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Green Star's Latest Award Certified Businesses Anchorage Economic Development Corporation Alaska's North Country Castle Bed & Breakfast AES Maintenance & Operations - Greater Prudhoe Bay Capitol Glass Northerm Windows Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center Great Harvest Bread Company Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center From the Far Corners Photography Municipality of Anchorage City Hall
Full list of Green Star Awardees Anchorage Economic Development Corporation earned its Green Star Award certification on July 23, 2008. Total Reclaim earned its Green Star Award certification on June 11, 2008. Not only is recycling and waste prevention their business, it’s their way of life, as reflected in all that the staff does, from biking to work every day, to helping businesses and individuals all over the state to recycle a variety of materials. Here are just a few of Total Reclaim's accomplishments. · Signed on to Basel Action Network’s Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship. · Developing a recycling manual and video for villages to help them recycle all materials correctly. · Offers discounts to Green Star Awardees. · Recycles electronics, fluorescent lamps and ballasts, refrigerant, electronic media, plastics, metals and more. Alaska's North Country Castle Bed & Breakfast earned its Green Star Award certification on May 20, 2008. North Country B&B is very committed to energy conservation. During the site assessment, Green Star noticed that almost every room in the house was dotted with little stickers. These were all marking places where an energy auditor had found air leaks and were in the process of being fixed. The B&B's owner, Cindy, has made an effort to change out as many lightbulbs as possible to energy-efficient varieties and she plans to change out the few less efficient fluorescent lamps that still remain. She also is carefully researching a new furnace to be sure it is as efficient as possible. In-floor heating also helps keep the B&B efficient. She provided measurements of the B&B’s energy usage before and after weatherizing and purchasing Energy Star-rated appliances. She is even looking into solar panels to help supplement their energy use. Besides a close eye toward energy, the B&B' owner also has made sure that North Country Castle B&B recycles everything it can and doesn’t use a lot of packaging, like aluminum and steel cans. She serves organic food and composts throughout the summer months. She also is Master Gardener training and the yard has no lawn, allowing native vegetation to re-establish in most areas. The B&B been instrumental in establishing criteria for “going green” within the Anchorage B&B Association. These criteria are listed on the web site. The B&B also helped get a resolution passed at the State B&B Association to establish a “greening” program. Camai Bed & Breakfast earned its Green Star Award certification on May 20, 2008. At Camai, owners Caroline and Craig do everything they can to reduce waste, including using scrap paper for anything that needs to be printed, and cancelling catalog mailings. Caroline even gives guests “to go” beverages in reusable travel mugs that she gets from Salvation Army and Value Village with a request that the mugs be reused again. Camai has developed a policy document that identifies all of the practices that the B&B has in place and aspires to. The B&B also has a very specific job description for housekeeping staff that includes numerous waste preventing measures. All of this has paid off as they see a reduction in the amount of trash they put out each week compared to previous years. They also have tracked their gas and electricity use carefully for the past 30 years, noting changes and improvements to identify where savings occurred. Camai has created a backyard habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation and they plan to construct a rain garden this summer. The B&B been instrumental in establishing criteria for “going green” within the Anchorage B&B Association. These criteria are listed on the web site. The B&B also helped get a resolution passed at the State B&B Association to establish a “greening” program. AES Maintenance & Operations - Greater Prudhoe Bay earned its Green Star Award certification on May 7, 2008. The Award was presented during a staff presentation on the North Slope. The “green team” on this project was very motivated and did a tremendous amount of work. Here are just a few examples that stood out: · The formation of G.L.O.B.E. (Greater Learning and Organization for a Better Environment) as the group to lead and maintain the “green” initiatives was an excellent way to ensure success from the very beginning. · Providing quarterly GLOBE news to ASCR’s newsletters, which goes to 1900 employees, lets all staff know about the green initiatives. · The creation of suggestion boxes – combined with a competition with prizes – and judged by Green Star staff – gets staff involved and interested. The contest earlier this year brought in some very thoughtful suggestions. Almost 40 suggestions were submitted for the contest and ideas ranged from studying the feasibility of wind power projects and designating Styrofoam-free zones to posting signs to remind people to use their reusable water bottles and mugs. · In-house training and refreshers on topics like hazardous materials management and recycling help keep staff on their toes. · AES purchased travel mugs and water jugs to reduce use of disposables. AES estimates that it has reduced its purchase of Styrofoam cups by 6,000 each month with the purchase of the first batch of mugs and water jugs of just 30 of each. And more reusables will be distributed. Along with 30 lunch coolers. · AES also estimates that about 15 lbs of plastic bottles are recycled monthly at the ball mill and 30 lbs of aluminum are recycled monthly. · AES has installed wind-powered lights at traffic intersections on the Slope, designed to assist with visibility during blowing snow conditions. · The team also made calendars with photos featuring examples of waste prevention activities by BP and AES. This is a fun way to involve staff and to provide an everyday reminder · Pallets are now collected, banded and stockpiled for reuse instead of being burned. · G.L.O.B.E. has even allocated funds to sponsor another North Slope company in the Green Star program. Besides the additional activities being implemented, the daily operations of AES also demonstrate a commitment to the environment. · Cleaning reserve pits · Protection of waterfowl during operations using bird nets · Snow removal to reduce cross contamination Capitol Glass Northerm Windows earned its Green Star Award certification on April 29, 2008. Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center earned its Green Star Award certification on February 14, 2008. Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center in Homer houses office and interpretive exhibits for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemack Bay Research Reserve. The visitor center was opened in 2003 to provide environmental education about the refuge and share information about ongoing research. With a focus on sharing information with its 60,000 visitors each year, the visitor center has excelled at building Green Star initiatives into its daily activities, including displays, talks, and other education programs. The center is proud of the fact that it diverts 80% of its waste (by weight) from landfilling through reuse, recycling and composting. A series of topic-specific bulletin boards line the wall above the center’s recycling station with topics ranging from what is recyclable to the benefits of using kenaf to make paper and the downside of drinking bottled water. The Green Star coordinator at the center has perfected the use of gentle persuasion to ensure that all staff members are thinking about the impacts of their actions. He provides information, offers services, and requests participation in numerous activities, such as paper use reduction, recycling, clean-up, and reuse. Some of the initiatives include:
And all award application documents were submitted on one-sided scrap paper! Now that’s walking the walk! Alaska Railroad Corporation recently recertified its Green Star Award certification in addition to earning an Air Quality Award certification on January 30, 2008. Its efforts toward earning the Air Quality Award include:
The U.S. Department of Energy calculates that 38 percent of the average building’s energy losses are due to air leaks cause by leaky walls, windows, and doors. The remainder of the heat loss is conducted, radiated and convected out of the building because of inadequate or improperly installed insulation, structural defects and design flaws. Infrared imaging has helped the Railroad to identify these problems, often not detected by the naked eye. Easy fixes have already been made in many buildings and a plan has been developed to continue with more extensive upgrades and repairs. Great Harvest Bread Company earned its Green Star Award certification on January 27, 2008. Pioneer Natural Resources received its Green Star Award certification on December 1, 2007. The company earned its Award within six months of enrolling in the Green Star program, showing initiative and motivation. The company’s Green Team has established an annual baseline to track successes. This includes copy/print counts, daily computer shut-off, regular conference and cubicle lights shut-off. The team also communicates regularly through the company’s intranet about ideas to help build the Green Star program. Auto shut-down of equipment -- The visualization room (used by geoscientists and loaded with high-tech equipment) is now automated to wind down after a specified period of no use. This saves power and extends the life of expensive lighting in the room. In its offices, the company has made a concerted effort to reduce paper use by reducing font size, decreasing margins to fit more text on each page, working with the IT department to encourage duplex printing, and reducing the number of banner (cover) sheets printed. They are currently tracking the decrease in the amount of paper purchased. Pioneer also is taking an active role in energy efficiency efforts by emailing and meeting with the facilities supervisor to discuss improving the lighting and HVAC systems. Pioneer leases office space and hopes to encourages the building manager to improve the zoning of lighting in the space. “The water-borne paint actually performs better than solvent-based paints. It is what the high-end car manufacturers use,” says Kevin Stalder, owner of Driven Auto Body. “Even with its higher quality performance, it is still less expensive to use.” Driven Auto Body also installed new lights in its body shop area, replacing 32 old 400-watt sodium and metal halide lamps in its shop area with T-5 fixtures and lamps. This was a $10,000 retrofit. That is saving about $200/month. Newly installed ceiling fans also have increased energy efficiency and air leaks in the walls were sealed. Most recently, Driven Auto Body installed double glass doors between the parts area and the shop to reduce heat loss. Roof repairs are next on the list of energy-efficiency upgrades. U.S. Army, Fort Wainwright, near Fairbanks, received its Green Star Air Quality Award certification on December 1, 2007, based on its extensive programs to educate its personnel and their families, numerous facility upgrades, and its data tracking efforts. Here are just a few of the initiatives in place:
