Green Star E-News: Keep on Biking, Toyota 100 Cars for Good, ALPAR Award Winners

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SHINING STARS

Welcome to our latest member!

Alaska Impact Marketing
NortHeat Hearth & Home

Congratulations to the recipients of this year's ALPAR recycling awards!

Visit alparalaska.com to learn more about ALPAR's programs and activities.

Anchorage School District - Joe Gulley President's Award for Outstanding Leadership, for success in implementing a district-wide mixed-paper recycling program and participation in Citywide Cleanup.

Kodiak Chamber of Commerce - Outstanding Litter Program Award, for exemplary efforts with Kodiak Clean Up Day and the Kodiak Youth Litter Patrol last year.

ConocoPhillips Kuparuk River and Alpine Fields - Outstanding Business Recycler, for recycling and composting efforts recycling more than 3.5 million pounds of materials last year.

Alaska Botanical Garden - Outstanding Supporter, for its commitment to recycling by supporting ALPAR's Nursery Pot Recycling Event in August. The Alaska Botanical Garden helped ALPAR recycle almost three tons of plastic pots from Anchorage residents last year.

Fred Meyer Alaska - Outstanding Contributor, for support of ALPAR programs, service on the ALPAR board, and sponsorship of Citywide Cleanup.

Bill Odom of Odom Corporation - ALPAR Board of Directors Award for Community Service, for his unwavering support of ALPAR, serving on ALPAR Board for 22 years and bringing his company's resources to help make ALPAR programs possible.

Haines Friends of Recycling - Outstanding Recycling Community Award, for extraordinary commitment to environmental stewardship through operating the community recycling center and for success in tapping into the enthusiasm and community mindedness of its citizens.

Homer Mariner Football Team - Outstanding Youth Litter Patrol, for operating an exemplary patrol that cleaned up Homer during Spirit Week.

Begich Middle School - Outstanding Anchorage School Recycling Program, for Student Government Class efforts to manage the recycling for the school and raise awareness about the importance of recycling.

Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council - Leadership in Education Award, for its exemplary backhaul program that assists and trains communities in the Yukon River region to move metals and electronics to recycling markets.

Andrew Morris (now a 6th grader at Bayshore Elementary) - Outstanding Service, for his leadership and volunteer efforts as the founder of the Chevak Waste Project. He did litter clean-up and recycling while living in Chevak last year, inspired others to get involved, and inspired many through his public speaking.

EVENTS & REMINDERS

Find events on Green Star's web calendar.

3rd Annual Anchorage Solar Tour - June 9

The tour is free and features homes and businesses in Anchorage using solar and wind power and green building technology. Seven buildings in Anchorage and Eagle River, both commercial and residential, will be visitor stops on this year's tour between 10am and 4pm. The tour will assemble at 9:45am at the downtown Kaladi Bros. Coffee and officially begin at 10am below the giant wall of solar panels on the Solar Building, 441 W. 5th Avenue. After an hour at this first site, tour-goers can travel independently to the seven other sites across the Anchorage bowl and Eagle River in accordance with a pre-set tour schedule. A tour schedule is available now on-line at AlaskaSolarTour.org, and detailed maps for getting to the sites will be available at the first site of the downtown Solar Building. For more information, contact Louisa Yanes, Energy Organizer, at (907) 274-3667 or go to www.akcenter.org.

BCA-AIA Alaska Summer Bike Commute Challenge -- May 21 - August 17

Register your business to compete in this fun and friendly challenge to see which businesses or organizations have the greatest percentage of bike commuters. The competition is organized by the Alaska Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage (BCA).

Get all the rules and other details at BCA's web site. Register by sending the following information to info@bicycleanchorage.org.

1. Business name (you can also include a team name but we must have your business name). You also can register a division, section, department, agency rather than the whole business or organization.

