10 Tips for a Green Christmas

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Commit to making the holidays more environmentally friendly. Here are some ideas to help you start:

  1. Decorate your house with LED lights and you can use almost 90% less energy. It saves you money on your electric bill and helps the environment. Don’t overdo it! It’s the light that shines in our hearts that matters more than the quantity of outdoor decorations!
  2. Use a real tree.  Plastic trees last longer but are made of PVC, which is harmful to the environment.
  3. Recycle your Christmas tree. Just put it out on the curb to be composted or turned into mulch or wood chips.
  4. Recycle your old electronics. A lot of people get new phones or electronic devices for Christmas. Drop your used phone off at Bluegrass Greensource’s office and prevent hazardous elements like mercury, cadmium, and lead from ending up in landfills.
  5. Get creative! Make your own wrapping paper and cards by recycling the old holiday cards you’ve been saving for years and reusing old comic books, children’s artwork, scarves, towels, or unused clothing to wrap your gifts.
  6. Better yet, if you have a choice, send e-cards to friends and family members and save on postage, envelopes, and actual cards. And it’s green!
  7. Make your own gifts: bake a batch of cookies or other treats  for your loved ones and share the recipes.
  8. Give gifts of membership or experiences: a gym membership, music lessons, theater tickets, spa services, and more.
  9. Support local farms by purchasing local organic produce and meat for your holiday meals.
  10. Get in the holiday spirit and give the gifts that keep on giving back. Support local organizations by purchasing gifts from businesses that donate a part of their income back to the community. Or volunteer your time to help others and make their holidays a little brighter.
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Want to help others be more earth-friendly? Join the Zero Waste Team

As winter approaches, many of us look for ways to contribute to our communities. Whether we serve food at a shelter, donate to our favorite nonprofit, or give time to our community, this time of year has traditionally been one of volunteerism and giving.

My own family has seen the rich rewards that come from volunteering and giving to our community, and we try to instill in our children a love for the intangible benefits that come from giving to others.

 

Zero-Waste-Recycle-graphicWe at Bluegrass Greensource have been looking for new ways to engage our volunteer base in the betterment of our community, and as a result have developed a new Zero Waste Team to help us make community events a little more environmentally friendly by going zero waste or reduced waste.

So what exactly does zero waste mean? A zero waste event diverts 90 percent or more of its waste material away from landfills by recycling, composting and avoiding disposable materials. This is an especially important goal to achieve because events have the potential to create a lot of waste due to their temporary nature and the use of disposable plates, cups and other similar items. These items end up in landfills, causing a cascade of other problems. It’s not difficult to implement zero waste at public events, but it does require planning ahead, and that’s where our volunteer team comes in to help.

We hope to encourage event planners to go zero or reduced waste by providing the resources and volunteers they may need to reach that goal. For the volunteers, it provides an opportunity to help the community in concrete ways while participating in fun community events.

Our volunteer base is divided into two groups – the Zero Waste Planning Committee and the Zero Waste Event Team. When we get a call requesting support for a zero-waste event, we will send out a call to our volunteers to help. Members of the Zero Waste Planning Committee will work with the event planners to assist with all of the coordination that must be done in advance to support zero-waste events. This includes working with vendors to use recyclable, washable, or compostable goods, procuring the correct containers and bags, strategizing the best way to deploy resources, and promoting the zero-waste goal of the event to patrons through advertising and signage.

On the day of the event, the Zero Waste Event Team will spring into action, setting up containers in the appropriate places, making sure signage is in place, answering questions for patrons and staff, and helping people properly sort their waste.

Not only do our volunteers get the satisfaction of making our community a more sustainable place while participating in fun community events, they will also get “Zero Waste Team” shirts. They’re cooler than they sound, I promise!

One of our first partners is the NoLi CDC’s Night Market. They first approached us about supporting recycling at their event, and we are now working with them to fully support zero-waste at future Night Markets. Now is the time to jump on board and help this great community event and others become more sustainable.

Our goal is to eventually provide zero-waste support for all counties in our service area, but for the moment, this support is limited to Fayette County. In the meantime, we do have resources to help events outside of Fayette County reduce their waste through recycling.

