| Thank You to our Sponsors | Special thanks to our latest Mayor's Charity Ball sponsors:
Dave Nyman
Katie Seveigny
Kevin Stalder
Mary Goolie
Jealous Salon
Princess Tours
Snow White Cleaners
Visit Our Sponsor List |
| This Month's Hot Link |
Walk Score
Find a walkable place to live. Walkable
neighborhoods offer benefits to the environment, our health, our
finances, and our communities. Overall, Anchorage averages 48 out of
100 for walkability, a score based on numerous factors from
pedestrian-centered design to density. Find out how walkable your
neighborhood is with this fun, easy tool
that helps evaluate the proximity of amenities such as grocery stores,
restaurants, parks, schools, and more. Just type in your address to see
how your neighborhood compares to other parts of Anchorage.
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| Green Star Staff |
Kim Kovol
Executive Director
Josh Sherwood |
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SHINING STARS
Welcome to our latest applicants!
- Alaskan Wind Industries
- Peak Oilfield Service Company - Valdez
Welcome Kenai Green Star members!
Green Star is excited to welcome Kenai Green Star members to our Anchorage chapter. We look forward to highlighting their efforts in coming issues. The Kenai Green Star chapter recently changed its focus to concentrate on
the Great Aluminum Can Round-Up
under the new name of Kenai Aluminum Can Round-Up.
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EVENTS & REMINDERS
REAP Forum: Large-scale Biodiesel in Anchorage -- Wednesday, September 8
The discussion will be held from 6 to 8pm at the Anchorage Museum. It will look at the new, large-scale biodiesel plant that opened off Dowling Road in Anchorage in June. The plant, run by Alaska Waste, is collecting used cooking oil from more than 200 restaurants and businesses like the Peanut Farm, Lucky Wishbone and McDonald's and turning it into biodiesel to run its trucks. Find out more about the plant and how biodiesel is made with our presenter, Jeff Jessen of Alaska Green Waste Solutions. Jeff will discuss the plant's operation, plans for using an estimated 200,000 plus gallons a year of biodiesel, and the economic and environmental benefits of using biodiesel . He'll also discuss Alaska Waste's ongoing composting program, which is turning more than 36,000 pounds a week of horse manure, wood chips and produce into compost. For more information or to sign up for the live podcast, contact Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) at 929-7770 or s.nowers@REalaska.org.
Green Star's September Education Series Continues -- Thursdays, September 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30
Green Star hosts an education series on Thursdays in September, noon - 1pm, at the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation offices at 510 L Street, Suite 603.
September 2 - Renewable Energy Potential in Alaska
Speaker: Chris Rose, executive director of REAP (Renewable Energy Alaska Project)
September 9 - Controlled-environment Agriculture: using hydroponics to grow microgreens in northern climates
Speakers: Sioux-z Humphrey Marshall and Rusty Foreaker, Hyrdolicious
September 16 - U-Med Green District Activities
Speaker: Meg King, facilitator, U-Med Green District
September 23 - Recent Recycling Developments on Local and National Level
Speakers: Mary Fisher, ALPAR, and Randy Virgin, Smurfit-Stone Recycling (Anchorage Recycling Center)
September 30 - Anchorage School District's Recycling and Energy Conservation Programs Pay Off
Speaker: Andre Camara, ASD Recycling Coordinator
Feel free to bring a lunch. Light refreshments will be served.
Green Star Member Mixer -- Monday, September 13
Join Green Star at Midnight Sun Brewing Company, 8111 Dimond Hook Drive from 5 to 7pm, for complimentary snacks and
non-alcoholic beverages. Enjoy no-host bar of Midnight Sun's fabulous
craft beers. Network with other Green Star members and sponsors or
learn about getting involved. Green Star will present Awards to Frontier Tutoring and Davis Constructors.
ServiceMaster of Alaska, Alaska's only
Green Seal Certified cleaning service, will provide information at the Member
Mixer. Service Master is Alaskan-owned
and operated for over 25 years. It
provides not just cleaning services for your business and home, but full
restorations service for fires and floods and other disasters, all while
maintaining environmental standards.
Green Alaska Solutions also
will be providing information at the Member Mixer. Green Alaska Solutions
provides biodegradable and compostable disposable products to food-service
establishments and the general public. Unlike traditional petroleum-based
disposables, Green Alaska Solutions' products decompose naturally in a
commercial composting facility without
leaving a toxic residues.
There will be great prize
giveaways too!!
UMED: Making the Business Case for Building Green --
Tuesday, September 14
Join the U-Med Green District at the Providence Cancer Center, 3851 Piper Street, Room 2285, from 3 to 5pm for a short seminar.
