For a long time, politicians discounted environmentalists. Nowadays, the green vernacular is more widely spoken, but we still are not making much progress toward true sustainability. While we trade our incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents, we simultaneously allow our population in the United States to grow at a rate that builds a new Chicago every year. In unprecedented numbers we choose organic food, while destroying the rain forests to increase the supply of cheap soybeans and beef. About a billion people suffer from hunger, while a similar number are overweight because they eat too much. One step forward, two steps back.

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It’s a smelly, messy job, but some of teacher Scott McKim’s students have decided they’re up to the task. Welcome to the world of composting 101.

The group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders are on a mission to reduce the amount of uneaten food and packaging waste accumulated at Begich Middle School. Developed by McKim’s after-school leadership class, the environmentally-minded group has launched a project that could, if all goes well, turn compostable trash into cash. But money isn’t the goal.

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Enjoying an eco-lifestyle means living greener in all areas of your life. You may be taking environmentally friendly steps at home, but are you also doing it at work?

People spend almost 90% of their lives indoors, and for those people who work inside that equates to about 40 or more hours at your desk, office or cubicle. Whether you’re a student interning at a major corporation, a marketing associate making phone calls all day or an office assistant handling paperwork, you’re going to spend a majority of your time in one place all day.

So don’t you want your work space to be eco-friendly and energy efficient? It can be if you make these simple changes in your life.

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On Tuesday, the village of Unalakleet, seated on Alaska’s northwest coast, celebrated the town’s newest energy force — turbine number six. The awakening of the high-tech wind catcher completes the installation of the town’s new wind farm, which has already saved the village tens of thousands of dollars since the first turbines powered up a few months ago.

Since November, Unalakleet has cut utility costs by nearly $55,000 and generated enough electricity to power 86 homes for an entire year, according the wind farm’s new Web site. The site also claims the wind energy has significantly reduced carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise have been pumped into the atmosphere through more traditional, diesel-only power generation — the equivalent of more than 580,000 miles of driving in the family car. According to our calculations, that’s about 111 one-way trips between Anchorage and Key West, Florida.

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What might be the only commercial farm in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta will expand this summer, despite early worries that the new potato field near the airport would increase the threat of bird strikes.

To prepare the field for farming, Bethel resident Tim Meyers scraped away two acres of frozen tundra near the airport on state-owned land last summer, tilling the earth underneath.

His handiwork lies prominently near the airport, visible from the main road into town as undulating rows beneath snow.

With a combination of fish-based fertilizer (the local jail donated mounds of salmon guts last summer), and a handmade potato planter and harvester, Meyers hopes to churn out 20,000 pounds of organic spuds this summer.

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A proposed new rule in Fairbanks would fine people at least $300 for using wood- and-coal-fired stoves that belch out dense smoke, part of an attempt to curb air pollution in the area.

The Fairbanks News-Miner reports that Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Luke Hopkins is sponsoring the measure, which is a response to federal pressure to bring down pollution levels.

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In the US, where 40 percent of homes contain at least one, video game consoles consume 16 billion kilowatt hours of energy yearly. That’s enough to power the entire city of San Diego for about 12 months, say the Natural Resources Defense Council and Ecos Consulting, which conducted a study on the energy-efficiency of various game consoles last year.

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Houses in Quinhagak battered by decades of fierce wet winds might soon be replaced by a new model that hearkens back to traditional Native sod houses.

At a meeting last week, village leaders in the Southwest Alaska community accepted a preliminary plan for an energy-efficient home that could be a prototype for other houses in the village.

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By CCHRC Staff

Q: I’ve read LED lights perform well in cold temperatures. What about in Alaska?

Absolutely. LEDs are generally pretty tough. They are shock and cold resistant. In fact the colder it gets, the better they perform. When it comes to outdoor lighting at extreme temperatures, some fluorescents can suffer from performance losses when compared to their use inside. Currently, LEDs are popular in lowlight applications such as pathway lighting or for task lighting such as workbenches, nightlights, flashlights and other devices where incandescent bulbs have traditionally been used. Because small incandescent bulbs are the least efficient, they are perfect to be replaced by an LED.

When it comes to the lighting industry in general, changes are coming along quickly. Prices are coming down on LEDs and fluorescents, and they are being better designed to work in different environments. If you are looking at buying an LED light for outdoor use, get one with a good warranty. The bulbs may last a long time, but there are other components in the light that may not fare as well.

Q: What is the difference between EPS and XPS foam?

Both are similar chemically and both are made from polystyrene, but the manufacturing process is different. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, also called “bead board” is what you would find in coffee cups.

It is manufactured using small plastic beads that are expanded and fused together in a mold. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) is blue or pink, hence it is also called “blue board” or “pink board.” It is also made using polystyrene beads, but they are liquefied rather than expanded and then a blowing agent is added to force the liquid into a form. This process also creates a skin on the surface of the foam.

XPS is slightly more resistant to water vapor than EPS. EPS, generally has an R-value of 3 to 4 per inch, whereas XPS has an R-value of about 5 per inch. No matter what type, the R-value will be printed on the packaging or the board itself.

It is often assumed that the blue or the pink foams are the only ones you would want to use “below grade,” such as in your basement or a damp environment. The truth is both products will work as long as they are strong enough or dense enough to handle the stress in the place they are going to be installed. For example, many insulated concrete forms are made with EPS foam. These forms always go below grade. No matter the case, consult the product manufacturer information, which is usually available where you purchased the foam. Also, judge the prices in relation to the R-value you are getting, and get a product that is rated for your application.

Alaska HomeWise articles promote home awareness for the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). If you have a question, e-mail us at akhomewise@cchrc.org. You can also call the CCHRC at (907) 457-3454.

Public administrators and senators Monday steered what could be the start of much scrutiny of a major energy bill.

The bill, the proposed Alaska Sustainable Energy Act, addresses a broad slate of demand- and supply-side energy production and efficiency issues. It would, among other things, update outlines for a two-year-old public Renewable Energy Fund, force energy-efficiency improvements at state buildings and require an emphasis on energy efficiency when state government buys equipment and vehicles.

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