If you are interested in joining our Zero Waste Team or in hosting a zero-waste event, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Pattie Stivender, at pattie@bggreensource.org or give us a call at 859-266-1572.
1Schuyler-Warren

Schuyler Warren is an outreach specialist for Bluegrass Greensource, focusing on participation in the LiveGreenLexington initiative by businesses in the city core. A native of the Bluegrass Region, he received a master’s in community and regional planning and in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon. He is a board member for Town Branch Trail and Castlewood Neighborhood Association.

This article appeared in KY Forward on November 21, 2013.

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November Newsletter

Award PhotoBluegrass Tomorrow Presents Greensource with Vision Award for Green/Sustainability

Posted Monday, November 4, 2013 on KyForward.com

The annual Bluegrass Tomorrow’s Vision Awards Breakfast included more than sticky buns on the menu. Awards were presented to Don Robinson, Ed Burtner, the Kentucky River Thorobred, Knox van Nagell, Bluegrass Greensource, Judy Clabes, the National Park Service’s Rivers Trails Conservation Assistance Program, Kyle Lake and Rebecca Barnes.

Robinson is owner of Winter Quarter Farm and is best known for breeding multiple Eclipse Award winner Zenyatta, the 2010 Horse of the Year. He won the 2013 Josephine Abercrombie Vision Award for his leadership as chairman of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Planning Commission which made the motion for a change of minimum lot acreage from 10 to 40 acres in agricultural areas.

Ed Burtner is the mayor of Winchester. He has been a major advocate for Bluegrass Station and the Bluegrass Army Depot and is active in many regional organizations and projects He received the Bluegrass Legacy Vision Award.

Other awards were presented for outstanding service to Bluegrass Tomorrow and the 18 surrounding counties to the Kentucky River Thorobred, a Kentucky State University floating laboratory; Knox van Nagell of the Fayette Alliance; Bluegrass Greensource; and a conservation program run by the National Park Service.

The special Robert Clay Award was also presented to Judy Clabes, publisher and editor of KYForward.com, as Bluegrass Tomorrow’s “most valuable” board member and the one who has done the most to improve the organization over the last year.

Passionate about the preservation and protection of precious Bluegrass soils and the equine/agricultural industry, Robinson is a director and past president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association, and the Fayette County Farm Bureau. He is currently chairman of the Fayette Alliance.

Burtner has been a board member of Bluegrass Tomorrow and the Bluegrass Area Development District. He has been very active in the United Way and the regional Public Policy Group facilitated by Commerce Lexington which advocates for many regional issues including education, drug abuse, the Kentucky River, the water supply and others.

KSU’s Kentucky River Thorobred floating laboratory is a unique 52-foot pontoon boat used for research on river ecology and environment, and was honored with the Education Vision Award.

Bluegrass Greensource (formerly PRIDE) won the Green/Sustainability Vision Award for its excellent and continued work in environmental education and sustainability.

Van Nagell of the Fayette Alliance was honored with the Equine/Agriculture Vision Award for her tireless work in protecting precious Bluegrass soils and advocacy on more than 65 major land use policies.

Russell Clark and Alison Bullock of National Park Service’s Rivers Trails Conservation Assistance Program won the Conservation/Preservation Vision Award for their work with the Kentucky River Water Trail Alliance and the Bluegrass Bike Hike Horseback Trails Alliance, important initiatives of Bluegrass Tomorrow.

Kyle Lake of Prosper Productions and Rebecca Barnes of Northwestern Mutual won Young Professionals Vision Awards for their tireless work with young professional organizations and projects in the region and promoting the Bluegrass Tomorrow philosophy of “developing an environment in the region where creative talent, young professionals, diversity and entrepreneurship will thrive.”

From Bluegrass Tomorrow

 

 

Gobble Grease Toss flyer

 

 

Peaks Mill Litter Cleanup #1 photoFranklin County Students Impact the Environment

Fourth grade students in Frankfort and Franklin County have been making a big impact in their environment.  As part of a project with Bluegrass Greensource and the Franklin County Solid Waste Administrator, students in seven city and county schools have had the opportunity to learn about litter in their classroom, and then applied that to their own environment. 

