There are benefits to being a lazy grounds-keeper like animal food, time

I don’t know about you but this year’s oddly cool July had me thinking about autumn far earlier than I would’ve liked. Thoughts of autumn bring recognition of a changing landscape full of flowers past their prime, withering cucumber plants and other raggedy landscape items.

This time of year is bittersweet – the warm sunny days tending those seeds and nurturing them into plants are quickly growing shorter as summer fades. The lively green that once painted Kentucky’s lawns and public spaces grows a bit more yellow while spindly plants seemingly beg to be added to the Herbie. Erasing evidence of summer when autumn rolls around is expected by all but the most lazy gardeners and groundskeepers, but I urge you to refrain from giving in to that lawn-keeping social pressure.

800px-MockvalleyWildlife, particularly our bird friends, benefit greatly from the drying plants and seeds that our once-lush yards can provide. To clear these away as soon as they appear deprives local wildlife of both food sources and materials to shelter through the winter. With increasing urbanization and suburban expansion, allowing room for other non-human animals is vital to maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

Leaves can be turned easily into mulch or composted for flowerbeds and vegetable gardens, while seed pods provide continuous feeding for birds as other food sources like berries vanish. Bluegrass Greensource offers year-round lawncare tips to help you keep your yard in shape while reducing your ecological footprint.

The Humane Society offers tips that can reduce your autumn to-do list while also improving the lives of your backyard visitors which include things such as skipping the raking, leaving those dried flowers for their seed pods, creating a brush pile, and leaving water out for animals as sources become scarce.

Being a “lazy” gardener need not be a shameful experience when one considers the benefits to our local ecosystems. In fact, reducing the amount of autumn lawn chores has the added bonus of freeing up precious time – and what person couldn’t use that?

Off the top, there are many things one could do with the time freed of fall chores. Instead of chopping down those plants for hours, use the time instead to explore local ecosystems with your child, go for a long walk, catch a movie at the Kentucky Theatre, run at the Arboretum, veg out on the couch with a good book, or share your new lazy gardening philosophy with your neighbors over coffee. In addition to improving the quality of your own life, you’ll also be improving the lives of our feathered and furry friends this fall. And for that, I’m sure they would thank us.
Lisa-Conley-300x203

Lisa Conley is an Outreach Specialist for Bluegrass Greensource.

This article appeared in KY Forward on August 22, 2013.

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Bluegrass Greensource: New name, new chapter

Bluegrass PRIDE is now Bluegrass Greensource. We’ve updated our social media accounts, launched our new website, and got new business cards and email addresses. But now what?

Amy Sohner, executive director of BG Greensource, took a moment to reflect on our accomplishments in the last 12 years and expressed her optimism for the future. “Since I’ve been around from the organization’s beginning, I have really enjoyed seeing a shift in the understanding of what it means to be green. And with our new name, new brand, we want to continue this momentum.”

Our environmental educators have worked with students in over 230 schools. “On any given day, they may be knee deep in a stream showing kids how to test water quality or up to their elbows in classroom trash as they complete a dumpster dive.” Amy reminisced.

We also work with teachers on how they can use the environment to teach across all disciplines. We have taken science, social studies and English teachers in a coal mine and to solar farms to help them teach about energy.

PRIDE’s outreach specialists stay busy reaching out to Central Kentucky’s adult population and educating them on waste reduction, water quality and energy efficiency. This year, our staff assisted with home energy audits, partnered with community organizations to stencil storm drains and completed waste analyses for area businesses helping them recycle almost 1500 tons.

Our grant programs have done good work all around the region. Invasive plants were removed at Lower Howard’s Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve and their first public hiking trail was opened. Five reusable water bottle stations were installed on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University, saving tens of thousands of plastic water bottles from the landfill. Madison County Conservation District was able to develop a fallen animal composting pad to use for education and demonstration purposes. Herrington Lake Conservation League cleaned up the lake, filling 19 commercial dumpsters with litter and manmade debris from the lake, while establishing a recycling and litter reduction program at several marinas.