Speakers include: - Jeff Callahan, UAA Construction Management Faculty
- Shane Durand, Central Recycling Services - Profitably Diverting Waste From Landfills in Alaska
- Meg King, M.J. King & Associates - Green Purchasing to Zero Waste
- Mark Masteller, U.S. Green Building Council, Cascadia Chapter - Using Life Cycle Costing to Build Green: Benefits, Challenges and Strategies
Who should attend? - Realtors
- Contractors
- Developers
- Building Owners
- Architects & Engineers
- Sustainability Professionals & Advocates
For more information, contact Meg King at 947-5580 or mjking@mjkingandassociates.com.
From Occupants to Operators: Getting Everyone on Board with Sustainability -- Tuesday, September 14
A free webcast hosted by Building Operating Managment. This webcast will present strategies to help you engage building
occupants and operators in a variety of sustainability initiatives and,
through work culture and incentives, encourage building occupants to
be the eyes, ears and hands of a sustainability program. Learn more or sign up. Space is limited.
Green Star Award Quarterly Application Deadline -- Thursday, September 30
Submit your application by the end of the month to be considered for Green Star Award certification this quarter. Download the Standards Achievement Report.
Mayor's Charity Ball -- Saturday, October 9
Green Star is one of four nonprofit organizations chosen this year to
benefit from the generosity of those who attend and sponsor this
high-profile event. Visit the website for event reservations,
sponsorship opportunities, auction item donations and how to purchase a
raffle ticket.
Advanced Lighting Presentation and Workshop -- Thursday or Friday, October 14 or 15
Alaska Center for
Appropriate Technology is hosting two one-day workshops on advanced lighting.
Topics include effective lighting design, equipment selection, daylight
harvesting, controls and more. These workshops are designed to give an in
depth training on how we can use lighting to be more efficient and save on
lighting costs. Workshops will cover in depth explanations of lighting
systems, i.e., induction, LED, T8/T5, cold cathode, and how to decide which
system is best for your application. Also learn how to identify inefficient
lighting systems and how to make them more efficient. Understand VEL (Visibly
Effective Lumens) and the differences within different lighting systems.
Learn how watts no longer translate with efficacy
values. Instructors will
be local and national experts including Nancy Clanton, PE and LEED AP from
Boulder, Colorado and Dave Inman, of Red Mountain Lighting, Mesa,
Arizona. Details: October 14 -- Agate Inn,
Wasilla, 10am to 5pm. Tuition: $100
or $225 with Professional Continuing Education certification. Lunch
included.
October 15 - Anchorage, 9am to 5pm. Tuition: $100 or $225 with Professional CE
certification Lunch not included. On October 16, a general audience version will be presented at the Bioneers conference at UAA in Anchorage.
RSVP or questions
to KR@ACAT.org or toll free
877-271-4411
7th Annual Bioneers in Alaska: Creating Sustainable Communities -- Friday - Sunday, October 15-17
Held at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Visit http://sustainak.org/conference for details about local and national speakers and to register.
Recycling & Renewables 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.
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WHAT'S GREEN STAR UP TO?
Green Star staff has been busy. Here are some photos from recent events and activities.
AROUND TOWN
Recently, Josh Sherwood attended a "Complete Streets" presentation at the
Anchorage Assembly conference in City Hall. Preston Tyree, League of American Bicyclists Education Director, discussed ways to make
Anchorage streets safer and easier to use for pedestrians and cyclists. One
focus of the presentation was on Anchorage's Midtown area and options to make this
area more user friendly.
Tyree discussed the dangers of turning right on red as most cyclist/motorist accidents occur when a vehicle is turning right on red. He also pointed out the potential in many areas for simply repainting streets to create bike lanes rather than needing to invest in costly road reconstruction.
Tyree also spoke to the public at
the Auditorium of the Anchorage Museum at Rasmussen Center. To learn more about the concept of Complete Streets, visit the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Ann Schlapia, Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health & Human Services; Preston Tyree, League of American Bicyclists Education Director; Josh Sherwood, Green Star Technical Assistance Coordinator
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AT THE FAIR
Green Star staff were at REAP's Renewable Energy Fair this past month to share information about Green Star's waste prevention and energy efficiency programs and to learn what's new in the world of renewable energy, energy conservation, alternative transportation and other topics.
Christina Grande (Community Outreach & Communications Coordinator) and Josh Sherwood (Technical Assistance Coordinator) at Green Star's booth.
