Green Star Annual Report 2009

Interior Alaska Green Star

Annual Report

2009

PO Box 82391 Fairbanks, Alaska 99708

(907) 452‐4152 www.iagreenstar.org

Executive Director Andrea Miller

[email protected]

Mission Statement

Interior Alaska Green Star is the Fairbanks chapter of Green Star®, a non‐profit

organization which encourages households and businesses to practice waste reduction,

energy conservation and pollution prevention.

Interior Alaska Green Star – 2009 Annual Report

1

MMeessssaaggee ffrroomm tthhee EExxeeccuuttiivvee DDiirreeccttoorr

In October, I took over from Darcie Warden as Executive Director of Interior Alaska

Green Star. I was fortunate to have the pleasure of working with her at IAGS for

the last year and a half, as first a volunteer and then a board member. Fortunately

for us, Darcie is still very active with IAGS as the board Vice President, and we are

lucky to have her expertise and energy as part of our organization.

One thing that has consistently impressed me about IAGS is the dedication and passion of

everyone who is involved with the organization. The board members are truly a working board, who

give so much of their time, energy, and expertise to help IAGS realize its mission and goals; they

consistently go well above and beyond expectations to ensure our continued development and success.

Our IAGS volunteers show their passion and commitment to recycling and living green in the Interior on

a regular basis – coming out to help with our outdoor events (often in cold or inclement weather) and

cheerfully assisting with every task at hand to ensure that these events are successful. I am not

exaggerating when I say that we truly could not hold these events without all the hard work of these

amazing volunteers! Finally, IAGS is grateful for the ongoing financial support of our generous donors

and supporters, without whom none of this would be possible. These community‐minded businesses

and organizations support our mission of helping to keep the Interior green, and we appreciate their

contributions to our efforts. Overall, I am just so thankful for all the inspiring people I have met through

my association with IAGS, and look forward to many more great experiences ahead!

IAGS is probably best known in the Fairbanks community for our bi‐annual electronics recycling

events, and we have continued those events during the past year – collecting and diverting 33 tons of

electronics waste from our landfills. In 2009, we expanded our recycling efforts by introducing a new

spring event called the Recycling Round‐Up, which was extremely successful in its first year! In addition,

we have reinstated the Green Star Award Program this year, in order to return to our roots of helping

our business community become more sustainable.


2

EElleeccttrroonniiccss RReeccyycclliinngg EEvveennttss

In 2009, we doubled the number of Electronics Recycling Collection Events we typically hold in a year. In

addition to our standard spring and fall events, we added a TV recycling event to accommodate the large

number of analog TVs being retired after the switchover to digital TV transmission, as well as a special

recycling event in Healy. Our spring event was also expanded to a multi‐material recycling event.

Overall, we diverted a total of 66,079 pounds – or 33 tons – of electronic waste from the landfills of

Interior Alaska in 2009. See below for more information about each of these recycling events

April Events

We collected a total of 7,089 pounds of electronics at two separate recycling events in April:

TV Recycling Event – April 11

In April of 2009, we decided to highlight the upcoming transition to digital television with a

special event focused on recycling old TVs. A standard tube television contains mercury and 4‐8

pounds of lead; if improperly disposed, these toxins can damage the environment. The goal of

our TV Recycling Event was to encourage any Fairbanks area residents who would be replacing

their TVs in preparation for the June 2009 switchover to digital TV to recycle their old devices

rather than taking them to the landfill! Although our focus was on TVs, we also accepted all

other electronics dropped off by residents.

Healy Electronics Recycling Event – April 17

Continuing our efforts to expand electronics recycling opportunities for Interior Alaska, we

worked in partnership with local contacts in the Denali Borough to coordinate a special collection

event for the Healy area. It was a cold, drizzly, and snowy Friday in Healy but that didn’t stop us

from getting some recycling done.

The highlight of the event was the participation of the

Tri‐Valley School fifth graders, who were an integral

part of our entire operation that day. Not only did they

bring us 1,000 pounds of electronics equipment from

the school to recycle – they helped us prepare it for

shipment. The students helped us unload the trailer full

of equipment – mostly old Mac computers and CRT

monitors – and organize everything nicely on the

ground.

Overall, we had a very successful day with four pallets of electronics making their way to

Anchorage before being shipped to Total‐Reclaim, Inc in Seattle, Washington for recycling.


3

Spring Electronics Collection at the Recycling Round‐Up – May 15‐16

For our usual Spring Electronics Recycling, we incorporated our collection efforts into the new Recycling

Round‐Up event, held for the first time this year. As usual, we collected electronics from businesses

and households over two days – Friday and Saturday. New this year was the decision to open up the

Friday collection to households as well as businesses. We were very busy throughout this event

weekend and collected 28,607 pounds of electronics over the course of those two days.

