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                                        Vol. 13, No. 1   January 5, 2012
GREEN STAR E-News

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In This Issue
Shining Stars
Events & Reminders
Total Reclaim Accepts Non-ferrous Metals
Timer Giveaway This Weekend
K&L Distributors Keeps on Getting Better
Visit Us On Facebook
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Green Star AK 

Keep up with Green Star's busy schedule; come join us, friend us, like us!

 

 

 

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 Anchorage Recycles

Stay current on what's happening in recycling around Anchorage. Several recycling organizations post regularly.

 

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Plug at 20 Anchorage  

Keep up with local events and cold-weather driving tips.  

 

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Bike to Work Anchorage 

 The bicycling community just keeps pedaling into winter with events and trainings.  

Thank You to our Sponsors
Thank you to all of our sponsors and donors throughout the past year.

 

Visit Our Sponsor List  

 

This Month's Hot Link


The PumPing Tap might be just the green gadget that phantom power regulators have been looking for. It's a smart socket that knows when you've turned your appliances off and if you don't pull the plug out after ten minutes it pops your vampire power sucking cord right out. It's still in the design phase but it has promise! 
 

Green Star Staff

Kim Kovol 

Executive Director

 

Josh Sherwood  

Technical Assistance

Coordinator

 

Christina Grande 

Community Outreach & Communications

Coordinator

 

Jeanne Carlson 

Web Master

 


What's New

Green Star's address,
as of May 1, 2011, is:  

 

333 W. 4th Avenue,  

Suite 310,  

Anchorage, AK 99501.  

 

 

 

Member Benefits

Green Star offers benefits to its members beyond just energy savings and waste reduction.  Many local businesses offer product and service discounts to Green Star members. 

 

Visit our Member Benefits page to learn more.

 

Join Our Mailing List

SHINING STARS  

Green Star logo  

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM
ALL OF US AT GREEN STAR!

 

Congratulations to our newest Green Star Award certified organization!

Welcome to Green Star's latest business member.  We look forward to helping them earn Green Star Award certification. 

  •     Lime Solar, LLC
EVENTS & REMINDERS
 

Find events on Green Star's web calendar  

 

   

Free Entry to Alaska Sealife Center -- through February 28 

The Alaska SeaLife Center invites all Green Star members, employees, and their immediate families to visit for FREE every Wednesday through February 2012.  In addition to FREE admission, the Center is offering a 10% discount for Green Star members on all behind-the-scenes tours and animal encounters on Wednesdays.  Call 888-378-2525 to reserve.  Mention your Green Star-affiliated organization to the ticketing staff and your admission will be waived!   
 

christmas treeChristmas Tree Recycling --  through January 15 

Bring your tree to designated areas in CARRS parking lots in Anchorage, Eagle River, and Palmer.  Please NO wreathes, plastic bags, tree stands, ornaments, or lights.  Drop-off is free.  Boy Scout Troop 268 will pick up your tree for a small donation.  Call 868-8899.  Trees are chipped and donated to local organizations for use as mulch and trail cover.

Plug@20 logo

 
Timer Giveaway -- January 7

Saturday, January 7, 10am - noon
University Center Mall
3801 Old Seward Highway,
between 36th Ave. and Tudor Road

See article below for all the details.  Visit the Plug at 20 Anchorage Facebook link to the left. 


Bi
LAB logocycle Friendly Businesses Application Deadline -- January 13
The League of American Bicyclists promotes bike friendly businesses, communities, states, and businesses. Look for local examples in the BFQ Yearbook 2011Apply to be an official Bicycle Friendly Business.

 

AFE logoAlaska Forum on the Environment -- February 6-10

The forum will be at the Dena'ina Convention Center.  Visit www.akforum.org for details regarding registration, continuing education credits, poster sessions, this year's break-out sessions, keynote speakers, and exhibitors.  

 

Alaska Materials Exchange.  Don't forget to list your used items on the exchange or look there for items before going shopping.  At any given time, you can find office furniture and supplies, chemicals, pallets, constructions materials and more.  Visit AME for more information. 

 

TOTAL RECLAIM ACCEPTS NON-FERROUS METALS

 

TRI logoTotal Reclaim, Inc., located in the Huffman Business Park, is now accepting non-ferrous metals. Total Reclaim will pay competitive rates for copper, aluminum, brass, motors, radiators, and other non-ferrous metals. For further information, contact Jacob Zirkle at 561-0544 or [email protected]


TIMER GIVEAWAY THIS WEEKEND

Plug@20 logo

Using a timer to turn on your engine block heater a few hours prior to the morning commute is convenient and reduces electricity use.   

