Download - Green Star Annual Report 2008
Interior Alaska Green StarAnnual Report
2008
PO Box 82391Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
(907) 452-4152www.iagreenstar.org
Executive DirectorDarcie Warden
Mission StatementInterior Alaska Green Star is the Fairbanks chapter of Green Star®, a non-profit
organization which encourages households and businesses to practice wastereduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention.
Message from the Executive Director
It is amazing how quickly one year goes by. It was just March of
2008 when I began working as Executive Director with Interior Alaska
Green Star (IAGS),and I hit the ground running because the first e-
waste recycling event was only weeks away. Luckily for me, the past
director, Eva Rothman, kept excellent records and had successfully
planned and executed two electronics recycling events; with her help I
was able to smoothly transition into my new role. But don’t worry, we
haven’t lost Eva - she now serves on the IAGS board providing
guidance and support. Eva sits with a great group of people on the IAGS
board. These are volunteers who are fiscally responsible for the
organization and who take that responsibility very seriously. Each
board member brings their own unique skills and experience to the table. I would like to acknowledge the
hard work, expertise, community contacts, passion, and commitment that they bring to this organization.
Further, our mission is supported by all the hard work from our volunteers and by the generous contributions
from our donors. All of this support provides IAGS the necessary resources to host bi-annual electronics
recycling events over the past three years. Just in 2008, over 25 tons of electronics were diverted from the
FSNB landfill. Businesses, non-profit organizations, and individual households invested in the electronic
recycling program by participating in our collection events. The mind-boggling aspect about this work is that
we will only be recycling more and more electronics as time goes by. Our modes of communication become
more sophisticated so quickly, that the electronic devices we have in our possession become obsolete within
a year or two. This is an alarming trend that is not slowing down - so IAGS not only recommends that
consumers recycle their electronics, but that they also purchase electronic items from companies that take
responsibility for their products (from production to end of life). Purchase products from companies that use
fewer toxic materials and who utilize construction methods that make it easier to break the products down at
the end of life stage.
IAGS is well known in the community for the electronics recycling program - but we will soon be providing
even more services in the coming year. The board and I have been developing a 3-year work plan and have
spent many hours strategizing how to achieve our goals over the next few years. We are excited to re-
institute the Green Star Award Program in 2009, provide education and outreach to schools and community
groups, and support all efforts working towards sustainable living practices. I look forward to the upcoming
year and all that we can accomplish together in the Interior of Alaska.
April 2008 - Items Collected
203
26
128
2836
5967
111 4
33
60
44
3
74
1 0
25
2 2
89
4 3
38
100
0
50
100
150
200
250
Compu
ter C
PU
CPU & mon
itor s
et
CRT mon
itor
LCD m
onito
r
Lapto
p com
puter
Keybo
ard
Printer
< 20lb
Printer
< 30lb
Printer
> 30
lb
Deskto
p cop
ier
Fax m
achin
e/sca
nner
Cell ph
one/c
harge
r
Answeri
ng m
achin
e/pho
ne
Electric
type
writer
DVD/VCR/stere
o play
er
Microw
ave
Coffee
maker
TV/19-27
"
TV/28-36
"
Calcula
tor
CDs/DVDs/f
loppie
s
UPS batte
ry pa
cks
Camera
/camco
rder
Modem
s/ext
drive
Other
Num
bers
of I
tem
s Co
llect
edAccomplishments
Electronics Recycling: IAGS held two electronics recycling events in 2008.
April 2008 ElectronicsRecycling Event
In the spirit of Earth Day, IAGS held an electronics collection event on April 26th in the parking lot of the
Carlson Center, and also hosted an information booth at Glowing Planet Concept Tree’s Earth Expo 2008
that was held inside the Carlson Center.
IAGS collected electronics all day on the 26th from businesses and households and also collected items
during the evening of the 29th while the Golden Valley Electric Association’s Annual Meeting was hosted at
the Carlson Center. By the end of the two-day collection event, the electronics recycling team had collected
and shipped 11.9 tons of obsolete electronics from the Fairbanks community to Total Reclaim Inc. in
Anchorage and then on to their Seattle recycling facility. Thanks to these efforts, we successfully diverted
an estimated 1094 pounds of lead from the FNSB landfill.