We’ve also provide resources to community groups to address litter, assisting with the  removal more than 150,000 bags of trash from local roadways and stream banks. To promote our message across the region, we have worked to help make events throughout Central Kentucky both litter, and waste free!

Over time, we became THE SOURCE for green education in Central Kentucky and we wanted our name to better reflect our mission and the fact that we are the Green Source for this area. As we begin this new chapter, we want to continue our outreach in the schools, building on the programs we provide in our region.

We want to continue our outreach in homes, encouraging small changes that have a big impact, not only to our local environment, but also on our wallets and our health.

We want to grow our over 600 business and apartment complex partnerships, assisting them in all of their green needs and helping them get recognition for being environmentally responsible.

We’ve made great progress, but we need your help spreading the word. Same important mission, just a new name. Bluegrass PRIDE is now Bluegreass Green Source. Please share the news with your friends and your community.

READ MORE

Summer Camp Fun

Summer Camp

Summer time offers a perfect opportunity to get outside, go somewhere new and try something that you have never tried before. And what could be a better way for kids to do that than to head to a weeklong summer camp? Bluegrass Greensource has worked hard this summer to not only host our own summer camp but also collaborate with some great local community organizations to provide activities and experiences that any kid could enjoy!

Greensource’s biggest summer camp offering happened June 10th-14th at the Arboretum in Lexington and gave kids the opportunity to be eco-investigators for the week, exploring different environmental concepts while enjoying all the Arboretum had to offer. Participants got the chance to take guided nature hikes throughout the Arboretum, utilized solar ovens to make s’mores before making their own solar oven and learned about composting while working in the children’s garden. The camp was 8am-4pm and allowed for plenty of exploration and fun!

Throughout the summer Bluegrass Greensource has also had the opportunity to work with several great local organizations such as the Fayette County YMCA and the Lexington Explorium. Educators spent time with the North Lexington Family YMCA and their summer camp, offering lessons on insects you can find in local creeks and streams, our central Kentucky watershed and even planning a litter clean-up around the YMCA property to discuss how everyone has a part to play with litter. July 22nd through the 26th several educators will be spending their mornings at the Beaumont YMCA doing fun activities that teach about litter, water quality and recycling. And Greensource provided lessons on Kentucky native mammal species and our local watershed as part of a Lexington Explorium summer camp June 24th and 25th.

As this summer begins to slow down there are still some great summer camp experiences to be had. Check with your local community organizations who should have all of the information you might need. And as this upcoming school year starts to fly by and summer plans begin to take shape, make sure to look into some of the great summer camp experiences that Bluegrass Greensource works with throughout Central Kentucky!

READ MORE

Rain Barrel Reception has Rolled Out Until Next Year

For Website IIDespite the wind and the rain, many people came out to Bluegrass Greensource’s Roll Out the Rain Barrel Reception on Friday, June 20th at the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion. An excited group of supporters were on site to view the wonderful artistic rain barrels, mingle with our featured local artists and vote on their favorite rain barrel.

 

 

rain barrel reception for website

 

Music was provided by the Big Maracas for the event, local beer and wine was on hand and art teacher Miles Johnson, was also there to paint a rain barrel with the help of some of our youngest artists.

 

 

An original EnrAgustin for Websiteique Gonzalez painted rain barrel, portraying a beautiful peacock, was the hot raffle ticket item.  The winner of our on-site rain barrel vote was Nectar, painted by local artist Agustin Zarate and our over-all rain barrel vote winner was Down on the Farm, painted by local artist Roni Gilpin.

 

 

The funds raised will support Bluegrass Greensources’ many outreach programs which focus on water stewardship, energy conservation and waste/litter reduction. Another popular program, the Rain Barrel Workshops, illustrate the importance of water conservation and demonstrate how easy it is to make one of your own.