2. Total number of employees at your business (or division) (not the expected number of those bike commuting).

3. Team contact, including email address.

Alaska Youth for Environmental Action Fun-Raiser -- June 27

Join AYEA for its annual gathering of friends and supporters to reconnect, share stories, and raise funds to support youth empowerment in Alaska on Wednesday, June 27, from 5:30-8:30pm, at the home of Deborah Williams, 1142 G St, downtown Anchorage. Visit www.ayea.org/fundraiser for more information. AYEA is looking for co-hosts and volunteers to join the fundraiser planning committee. Contact AYEA Fundraiser Intern Rhiannon Brown at rhiannon@ayea.com or 907-717-7881.

Green Star Award Quarterly Application Deadline -- June 30

Submit your achievement report to Green Star to be considered for a Green Star Award this quarter. View the steps and download a copy of the report application.

Anchorage to Zero Waste Guide -- on-line at www.muni.org/sws. Produced twice a year by the Municipality of Anchorage's Solid Waste Services, this issue includes organics management and water quality tips and resources, as well as updated recycling, energy efficiency, and waste prevention information. Your definitive guide to reducing waste in Anchorage.

Free Energy Efficiency Workshops -- Ongoing

Offered by the Alaska Craftsman Home Program (ACHP Alaska) and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), these free hands-on workshops are available to homeowners, contractors, and other professionals who want to make energy efficiency improvements. Most workshops are held Mondays through Thursdays from 7 to 9pm at 3400 Spenard Rd., Ste 9. Topics include: Building Science Basics, Finding & Fixing Air Leaks, Energy Savings with Lighting & Appliances, Healthy Indoor Air through Ventilation, Heating & Hot Water Choices, Insulating for Savings & Comfort, How to Choose a Contractor, Evaluating Doors & Windows, and Ice Dams. A few workshops are half-day or all day and include topics like Advanced Cold Climate and Best Practices for Ventilated Crawlspaces. Registration is required and class size is limited. For more information, visit www.achpalaska.com or call 907-258-2247

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.

BIKE TO WORK DAY WRAP-UP new 2012 btw logo

Green Star, the Municipality's Department of Health & Human Services, Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage (BCA), and the State of Alaska, would like to thank all the riders, sponsors, and other participants who helped make this year's Bike to Work Day (BTWD) the best one yet!

Check out this awesome video from BTWD's Bacon Station!

Here are a few final words on this year's event:

The annual Bike to Work count was conducted during the morning commute. Volunteers organized by MOA Project Management & Engineering counted 4,106 cyclists at 14 key intersections on roads and trails. Counts from historical survey sites showed an overall increase in ridership of 16% this year compared to 2011. BTWD traffic has increased 168% since 2007.
Mega-team ANMC peaked at 336 riders this year 325 of whom showed up at the ANMC-sponsored morning breakfast on Friday. CRW at Tudor/C also fed many hungry mouths at its treat station. There was a peak of 12 treat stations this year including newly established FedEx (Jewel Lake/International); AK Regional (Glenn and Muldoon); Bayshore Clubhouse (Dimond and Victor) and Earthscape/Progressive PT/Fire Island Bakery (Covy Café@Westchester). Thanks for so much community support!
More than 650 riders took the Bike to Work survey, which ended at the end of May. Prizes for those who took the survey will be announced in early June.
Consider helping yourself and your community by training with the League of American Bicyclists. A League Cycling Instructor seminar scheduled in Anchorage June 15-17 is in jeopardy of being canceled due to low enrollment. Prerequisites for the seminar include League membership ($40) and a Traffic Skills class, which will be held June 10 to allow as many as possible to enroll in the LCI seminar. If you're an experienced rider who wants to help others, enroll ASAP. To help your team or office, League Instructors are available to make (free) bike safety presentations at your club or workplace.
Consider enrolling in The Summer Bike Challenge from the Alaska Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage. Compete against similarly sized businesses improve the health of your whole group.

FIRST EVER GREAT ALASKA ENERGY CHALLENGE WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Four winners from Cordova, Homer, Palmer, and Anchorage claimed victory in the first ever Great Alaska Energy Challenge, a contest pitting teams from around the state against each other to see who could save the most energy.

Ten teams participated in the six-month challenge. Energy data were analyzed per square foot with heat energy normalized by heating degree days to account for difference in building size and local climate.