Students at Bridgeport Elementary, Collins Lane Elementary, Elkhorn Elementary, Good Shepherd School, Hearn Elementary, Peaks Mill Elementary and Second Street School all worked with a Bluegrass Greensource educator in their classroom to learn about pollution and how it affects our local environment.  Using an Enviroscape model to demonstrate a landscape, students first learned what a watershed is and what watershed they lived in.  Students then identified various types of point source and nonpoint source pollutants found within that watershed.  Using items to symbolize litter, animal waste, and oil from cars, students saw where those pollutants came from and where they can end up as stormwater and move through their watershed.  After identifying the various types of pollution in the environment, students then brainstormed best management practices, or ways they can reduce and clean up those pollutants. 

Following the classroom demonstration, students then met again with educators from Bluegrass Greensource to do a project on their school grounds.  Using the information they learned, the students made maps of their school grounds, and used the maps to track where they found litter, motor oil and stormdrains around their own school.  Students then put their best management practices into action and collected litter from their school grounds.  While doing the project, students were surprised to find more litter than they expected.  Students also became more aware of stormdrains and how stormwater affects their environment, and many classes chose to display their litter maps in their schools to educate other students and teachers about litter.

Bluegrass Greensource enjoyed this collaboration with Franklin County Public Schools, Frankfort Independent Schools, and Good Shepherd School.  Greensource is so proud of the impact these fourth grade students made in their community!    

 

 

EKU Solar Panels photoGreensource Grants Make a Difference in Central Kentucky

Over the past three years, dozens of local governments, nonprofit organizations, and schools in Central Kentucky have implemented environmental education and improvement projects with the help of Bluegrass Greensource’s mini-grant program. Through a partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Greensource was able to offer this grant program to seven counties in its service region – Clark, Estill, Garrard, Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery, and Powell. Since 2010, the mini-grant program has provided over $330,000 in funding for 61 projects, ranging from outdoor classrooms to cleanups to innovative demonstration projects. Unfortunately, funding for the grant program ended in August 2013, but Greensource has been able to fund some exciting projects in the past few years!

Madison County Conservation District constructed a fallen livestock composting pad at EKU’s Meadowbrook Farm. The composting facility is available for tours by student and professional groups, and its purpose is to provide farmers with an innovative, economical, and sustainable option for addressing the problem of fallen animal disposal.

Lower Howard’s Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve in Clark County cleared invasive plant species on a five acre section of the property and purchased signage in preparation for the opening of its first public nature trail. The 2.8 mile out-and-back John Holder Trail was dedicated in the spring of 2012.

Garrard County Fiscal Court developed a walking trail along Lancaster City Lake, and recently planted 900 native redbud and dogwood trees along the path.

Estill County Cooperative Extension District held a home composting workshop for 46 community members. Participants learned how to compost their kitchen and yard waste, and each household in attendance took home a free countertop compost bin.

EKU installed a 1.6 kWh expandable solar panel system on the roof of the New Science Building, along with a real-time energy production logging and display system that will allow students to monitor the system’s energy output.

Lincoln County 4H worked with Crab Orchard Elementary students to establish a garden behind the school. The garden club planted strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, beans, potatoes, corn, squash, and kiwi. The dedicated students met weekly over the summer to care for their plants and harvest their crops.

Some additional outcomes of the mini-grant program include:

  • Development of 12 outdoor classrooms, school gardens, rain gardens, and educational wetlands
  • Development of 1 city park on a former brownfield
  • Energy efficiency upgrades in 15 public buildings, including schools and a local recycling center
  • Installation of solar panels on 1 rural animal shelter
  • Execution of 5 environmental education workshops for educators
  • Cleanup and restoration of 1 illegal dumpsite
  • Installation of recycling infrastructure at 7 marinas on Herrington Lake
  • Purchase of materials for 1 local farmer’s market
  • Installation of 5 water bottle refilling stations at Eastern Kentucky University

Bluegrass Greensource is proud to have been able to support these projects and many others. These projects are wonderful examples of the efforts that communities in central Kentucky have made to reduce their environmental impact in recent years!

Grant funding through this program is currently unavailable. For more information on past mini-grant projects, please contact Sandy@bgGreensource.org.

 

 

Energy Tour PhotoEnergy Tour Energizes Teachers

“One of the best, educational, thought provoking tours I have taken in 25 years of teaching,” said one teacher after having participated in Bluegrass Greensource’s fourth annual energy tour, sponsored by the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence.