We would not have had such a successful without the support of our sponsors: Kentucky American Water, Stites & Harbison,  and Paint Solutions Auto Body,

For more information on our rain barrel programs, please contact Michelle at michelle@bggreensource.org.

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Salute to Malissa McAlister

Malissa McAlister photo

Malissa McAlister’s term as chairman of the board for Bluegrass Greensource has come to a close, but she will continue to volunteer her time with us.  At the recent Rain Barrel Reception, Malissa reflected on how she first got involved. “I remember attending an informational meeting in Danville back in 2001,” she recalled.  “I felt this was just the type of organization that was needed in Central Kentucky to reach out to residents about why it’s necessary to care for our natural environment and teach us how everyone can do their part, no matter how small.”

Malissa currently works at UK’s Water Resources Research Institute as the Kentucky River Basin Coordinator. In 2006, she joined the board as a representative of the water quality profession. She has enjoyed watching the staff captivate school audiences with demonstrations on the importance of green lifestyle choices. During her time as Chairman, she watched the results of the various environmental grants to numerous schools and communities–from outdoor classrooms, to nature trails, to recycling bins, and to energy efficient lighting – make positive changes for cleaner living environments.

“It has been so satisfying to be a part of the maturation of this organization–to the point where it now needs a new name to capture the breadth of its mission!” Malissa stated.  “Bluegrass Greensource was selected as a

fitting name, because we seek to serve as THE source of information about ways that citizens, communities and businesses can implement “green” practices that protect and enhance the beauty and natural resources that are so critical to our lives here in Central Kentucky.”

Thank you, Malissa, for your continued support and service.

READ MORE

July 2013 Newsletter

Bluegrass Greensource:  New name, new chapter

Bluegrass PRIDE is now Bluegrass Greensource. We’ve updated our social media accounts, launched our new website, and got new business cards and email addresses. But now what?

Amy Sohner, executive director of BG Greensource, took a moment to reflect on our accomplishments in the last 12 years and expressed her optimism for the future. “Since I’ve been around from the organization’s beginning, I have really enjoyed seeing a shift in the understanding of what it means to be green. And with our new name, new brand, we want to continue this momentum.”

Our environmental educators have worked with students in over 230 schools. “On any given day, they may be knee deep in a stream showing kids how to test water quality or up to their elbows in classroom trash as they complete a dumpster dive.” Amy reminisced.

We also work with teachers on how they can use the environment to teach across all disciplines. We have taken science, social studies and English teachers in a coal mine and to solar farms to help them teach about energy.

PRIDE’s outreach specialists stay busy reaching out to Central Kentucky’s adult population and educating them on waste reduction, water quality and energy efficiency. This year, our staff assisted with home energy audits, partnered with community organizations to stencil storm drains and completed waste analyses for area businesses helping them recycle almost 1500 tons.

Our grant programs have done good work all around the region. Invasive plants were removed at Lower Howard’s Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve and their first public hiking trail was opened. Five reusable water bottle stations were installed on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University, saving tens of thousands of plastic water bottles from the landfill. Madison County Conservation District was able to develop a fallen animal composting pad to use for education and demonstration purposes. Herrington Lake Conservation League cleaned up the lake, filling 19 commercial dumpsters with litter and manmade debris from the lake, while establishing a recycling and litter reduction program at several marinas.

We’ve also provide resources to community groups to address litter, assisting with the  removal more than 150,000 bags of trash from local roadways and stream banks. To promote our message across the region, we have worked to help make events throughout Central Kentucky both litter, and waste free!

Over time, we became THE SOURCE for green education in Central Kentucky and we wanted our name to better reflect our mission and the fact that we are the Green Source for this area. As we begin this new chapter, we want to continue our outreach in the schools, building on the programs we provide in our region.