Combined energy efficiency and conservation efforts helped participants reduce their energy costs by more than $40,000 compared to last year, and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 500,000 pounds.

Winners were chosen in four categories:

Biggest Change - Heat: Alaska Energy Authority
Lowest Use - Heat: Palmer Junior Middle School Energy Dawgs
Biggest Change - Electricity: City of Homer Sewer
Lowest Use - Electricity: Cordova High School

The challenge was organized by the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) and sponsored by Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC), and ran from October 2011 through March 2012. The challenge also received support from Brown's Electric and Alaska Business Monthly. It focused on public facilities, with the goal of raising awareness about energy efficiency and conservation, and saving the sate and municipalities money.

The challenge is part of a broader statewide effort to reduce energy costs by improving energy efficiency by 15% per capita by 2020 and mandating energy efficiency retrofits on 25% of the state's public buildings.

Commercial buildings typically use energy mostly for heating, ventilation, lighting, and office equipment operation. You can start making a difference in your building today by doing the following:

Track your energy usage and costs,
Get an Investment Grade Energy Audit for your facility to identify real savings,
Ensure all building occupants and visitors are aware of energy-saving efforts,
Turn off lights, office equipment, and appliances when not in use and use natural daylight when possible,
Lower the building's thermostat when the building is not in use,
Let sunshine warm your office during colder months by opening blinds, and close them at night to retain heat, and
Clean and maintain equipment routinely for more efficient operation.

For more information about the Great Alaska Energy Challenge, or to learn how your facility can participate next year, visit www.akenergyefficiency.org/energychallenge.

VOTE FOR GREEN STAR FOR TOYOTA'S 100 CARS FOR GOOD

Toyota 100 Cars for Good logo We are a Finalist! Help us win a new truck to make an even bigger difference!

Green Star is pleased to announce we've been named a finalist in Toyota's 100 Cars for Good program, which is giving 100 vehicles to 100 nonprofits over the course of 100 days. Please tell your friends and repost this message on Facebook. And be sure to visit

www.100carsforgood.com on June 28, 2012, and vote for us.

PEOPLE MOVER INTRODUCES NEW FAREBOXES

People Mover Farebox

Beginning June 11, People Mover will introduce new fareboxes on its fleet and begin using magnetic swipe and Smart Card technology.

"We are excited to roll out these new fareboxes," said Lance Wilber, Public Transportation Director. "More flexible fares and quicker boarding times will make People Mover more efficient and attractive to our riders. It's the culmination of efforts to automate and upgrade the various systems that keep us operational. People who have used public transportation systems across the country will find the new fareboxes familiar."

With the replacement of People Mover's 18-year-old system, the new GFI Odyssey farebox will automatically validate and process coins, currency, magnetic farecards, and Smart Cards, ensuring valid fares and payments are received.

Smart Card technology has become the standard for new automatic fare collection (AFC) systems as it meets customer requirements for a quick entry and exit, ease of use and convenience, and delivers many operational advantages. Some of those advantages include improved revenue management, ability to offer more flexible fare types and offering innovative features such as the efficient implementation of employer transit benefit programs. In addition, the GFI Odyssey farebox's electromechanical reader and contactless Smart Card reader have no moving parts, thus reducing maintenance.

The University of Alaska Anchorage worked closely with People Mover on this project to ensure that UAA WolfCards were integrated with the new fareboxes. UAA has a contractual relationship with People Mover that allows current UAA students, staff, and faculty to ride the bus. WolfCards will be swiped in the farebox card reader identifying they are valid.

In addition to new fareboxes, the department is working to streamline sales of passes and Smart Cards. A Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) located in the Downtown Transit Center will sell passes, tickets, and Smart Cards, and allow passengers to reload Smart Cards with passes or tickets.

For more detailed information, visit People Mover's web site at www.PeopleMover.org.

People Mover maintains a fleet of 52 modern, comfortable, fully accessible, ADA compliant buses that travel over two million miles a year. Friendly, courteous and professional bus operators serve the greater Anchorage and Eagle River areas with 14 regular transit routes.

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