October 2008 Electronics Recycling EventThe second electronics recycling event of 2008 was held
on October 4th and 6th in the Westmark Hotel’s back
parking lot. We thank Westmark’s generosity for
providing our volunteers an indoor work space; because
of course it is cold enough to snow in October! IAGS -
with the help of dedicated volunteers including a 5th
grade class from the Tri-Valley School District -
collected approximately 13 tons of electronic waste.
Over 200 households, businesses, non-profit
organizations, and government agencies participated in
our Fall electronics recycling collection event; some came from as far away as Denali. Again, we collected
computer monitors, printers, and televisions - plus numerous cell phones, VCRs and miles of cables and
wires associated with electronic devices. These obsolete electronic devices were shipped to the recycling
center, Total Reclaim Inc., in Anchorage where 90% of the items will be recycled or reused.
Oct 08 Electronics Recycling
70
44
99
11
29
60 58
25
81
27
49
4 6
72
9
0
41
3 2
21
7
85
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
CPU
CPU/Mon
itor/p
eriph
erals
CRT Mon
itor
flat s
creen
mon
itor
laptop
keyb
oard
printe
r less
than
20
printe
r 21-3
0
printe
r more
than
30
copie
r des
ktop
fax m
achin
e/sca
nner/
all-in
-one
cell p
hone
anweri
ng m
achin
e
electr
ic typ
e write
r
DVD play
er/vc
r/ster
eo
microw
ave
coffe
emak
er
tv 19
-27"
tv 28
-36"
calcu
lators
cd,dv
d,flop
pies
UPS batte
ry pa
cks
other
Type of items collected
Num
ber o
f ite
ms
colle
cted
Electronics Recycling PartnersIAGS has selected Total Reclaim Inc. as the electronics recycling company based on their high recovery
rate of e-waste materials and their responsible handling of toxic materials. They have taken the “Pledge of
True Stewardship with the Basal Action Network (BAN)”, which holds strict standards and practices for
recycling and exportation of materials. This is important because used electronics contain lead, cadmium,
barium, chromium, and mercury – materials which are toxic to the environment, as well as to the people
who work in the e-waste dismantling industry. Strict standards identified by BAN prevent these materials
from being burned or water soaked, in order to prevent toxic persistent organic pollution (POPs) from
entering our water systems or air.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Solid Waste Division has been a constant partner in our recycling
events over the last 3 years. We have depended on their contributions of their skilled forklift operators to
load material on to semi-trucks. The continued commitment from the FNSB Solid Waste Division ensures
the safety and on-going success for IAGS’s electronics recycling collection events.
Two partners who helped with the critically important pieces of publicity and volunteer recruitment were
the Northern Alaska Environmental Center and the Associated Students of University Alaska Fairbanks
Recycling Club. Both of these partners share IAGS’s goal to inform the public and student populations
about recycling opportunity in Fairbanks.
The Carlson Center and Westmark Hotel provided the venues for the two events in 2008. It is important to
provide safe, easy access to businesses and households for electronics recycling drop-off. Thanks to these
two partners we had a great location for 44’ long trailers, safe access for on-going traffic throughout the
day, and plenty of space for volunteers to work.
The October event was the springboard to prepare the community for the
television digital changeover, so we wanted to advertise the event on TV.
However, advertising is the biggest expense item in the budget, especially
through television media. But thanks to Tanana Valley Television’s
generous donation of commercial production and airtime, IAGS was able
to advertise the October e-waste collection a week before the event on
three stations. Based on our survey, many people were informed about
the event through these television broadcasts.
