Star Island's Green Initiatives
Star is Green! From the mundane—tearing up old sheets—to the very sophisticated nature of our reverse osmosis drinking water system, Star Island is a leader in sustainable practices. We welcome even more suggestions from staff and conferees this summer as we work to even further improve our "green" profile.
Water and Waste
- We produce our own drinking water via reverse osmosis. This lessens the demand on the municipal drinking water plant in Rye, but also saves a considerable amount of diesel from the previously required boat trips to bring out water.
- We collect all our rain water from the roofs in a 70,000 gallon cistern. This water is used for cleaning, showering and laundry.
- Showers for guests and staff on the island are limited (two a week for guests, and three a week for staff).
- The main shower room is equipped with showerheads that shut off automatically (you have to hold down a handle in order for water to flow).
- We use salt water for our sewage and (limited) firefighting needs.
- All of our wastewater is treated on island by micro-biological secondary treatment process.
- During the off-season we use a cistern below the EMB cottage for showers, sewage, etc.
Electric Power
- We have 3 different size generators to optimize energy efficiency. This allows us, for example, to use a 13 kW generator during the off season (instead of wasting diesel and energy on are other oversized generators).
- All lights on the island were re-lamped to compact fluorescent light bulbs in 2005 (with a few historic exceptions).
- We were advocates for the UNH/Shoals Marine Lab pilot windmill program; and will be investigating our own installation.
- Few guest rooms on the island are equipped with electrical outlets, thus reducing power consumption.
- Our washing machines are high-efficiency, so we are able to use less detergent, minimal bleach (for sanitizing) and water.
- We use a high-efficiency industrial dishwasher in the kitchen.
- During the winter months we use solar panels on the Elliott Memorial Building to charge a battery bank that provides electricity to the caretakers from November to March.
- During the cold months, a significant source of heat is generated from large translucent panels that heat the rock wall on the south side of the EMB cottage.
Transportation
- We do efficient planning of ocean transportation to maximize boat occupancy, and minimize the required numbers of trips to the mainland, thus saving on fuel.
- Because we process all laundry on the island (we sent it off island to a laundry company before 2004), we are able to save on the fuel of transporting it by boat.
Recycling
- We recycle cans, bottles, cardboard and paper both on-island and in our Portsmouth Office year-round.
- We have in place a paper recycling program for the island with Waste Management for the 2008 season. And we recycle shredded paper in our compost as a carbon source.
- We convert old linens into reusable rags for use in the kitchen, dining room, and by the housekeeping staff.
- All food waste on the island is composted and used for gardening. Because food is served family-style and buffet-style, food waste is limited.
- We also bring all of our metal waste from Island projects to a scrap yard.
Economies and Choices for Materials and Supplies
- Much of the island equipment (linens, furniture, tools etc.) has been donated (rather than bought new).
- We grow all our own flowers for the bouquets for the Oceanic Hotel.
- We use only biodegradable laundry detergent (Our brand).
- Our wood and floor cleaner is biodegradable (Murphy’s Oil Soap)
- The SIC letterhead was re-designed to be printed on recycled paper. We use Hammermill stock with 30% recycled content instead of virgin stock. Our newsletter is printed on 10% recycled stock.
- No toxic chemicals are used anywhere on the island to treat the landscape (even the poison ivy spray is biodegradable).
- We are progressively moving to more e-communications with the Board of Directors, Members of the Corporation and other constituent groups to reduce the paper flow.
- Smoking is restricted on the entire island to limited exterior areas, thus improving the indoor air quality, reducing damage to floors and furnishings, and minimizing fire risk.