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Anchorage Recycles
Stay current on what's happening in recycling around Anchorage. Several recycling organizations post regularly.
Plug at 20 Anchorage
Keep up with local events and cold-weather driving tips.
Bike to Work Anchorage
The bicycling community pedals into fall with events and trainings.
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| Thank You to our Sponsors | Thank you to all of our sponsors and donors for supporting Green Star.
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| Green Star Staff |
Kim Kovol Executive Director Josh Sherwood |
What's New
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Green Star's address is
333 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 310, Anchorage, AK 99501. PLEASE MAKE A NOTE! Several web listings that are beyond our control list out-of-date contact information for Green Star in Anchorage. |
Member Benefits
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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. |
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SHINING STARS Congratulations to our latest Green Star Award certified organizations!Welcome to our newest members, who are working toward Green Star Award certification! - Alaska Brands Group LLC
- Anchorage Park Foundation
Nice job on the Nursery Pot Recycling Event! The event took in 2.8 tons of plastic nursery pots and trays for recycling. That's a lot of plastic! Thanks to ALPAR for organizing the event, and to Alaska Waste, Alaska Botanical Garden, and the Anchorage Recycling Center for participating.
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EVENTS & REMINDERS
Find events on Green Star's web calendar.
REAP Clean Energy Lecture Series -- Starts September 12
Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) hosts FREE forums from 6 to 8pm on the 2nd Wednesday of every month from September to May at the Anchorage Museum auditorium, 625 C Street. Those who can't attend can listen via live podcast or download a podcast posted after the event. The first lecture is "Saving Energy and Money in Residential Buildings." Hear from Anchorage resident Betty Hall about her experience with home retrofitting and the benefits of being more energy efficient, and Emmett Leffel of Alaska Thermal Imaging about how to get a home energy rating and residential upgrades you can make to conserve energy.
See a list of future lectures.
 Panty Peeler Strip Mob -- September 15
Green Star, Alaska Center for the Environment, Midnight Sun Brewing Company, Alaska Craftsman Home Program and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation are teaming up to strip! The Panty Peeler Strip Mob (named after one of the brewery's most popular beers, Panty Peeler) will help Midnight Sun Brewing Company (8111 Dimond Hook Drive) continue the path of going green. On Saturday, September 15th, between 11am and 8pm, all of MSBC's profits will go toward weather stripping to improve energy efficiency at the brewery just in time for winter! Here are some of the highlights of the day.
2:00pm Stripping 101
Learn how to do your own weather stripping
Sponsored by Alaska Craftsman Home Program
3:00pm Firkin Beer time
We are tapping a cask conditioned beer for our stripper friends
4:00pm Brewery Tour
See where our heat (and beer!) comes from
5:00pm Caulking: It's Not So Hard
Quick tips on caulking those breezy windows
Sponsored by Alaska Craftsman Home Program
Prizes and information throughout the day! Come strip and get a little greener!
Bike Movie at Bear Tooth -- September 17 
"Reveal the Path," a bicycling movie partially filmed in Alaska, will premier for one showing at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub, Monday, September 17, at 8pm. All proceeds from this showing will go to Singletrack Advocates, a local group of concerned mountain bikers and recreationists working with other trail users and land managers to preserve, maintain and create natural trails in the greater Anchorage area.
Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage (BCA) will provide Valet Bike Parking at the event. Sponsors are Bear Tooth and The Bicycle Shop. All local bike shops are invited to participate. There will be a silent auction, raffle, and other activities.
Pollution Prevention Week -- September 17 - 23 See article below.
Green Star Award Quarterly Achievement Report Submittal Deadline -- September 30
To be eligible for earning Green Star Award certification this quarter, please submit your achievement report to Green Star by September 30. Visit Green Star for more details about the process.
Retro-Commissioning Workshop -- October 9
Tuesday, October 9, 11:30am - 1pm, FREE
Crowne Plaza Anchorage - Midtown Hotel, 109 W. International Airport Rd., Anchorage.
Green Star and Coffman Engineers are offering businesses and building managers an opportunity to learn about cost savings through optimizing a
building's existing controls, settings, and maintenance methods. Through RETRO-COMMISSIONING, engineers investigate and recommend
improvements for your building, including low- and no-cost options. Complimentary lunch will be served so be sure to RSVP at 278-7827 or christina@greenstarinc.org.
 Bioneers in Alaska -- October 26 - 28
Save the date for the 9th Annual Bioneers in Alaska conference. This event will be held at UAA. Bioneers in Alaska is a local, self organized Bioneers event featuring local speakers and live video keynotes from the annual Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California, featuring practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies to restore Earth's imperiled ecosystems and heal our human community. More details will be posted online soon. Registration will be available through Green Star at www.greenstarinc.org soon.
 Anchorage to Zero Waste Guide -- Download the guide. Produced twice a year by the Municipality of Anchorage's Solid Waste Services, the guide is your definitive source for recycling information in Anchorage. This issue includes information about organics management, water quality tips and resources, and updated recycling, energy efficiency, and waste prevention information.
Free Energy Efficiency Workshops -- Ongoing There are plenty of classes in September so sign up now! 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. |
CALLING ALL ARTISTSGet Your recyclART On for America Recycles Day  Green Star is hosting a recycling bin art contest called recyclART as part of this year's celebration of America Recycles Day (November 15).
We are looking for artists (professional, amateur, students, anyone!) to express themselves using recycling and trash bins as their canvas.
The goal is to create bins that are more visible and their purpose more obvious to the public. Each bin will be displayed and auctioned off at an event held at Kendall Lexus (6930 Old Seward Hwy, Anchorage) on Thursday, November 15, with the hope that the bins will be used by businesses in the Anchorage workplace as both functional recycling bins and works of art to raise awareness about recycling.
If you are interested in participating, contact Green Star at 278-7827 or info@greenstarinc.org. Bins will be provided. Look for more information about the event in next month's newsletter.  | |
This combination trash/recycling bin was decorated using "petals" and "leaves" cut from plastic jugs.
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POLLUTION PREVENTION WEEK - September 17 - 23, 2012
 | | "Each year, about six percent of janitors experience a job-related injury due to prolonged or extreme exposure to chemicals." |
Pollution Prevention Week, organized by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, is the third full week in September each year. This year's theme is "Safer Chemicals for a Safer World." It offers an opportunity for individuals, businesses, and government to emphasize and highlight their pollution prevention and sustainability activities and achievements, expand current pollution prevention efforts, and commit to new actions.
Pollution prevention (P2) describes activities that reduce the amount of pollution generated by a process, whether it is consumer consumption, driving, or industrial processes. In contrast to most pollution control strategies, which seek to manage a pollutant after it is formed and reduce its impact on the environment, the pollution prevention approach seeks to increase the efficiency of a process, thereby reducing the amount of pollution generated at its source. At the consumer level, it is often referred to as source reduction.
Pollution prevention also encompasses more specialized disciplines including green chemistry, green design, and green building.
Pollution Prevention Week is the time when businesses, environmental groups and citizens can join forces for a common cause. By sharing information about pollution prevention, businesses can become more competitive, businesses and government can realize cost savings, and environmental quality can be enhanced.
This year's theme encourages businesses and households to look at their use of all types of chemicals, from cleaning supplies to landscaping and yard care chemicals, from the fertilizers and pesticides used in the food supply to the fuel in the cars and trucks on the road. Are there alternatives? Ways to reduce?
For more information, visit www.p2.org.
What is your business doing for P2 Week? Let us know!
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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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