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Christina Grande tries out some alternative transportation options. This tandem recumbent bike was featured at the Renewable Energy Fair.
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Christina Grande shows off a Toyota Hybrid. This Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive, displayed at the Renewable Energy Fair, is just one of Toyota's fleet that has contributed to reductions in CO2 emissions of approximately 11 million tons to date.
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IN THE FIELD
A big part of what Green Star does is to provide personalized site assessments for local businesses. At each assessment, Green Star staff identify ways that businesses can increase their efficiency and become more sustainable.
Josh Sherwood takes notes during a recent site assessment. Green Star works with a wide variety of business partners with varying workplaces, including offices, industrial facilities, freight yards and more.
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Josh Sherwood makes suggestions for improving waste management activities at a recent site assessment for Span-Alaska. The goal is to find ways to help businesses save money while making their workplaces more environmentally sustainable.
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GREEN STAR GETS BIKE CERTIFIED
The League of American Bicyclists announced 12
recent graduates of the League Cycling Instructor (LCI) training program in Alaska. The program to train Alaskan bicyclists was
organized by Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage (BCA). All 12 of the new LCIs live and work in Alaska and include residents of Cordova, Juneau
and Anchorage. Among this group of graduates is Green Star's technical assistance coordinator, Josh Sherwood.
LCIs are experts in bicycle education and safety, and teach courses
within the League's Smart Cycling curriculum. LCIs are certified, insured and
equipped to teach anything from basic skills to college level courses. League
courses offered include: Traffic Skills 101 and 201, Confident Commuting, Bicycling
Skills, Safe Routes to School and Share the Road.
These classes can be suited
to meet the needs of any cyclist. LCIs
can offer modified versions of these courses and design bike clinics as well as
provide general safety consulting.
"BCA is really
excited to bring the Smart Cycling curriculum to Anchorage. By bringing up the League of
American Bicyclists to teach and certify 12 instructors, we have taken a huge
step forward towards a safer and more bicycle-friendly Alaska," said Brian Litmans, president of
Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage.
The new LCI instructors are: Emily Low and Kathy Zamudio,
Cordova Safe Routes to School Grant holders; Jim Krier, Bob Laurie, and Steve Soenksen of the State of Alaska Department of
Transportation Central Region; Brian Litmans and Kristi Wood of the Bicycle
Commuters of Anchorage; Lori Schanche
and Anne Schlapia of the Municipality of Anchorage; Josh Sherwood of Green Star;
and Gordon Glaser and Robert Voris of Anchorage.
The 2010 LCI graduating class in Alaska. |
"With the LCI training under our belt, we hope to work closely with the
Safe Routes to School program that is hopefully en route to Anchorage
as we speak," says Josh Sherwood. "We are also looking forward to teaching bicycle trainings
throughout Anchorage. I would personally like to teach this class
throughout the State."
The main class that will be taught is TrafficSkills 101. It is a nine-hour program set forth by the League of
American Bicyclists. This is the first LCI course offered in Alaska.
The League Cycling Instructors will make
presentations and hold classes throughout the year on such subjects as
safe bicycle commuting, winter biking and various mechanical topics of
interest to novice through advanced cyclists. Contact Green Star if you would like to schedule a cycling presentation for your organization.
Thank you to REI for hosting the training.
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OCTOBER IS ENERGY  AWARENESS MONTH IN ALASKA
Please join us in Energy Awareness Month this October!
The importance of energy efficiency and conservation as a
first step toward energy and economic sustainability cannot be
overstated. The high cost of energy in Alaska challenges our families,
our businesses, and our community institutions. The simplest solution
is to reduce consumption. This year our legislature passed a new
state energy policy that includes a goal of 15% electrical energy
reduction by 2020. Reaching this new goal will take the support of all
Alaskans -- including you. This October will be Energy Awareness Month in Alaska. Green Star asks you to take part in this effort in any way you can. It's
the small things each of us can do every day that will
add up to significant savings -- things like unplugging unused
electronics, turning off computers and printers at night, and switching
to efficient lighting. Does your business have an energy policy that
could save hundreds of dollars a year in utility bills? Have you taken
simple measures at home to ensure you aren't losing money on wasted
energy every month? Do your kids understand where their energy comes
from, and what it costs to keep the lights on?
For more information
about the October initiative or to brainstorm ways you and your
business can get involved, please contact Green Star at info@greenstarinc.org or 278-7827, or contact Katie Conway
at the Alaska Energy Authority at kconway@aidea.org or 771-3078.
Visit the www.AKEnergyEfficiency.org for lots of great energy efficiency information for your home and business.
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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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