Alaska Forum

08/24/2026

Just about two weeks out from the Fall 2026 Virtual Alaska Landfill Operator Training (ALOT) Session! Details and registration (FREE) below. Spread the word with any stakeholders in your community!

📣 Alaska Class III landfill communities! 📣 You're invited to our FREE Fall 2026 Virtual Alaska Landfill Operator Training (ALOT) Session, September 9 -10 (online, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM daily)! Facility operators, environmental staff, public works staff, administrators, and community leaders are invited to join this FREE training. ALOT is designed to strengthen local capacity for safer, more effective landfill and solid waste management.

Register here: https://cvent.me/WMEDKa
2026 Alaska Forum Conference Attendee? No need to register, log in to your Virtual Attendee Hub to join: https://cvent.me/wg0brZ

ALOT is especially valuable for those involved in landfill oversight or planning. Participants will gain practical knowledge about Class III landfill regulations and requirements, household hazardous waste, waste separation and screening, waste reduction and segregation, recycling, personal protective equipment, and other key operational topics.

Beyond technical information, ALOT helps participants better understand the landfill operator’s role in protecting worker safety, community health, and the local environment. It is designed to support better day-to-day operations, stronger decision-making, and more sustainable waste management practices in rural communities.

Important Details
🗓️ Dates: Wednesday, September 9 & Thursday, September 10
🖥️ Format: Online (5 hours per day, including breaks)
✅ Certification: Requires full participation on both days

If this training is relevant to you or your community, we strongly encourage you to attend. Please share this opportunity with your friends, community, and colleagues.

08/14/2026

🚨 Limited seats left! 🚨 FREE Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training - August 17-18 in Anchorage

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates individuals about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. If you know individuals in your network who may benefit from this opportunity - including job seekers, tribal environmental staff, local emergency responders, public works employees, environmental professionals, or community volunteers - we want to be in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Call: 907-331-0282

Registration: https://cvent.me/dLXDw4

Participants traveling from outside the Anchorage area who successfully complete both the CERT and 40-Hour HAZWOPER trainings may be eligible for up to $1,000 in travel and lodging reimbursement to attend the in-person CERT training. Funding is limited to the first 12 respondents who indicate a need for travel funding.

This training is open to Alaska residents. To participate in this no-cost training opportunity, participants must complete both the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course and the 40-Hour HAZWOPER training (choose Aug 3–7 or Sept 21–25 — in person or online at the Environmental Management Inc. offices in Midtown Anchorage or online).

Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Alaska Emergency Management Association Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Anchorage Office of Emergency Management

08/12/2026

Check out this update on Green Star Certified Community Igiugig Village Council's energy project: https://triplepundit.com/2026/hydrokinetic-river-turbine-renewable-energy-alaska-salmon/

“'Fuel getting to Igiugig has been an everlasting issue since electricity was introduced,' said Jonathan Salmon, Igiugig Village Council energy director...The community had long recognized the Kvichak River as a possible source of consistent energy."

Thank you to TriplePundit for spotlighting Igiugig as the Alaskan village leading the way in harnessing energy from free-flowing rivers.

Read the full article in the comments below.

08/11/2026

Exciting news for Green Star Certified Community Organized Village of Saxman!

🌲 Exciting news! The Alaska Energy Authority has been awarded a $916,000 USDA Community Wood Grant to support the South Tongass Wood Energy Utilization Project.

The project will help expand biomass heating systems in Craig and Saxman while supporting local wood energy production, sustainable forest management, and community-scale renewable energy in Southeast Alaska. By creating demand for local wood products, including biomass pellets, the project will support forest-sector jobs and strengthen local supply chains. By bringing together several regional biomass initiatives, the project aims to strengthen local energy infrastructure and create long-term benefits for Southeast Alaska communities.

08/07/2026

Green Star Certified Community City & Borough of Yakutat & Yakutat Tlingit Tribe have previously collaborated with Alaska Plastic Recovery - could your community?

Alaska Plastic Recovery collects discarded plastic from Anchorage residents and turns it into an outdoor building material called Grizzly Wood 👉 https://shorturl.at/ifewb

08/05/2026

📣 Alaska Class III landfill communities! 📣 You're invited to our FREE Fall 2026 Virtual Alaska Landfill Operator Training (ALOT) Session, September 9 -10 (online, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM daily)! Facility operators, environmental staff, public works staff, administrators, and community leaders are invited to join this FREE training. ALOT is designed to strengthen local capacity for safer, more effective landfill and solid waste management.

Register here: https://cvent.me/WMEDKa
2026 Alaska Forum Conference Attendee? No need to register, log in to your Virtual Attendee Hub to join: https://cvent.me/wg0brZ

ALOT is especially valuable for those involved in landfill oversight or planning. Participants will gain practical knowledge about Class III landfill regulations and requirements, household hazardous waste, waste separation and screening, waste reduction and segregation, recycling, personal protective equipment, and other key operational topics.

Beyond technical information, ALOT helps participants better understand the landfill operator’s role in protecting worker safety, community health, and the local environment. It is designed to support better day-to-day operations, stronger decision-making, and more sustainable waste management practices in rural communities.

Important Details
🗓️ Dates: Wednesday, September 9 & Thursday, September 10
🖥️ Format: Online (5 hours per day, including breaks)
✅ Certification: Requires full participation on both days

If this training is relevant to you or your community, we strongly encourage you to attend. Please share this opportunity with your friends, community, and colleagues.

07/20/2026

FREE Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training - August 17-18 in Anchorage

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates individuals about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. If you know individuals in your network who may benefit from this opportunity - including job seekers, tribal environmental staff, local emergency responders, public works employees, environmental professionals, or community volunteers - we want to be in touch!
Email: [email protected]
Call: 907-331-0282

Registration: https://cvent.me/dLXDw4

Participants traveling from outside the Anchorage area who successfully complete both the CERT and 40-Hour HAZWOPER trainings may be eligible for up to $1,000 in travel and lodging reimbursement to attend the in-person CERT training. Funding is limited to the first 12 respondents who indicate a need for travel funding.

This training is open to Alaska residents. To participate in this no-cost training opportunity, participants must complete both the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) course and the 40-Hour HAZWOPER training (choose Aug 3–7 or Sept 21–25 — in person or online at the Environmental Management Inc. offices in Midtown Anchorage or online).

07/20/2026

07/01/2026

⚠️ APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING ⚠️ Just 1 month remains to apply for a $50M funding opportunity to advance Tribe-led affordable, reliable, secure energy in Indian Country.

Applications are due by July 24, 2026, for the Unleashing Tribal Energy Development funding opportunity. We invite Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native regional corporations and Village corporations; Tribal and intertribal organizations; Tribal Energy Development Organizations; and Tribal Colleges and Universities to apply.

Learn more about this opportunity, including a recording of our informational webinar: https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/articles/50-million-available-advance-affordable-reliable-and-secure-energy-tribes

06/25/2026

Trash Tip Tuesday:
Lithium batteries are NOT trash! 🔋🚫
Did you know these batteries can easily spark fires in garbage trucks and at the landfill, putting our operators and the public at risk? 🔥👷‍♂️🚛
Please help keep our community safe by disposing of lithium batteries the right way. ✔️
Drop them off at approved locations- DO NOT take them in your trash or recycling carts. 🗑️➡️🏭
Together, we can prevent fires and protect our workers — thank you for doing your part! 🙌💙

Follow this link for the SWS disposal policy for lithium batteries:https://www.muni.org/Departments/SWS/Documents/SWS%20PP%20-%20Lithium%20Batteries%20-03.22.2024.pdf