We want to continue our outreach in homes, encouraging small changes that have a big impact, not only to our local environment, but also on our wallets and our health.

We want to grow our over 600 business and apartment complex partnerships, assisting them in all of their green needs and helping them get recognition for being environmentally responsible.

We’ve made great progress, but we need your help spreading the word. Same important mission, just a new name. Bluegrass PRIDE is now Bluegreass Green Source. Please share the news with your friends and your community.

__________________________________________________________

Summer Camp

Summer Camp Fun

Summer time offers a perfect opportunity to get outside, go somewhere new and try something that you have never tried before. And what could be a better way for kids to do that than to head to a weeklong summer camp? Bluegrass Greensource has worked hard this summer to not only host our own summer camp but also collaborate with some great local community organizations to provide activities and experiences that any kid could enjoy!

Greensource’s biggest summer camp offering happened June 10th-14th at the Arboretum in Lexington and gave kids the opportunity to be eco-investigators for the week, exploring different environmental concepts while enjoying all the Arboretum had to offer. Participants got the chance to take guided nature hikes throughout the Arboretum, utilized solar ovens to make s’mores before making their own solar oven and learned about composting while working in the children’s garden. The camp was 8am-4pm and allowed for plenty of exploration and fun!

Throughout the summer Bluegrass Greensource has also had the opportunity to work with several great local organizations such as the Fayette County YMCA and the Lexington Explorium. Educators spent time with the North Lexington Family YMCA and their summer camp, offering lessons on insects you can find in local creeks and streams, our central Kentucky watershed and even planning a litter clean-up around the YMCA property to discuss how everyone has a part to play with litter. July 22nd through the 26th several educators will be spending their mornings at the Beaumont YMCA doing fun activities that teach about litter, water quality and recycling. And Greensource provided lessons on Kentucky native mammal species and our local watershed as part of a Lexington Explorium summer camp June 24th and 25th.

As this summer begins to slow down there are still some great summer camp experiences to be had. Check with your local community organizations who should have all of the information you might need. And as this upcoming school year starts to fly by and summer plans begin to take shape, make sure to look into some of the great summer camp experiences that Bluegrass Greensource works with throughout Central Kentucky!

__________________________________________________________

Rain Barrel Reception  Rain Barrel Reception Horse   Rain Barrel Reception Painting

Rain Barrel Reception has Rolled Out Until Next Year

Big news was announced at this year’s annual Roll Out the Rain Barrel Reception on Friday, June 21st at the Fifth Third Pavilion. An excited group of supporters were on site when Bluegrass PRIDE officially became Bluegrass Greensource. Even more came out to see the wonderful artistic rain barrels, participate in the silent auction and mingle with our featured local artists at the on-site voting competition.

Music was provided by Soul Funkin Dangerous for the event, which was part of LexArts’ Gallery Hop. Local brewery, Country Boy Brewing, brought the Cougar Bait while Seasons Catering brought the wine and hors d’oeuvres. Tates Creek Middle School’s Drama Club teacher, Miles Johnson, was also there to paint a rain barrel with the help of some of our youngest artists.

An original Enrique Gonzalez’s painted rain barrel, called Zenyatta, was a hot raffle ticket item.  The winner of our on-site rain barrel vote was Make Your Mark, painted by local artist Stefan Hulliger and our online rain barrel vote winner was When Roosters Cry, painted by local artist Stephen Wiggins. People were also able to purchase plain rain barrels to create a masterpiece of their own.

Over $8,000 was raised in support of Bluegrass Greensources’ many outreach programs which focus on water stewardship, energy conservation and waste/litter reduction. Another popular program, the Rain Barrel Workshops, illustrate the importance of water conservation and demonstrate how easy it is to make one of your own.

We would not have had such a successful without the support of our sponsors: Kentucky American Water, Stites & Harbison, Country Boy Brewing, Seasons Catering, Coca Cola, KCI Designs Photo, Pain Solutions Auto Body, and Fayette County Extension.

