Being green is a way of life at the Alaska Job Corps Center, and that commitment to sustainability was recognized on Thursday when the Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling program presented Alaska Job Corps with the 2016 Outstanding Community Recycling Program award. The award was presented to Alaska Job Corps representatives at ALPAR’s annual awards banquet held at the Kincaid Chalet in Anchorage. The award was one of several different awards presented by ALPAR to various members and organizations in the community.

“Alaska Job Corps is honored to accept this award,” says Ron Young, Acting Center Director and Finance and Administration Director for the Alaska Job Corps Center. “Although the award is for our recycling program, it also demonstrates our dedication to environmental sustainability across our Center—from recycling to reduced resource usage to our everyday commitment to maintaining our facilities in the most environmentally friendly way possible.”

This is not the first time Alaska Job Corps has been recognized for its environmental stewardship. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Job Corps recognized the Alaska Job Corps Center as the first Center of Environmental Excellence among the more than one hundred Job Corps centers in the United States. In their letter of recognition, the National Office of Job Corps stated that this achievement would not have been possible without the hard work of Alaska Job Corps Center staff and students.

As part of Alaska Job Corps’ green culture, staff and students are all active participants in a Center recycling program. Every week, a group of Job Corps students from each classroom rotate through a regular schedule to collect recyclable materials. These materials (including mixed paper, plastics, cans and cardboard) are collected by these students and then deposited at the Valley Recycling Center one to two times a month. Mollie Boyer, the director of Valley Community Recycling Solutions, is an important Alaska Job Corps partner and an active member of the Alaska Job Corps Center’s Community Relations Council.

The Center has a standing Green Committee that meets regularly on topics related to environmental activities. These topics include conserving energy on Center, reducing water usage and decreasing waste through operational efficiency, recycling and reuse of materials. The committee assesses current operations and maintenance for sustainability and constantly identifies areas for improvement.

Alaska Job Corps’ commitment to a green culture on the Center is part of a broader national Job Corps effort to reduce the use of critical natural resources, decrease maintenance, energy and water costs and teach our youth the benefits and savings of practicing sustainability for the future.

“It is essential that we instill a sense of environmental stewardship in our youth,” added Young. “By educating and involving our students in green activities today, we can provide a positive environmental legacy for tomorrow.” 

Alaskans for Litter Prevention and Recycling is a privately funded, non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating litter and increasing economically-viable recycling in Alaska. Founded in 1982 by a group of dedicated Alaskan business leaders, ALPAR’s programs help clean up Alaska’s communities, roadways, parks, beaches and waterways and assist with recycling initiatives throughout Alaska.

The Alaska Job Corps Center is a federally funded career training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and managed by Chugach Educational Services, Inc. The Center is committed to providing the highest quality programs for young adults by offering instructions in academics, trades and life skills through innovative methods that respond to the unique individual and group needs of today’s youth.

Story by Carin Meyer, Business Community Liaison.

Photo caption: ALPAR presents the award to Carin Meyer, Ron Young and Dan Bryant of Alaska Job Corps. Photo provided by ALPAR.