric composter.
Items were provided free of charge to employees who agreed to test them and provide feedback. Testing results were shared through the Alpine Quarterly Green Star newsletter. One of the early successes was an increase in the use of stainless steel water bottles to replace plastic, one-time-use bottles. Additionally, employees reported that many of these products were bought as Christmas presents for family members. Field managers also began using the environmentally friendly items as employee incentive gifts.
The indoor composter was used to recycle facility coffee grounds along with sawdust from the wood fabrication shops. The soil produced was used to grow the plants that brighten the facility's common spaces. A local compost supply cuts down on the shipping of soil and fertilizer to the Slope. Some of the soil was also donated to the nearby village of Nuiqsut where teachers at the Trapper School have begun using it to teach science modules. This spring the Trapper School will hold a school-wide science fair built around uses for the composted soil. After featuring the composter in their quarterly newsletter many of the employees reported purchasing one for their home use. This is just one example where small steps can make a difference.
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VANPOOL RIDERS WANTED
People Mover's new vanpool group commuting from Palmer and Wasilla to downtown Anchorage needs a few more riders.
Van Pool Group Information
Work Hours - 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Pick-up locations - Three Bears in Palmer and Lowe's in Wasilla
Drop-off locations - City Hall, the Brady Building, Peterson Towers and Atwood Building
For more information on how you can join this pool, contact Share-A-Ride at 562-7665.
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PEOPLE MOVER'S 
BUS TRACKER SAVES TIME
Taking the bus has never been easier. Using automated vehicle location and global positioning technology, Bus Tracker, allows passengers to track where their bus is along its route and obtain the estimated time the bus will arrive at specific stops. Until Bus Tracker was launched in May 2009, passengers only had information on published bus schedules. Access to real-time information will increase passenger confidence, decrease wait time in inclement weather and improve customer service. The information and an interactive map are accessible from a computer. Most BlackBerry, iPhone or similar hand-held devices can view the information in text format.
"Current and prospective bus passengers have asked for this technology," says Jody Karcz, Public Transportation Director for People Mover. "We're very excited to offer a tool that will help make riding the bus even easier."
Future plans call for the information to be available by phone, as well. The application was funded with a grant from the Federal Highway Administration.
Another Useful Tool
With the new Bus Tracker system, you can now determine if it's quicker to take the bus or to walk to your destination. Visit the Walk or Bus? pilot site for a chart that will tell you how long riding the bus will take you versus walking based on distance to the destination and how far off the bus is.
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RECYCLED PAPER FOR SALE
Alaska Center for the Environment and National Wildlife Federation have received a shipment of 100% post-consumer content, processed chlorine free, acid-free copy paper. The paper is available for sale now! The paper works very well in copiers, printers, and fax machines. It is being sold at cost--$55/case or $5.50/ream.
Using this paper saves trees and energy, prevents toxic contamination, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions! It was purchased for distribution and transported into Anchorage by Coal Point Trading Company of Homer, AK.
Please contact Valerie at ACE or Heather at NWF to reserve your case(s), as there is a limited amount of paper. | |
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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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