News & Events
Earth Day Electronics Recycling Event
It's Back! We're partnering with Total Reclaim and Earth Day Network 2015 to host another electronics recycling event in celebration of Earth Day (April 22). Bring all your personal electronics to the UAA West Parking Lot (next to PSB) on Saturday, April 18, from 10 am to 2 pm and recycle them for FREE!!! A small charge will be applied to TVs/monitors and we are not accepting business electronics, batteries, light bulbs, appliances, or smoke detectors. Call 786-4634 for more information.
FREE-STORE SWAP DURING UAA SUSTAINABILITY WEEK 2015 
Career Clothing Fashion Show & Clothing Drive
The UAA Office of Sustainability and UAA Career Services Center are joining forces to bring you the "Successful & Sustainable: Career Clothing Fashion Show" and Professional Clothing Drive during Sustainability Week. Stop by and see all the styles that can help you stay professional while being sustainable on April 6th from 1 pm to 2 pm in the Student Union Cafeteria, or help donate by dropping off your gently-used professional clothing on April 9th from 11 am to 2 pm in the RH Lobby. See you there!
*Note to Students: If you are interested in volunteering to be a model for the fashion show, please contact the Career Services Center at uaa_career@uaa.alaska.edu or call 786-4513.
April 2015
February 2015
January 2015
A Party for UAA Director of Sustainability, Paula Williams
Please join us on Monday, December 22, to wish Paula Williams well. Her last day as the Director of Sustainability is December 31, 2014. Paula became the first Sustainability Director on January 5, 2009 and has dedicated over five years to helping the University of Alaska Anchorage stay committed to environmentally wise, economically sound, and socially responsible actions. The party will be held in Room 204 of the Administration/Humanities Building from 3:30 pm to 5 pm. We wish her the best and look forward to seeing you at the party!
December 2014
December 2014
Office of the Registrar is Recognized for Paper and Plastic Reduction while Renewing Green Department Certification
The UAA Office of the Registrar was recognized on November 21, 2014 for their paper and plastic reduction efforts while renewing their Green Department Certification. The department began utilizing a Shared Trash Can program by placing trash cans in convenient locations to eliminate the need for individual trash cans. This reduced their trash cans from 21 to 6, which reduces the use of plastic trash bags and labor costs to collect trash. The department also stopped printing their UAB Agenda and started viewing it on iPads and computers, which has saved 1,600 sheets of paper so far and will continue to save more with each meeting. University Registrar, Lora Volden, even received The Living Tree award and was presented a bonsai plant in recognition of her efforts to put the UAA Catalog online, which reduced paper usage and costs for printing.
The Office of the Registrar originally became Green Department Certified in 2012 and is just one of several departments at UAA that continues to make small eco-friendly changes by being certified. To find out how your department can become green certified, click here. Certification is reviewed every two years.
November 2014
UAA Office of Sustainability and Total Reclaim Recycle Over 7,000 lbs of Electronics!
The UAA Office of Sustainability partnered with Total Reclaim to offer an electronics recycling event on Saturday, November 15, to celebrate America Recycles Day. The event was held in the UAA West Parking Lot and offered participants a chance to recycle their electronics for free with a minimal charge for TVs and monitors. Total Reclaim says the event brought in 7,096 pounds of personal electronics, which included cell phones, computers, stereos, televisions, monitors, game consoles, microwaves, printers, and more. (Business electronics, batteries, lights bulbs, and smoke detectors were not accepted.)
For more information about Total Reclaim's recycling program, please visit the Total Reclaim website. For more details on how to recycle in Anchorage, visit the municipality's website.
November 2014
November Newsletter - America Recycles Day, Green Office Certification, and Thanksgiving Tips!
The UAA Office of Sustainability is reminding everyone to be thankful this month by powering down over the extended Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. This means remembering to power down computers, printers, and other devices; switching off the lights; turning down the heat and turning off the water heater; and unplugging televisions, microwaves, and other electronics.
Another helpful reminder this month is Green Office Certification. The Office of Sustainability recently congratulated the Interlibrary Loan Department for becoming Green Office Certified and encourages all UAA departments to do the same. It's simple and easy to do. For more information, click here.
And don't forget to bring all your old electronics to UAA on Saturday, November 15th, for America Recycles Day! The Office of Sustainability is partnering with Total Reclaim to recycle electronics such as cell phones, computers, stereos, TVs, monitors, game consoles and similar items. (Note: not accepting business electronics, batteries, light bulbs, or smoke detectors.) Event is taking place at the UAA West Parking Lot (next to PSB) from 10 AM to 2 PM. There will be a small fee for TVs and monitors. Email us for more information.