Teachers from Central Kentucky joined BGGS for two days of touring sites related to renewable and nonrenewable energy.  The tour gave teachers firsthand experience with a variety of energy resources and facilities and deepened their knowledge of the content they are teaching for the Next Generation Standards.

Dr. Bruce Pratt of Eastern Kentucky University’s Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies started the tour with an overview of energy sources used to produce electricity, and the pros and cons of each.  Harlan County High School was a popular stop on the tour with its renewable energy features.  The school has incorporated many high performance energy features, such as:  day lighting, geothermal HVAC, energy recovery units, low-E insulating glazing, occupancy sensors on lighting, high efficiency lighting, and light colored roofing.

Teachers also learned about coal extraction while touring TECO Coal in Hazard.  After a training session, teachers were taken into a deep mine shaft and had the opportunity to view the mining process firsthand.  The history and impact of the coal industry in Harlan County was highlighted during a Kentucky Coal Mine Museum tour led by retired miner Al Feher.

The tour is intended to broaden teachers’ knowledge of energy-related topics while providing a balanced and unbiased view of each resource.

During this school year, Greensource Educators will be working with each teacher who participated in the tour to offer energy lessons and plan energy related field trips for their students.  For more information, contact Pattie Stivender at pattie@bgGreensource.org.

 

 

Rain Garden photo - Scott CountyRain Garden Grant Deadline is November 18th.

As the weather gets cooler, rain gardens are starting to die back above ground. Yet under the ground, the roots are still very much alive, absorbing water and nutrients to help the plants survive the long winter ahead. Now we can sit back and dream of our rain gardens that will grow next spring and summer.

That is exactly what many homeowners that attended one of our recent rain garden workshops hosted in Jessamine, Scott, and Bourbon Counties will be doing this winter. Not only did participants of these workshops learn about rain gardens, but they were also encouraged to design a rain garden for their property and apply for a grant to help turn the design into a reality. All grant applications are due back to Kara Sayles at kara@bgGreensource.org by Monday, November 18th

Our goal for the workshops was to help citizens create a successful rain garden in their yard that will thrive for years to come. The workshops showcased what rain gardens are, why they are beneficial, and how to construct one. They also included a hands-on component, led by local nursery professionals that involved planting a garden. These professionals are still available for consultations to our workshop participants on their rain garden design and/or show them which plants will work best for specific yard conditions. 

The workshops filled up quickly and were a huge success. We will be conducting a similar round of workshops in Woodford, Clark, and Madison Counties next Fall. We encourage residents of those counties to check back regularly for information about these workshops on our web page at www.BGgreensource.org/rain-gardens/.

We would like to give a huge thank you to the Kentucky Division of Water for supporting our rain garden program in these six counties.  We also thank the following organizations for partnering with us during this adventure: UK’s Agriculture Extension Offices, Springhouse Gardens, Shooting Star Nursery, Ruddles Mill Nursery, Eco Gro, CDP Engineers, and the Scott County Conservation District. Your help was crucial in making this round of workshops so successful!   

 

 

Mercer County Watershed education photoStudents Learn About Water Conservation in Mercer County

Check out the article Kendra Peek, from The Advocate Messanger, wrote about a water conservation project we worked on in Mercer County with  8th graders from King Middle School.  Great example of community partners coming together and making things happen

 

Thank you for your interest in our newsletter.  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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Winter’s return reminds us that being energy efficient is as important as ever

We had snow this week! In November! OK, maybe it wasn’t much snow, but any snow in November is special. As a result of that touch of snow, accompanied by super cold temperatures, I am especially enjoying cuddling under blankets by the fire. The problem is, it’s much earlier this year than last, and I am a bit worried about our heating bill for the next four months.

Because this is Kentucky, and the weather can change at a moment’s notice, I am sure that before winter is officially here, we will have warmer days, maybe even record-breaking temps. But for now, I am once again concerned with keeping my house warm.

Here is my confession: I am the director of an (incredible!) environmental nonprofit, but my house is extremely energy inefficient. I have not found a support group for me yet, but maybe this article can help me find one.

