Christmas lightbulb recycling program

Wondering what to do with all those old burned-out Christmas light bulbs? Look no further! A Christmas light company based in Texas started a lightbulb recycling program. Instead of sending the old copper, glass, and plastic to the landfill, Christmas Light Source sells them to a Texas recycling program. All the proceeds will be used for purchasing Usborne books and donating them to the Marine Tots for Toys Foundation.

Here's how you can participate:

Box up your old Christmas lights in the smallest possible box they'll fit into and send them (via the slowest, cheapest shipping method) to:

Christmas Light Source Recycling Program

1923 6th Avenue

Fort Worth, TX 76110

Climate Action Plan Public Session

Join us for a public information and participation session.

Wednesday Oct. 5th from 5:30 - 7:30 at the Mendenhall Valley Library.

To view the draft Climate Action Plan and get more information about the project go to www.juneau.org and follow the link under hot topics.

2011 Local Food Festival

The 2011 Juneau Local Food Festival will be held August 27 from 9am to 2pm at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. We are looking for vendors wishing to sell locally grown produce, fruits, berries, flowers, eggs; fresh baked goods containing local ingredients; local seafood; homemade jams, jellies, honey, herb vinegar or syrup; locally produced artisan foods; indigenous plant products; composting supplies; and items related to food growing, gathering, preparing or serving.

Table fees are $30 for an indoor table and $15 for an outdoor table. Registration forms are available at http://jedc.org/foodfestival.php. Be sure to read the Frequently Asked Questions before you register.

As we've done in the past, we will have workshops during the event and an “Ask the Expert” gardening corner. If you have any suggestions for speakers, or would like to give a presentation this year, please let us know.

We look forward to seeing you at a great 2011 Festival!

Juneau Sunday Market

Locally harvested. Locally produced. Locally created.

Come visit the Juneau Sunday Market every Sunday from noon 'til 3pm at the JACC.

For questions or to register as a vendor visit:

http://www.juneausundaymarket.org/

Climate Action Plan Public Meeting

There will be a public information and participation session for the CBJ's Climate Action Plan May 25th. The plan focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the local government's operations and from the community as a whole.


We hope you'll join us Wednesday, May 25th from 5:00-7:00 at the Assembly Chambers.


At this meeting, the 2010 Juneau Emissions Inventory and the Draft Climate Action Plan will be presented.


For more information about the Climate Action Plan, visit: http://www.sheinbergassociates.com/proj_cap.html

Living in a Tiny Home

Ever read The Boxcar Children series growing up? I did, and always had a fantasy about converting a boxcar into a cozy getaway. Modern designers have caught on to that attraction too, and a simple approach to living green is becoming more popular. Building and living in small houses—including a converted rail car—is the subject of the Tiny House Blog. It's just $150/month to lease the boxcar. Juneau-raised Tristan McAllister films this video tour, Life in a Rail Car, of the train-home. The rail car is listed at $225,000—probably more than the boxcar children—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden—could afford.

Another small living story focuses on Jay Shafer, who lives in an 89-square foot home he built himself. In an interview, Jay discusses with Tiny House author/builder Deek Diedricksen that in the U.S. we operate on a much larger scale than elsewhere in the world. On average, Americans' homes are four times the size as our international equals’. Jay, a designer specializing in sustainable architecture and urban planning, says it makes sense to live more compactly. We pour tons of time and money improving the energy efficiency of our larger homes, but smaller designs decrease the space to heat from the start. Jay touts the sustainable habits that stem from living in a small home, such as double-using something. A saucepan, for example, can double as your tea kettle to save storage space and materials (then use it as an iron while it’s hot). Jay owns Tumbleweed Tiny Houses Company, where you can buy small house plans to build yourself, or have a ready-made home delivered to you (yep, they’re so small they fit on a trailer).

Check out these websites for innovative ideas starting from scratch, building plans, or for tips on how to maximize current space:

Tiny House Blog by Kent Griswold.
Small House Society Dedicated to the promotion of smaller housing alternatives which can be more affordable and ecological.
Small House Style Web magazine dedicated to everything small house.

Juneau Adopts Green Building Standard

Juneau has a green building standard now. The Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance in January that mandates new construction of CBJ buildings achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The requirement applies to buildings with a price tag of $5M or more.

Nationally, buildings use 39% of primary energy, 72% of all electricity, and account for 38% of CO₂ emissions. In Juneau, buildings emit 41% of total carbon emissions. Green building is expected to support 7.9M jobs and pump $554 into the U.S. economy between 2009 and 2013—Juneau should see a similar boost in our local economy.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system established by the U.S. Green Building Council that provides third party verification. A report card for buildings, the point-based system awards projects for energy and cost savings, indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources.

There are high performance buildings in Juneau already. Harborview and Glacier Valley Schools were recently renovated to meet LEED certification. The Juneau School District earned the EPA’s Energy Star rating (a separate distinction). Just with energy efficiency efforts throughout the district, they expect to save $1 million in three years on their energy bill.

Juneau joins over 442 local governments nationwide to take the initiative on LEED. In Alaska, three local governments have a green building policy: Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough, and now Juneau. The ordinance will help CBJ achieve its objective of reducing carbon emissions 20% by 2012.

Read more about the green building scene in Sustainability Commissioner member Sarah Lewis’ recent Empire article.