USR Corporation earned its Green Star Award certification on October 15, 2007. URS Corporation is an environmental and engineering firm that believes in Green Star’s values of “good for business, good for the community, good for the environment.” In fact, when they consolidated four firms in the late 1990s, all four were already Green Star members! Here are just a few examples of URS' environmental commitment: To decrease its energy use and carbon emissions, offices are lit with super-efficient T5 lighting, and lighting is zoned so that individuals have control of their own offices. Restrooms and entry areas have motion sensors. These actions have cut their lighting costs by at least 40 percent. URS also recycles many products, uses as little paper as possible, and uses recycled-content paper, including 100% recycled copy paper Perhaps one of the most admirable aspects of URS’ efforts is its community service. Each month, URS develops a community service project and now that they are Green Star Award winners, they incorporate environmental awareness into their programs. For example, in July 2007, employees donated needed paper products, such as napkins, paper towels and toilet paper, to the Covenant House. Valerie Watkins, URS’ Green Star Coordinator worked with the community project coordinator to provide a list of recycled-content products that employees could donate. Thanks to these efforts, the majority of the paper products the Covenant House received were made from recycled material, which included hundreds of rolls of toilet tissues and thousands of napkins. Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center received its Green Star Award certification on September 15, 2007. Susitna Elementary School received its Green Star Award certification on May 14, 2007. Ingrid Bodensteiner, a teacher at Sustina Elementary, included her students in every step of the Green Star Award process, from the initial site assessment to the completion of the award application. In fact, when Green Star staff first met with the school, Ms. Bodensteiner's students were fully prepared to ask all the right questions to move Susitna Elementary toward earning the Award. The process started with Ms. Bodensteiner’s recycling club. Prior to the formation of the recycling club, the school librarian would collect paper around the school and personally transport it to the recycling center. To get the whole school involved, the students created a video promoting recycling in Susitna’s classrooms. Now, the recyclables are taken to the recycling center not by one dedicated individual, but by a group of twelve teachers, working together, on a rotating schedule. However, the recycling club didn’t stop at recycling, the students truly considered their relationship with the environment and its resources. Instead of just recycling used paper, the Susitna students initiated a paper reuse program. Through measurements and tracking, students estimate that they collect 5 reams of paper per week for one-sided reuse, saving 180 reams of paper per year or $800 by not buying new paper. To conserve water and energy, the fifth and sixth students created a bulletin board and wrote morning announcements advertising a water and energy conservation campaign. They invited the entire to school to participate in a poster contest promoting the responsible use of resources. Additionally, students wrote and preformed a skit about resource conservation and took their show on the road, from classroom to classroom in Susitna Elementary. The students also looked at their own behaviors conducting a survey of recycling before and after the Green Star programs were initiated in the school. The students also learned the value of reuse, preservation and history by refurbishing a wall-sized painting created by students at Susitna over 15 years ago. They kept that mosaic, and made it more beautiful, rather than throwing it away. Green Star is proud to support and recognize schools whose teachers and students demonstrate that being responsible citizens and community members is an important part of learning, living, and growing up. From the Far Corners Photography received its Green Star Award certification on April 20, 2007. The Alaska Regional Office of the National Park Service received its Green Star Award certification on April 23, 2007. Looking at pollution prevention on a large scale, the Alaska Regional Office considered environmental impacts from the ground up when its Anchorage office was built to LEED standards. Carpet, ceiling tiles, and various surface materials throughout the building are made from recycled-content materials. The offices are lit with energy-efficient lighting and computer monitors were all upgraded to more efficient flat screens. Internally, at the office level, the National Park Service has recycled 15,000 pounds of materials since 2004, including mixed paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles. The National Park Service even takes its environmental efforts outside of the office to help clear the air by encouraging its employees to take alternative transportation. Employees are offered free bus passes within Anchorage, discounted passes for vanpools out to the Valley, and a secure bike enclosure to encourage employees to avoid creating vehicle pollution by biking to work. The office staff participates in the annual Bike To Work Day to raise awareness of alternative transportation options in Anchorage. Royal Celebrity Tours received its Green Star Award certification on February 5, 2007. With numerous opportunities to implement waste prevention initiatives in its offices, maintenance shops, rail cars, and motor coaches, Royal Celebrity has done a lot! In its offices, RCT recycles a wide range of materials, delivering them periodically to the recycling center using a luggage handling truck. Recyclables from the Fairbanks office are transported to Anchorage by motor coach for delivery to the recycling center as well. Guests on motor coaches and rail cars are asked to place water and soda bottles and cans in separate baskets so they can be collected for recycling. They also are served food and beverages using reusable dishware and napkins. In its maintenance shops, RCT collects used oil, antifreeze, fluorescent lamps, and batteries for recycling. RCT also retreads old motor coach tires. Maintenance staff also remove the new rear tires from each coach and replaces them with retreads. This extends the life of the new tires for use on the front wheels. In an effort to save money and reduce emissions, RCT tracked the time its motor coaches spent idling before and after implementing an idle-reduction initiative. In sampling 13 coaches over two three-year periods, the company found idling time had been reduced by almost 17%. Spurred on by this success, RCT hopes to see further reductions in 2007.
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