In my defense, my husband and I have worked very hard since moving in to do what we can to save energy. In fact, in 2010 we had a comprehensive energy analysis done by both our utility and an independent contractor to try to figure out what our options are. We spent about $1,000 in insulation, a new door to our attic crawl space, duct sealing and various miscellaneous updates to seal our house. We also spent about 1,000 hours (and less than $30) caulking every inch we could reach.

Our house was built as a cabin in 1979, and until just before we moved in, it did not have central heat or air. We obviously have an uphill battle. But, after doing all of the work mentioned above, we started to see a real difference in our utility bills. Kentucky Utilities prints the average outside temperature and the number of kilowatt hours of electricity you use each month. Using this, we were able to compare our pre- and post-efficiency retrofits electricity bills for months with the same average temperature. They showed that we saved $200 in one month. This is GREAT news!

Kentucky Utilities has recently started sending updates on its customer’s energy usage as it relates to similar homes in the area. Ours is always higher than our neighbors, so I know we are not finished on our quest.

The last two winters have been relatively mild, so, to be honest, our own big energy efficiency push has waned. But the last few days have reminded me that we have a lot more work to do.

The first thing I am going to do is to see where we left off. Bluegrass Greensource purchased self-energy audit kits (through a grant from LFUCG) and gave them to the Lexington Public Libraries so anyone with a library card can check them out. They include the following:

• Laser thermometer to find areas that are letting the cold air in
• Fridge thermometer to make sure your fridge is not using more energy than needed
• Kill-O-Watt meter to see how much “vampire” energy your appliances and cell phones chargers are using when you don’t need them
• Foot Candle meter to see if you could use less light throughout your house
• Instant read thermometer to make sure your hot water heater not hotter than the recommended 120 degrees

The library kits are completely free, but as the temperature drops, there can be a significant waiting list so act quickly!

If you are really involved in finding air leaks in your house (or just like cool gadgets), you can come to the Bluegrass Greensource office to check out a real infrared camera. This will give you an amazing visual of cold areas in your home (or heat escaping if you look at your house from the outside). The infrared camera is also free, but we do require a $35 fully refundable deposit.

The library kits come with a comprehensive “What Now” guide. So if you find that your attic hatch is leaking conditioned air, there is a how to guide to fix it. Or if you find that your electrical sockets are leaky, there are step-by-step instructions on fixing them.

But if you are not the do-it-yourself type, or you feel that the job may be beyond your skill level, we recommend getting an official energy analysis done by local professionals. KyHomePerformance.org has a list of certified contractors to choose from and can even offer financing to help with bigger jobs. Utility companies can also offer audits for little to no charge, but there is often a long waiting list.

As a starting point, check out the energy efficiency information here. You can find information on tax incentives, rebates and useful tips for home energy savings. Also, look for residential energy efficiency workshops from Bluegrass Greensource coming soon.

I know that I will never have an Energy Star-rated home, but I am happy that I am learning things along the way to energy efficiency that I can pass along to others that may be able to get that distinction. In the meantime, I will turn my thermostat down as far as I can handle, and do a lot of cuddling!

 
1 Amy-Sohner

Amy Sohner is executive director of Greensource and a graduate of the University of Kentucky in Natural Resource Conservation and Management. Sohner has worked with Greensource since its inception in 2002 and is a Certified Environmental Educator. She is involved with the Kentucky Environmental Literacy Alliance, the Bluegrass Rain Garden Alliance, the Licking and Kentucky River Basin Teams, and serves as vice-chair of the Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission. Sohner lives near the Kentucky River palisades with her husband, two daughters and a multitude of pets.

 

This article appeared in KY Forward on November 14, 2013.

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Rain Garden Workshops Uncover Lots of Interest

Rain Garden photo - Scott County

As the weather gets cooler, rain gardens are starting to die back above ground. Yet under the ground, the roots are still very much alive, absorbing water and nutrients to help the plants survive the long winter ahead. Now we can sit back and dream of our rain gardens that will grow next spring and summer.

That is exactly what many homeowners that attended one of our recent rain garden workshops hosted in Jessamine, Scott, and Bourbon Counties will be doing this winter. Not only did participants of these workshops learn about rain gardens, but they were also encouraged to design a rain garden for their property and apply for a grant to help turn the design into a reality. All grant applications are due back to Kara Sayles at kara@bgGreensource.org by Monday, November 18th.