November 2014
Interlibrary Loan Department Significantly Reduces Expenses by becoming Green Department Certified
UAA's Interlibrary Loan Department (ILL) recently added their name to the list of departments that are Green Office Certified by the UAA Office of Sustainability. The initiative identifies and recognizes departments on campus that are taking extra steps to lower their operating costs, practice greener operations and reduce their environmental footprint.
Staff members Dawn Berg and Ellen Davis will make up the ILL Green Team. Berg says, "The ILL Department has been very green conscious over the years and pledges to stay green going forward. The ILL green team, in conjunction with a library sustainability group, will provide information on the sustainability efforts to the student workers and the Consortium Library every semester."
Becoming a green department is easy and can reap real rewards, including saving money. The certification process is designed to provide resources, guidance, and recognition to faculty, staff, and students as they take steps to improve energy efficiency at work. Click here to learn how your office can become green certified. Certification is reviewed every two years.
October 2014
UAA Wins Tree Campus USA Contest!
The University of Alaska Anchorage is one of ten winners in the Arbor Day Foundation's "Celebrate Arbor Day" contest! UAA will receive $500 toward the purchase of trees, 2 Tree Campus USA banners, 5 Tree Campus USA yard signs, and 30 Tree Campus USA t-shirts and hats to be given away during our Arbor Day celebration in the Spring of 2015.
Winners were determined by public voting, which began on October 15 and ran through October 22. Winners were announced on October 24 on the Arbor Day Foundation's Facebook page.
October 2014
Spooky Facts about Vampire Energy
October is Energy Awareness Month and that means it's time to take note of the things that could be taking a bite out of your pocketbook... such as, Vampire Energy. Vampire Energy is electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off or in standby mode. To stop vampire energy from sucking your wallet dry, make sure to do the following: unplug devices; use power strips; turn off lights, computers, printers and other equipment; use energy-efficient devices; and use the stairs and manually open doors instead of using the elevator or handicap button to open doors.
For more information on vampire energy and to find out what kind of impact it's having on your electric bill, visit www.savewithrsp.com/advice/appliance/energyvampires.aspx.
October 2014
New Student Orientation renews Green Department Certification, receives accolades for waste reduction
New Student Orientation (NSO) recently renewed its Green Department Certification from the UAA Office of Sustainability. The initiative identifies and recognizes departments on campus that have taken extra steps to practice greener operations, lower their operating costs, and reduce their environmental footprint.
NSO was the first green-certified office at UAA. They transitioned from creating a massive amount of waste at HOWL Days and other events to almost none, thanks to an effort by Theresa Lyons and other members of the NSO Green Team.
Click here to learn how your office can become green certified. Certification is good for two years.
September 2014
UAA Donates Plastic for "Plastic Fantastic" Event!
Mark your calendars for the Plastic Fantastic event at the Anchorage Museum August 1st through 3rd. The Office of Sustainability at UAA has donated the plastic for this great event, which displays a giant dome made from more than 6,000 post-consumer water bottles. This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition "Gyre: The Plastic Ocean."
There are several events to attend during Plastic Fantastic. They will take place
outside, rain or shine. For more information about the events, check out www.facebook.com/events. 
August 2014
Phone Book Recycling Bin Placed at UAA!
The sixth-annual Think Yellow, Go Green program is underway! The program encourages the Anchorage community to recycle their outdated telephone directories. Collection bins have been placed around town, including the parking lot of the UAA Arts Building. For more information, visit ThinkYellowGoGreen.com. The program runs through the end of July.
As always, if you no longer wish to receive a phone book, visit yellowpagesoptout.com.
July 2014
Taking on Tricycles
University Housing has brought out the bikes to do their summer work. Check out some pics we snagged of them during their daily routine!
Bike to Work Day BBQ! Free Food for Participants!!
Free BBQ for Biking! You'll be burning a bunch of calories riding that bike to work on June 4th, so let Student Activities and the Office of Sustainability help you out by offering FREE FOOD at the Student Union.
The BBQ starts at 11:45 AM. Show your helmet or ride your bike there and your meal is free. For those of you coming from UC, there is a shuttle that leaves at 11:30 AM, so hop on board and join us!
If you haven't signed up yet to be a part of the Cycling Seawolves team, you still can - email uaa_sustain@uaa.alaska.edu to register. The sign up is open until Wednesday, June 4th.
June 2014
Bike-Share Program Up and Running!
The wait is over! You can now check out a cruiser with your Wolfcard from the UAA/APU Consortium Library circulation desk.
With a swipe of a UAA ID card, students, staff and faculty will be able to borrow a bike just like they borrow a book. They can use the bike for an hour, a day or up to a month, for free. The bikes come with fenders, lights, a back rack and a front basket.
Users will sign a one-page contract agreeing to wear a helmet while they ride and accepting responsibility for damaged or stolen bikes. Only with a helmet in hand can they retrieve a key to their locked bike and locate it in the storage area. Bikes are recalled once a month for a safety check.
