Reduce Reuse Recycle

On Thursday, 29 Jan, Sustainable Kodiak hosted a panel discussion on the new changes coming to Kodiak's waste management program. Kodiak Island Borough adopted a new Solid Waste Management Plan, and it contains recommendations to increase the amount of recycling and decrease the amount of waste headed to our landfill.

At the current rate, our landfill will be FULL in 2014. To combat this, panel members and Sustainable Kodiak members encourage us to:

REDUCE: Be thoughtful consumers: purchase items with less packaging
REUSE: Reuse items: be creative, be artistic, pay it forward.
RECYCLE: Check out Threhold Recycling's list of Acceptable Items (below)

The Solid Waste Advisory Board is looking for volunteers to help with public outreach to educate our fellow residents on the three Rs and make a cultural shift in how we handle waste in this pristine environment in which we live. To understand how this committee will conduct outreach, click the hyperlink above to read the plan and view the recommendations. To volunteer, contact Sustainable Kodiak.


Accepted Items
Corrugated Cardboard (OCC)
Boxes and sheet cardboard
Mixed Paperboard
any non corrugated cardboard, or OCC with shiny finish
Office Paper
White printer paper, unused or with ink
Newspaper
Daily newspaper or similar type of paper
Magazines/Catalogs
Shiny finished pages
Books
Hard or paperbacked
Files
Any file folders
Stationary paper
Mixed colored paper
Envelopes
Shipping, mailing, interoffice With or without windows
Junk mail/Voting pamphlets
Any mail that doesn’t interest you, please don’t throw away
Carbonless forms
Fill-in forms without a carbon form
Bond paper
Ink-jet printer paper
Manila folders
File folders
Receipts
Store receipts
Pamphlets
Usually falls under stationary paper
Blueprint paper
Architectural layout of building
Styrofoam packing peanuts
These are available to the public from us at no cost for reuse
HDPE#2 Natural
White/clear in color, usually milk jugs
HDPE#2 Colored
Variety of color’s, primarily soap and detergent bottles
PET#1 Clear
Transparent or semi-transparent, water, soda, juice bottles
OTHER plastics-Various Number codes
Plastics without specific codes, we take all plastics!!!
Plastic Film
Bags, Shrink wrap, Bubble wrap, etc.
Aluminum
Soda, beer, juice cans aluminum siding, gutters
Tin cans
Soup cans, coffee cans
Cell phones
Old cell phones-collected for school funding
Ink-jet cartridges
Used ink-jet cartridges-collected for school funding

Tires: $.30 per pound charge, drop off at plant during business hours
Electronics: $.50 per pound charge, drop off at plant during business hours
Appliances: $25.00 refrigerant removal fee, all others are free of charge
Light bulbs: $1.50 per pound charge, drop off at plant during business hours
Batteries: All household and car batteries, free of charge
Document destruction: $.15 per pound charge, We have a commercial shredder at the plant

Teshekpuk Lake Birding

Teshekpuk Lake Birding Contest!

Directions:
1. Click the link below.
2. Watch the video.
3. Using the email link provided on the website, email them a list of all the birds seen or heard in the video

Alaska Audubon will send you a prize!

http://audubonalaska.org/IssuesAction_Teshekpukvideo.html

Tell your friends and encourage fellow Chapter members, colleagues, relatives, and birding buddies, to pass it on, too!

Birding Classes Begin 30 Jan!

We welcome students to audit or to take the class for credit. There is no homework or exams... we just require a field notebook for those who take the class for credit. Please join us, or pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested.

Remember that students over the age of 65 can take the class for free and that anyone who has taught for the college during the past year can use their free class for themselves or a family member (spouse or children).

For more information
1. Contact Cindy Trussell (907) 486-1224 or

2. Register on-line at uaoline.alaska.edu or at Kodiak College

ACA/ACV Legislative Fly-In 2009!

What: The Fly-In comprises two days of legislative & grassroots advocacy training, followed by one day of lobby visits with legislators at the Capitol. Each year, the Legislative Fly-In brings together conservation-minded folks from around the state to learn about the Legislature and conservation issues in Alaska, hone their activism skills, and meet their legislators to lobby on specific conservation issues. Space is limited - Fly-In participants must apply and be accepted (see below).

When and Where: Fly-In begins promptly at 12:00 pm Sunday, March 8th in Juneau and ends with a lobby visit to your legislators (if available) and a Legislative Lunch Reception on Tuesday, March 10th. See the attached Draft Agenda for more information. Cost: This is a free service we offer to Alaskans who want to lobby on conservation issues! What a deal! Fill out the Fly-In Application (see below) and if you’re accepted, purchase a ticket through Alaska Airlines using the constituent fare, bring us the receipt and we’ll reimburse your airfare costs after the event. Also, if you need lodging while in Juneau, we have reserved a number of spaces in the Juneau Hostel available to you free of charge. More about ACA and ACV: Visit our websites: www.akvoice.org and www.acvoters.org

Application: Please fill out your online application at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=px092nt6bnFKW_71yE7tfWw

If you have any trouble viewing this form, please email Sue (sue@akvoice.org) for an application copy.

Important Bird Area Signs

In Decembrer 2008, our Important Bird Area (IBA) signs that went up to inform the public that Chiniak Bay is an IBA of Global Significance. These area hosts large wintering populations of three birds of conservation concern status: Steller's Eider, Emperor Geese, and large flocks of Black Oystercatchers.

Special Thanks to Rob Greene at the Department of Transportation who posted the signs at Women's Bay and Kalsin Bay. The Kodiak State Parks also posted one at the mouth of the Buskin River. All three sign sites are on the rim of Chiniak Bay which provides excellent habitat for these vulnerable species of very special birds.

* Note: We do not have a picture of the sign at Buskin River.

January Talk: Environmental Education Tips and Tricks