Our goal for the workshops was to help citizens create a successful rain garden in their yard that will thrive for years to come. The workshops showcased what rain gardens are, why they are beneficial, and how to construct one. They also included a hands-on component, led by local nursery professionals that involved planting a garden. These professionals are available for consultations to our workshop participants for their rain garden design and show them which plants will work best for specific yard conditions.

The workshops filled up quickly and were a huge success. We will be conducting a similar round of workshops in Woodford, Clark, and Madison Counties next Fall. We encourage residents of those counties to check back regularly for information about these workshops on our web page at www.BGgreensource.org/rain-gardens/.

We would like to give a huge thank you to the Kentucky Division of Water for supporting our rain garden program in these six counties.  We also thank the following organizations for partnering with us during this adventure: UK’s Agriculture Extension Offices, Springhouse Gardens, Shooting Star Nursery, Ruddles Mill Nursery, Eco Gro, CDP Engineers, and the Scott County Conservation District. Your help was crucial in making this round of workshops so successful!

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Energy Tour Energizes Teachers

Energy Tour Photo

“One of the best, educational, thought provoking tours I have taken in 25 years of teaching,” said one teacher after having participated in Bluegrass Greensource’s fourth annual energy tour, sponsored by the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence.

Teachers from Central Kentucky joined BGGS for two days of touring sites related to renewable and nonrenewable energy.  The tour gave teachers firsthand experience with a variety of energy resources and facilities and deepened their knowledge of the content they are teaching for the Next Generation Standards.

Dr. Bruce Pratt of Eastern Kentucky University’s Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies started the tour with an overview of energy sources used to produce electricity, and the pros and cons of each.  Harlan County High School was a popular stop on the tour with its renewable energy features.  The school has incorporated many high performance energy features, such as:  day lighting, geothermal HVAC, energy recovery units, low-E insulating glazing, occupancy sensors on lighting, high efficiency lighting, and light colored roofing.

Teachers also learned about coal extraction while touring TECO Coal in Hazard.  After a training session, teachers were taken into a deep mine shaft and had the opportunity to view the mining process firsthand.  The history and impact of the coal industry in Harlan County was highlighted during a Kentucky Coal Mine Museum tour led by retired miner Al Feher.

The tour is intended to broaden teachers’ knowledge of energy-related topics while providing a balanced and unbiased view of each resource.

During this school year, Greensource Educators will be working with each teacher who participated in the tour to offer energy lessons and plan energy related field trips for their students.  For more information, contact Pattie Stivender at pattie@bgGreensource.org.

READ MORE

Greensource Grants Make a Difference in Central Kentucky

EKU Solar Panels photo

Over the past three years, dozens of local governments, nonprofit organizations, and schools in Central Kentucky have implemented environmental education and improvement projects with the help of Bluegrass Greensource’s mini-grant program. Through a partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Greensource was able to offer this grant program to seven counties in its service region – Clark, Estill, Garrard, Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery, and Powell. Since 2010, the mini-grant program has provided over $330,000 in funding for 61 projects, ranging from outdoor classrooms to cleanups to innovative demonstration projects. Unfortunately, funding for the grant program ended in August 2013, but Greensource has been able to fund some exciting projects in the past few years!

Madison County Conservation District constructed a fallen livestock composting pad at EKU’s Meadowbrook Farm. The composting facility is available for tours by student and professional groups, and its purpose is to provide farmers with an innovative, economical, and sustainable option for addressing the problem of fallen animal disposal.

Lower Howard’s Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve in Clark County cleared invasive plant species on a five acre section of the property and purchased signage in preparation for the opening of its first public nature trail. The 2.8 mile out-and-back John Holder Trail was dedicated in the spring of 2012.

Garrard County Fiscal Court developed a walking trail along Lancaster City Lake, and recently planted 900 native redbud and dogwood trees along the path.

Estill County Cooperative Extension District held a home composting workshop for 46 community members. Participants learned how to compost their kitchen and yard waste, and each household in attendance took home a free countertop compost bin.

EKU installed a 1.6 kWh expandable solar panel system on the roof of the New Science Building, along with a real-time energy production logging and display system that will allow students to monitor the system’s energy output.

