Bristol Bay village project grows with competition

The Bristol Bay village of Igiugig, home to 50 residents, is ahead of the pack when it comes to putting sustainable living into practice.

The village recycles aluminum cans, batteries and used oil, and is working on getting a glass crusher so it can recycle glass. Every day, its residents bring their leftover food scraps from home to feed the village council's chickens and pick up fresh eggs for their families in exchange.

Now the village's latest project, the Igiugig Village Greenhouse, has captured the attention of Alaska Native Federation Alaska Marketplace competition judges. AlexAnna Salmon, administrator for the village council, submitted the project on behalf of the village to the annual competition, which awards money to individuals with proposals for innovative small business ideas that benefit rural Alaska. Her entry was announced as a finalist in the competition on Sept. 9.

For the next round, finalists had to complete a detailed business plan and budget by Oct. 6 and give a presentation to Alaska Marketplace judges at this year's AFN convention, which runs Oct. 23 through 25 in Anchorage. Winners will be announced at the convention.

Salmon said the greenhouse project represents the vision of the whole community, and one it's been working on for years. In its final phase, the greenhouse would provide fresh, organic, locally-grown produce to villagers year-round; feed children and elders through the school lunch program; sell vegetables and herbs to area lodges; and vend flowers to the city for its beautification program. The greenhouse would operate in winter by capturing waste heat from the village's incinerator on adjacent land.

Igiugig residents seeded the first phase of the project this year by donating compost and labor to raise a first crop of potatoes in a community garden, which was harvested by residents Sept. 24.

But a search for funds to help with the next phases of the project have so far come up empty.

Now, Igiugig residents' greenhouse hopes have been raised on Salmon's Alaska Marketplace entry.

"It's easy to envision and apply for something when you have the entire community supporting the project," Salmon said.