Total Electronic Waste Collected in 2008
Major e-waste contributors at the collection events have been the Tri-Valley School District in Healy, BLM
Fire Service, Princess Hotel, Denali National Park, the City of Fairbanks, Alaska Communications Systems
(ACS), Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and HSS Warehouse. These businesses, along with the
many individuals in the community, contributed to successful events which have diverted over 50 tons of
electronic waste from the FNSB landfill over the past three years.
2008 Electronics Recycling Totals
273
70
227
3965
119 125
369 5
60
109
48
9
146
10 0
66
5 2
110
11
226
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
CPU
CPU/Mon
itor/p
eriphe
rals
CRT Mon
itor
flat s
creen
mon
itorlap
top
keyb
oard
prin ter le
ss tha
n 20
printer 2
1-30
printer m
ore than
30
copie
r deskt
op
fax m
achin
e/sca
nner/
all-in-
one
cell p
hone
anweri
ng machi
ne
electr
ic typ
e write
r
DVD play
er/vcr
/stere
o
microw
ave
coffe
emaker
tv 19-2
7"
tv 28
-36"
calcu
la tors
cd,dvd,
flopp
ies
UPS battery
packs oth
er
Product Collected
Num
ber o
f Ite
ms
Col
lect
ed
Public Outreach and Education
IAGS enters the class room:
Interior Alaska Green Star provides educational presentations about electronics recycling to school classes,
organizations, and community groups upon request. In 2008,
IAGS presented to 15 high school classes, junior high classes
and organizational groups. Thank you to West Valley High
School, Ryan Middle School, and UAF for inviting us into
your rooms to share information about the local e-waste
collection efforts and why it is so important to dispose of old
electronic items responsibly.
Special Events
IAGS joined the Midnight Sun Festival downtown with an
informational table. We provided handouts about local
recycling efforts, electronics recycling, plastics and IAGS
membership information. This was a great opportunity to reach out to the community about our services and
recruit volunteers.
Our major partnership over the summer was with the Tanana Valley State Fair. During the nine days of the
fair, IAGS had an informational booth in the Borealis Pavilion and also organized the recycling efforts for
plastic and aluminum. Thanks to the leadership of the Tanana Valley State Fair, Wal-Mart, K&K recycling,
and all the volunteers who put time in with IAGS, we accomplished our goals of information distribution,
volunteer recruitment and recycling of plastic and aluminum for the duration of the fair.
IAGS also had a great time at the Golden Days Parade held in downtown Fairbanks. Eva Rothman, creative
board member - along with her amazing children - constructed a T-Rex out of plastic bags to illustrate the
number of plastic grocery bags a family uses in one year. This visual aid caught the attention of adults and
children alike, giving us the opportunity to promote local recycling efforts in the community and distribute
Fred Meyer reusable shopping bags to those who wanted them. Thank you Fred Meyer for your donation to
our outreach efforts!
Green Events
Tanana Valley State Fair (TVSF) partnered with IAGS, Wal-Mart, K&K Recycling, and ALPAR to gather
plastic and aluminum beverage containers for recycling. Even though
the weather was cold and wet almost every day of the fair, we gathered
approximately 210 pounds of aluminum representing ~ 6703 cans, and
200 pounds of plastic representing ~ 4081 bottles. The collection and
separation of plastic and aluminum was as successful as it was thanks
to the 50 volunteers who put in an amazing 460 hours of volunteer
time. Over the nine day period, nearly 75,000 people attended the fair,
which is a drop in the usual attendance due to the inclement weather.
With that fact in mind, IAGS and the TVSF expect to see more people
and more recycling in the summer of 2009!
Community Involvement
IAGS was involved with the FNSB Recycling Task Force meetings over the past year. The three IAGS board
members - Pam Seiser, Andrea Miller and Kristen Thomas - attended 12 months of meetings. Their
contributions lead to strengthening the final recommendations that were eventually delivered to the Borough
Mayor.
Interior Alaska Green Star Infrastructure ImprovementsIAGS held three strategic planning sessions to plan for the future, strengthen organizational systems,
continue outreach, and further develop the Green Star Awards program. We have already accomplished our
goal to increase organizational capacity by electronically linking board members on a shared website with
document sharing, instant messaging capability, and on-line storage for pictures and documents. IAGS is
also using a new on-line data base to track volunteer hours, members, and donor contributions. This very
important tool will further strengthen our abilities to reach out to the community.