 

If you don't already have a timer, but you do have a block heater installed in your car or truck, and you're an Anchorage resident, get a timer for free at the University Center Mall this Saturday morning. A limited number of timers (about 400) will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.  

 

Saturday, January 7, 10am - noon

University Center Mall

801 Old Seward Highway,
between 36th Ave. and Tudor Road
 

 

You must live within the Municipality of Anchorage and have picture ID and proof of residency.  If you don't provide BOTH of these documents, you WILL NOT receive a timer.  Limit one (1) timer per household.

 

For additional information or to volunteer (volunteers are needed!!), please contact Josh Sherwood at 907-952-0047  or [email protected].

 

Like us on Facebook at "Plug at 20 Anchorage" to receive updates.

 

Do you have questions about alternative transportation, recycling, health, air quality, or water quality? Experts from the community will be at the event to answer your questions.

  • Green Star (sponsoring partner)
  • Anchorage Department of Transportation
    (People Mover) 
  • Total Reclaim
  • Anchorage Waterways Council
  • ALPAR
  • American Lung Association of Alaska
  • MOA Solid Waste Services 
  • UAA Sustaniability  
  • REI
  • Alaska Craftsman Home Program 

K&L DISTRIBUTORS KEEPS ON GETTING BETTER

Green Star's Josh Sherwood and Christina Grande visited K&L Distributors, one of Green Star's Award certified members, to check out the new 30,000-square-foot addition to its warehouse in Anchorage. 
 

 

K&L McMullen
K&L's David McMullen shows Green Star's Josh Sherwood the energy efficiency features of the warehouse expansion.

 
K&L Distributors was established in 1940 by Jack Kessler and Irving J. Levine, and began distributing Budweiser in King County, Washington, in 1948. Dan Levine became president of K&L in 1990, and continues the family tradition today representing Anheuser-Busch products in King County, Washington, and the entire state of Alaska. K&L Distributors is the exclusive Budweiser distributor for the Alaska.

 

K & L Distributors received its Green Star Award certification in 2009 and continues to go above and beyond, stirring up "green" ideas in the daily operations. David McMullen, K&L's Vice President of Alaska Operations, showed Sherwood and Grande the newest addition at the 120,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Anchorage --a newly installed cooling system called the Duct Sox.  The Duct Sox is a fabric duct ventilation system (basically an air exchange, bringing in the ambient air to cool the warehouse without the use of a heater or air conditioning).

 

K&L duct sox
K&L's duct sox system uses no heat or air conditioning but filters outside cool air for use in the warehouse. 

The K&L Distributors warehouse must remain at or below 60 degrees F to properly store the beverages. When the temperature in the warehouse goes above 60 degrees but the outside temperature is below 60, the fans will come on and keep the temperature below 60 degrees.

 

"It's filtered air, just run by fans, so there is no refrigeration or anything like that," says McMullen. 

 

No excess energy is used in the warehouse other than lighting and speakers for the centralized music system, according to McMullen.

 

The warehouse expansion also improved storage efficiency. Before the expansion, K&L received all of its beer, liquor, and wine by opening doors, pulling the trucks in and out, and shutting the doors. Thanks to the extra space, K&L can now receive beverages at five dock boards, which are all outside. The trucks pull up, hit the bumper seals, then employees raise the door and unload right into that location. McMullen says the efficiency has gotten a lot better and he's not wasting heat.

 

"I think I can say right now that I have added 30,000 square feet on and I can check my gas bill and I think it's down versus last year," said McMullen.

 

Another goal the company was able to achieve was reducing a considerable amount of paper use by using a wireless headset "automatic pairing" system. Staff used to go through piles of paper to pair up inventory. Now the routing is done electronically via the computer system, loading all the routes on the little "footballs" that clip on a belt, which works with the wireless headset. At that point, employees hear the predetermined pick path though each section. That's it, no more paper!

 

Implementing more efficient systems, like the automatic pairing and expansion of the warehouse, created a greener work environment while also reducing overtime by at least 70%.

 

Thank you David McMullen for your time and good job K&L Distributors!

  

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