Green Star began in 1990 as a cooperative effort between the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the non-profit Alaska Center for the Environment to promote green business practices. This diverse group of state regulators, environmentalists and business leaders created the Green Star Award program to give positive recognition to organizations which exercise environmental responsibility.

In 1995, the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce initiated a chapter of the Green Star program, closely following the model of the original Anchorage program. The Fairbanks chapter became an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1998 and is known as Interior Alaska Green Star (IAGS). Over 80 businesses, agencies and schools in the Fairbanks area now participate in the Interior Alaska Green Star Award program.

Our goal is to capture a larger percentage of Interior Alaska's electronic waste before it hits the landfill, because 95% of the material in items like the computers is recoverable. In our first year we collected 7 tons of electronics and last year we collected a total of 25.4 tons of electronic waste.

Recent Activities
Faced with limited recycling options in Fairbanks, Interior Alaska Green Star restructured its program in 2006 to focus on promoting and developing recycling programs in the Fairbanks community.

• April 2006: IAGS held a small electronic recycling event and gathered 10 tons of electronic equipment. Thanks to Lynden Transport and Green Star Inc. (of Anchorage), this load was shipped to a recycling facility in Washington.
  
  
• August 2006: IAGS worked with the Tanana Valley State Fair staff and vendors to promote aluminum and cardboard recycling. IAGS brought 40 recycling bins, purchased with a grant from ALPAR, to the fair grounds and organized volunteers to harvest aluminum cans and cardboard.
  
  
• Fall 2006: IAGS, published a list of recycling opportunities in Fairbanks for distribution to businesses, schools, and the general public.
  
  
• November 2006: IAGS held a film night and seminar on electronic recycling as a method of preventing pollution.
  
  
• April 2007: IAGS held a recycling event on the last two Saturdays, collecting 19.6 tons of electronic waste. The load was shipped to a recycling facility in Washington with the help of Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) and Weaver Bros., Inc.
  
  
• August 2007: IAGS, with the help of volunteers, manned a booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair promoting electronic recycling and the upcoming collection event in October.
  
  
• Spring 2008: IAGS and recycling partners made fifteen classroom presentations reaching 202 students.  Classes included Biology, Chemistry, Intro to Technology, Environmental Chemistry, and Earth Science.  Green Star provided a booth at the Glowing Planet: Concept Tree Earth 2008 Expo during the day in the Carlson Center and the Earth Day event at the University on April 26.
  
  
• April 2008: IAGS held a recycling event on April 26th and an evening event on April 29th, collecting 11.9 tons of electronic waste. The load was shipped to a recycling facility in Washington with the help of Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE).

Interior Alaska Green Star
PO Box 82391
Fairbanks, AK, 99708
info at iagreenstar.org
907.452.4152