Lincoln County 4H worked with Crab Orchard Elementary students to establish a garden behind the school. The garden club planted strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, beans, potatoes, corn, squash, and kiwi. The dedicated students met weekly over the summer to care for their plants and harvest their crops.

Some additional outcomes of the mini-grant program include:

  • Development of 12 outdoor classrooms, school gardens, rain gardens, and educational wetlands
  • Development of 1 city park on a former brownfield
  • Energy efficiency upgrades in 15 public buildings, including schools and a local recycling center
  • Installation of solar panels on 1 rural animal shelter
  • Execution of 5 environmental education workshops for educators
  • Cleanup and restoration of 1 illegal dumpsite
  • Installation of recycling infrastructure at 7 marinas on Herrington Lake
  • Purchase of materials for 1 local farmer’s market
  • Installation of 5 water bottle refilling stations at Eastern Kentucky University

Bluegrass Greensource is proud to have been able to support these projects and many others. These projects are wonderful examples of the efforts that communities in central Kentucky have made to reduce their environmental impact in recent years!

Grant funding through this program is currently unavailable. For more information on past mini-grant projects, please contact Sandy@bgGreensource.org.

READ MORE

Students Make an Impact in Franklin County

Peaks Mill Litter Cleanup #1 photo

Fourth grade students in Frankfort and Franklin County have been making a big impact in their environment.  As part of a project with Bluegrass Greensource and the Franklin County Solid Waste Administrator, students in seven city and county schools have had the opportunity to learn about litter in their classroom, and then applied that to their own environment.

Students at Bridgeport Elementary, Collins Lane Elementary, Elkhorn Elementary, Good Shepherd School, Hearn Elementary, Peaks Mill Elementary and Second Street School all worked with a Bluegrass Greensource educator in their classroom to learn about pollution and how it affects our local environment.  Using an Enviroscape model to demonstrate a landscape, students first learned what a watershed is and what watershed they lived in.  Students then identified various types of point source and nonpoint source pollutants found within that watershed.  Using items to symbolize litter, animal waste, and oil from cars, students saw where those pollutants came from and where they can end up as stormwater and move through their watershed.  After identifying the various types of pollution in the environment, students then brainstormed best management practices, or ways they can reduce and clean up those pollutants.

Following the classroom demonstration, students then met again with educators from Bluegrass Greensource to do a project on their school grounds.  Using the information they learned, the students made maps of their school grounds, and used the maps to track where they found litter, motor oil and stormdrains around their own school.  Students then put their best management practices into action and collected litter from their school grounds.  While doing the project, students were surprised to find more litter than they expected.  Students also became more aware of stormdrains and how stormwater affects their environment, and many classes chose to display their litter maps in their schools to educate other students and teachers about litter.

Bluegrass Greensource enjoyed this collaboration with Franklin County Public Schools, Frankfort Independent Schools, and Good Shepherd School.  Greensource is so proud of the impact these fourth grade students made in their community!

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Bluegrass Tomorrow Presents Greensource with Vision Award for Green/Sustainability

Award Photo

Posted Monday, November 4, 2013 on KyForward.com

The annual Bluegrass Tomorrow’s Vision Awards Breakfast included more than sticky buns on the menu. Awards were presented to Don Robinson, Ed Burtner, the Kentucky River Thorobred, Knox van Nagell, Bluegrass Greensource, Judy Clabes, the National Park Service’s Rivers Trails Conservation Assistance Program, Kyle Lake and Rebecca Barnes.

Robinson is owner of Winter Quarter Farm and is best known for breeding multiple Eclipse Award winner Zenyatta, the 2010 Horse of the Year. He won the 2013 Josephine Abercrombie Vision Award for his leadership as chairman of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Planning Commission which made the motion for a change of minimum lot acreage from 10 to 40 acres in agricultural areas.

Ed Burtner is the mayor of Winchester. He has been a major advocate for Bluegrass Station and the Bluegrass Army Depot and is active in many regional organizations and projects He received the Bluegrass Legacy Vision Award.

Other awards were presented for outstanding service to Bluegrass Tomorrow and the 18 surrounding counties to the Kentucky River Thorobred, a Kentucky State University floating laboratory; Knox van Nagell of the Fayette Alliance; Bluegrass Greensource; and a conservation program run by the National Park Service.

