HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

Star Island announces a successful push in realizing its Green Gosport Initiative. Started in the spring of 2012, the GGI is the non-profit Star Island Corporation’s endeavor to become a more sustainable facility. The initiative focused on energy, waste, food, and education. Star is pleased to share that substantial goals were met in each area including a great reduction in landfill waste this summer and further development towards a large-scale solar array on island for 2013. (Continued below)

Facilities Superintendent Jack Farrell announced the measured progress Star Island has taken. “Our vibrant Star Island community came together this past summer to remarkably reduce our waste and increase our efficiencies. We want to be a green leader in the community and our closed system is the perfect place to test eco-friendly goals.”

The corporation’s push towards a greener summer destination started with evaluating and adjusting its use of diesel powered generators. This equipment provides electricity to the entire island including two reverse osmosis machines for creating drinking water.

Guests and staff on island, over 400 per day, consume roughly 4,000 gallons of water each day. This rate pushed Star Island to investigate alternatives beyond using the reverse osmosis machines more, which would have increased the use of diesel. By partnering with the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, the M/V Thomas Laighton brought approximately 2,500 gallons of fresh drinking water each day the boat visited.

Star Island CEO Joe Watts said, “Our partnerships are greatly important to our success and ISSCo.’s help in reducing our diesel usage is appreciated throughout our entire community.”

To further decrease diesel usage, Star Island has moved forward with its plan to install a large-scale solar PV array for 2013. Using solar power will not only reduce the organization’s use of diesel, but also push further changes for island facilities, like the wastewater treatment plant, to become more efficient through retrofitting or replacement.

Beyond adjusting energy usage, Star Island effectively reduced the amount of landfill waste created on island by 38.8% in 2012. This reduction equaled 180 fewer yards of trash. Similarly, Star increased recycling by 73.9% with 176 more yards of material this year. These landfill reductions resulted from increased education and communication.

Every week staff led a sustainability discussion to educate guests on island systems and to receive feedback for better practices. Part of each discussion included talk about the four-bin recycling stations located strategically around the island. These new receptacles were primarily constructed out of scrap or recycled lumber and featured visual guides to point people to the correct container.

Star Island’s sustainability efforts did not just involve waste, but the fuel for bodies to participate in all of the island’s recreational activities. A staff managed garden delivered over 500 lbs of produce for staff and guest meals. A new herb garden for the kitchen further brought down the amount of items shipped to the island. Needing to create around 1,200 meals each day for those staying on island, the increase in island productivity was dramatic.

In 2013 Star Island hopes to accomplish the following goals with the GGI: Install a large scale solar PV array, further reduce usage of reverse osmosis machines, repair and expand water collection system for quicker cistern filling, add water transport capabilities to staff boat, increase on-island recycling, purchase more food from local and sustainable sources, and continue weekly community education plans.

Star Island’s green initiatives are aimed at sustaining New England’s most unique island. As a vibrant destination for families and individuals each summer, Star hosts numerous activities related to lifelong education and exploring humanity through the arts. Built upon traditions started over a century ago, Star is located 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire and is part of the National Register of Historic Places.