For more information on our rain barrel programs, please contact Michelle at michelle@bggreensource.org.

__________________________________________________________

Malissa McAlister photo

Salute to Malissa McAlister

Malissa McAlister’s term as chairman of the board for Bluegrass Greensource has come to a close, but she will continue to volunteer her time with us.  At the recent Rain Barrel Reception, Malissa reflected on how she first got involved. “I remember attending an informational meeting in Danville back in 2001,” she recalled.  “I felt this was just the type of organization that was needed in Central Kentucky to reach out to residents about why it’s necessary to care for our natural environment and teach us how everyone can do their part, no matter how small.”

Malissa currently works at UK’s Water Resources Research Institute as the Kentucky River Basin Coordinator. In 2006, she joined the board as a representative of the water quality profession. She has enjoyed watching the staff captivate school audiences with demonstrations on the importance of green lifestyle choices. During her time as Chairman, she watched the results of the various environmental grants to numerous schools and communities–from outdoor classrooms, to nature trails, to recycling bins, and to energy efficient lighting – make positive changes for cleaner living environments.

“It has been so satisfying to be a part of the maturation of this organization–to the point where it now needs a new name to capture the breadth of its mission!” Malissa stated.  “Bluegrass Greensource was selected as a

fitting name, because we seek to serve as THE source of information about ways that citizens, communities and businesses can implement “green” practices that protect and enhance the beauty and natural resources that are so critical to our lives here in Central Kentucky.”

Thank you, Malissa, for your continued support and service.

__________________________________________________________

Join our Team

Bluegrass Greensource is seeking a full time VISTA Volunteer to manage a Green Jobs program for Title 1 High Schools in Central Kentucky.  A degree or previous experience in an environmental field is required.  A full job description can be found at https://bggreensource.org/home/what-we-do/our-people/jobs/vista-job-opening/.   Email resume, letter of interest and contact information for three references to maxine@bgGreensource.org.   Applications will be accepted through August 15th or until position is filled. EOE

__________________________________________________________

For the latest green information in Central Kentucky, “Like” us on our Facebook page Bluegrass Greensource or follow us on Twitter @BluegrassGreensource.  If you have any questions or comments about this issue, please contact us at info@bggreensource.org.

Sincerely,

Amy Sohner

Executive Director

Bluegrass Greensource

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Join Our Team

Bluegrass Greensource is seeking a full time VISTA Volunteer to manage a Green Jobs program for Title 1 High Schools in Central Kentucky.  A degree or previous experience in an environmental field is required.  A full job description can be found at https://bggreensource.org/home/what-we-do/our-people/jobs/vista-job-opening/.   Email resume, letter of interest and contact information for three references to maxine@bgGreensource.org.   Applications will be accepted through August 15th or until position is filled. EOE

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August 2013 Newsletter

LGL Games Winners GoodFoods

2013 LiveGreenLexington Games Winners

Congratulations to all our 2013 LiveGreenLexington Games Winners!  Winners were announced at our annual awards ceremony on August 1st at the West Sixth Brewery.  The Games’ Overall Winner goes to Good Foods Market and Café who also won the Waste Reduction Category and Water Stewardship Category.  Other winners include:

Lexington Habitat ReStore: Small Business Winner

Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital: Energy Conservation Category

Kentucky American Water: Energy Conservation Runner Up

Semicon Associates: Waste Reduction Runner Up

Estepp’s Friendly Shell: Water Stewardship Runner Up

FoodChain: Innovation Accolade

Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council: Education Accolade

Town Branch Tree Experts, Inc: Stewardship Accolade

The LiveGreenLexington Games are a friendly year-long competition between area businesses aimed at helping these groups reduces their bottom line by becoming more environmentally friendly.  In order to participate, businesses fill out a survey detailing their practices related to recycling and waste reduction, water conservation and litter, and energy efficiency.