Board of Directors
Pam Seiser, Board Chair Bill SmythAlaska Biological Research, Inc. Department of Environmental Conservation
Carol Ann Varner Eva RothmanArmy Corps of Engineers Fairbanks Resource Agency
Kristen Thomas Andrea MillerCold Climate Housing Research Center Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
Staff
Ty Keltner Darcie WardenCold Climate Housing Research Center Executive Director
2008 Volunteers
Thank you to all of the dedicated volunteers:
Gina Baker Paul Foucheaux Michele ScoutenSharon Baker Zack Gaskins Pam SeiserMelissa Baltazar Matt Goodwin Barbara SevierRoberto Baltazar Martin Harrington Marielle SmithAlex Batista Dorothy Heim Bill SmythRuby Baxter Justin Heinz David SpindlerCaleb Beaty Bob and Joann Henszey Sara SpindlerAlexander Bergman Arline Hogenson Kayli StanfillBillie, Sharon, and Susie Ethan Howe Al StoruickSteven Bonfoey Nancy Hummel Ashleigh StrangeMichael Bradshaw Ambrose Mazion Joel's PlaceJohn Bunten Steve McElreath Karen and KristiLeticia Carroll Andrea Miller Billie KasselAlysha Childs Pat Moodie Ty KeltnerAly Cruey Alice Mural KelvinMatt Delcastillo Kerry Nelson Steve KendellTom DeLong Mary Ann Nickles Suni LambertLa’ona DeWilde Debbie Nigro Will LentzTom Dillon Crystal Nolin Jessica LundyMary Dokken Misty Nolin Julie MaierChristian Dornkven Ashley Norum Bob SugdenKathy Duryee Sally O’Connell Renee SugdenArt Eveland Jordon O’Dell Kristen ThomasSuzy Fenner Ricky Pelton Tri-Valley School 5th GradeEric Ferree Tadge Piure UrsulaDeb Fitzgerald Eva Rothman Carol Ann VarnerDevon Fitzpatrick Aurora Rotz Stuart VarnerDavya Flaharty Marilyn Russell Catherine WhitneyTyson Flaharty Tyler Saunders Briana WilburnAna Fochesatto Tamara Scott
2008 Sponsors
Gold StarGolden Valley Electric Association
Wal-MartUsibelli
Tanana Valley TelevisionBest Buy
Rasmuson FoundationTotal Reclaim Inc.
Silver StarABR
ALPARAlyeska
Fairbanks Memorial HospitalFlint Hills
FNSB Solid Waste DivisionWestmark
Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc.
SupportersFred Meyer
Safeway
Interior Alaska Green Star2008 Financial Statements
Balance Sheet
Statement of Activities
2007 2008
Cash, Savings, and investments 8,140.00 8,944.00
Land and buildings 0 0
Total assets 8,140.00 8,944.00
Total Liabilities 33.00 114.00
Net assets or fund balances 8,107.00 8,830.00
Revenues
Contributions, gifts, and similar amounts received 23,685.00
Program service revenue 19,067.00
Membership dues and assessments 0
Investment income 34.00
Total Revenue 42,786.00
Expenses
Salaries, other compensation and employee benefits 13,306.00
Professional fees and other payments to independentcontractors
2,465.00
Occupancy, rent, utilities, and maintenance 0
Printing, publications, postage and shipping 437.00
Conferences/meetings 38.00
Web hosting/Internet fees 532.00
Promotion and public awareness 3,941.00
Recycling expenses 20,619.00
Bank service charge 75.00
Dues and subscriptions 275.00
Insurance 204.00
Supplies 171.00
Total Expenses 42,063.00
Assets
Excess or (deficit) for the year 723.00
Net assets or fund balances at beginning of year 8,107.00
Net assets or fund balances at end of year 8,830.00