Fall Electronics Recycling Event – September 25‐26

We scheduled our fall event in September (rather than later in October), hoping to catch the end of the

warmer weather in the interest of our dedicated volunteers and recyclers. Unfortunately, the

unpredictable Fairbanks weather did not cooperate, and we had cold, snowy weather as usual.

However, we still had a great time collecting, sorting, and stacking electronics for recycling. We

collected 30,383 pounds of electronics at this event.

Electronics Recycling Partners

IAGS selected Total Reclaim Inc. as our electronics recycling partner 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 continues to be a key partner in our

recycling events, as they have been for the past four years. We depend on their contributions of skilled

forklift operators to load the pallets stacked with collected electronics material onto semi‐trucks. The

continued commitment from the FNSB Solid Waste Division ensures safety and on‐going success for

IAGS’s electronics recycling collection events.

Wal‐Mart provided the venue for our April TV Recycling Collection Event. This was a good fit,

since many people buying those new TVs at Wal‐Mart had the opportunity to recycle their old TVs at

the same time!

Tanana Valley State Fairground Association provided the venues for the Spring Recycling Round‐

Up and the Fall Electronics Recycling events in 2009. This proved to be such an excellent venue for our

recycling collections that we will be returning to this site again in 2010. The large open spaces of the

parking lot and easy access from College Road combine to make this a very visible and efficient space

for businesses and households to drop off their electronics for recycling.


4

FFiirrsstt AAnnnnuuaall RReeccyycclliinngg RRoouunndd‐‐UUpp EEvveenntt

In 2009, IAGS launched a new annual spring event called the Recycling Round‐Up. For this event, we

invited a number of local businesses and organizations to join us in a one‐day collection event for

reusable and recyclable goods. We encouraged residents to use this opportunity to Spring Clean their

homes and yards and turn all that “waste” into something useful, and we were gratified to receive a

great response! The following list details the approximately 25 tons of material that was collected for

reuse or recycling during this event.

Material Collected Amount Collected Organization

Food Cans 400 pounds C & R Pipe and Steel

Printer Cartridges 100 cartridges Cartridge World

Food 145 pounds Fairbanks Community Food Bank

Aluminum Cans 400 pounds Fairbanks Counseling & Adoption ‐ Street Outreach Team

Clothing 3291 pounds FRA Closet Collections

Household Hazardous Waste 5 totes FNSB Waste Management

Building Materials 1 pickup load Habitat for Humanity

Electronics 28,607 pounds Interior Alaska Green Star

Glass 6,600 pounds The Monolith Project

Compost Materials 30 bags Rosie Creek Farm

Newspaper 3,000 pounds Thermo‐Kool

Plastic & Paper 40‐foot Trailer full Wal‐Mart

TTaannaannaa VVaalllleeyy SSttaattee FFaaiirr

IAGS once again partnered with the Tanana Valley State Fair Association, Wal‐Mart, K&K Recycling, and

ALPAR to coordinate the recycling efforts at the 2009 Fair. Thanks to the many dedicated hours spent by

IAGS volunteers gather and sorting recyclables, we were able to meet our goals of recycling as many

plastic and aluminum beverage containers as possible and helping to make this a greener event!

IInnffrraassttrruuccttuurree IImmpprroovveemmeennttss aatt IIAAGGSS

IAGS continued working towards our goals of organizational development by engaging the Foraker

Group to lead us in a Strategic Planning session in July of 2009.

In addition, IAGS expanded our Board of Directors by adding a new member. David Weissman joined

the IAGS board in May of 2009. David first worked with IAGS as a volunteer for our Recycling Round‐Up,

and was enthusiastic about the mission and goals of IAGS. He is a newcomer to Alaska, but comes to us

with 10 years of experience working for a conservation non‐profit organization in Pennsylvania. David’s

special expertise is in fundraising, and IAGS has been lucky to gain this excellent addition to our board!


5

PPuubblliicc OOuuttrreeaacchh aanndd EEdduuccaattiioonn

Tanana Valley State Fair – August 7 through August 15

The Tanana Valley State Fair represents the perfect opportunity for IAGS to reach out and connect with

our community, so this is always an important event for our outreach efforts. Thanks to many hours put

in by IAGS volunteers and board members, we are able to educate Fairbanks area residents on our

mission, programs, and events.

FNSB Teachers In‐Service Presentation – October 19

In October, IAGS was invited to participate in the Teacher’s In‐Service Day for the Fairbanks North Star

Borough School District. Two Board Members – Pam Seiser and Eva Rothman – gave two separate “Let’s

Talk Trash” presentations during the day, to packed classrooms! In total, 59 teachers – mostly in the

science, social studies, and math fields – attended these presentations to learn more about solid waste,

recycling, and the four ‘Rs’ – rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle.