Forty-three LiveGreenLexington Partner businesses competed in this year’s Games, of which, 9 were recognized as winners at the ceremony.  After the award ceremony, the crowd also got to enjoy a free tour of the innovative Lexington business, FoodChain.

Special thanks goes to West Sixth Brewing, a LiveGreenLexington partner, for their hospitality that night.  If your business is interested in participating in the 2014 LiveGreenLexington Games, please contact Blair Hecker at livegreenlexingtongames@bggreensource.org.  The new competition gets kicked off on September 1!

_______________________________________________________________

Coal Tour

Popular Energy Tour is Back

Calling all Central Kentucky Teachers who are interested in learning and teaching about Kentucky’s energy sources!  Our popular Energy Tour is coming soon and we want you to join us on October 24-25th.  But space is limited so teachers must sign up as soon as you can.

Thanks to funding provided by the Department of Energy Development and Independence (DEDI), we are able to offer this two-day tour to Central KY teachers to highlight Kentucky’s developing alternative energy technologies as well as traditional energy sources.  One day will be spent touring EKU’s Center for Renewable & Alternative Fuel Technologies (CRAFT), Berea College’s Ecovillage, a Berea solar farm and the KY Coal Mine Museum.  The second day will be spent in the Teco Mine in Hazard.  Yes, we said “IN” the Teco mine where you will experience first-hand deep earth mining and learn about coal extraction surface mining techniques.  Finally, a panel discussion will cover the advantages and disadvantages of different energy technologies.

As a follow-up to the tour, our environmental educators will host a series of classroom lessons for tour participants about the history of coal in Kentucky, extraction techniques of coal and alternative energies.  Additionally, participating teachers will have the opportunity to schedule an energy related field trip for their classroom.

If you are a Central Kentucky teacher and interested in joining us, please email Pattie Stivender at pattie@bgGreensource.org for more detail information.

_______________________________________________________________

KAWC Logo

Explorations in Water

Our Water Quality Workshop for Teachers is coming September 18th.  The workshop is designed to help teachers understand how water quality and water conservation can be taught in a variety of ways and across disciplines.

Water resources are of major environmental, social and economic value.  We rely of water for our health, ecosystem, farming, fishing and mining, plus it contributes to recreation and tourism.  If water quality becomes degraded, this resource will lose its value.

The workshop will include water quality indicators, performing water tests, stormwater mapping, planning a school rain garden and information on Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools Water Inventory.   It is open to all teachers in Bourbon, Clark, Owen, Scott, and Woodford counties.

Special thanks to Kentucky American Water for funding this workshop and supporting area teachers.

Date: September 18, 2013

Time: 9:00 – 3:00

Location: Scott County Extension Office
1130 Cincinnati Road
Georgetown, KY 40324

For more information on the workshop and to register, please contact:

Pattie Stivender
Bluegrass Greensource
3120 Pimlico Parkway
Suite 126
Lexington, KY 40517
(859)266-1572
pattie@bgGreensource.org

_______________________________________________________________

Resized Rain garden workshops photo

Rain Garden Tour

The 7th Annual Rain Garden Tour, presented by Fayette County Public Schools and Bluegrass Greensource, is on Sunday, September 22nd.  Six area rain gardens and their native plants will be showcased in the tour from 2:00 – 5:00 P.M.

One of the stops is the Locust Trace Agriscience Farm where you can tour their net zero waste facilities and 3 rain gardens.  As part of their Native Plant Program, they will also hold a native plant sale.  Proceeds of the sale will go to their education programs.

Three Fayette County Public Schools’ rain gardens will also be stops on the tour.  They include:

Beaumont Middle School – 2080 Georgian Way

Henry Clay High School – 2100 Fontaine Road.

Athens-Chilesburg Elementary – 930 Jouett Creek Drive

The tour is open to the public and is a self-guided.  This is a great opportunity to see unique rain gardens and talk to experts about rain gardens, their benefits and features.  Light refreshments will be provided.

