BACKYARD COMPOST BINS and WOOD CHIPS 

July 22, 2009

If you missed DIRT DAY but are still interested in getting a backyard composting bin, you’re in luck. Another shipment of bins has arrived and you can order one (or more!) by visiting ASWCD website. Just click on the “Dirt Day and Earth Machine Order Information” link to order a bin. Bins will be available for pick-up at the Anchorage Soil & Water Conservation District woodlot located at C St and 100th Avenue during the woodlot’s hours of Thursday through Sunday, 9am to 7pm. Email ASWCD for more information or call 677-SOIL (7645).

WOOD CHIPS, MULCH/LANDSCAPE MATERIAL available at Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District’s Anchorage Woodlot at : C Street & 100th Ave. No charge to pick up. Open Thursday through Sunday, 9am to 7pm. Makes terrific covering for trails, landscape beds, mud, agricultural applications, etc. Two sizes available on site this year. Email ASWCD for more information or call 677-SOIL (7645).

NEW REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE RELEASED 

July 22, 2009

Released by the White House and is available at Global Change. There is a complete chapter dedicated to Alaska.

KENAI – HOUSE ENERGY SPECIAL COMMITTEE 

Meeting at 2pm at the Challenger Learning Center to discuss the STATEWIDE ENERGY PLAN including HB 218 Creating Dept of Energy/AEA Board and HB 219 Renewable Energy Grant Requirements.

To participate by teleconference, call 463-5073 in Juneau and (888) 295-4546 outside Juneau.

PALMER – COMPOST DEMYSTIFIED 

Held at 10am at the Chicken Coop at the Spring Creek Farm. Discussion will focus on the pros of making your own compost and explore different types and methods of composting. The discussion will end by building a hot compost pile and looking at the compost systems at the farm.

The workshop is for adults and with a cost of $5 to $10 for materials. For more information, contact Jennifer Sandquist.

PLASTIC POT RECYCLING DAY 

Held from 10am to 5pm at the Alaska Botanical Garden, 4601 Campbell Airstrip Rd. ONE DAY ONLY.

New this year – all types of plastic pots will be accepted for recycling, including HDPE, PP, PS, etc. Please clean, pre-sort, & stack pots prior to bringing them to ABG. Bring a pot, take a pot – recyclers welcome to “harvest” pots for re-use.

PUBLIC HEARING – REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA 

701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300, on the following dockets: 2 I-09-007 Pricing Provisions in NATURAL GAS SUPPLY CONTRACTS and 3 I-09-009 RAILBELT UTILITY CONTINGENCY PLANNING. (Limited to 5 minutes per presenter) and Commissioner.

FIRST ANNUAL ALASKA SOLAR TOUR 

Held from 10am to 4pm in various locations around the state. The Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology is sponsoring the Alaska Solar Tour in conjunction with the American Solar Energy Society. The Alaska Solar Tour will feature home and business sites in our community that showcase installations of Solar thermal, PV (Photovoltaic), green building features, and other renewable and sustainable technologies.

Find out how your neighbors are trimming their energy bills, generating their own electricity, and improving the future of our planet by living sustainably today. This is a free self directed tour. No registration is required. View the map of host sites at Alaska Solar Tour and get a carload of friends to visit a few of your neighbors open house sites. For more information, go to ACAT.

SEWARD – FISH for the FUTURE SEALIFE CENTER FUNDRAISER 

FISH for the FUTURE SEALIFE CENTER FUNDRAISER will be held and will feature artist RAY TROLL. Join honored guests and Alaskan luminaries for this special event celebrating fisheries, marine education, and those who depend on Alaska’s ocean ecosystems. Two days. Enjoy charter fishing, music, special programs, and gourmet food and drink! Fish shipping sponsored by FedEx.

For more information, email Amy Haddow, call (907) 224-6304, or go to Alaska Sealife.

Web Tutorial using Google Earth 

TUTORIAL: USING WEB-BASED AND GOOGLE EARTH MAPS OF PROJECTED CLIMATE CHANGE IN ALASKA is the topic for the next Alaska Climate Teleconference to be held from 10 to 11am Alaska Local Time. Nancy Fresco, Network Coordinator for Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning and Katie Kennedy, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the University of Alaska Geography Program will lead the discussion. The University of Alaska, Scenarios Network for Alaska Planning (SNAP) provides quick and easy access to a wide range of climate projections for the state of Alaska at a 2km resolution. Data and maps are available for download in web-based and Google Earth formats. These maps show projected changes in temperature, precipitation, growing season length, freeze-up date and thaw date, and include documentation of uncertainties. Join this tutorial to learn how to view, interpret and download available data and maps and discuss upcoming SNAP products. Participants will need to download Google Earth onto their computer before the teleconference tutorial (link to download).

To participate: Log-In to the Alaska Climate Teleconference:
1) With a regular telephone dial: 1-800-893-8850.
2) When prompted, enter the PIN code: 7531823.
PLEASE MUTE YOUR PHONE DURING THE PRESENTATION.

To view the presentation during a teleconference:
1) Point your web browser HERE.
2) Click on the blue Join a Meeting button on the left side bar.
3) For Presenter ID enter: accap@uaf.edu. If you do not see anything on your screen, click on the refresh button on the top bar.

For more information or assistance contact Brook Gamble, 907-474-7812, or email.

Cooper Landing Walkable Community Project 

Cooper Landing Walkable Community needs your presence at our planning workshop August 11 and 12. We are working towards a more walkable community for safety, health benefits, environmental protection, economic stimulus, and energy conservation.  We need your input.

Your RSVP in the affirmative is greatly appreciated!

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