Informational Booths

IAGS is often invited to participate in events coordinated by other local organizations. We are always

thrilled for these opportunities to meet and network with other local organizations – as well as the

chance to share information with community members about our own organization’s mission and

activities. In 2009, IAGS participated by hosting informational booths at the following events:

Alaska Interfaith Power and Light event

o Branches of Abraham: An Interfaith Forum on Environmental Stewardship – February 26th

Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market event

o Harvest Fair and Annual Meeting – August 29th

Golden Days Parade – July 25

IAGS had a great time at the Golden Days Parade held in

downtown Fairbanks. This year, we once again used the

opportunity to raise awareness about the use of disposable

plastic grocery bags. Board members and volunteers dressed up

as “Bag Ladies and Gents” with costumes made of hundreds of

plastic bags. The intent was to represent the 400 grocery bags a

typical household uses in a single year.

In contrast, one lucky person in the sharp‐looking reusable bag

costume represented the alternative to single‐use, disposable

bags.

These visual aids caught the attention of adults and children alike,

giving us the opportunity to promote local recycling efforts in the

community and distribute over 150 reusable shopping bags

donated by Fred Meyer’s, Safeway, and Wal‐Mart!


6

BBooaarrdd ooff DDiirreeccttoorrss

Pam Seiser, President

Alaska Biological Research, Inc.

Darcie Warden, Vice President

Alaska Legal Services Corporation

Ty Keltner, Treasurer

Cold Climate Housing Research Center

Eva Rothman, Secretary

Fairbanks Resource Agency

Bill Smyth

Department of Environmental Conservation

Kristen Thomas

Cold Climate Housing Research Center

Carol Ann Varner

Tanana Valley League of Women Voters

David Weissman

Design Alaska, Inc.

FNSB Recycling Commission


7

VVoolluunntteeeerrss

Thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers!

Charley Basham Patty Kastelic Eva Rothman

Ruby Baxter Ty Keltner Michele Scouten

Alexander Bergman Steve Kendall Pam Seiser

Carey Brink Doug Kenney Phil Shad

John Bunten Don Leistikow Bill Smyth

Tara Callear Will Lentz Eli Sonafrank

Beth Cender Margo Matthews Sue Sprinkle

Catherine Chandler Darcee Messano Dan Stahlke

Heather Currey Brian McInnis Kristen Thomas

Mary Dokken Scott McInnis Carol Ann Varner

Deb Fitzgerald Susan McInnis Wendy Warnick

Ana Fochesatto Andrea Miller Walter Weese

Gretchen Garcia Joy Morrison David Weissman

Carrie Harris Mary Ann Nickles Lori Winton

Justin Heinz Sheri Olesen Jeff Yarman

Laura Jacobs John Pender Amy Zacheis

Edna Johanson

SSppoonnssoorrss

ABR, Inc.

Air Land Transport

FNSB Solid Waste Division

Golden Valley Electric Association

North Haven Communities

Princess Lodges

Rasmuson Foundation

Spirit of Alaska Federal Credit Union

Tanana Valley State Fair Association

Tanana Valley Television

Total Reclaim, Inc.

Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc.

Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.

Wal‐Mart

Yukon River Inter‐Tribal Watershed Council

Supporters

Fred Meyer

Safeway


8

22000099 FFiinnaanncciiaall SSttaatteemmeennttss

Balance Sheet

2008 2009

Cash, Savings, and investments $8,944 $3,483

Land and buildings $0 $0

Total assets $8,944 $3,483

Total Liabilities $114 $0

Net assets or fund balances $8,830 $3,483

Statement of Activities

Revenues

Contributions, gifts, and similar amounts received $29,833

Program service revenue $3,517

Membership dues and assessments $0

Investment income $9

Total Revenue $33,359

Expenses

Salaries, other compensation and employee benefits $10,496

Professional fees and other payments to independent contractors $3,327

Occupancy, rent, utilities, and maintenance $0

Printing, publications, postage and shipping $0

Conferences/meetings $86

Web hosting/Internet fees $425

Promotion and public awareness $4,091

Recycling expenses $17,733

Bank service charge $10

Dues and subscriptions $449

Insurance $826

Supplies $323

Licenses and Permits $155

Other Expenses $785

Total Expenses $38,706

Assets

Excess or (deficit) for the year ($5,347)

Net assets or fund balances at beginning of year $8,8330

Net assets or fund balances at end of year $3,483

Green Star Annual Report 2009

Documents

Transcript of Green Star Annual Report 2009