So come, enjoy and learn about what our public school are doing to protect their water quality.  If you are interested in more information on rain gardens and the tours, contact: Kara Sayles at Kara@bgGreensource.org.

Keep an eye on our website for upcoming Rain Garden workshops at www.bgGreensource.org

_______________________________________________________________

ReStore Paint Recycling
Whether it’s a fall clean-up or a complete remodel, you might find yourself with gallons of extra paint.  Luckily, Lexington’s own ReStore offers a novel paint recycling program as an alternative to the landfill or an overstuffed garage.

The only program of its kind in Lexington, ReStore’s paint recycling program is in its 188th batch; meaning that nearly 10,400 gallons of paint have been saved from the landfill according to Deconstruction Project Manager, Michael Frey.

(Pictured to the left:  Michael Frey and Katie Clay)

The paint recycling program was started in 2010 when staff noticed gallons of partially-full donated gallons of paint were not selling and they were starting to amass quite a collection.

“Why not consolidate it?” they thought.  Initial attempts at mixing were focused on keeping like finishes together- satins with satins, flats with flats.  Today, paints are mixed by similar colors and the end product retains a mostly satin finish, which is water resistant and easy to clean.  Landlords, some of the paint recycling program’s most devoted customers, love the high-hiding quality of the paint.  Katie Clay, Resource Development Coordinator, shared her own personal experience, “I used two coats to cover my brown living room walls with a really nice light blue-green color.”

The paint recycling program is part of ReStore’s larger Deconstruction Program which also salvages construction materials on-site and collects scrap metals. Full and part-time employees churn out roughly two batches a week, which is roughly 100 gallons of paint that becomes recycled product. Two, 55 gallon barrels serve as the site of mixing and filtering. Batches are poured into 5 gallon buckets that sell for $35 each, complete with “home brewed” in Lexington labels created by another local business, Bullhorn Creative. White and off-white have proven the best-selling colors so far.

        Restore Paint 1

Jake Brown (left) and Tatum Lewis (right) demonstrate the recycling process.

Volunteers can also get in on the fun. University of Kentucky student groups, schools, and environmental groups have created their own paint batches, complete with catchy names. “Blue Your Mind,” “OMGreen,” “Pretty in Purplish,” “A-maize-ing Yellow,” and “Check me out, I’m Buff” are just a few of the gems.  While seemingly unappealing, “The Milk’s Gone Bad,” a grayish-white turned out to be a great seller. One group from the County Attorney’s Office spent a day moving furniture only to return for an afternoon of paint mixing. Their color creation? “Prosecutor Purple,” of course. “Volunteers are welcome and it doesn’t take a lot of training” says Michael. “A group of six volunteers can create a barrel of paint in around four hours.” School children aged 16 and over can volunteer with an adult 18 or older to operate the mixing drill.

Checklist for recycling your paint at ReStore:

  • It must have been made between 1994-present.
  • It has never been frozen.
  • Paint must be in its original container.
  • It must be latex. (Non-latex or other paints not accepted by ReStore can be made landfill-ready by adding cat litter, dirt, paint thickening crystals, or sawdust. Place beside the Herbie with the lid loosely attached on collection day.)

To set up volunteer visits, contact the ReStore Volunteer Coordinator Catherine Trout at catherinet@lexhabitat.org or call 859-252-2224, ext-150.

_______________________________________________________________

Lisa Conley Joined Our Team

Lisa-Conley

Greensource would like to welcome Lisa Conley as our new Outreach Specialist.  Lisa grew up in Daysboro, Kentucky and credits her rural upbringing in eastern Kentucky with influencing her concerns for the environment. She states, “I love the fact I grew up in a region so full of natural beauty. I was always outside playing in the barn, on the river banks, and in the hay bottoms. I came to appreciate the peacefulness there and could get lost in an afternoon of bird-watching, catching tadpoles, or just walking the hills behind our house.”

Lisa used this appreciation of the natural world when she moved away for college. While attending Eastern Kentucky University and later the University of Kentucky, Lisa researched issues related to environmental disasters in Appalachia and taught as a part-time instructor for both universities. She is currently finishing her PhD in Sociology at UK by researching motivations of home food production, the intersections of environmental sustainability, and local food economies. She is excited to be the new Outreach Specialist for Bluegrass Greensource working with large businesses to increase their recycling efforts and find ways to conserve water and energy usage.  She is a great addition to our team!

Interesting in knowing more of Greensource’s staff, go to https://bggreensource.org/home/what-we-do/our-people/staff/.

_______________________________________________________________

For the latest green information in Central Kentucky, “Like” us on our Facebook page Bluegrass Greensource or follow us on Twitter @BluegrassGreensource.  If you have any questions or comments about this issue, please contact us at info@bggreensource.org.

Sincerely,

Amy Sohner
Executive Director
Bluegrass Greensource

 

READ MORE

Lisa Conley Joined Our Team

Lisa-Conley

Greensource would like to welcome Lisa Conley as our new Outreach Specialists.  Lisa grew up in Daysboro, Kentucky and credits her rural upbringing in eastern Kentucky with influencing her concerns for the environment. She states, “I love the fact I grew up in a region so full of natural beauty. I was always outside playing in the barn, on the river banks, and in the hay bottoms. I came to appreciate the peacefulness there and could get lost in an afternoon of bird-watching, catching tadpoles, or just walking the hills behind our house.”

Lisa used this appreciation of the natural world when she moved away for college. While attending Eastern Kentucky University and later the University of Kentucky, Lisa researched issues related to environmental disasters in Appalachia and taught as a part-time instructor for both universities. She is currently finishing her PhD in Sociology at UK by researching motivations of home food production, the intersections of environmental sustainability, and local food economies. She is excited to be the new Outreach Specialist for Bluegrass Greensource working with large businesses to increase their recycling efforts and find ways to conserve water and energy usage.  She is a great addition to our team!

Interesting in knowing more of Greensource’s staff, go to https://bggreensource.org/home/what-we-do/our-people/staff/.

READ MORE

2013 LiveGreenLexington Games Winners

LGL Games Winners GoodFoods

2013 LiveGreenLexington Games Winners

Congratulations to all our 2013 LiveGreenLexington Games Winners!  Winners were announced at our annual awards ceremony on August 1st at the West Sixth Brewery.  The Games’ Overall Winner goes to Good Foods Market and Café who also won the Waste Reduction Category and Water Stewardship Category.  Other winners include:

Lexington Habitat ReStore: Small Business Winner

Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital: Energy Conservation Category

Kentucky American Water: Energy Conservation Runner Up

Semicon Associates: Waste Reduction Runner Up

Estepp’s Friendly Shell: Water Stewardship Runner Up

FoodChain: Innovation Accolade

Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council: Education Accolade

Town Branch Tree Experts, Inc: Stewardship Accolade

The LiveGreenLexington Games are a friendly year-long competition between area businesses aimed at helping these groups reduces their bottom line by becoming more environmentally friendly.  In order to participate, businesses fill out a survey detailing their practices related to recycling and waste reduction, water conservation and litter, and energy efficiency.

Forty-three LiveGreenLexington Partner businesses competed in this year’s Games, of which, 9 were recognized as winners at the ceremony.  After the award ceremony, the crowd also got to enjoy a free tour of the innovative Lexington business, FoodChain.

Special thanks goes to West Sixth Brewing, a LiveGreenLexington partner, for their hospitality that night.  If your business is interested in participating in the 2014 LiveGreenLexington Games, please contact Blair Hecker at livegreenlexingtongames@bggreensource.org.  The new competition gets kicked off on September 1!

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