The special Robert Clay Award was also presented to Judy Clabes, publisher and editor of KYForward.com, as Bluegrass Tomorrow’s “most valuable” board member and the one who has done the most to improve the organization over the last year.

Passionate about the preservation and protection of precious Bluegrass soils and the equine/agricultural industry, Robinson is a director and past president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association, and the Fayette County Farm Bureau. He is currently chairman of the Fayette Alliance.

Burtner has been a board member of Bluegrass Tomorrow and the Bluegrass Area Development District. He has been very active in the United Way and the regional Public Policy Group facilitated by Commerce Lexington which advocates for many regional issues including education, drug abuse, the Kentucky River, the water supply and others.

KSU’s Kentucky River Thorobred floating laboratory is a unique 52-foot pontoon boat used for research on river ecology and environment, and was honored with the Education Vision Award.

Bluegrass Greensource (formerly PRIDE) won the Green/Sustainability Vision Award for its excellent and continued work in environmental education and sustainability.

Van Nagell of the Fayette Alliance was honored with the Equine/Agriculture Vision Award for her tireless work in protecting precious Bluegrass soils and advocacy on more than 65 major land use policies.

Russell Clark and Alison Bullock of National Park Service’s Rivers Trails Conservation Assistance Program won the Conservation/Preservation Vision Award for their work with the Kentucky River Water Trail Alliance and the Bluegrass Bike Hike Horseback Trails Alliance, important initiatives of Bluegrass Tomorrow.

Kyle Lake of Prosper Productions and Rebecca Barnes of Northwestern Mutual won Young Professionals Vision Awards for their tireless work with young professional organizations and projects in the region and promoting the Bluegrass Tomorrow philosophy of “developing an environment in the region where creative talent, young professionals, diversity and entrepreneurship will thrive.”

From Bluegrass Tomorrow

 

 

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Fall farmers markets still have a lot to offer – including chance to buy locally

I live in south Frankfort, a couple of blocks from the state Capitol building. One of my favorite things about my neighborhood is how accessible everything is. On a typical spring or summer Saturday morning, I walk or ride my bike to the Frankfort Farmers Market, then visit my favorite local thrift shop, and sometimes stop for coffee or breakfast at a local coffee shop. It’s my favorite way to spend a warm weekend morning.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Now that the seasons are changing and the weather is cooling down, I admit that I don’t pull out my bike or walk as much as I do when it’s warm. However, I still frequent my farmers market during the cooler months. When the much-anticipated tomatoes, corn and peaches end after the summer, most of us Kentuckians tend to forget about all the delicious crops we can still grow and purchase through the fall months.

On my weekly trip to the market this week, the first week of November, I came home with a bag full of sweet potatoes, onions, acorn squash, fresh picked apples and even tomatoes and green bell peppers. If I hadn’t run out of room in my shopping bag, I also could have picked up butternut squash, green tomatoes (perfect for frying), zucchini and pears. Not to mention farm fresh beef, canned items and a jug of fresh apple cider.

One of my favorite things about the fall markets is the opportunity to try new varieties of things I can’t buy at the grocery store. Patty pan squash, pumpkins and different varieties of apples are all available. And my local farmers are always full of suggestions for cooking with these unfamiliar (to me!) items.

Not only will you score fabulous fall produce, but we all know the benefits of shopping local at our farmers markets. It saves precious fossil fuels from transporting all that produce across the country, it helps our local economy, and it ensures you’re eating products that are healthy and free from any extra additives.

In Frankfort, our farmers market is open until Nov. 23, and the Lexington Farmer’s Market is open until Nov. 30. After market season, however, many farmers are happy to provide you with their products that are available by phone call or special order. Some markets even move to indoor locations throughout the cooler months and provide a great opportunity to purchase products for holiday cooking and gifting.

Just because the weather is cooling down and the fun of summer is over doesn’t mean you have to give up eating fresh Kentucky produce. Check out your local farmers market, and add some new and interesting finds to your fall table!

blair hecker

Blair Hecker is an environmental educator with Bluegrass Greensource.  She began her work for Greensource in 2010, after graduating from Georgetown College with a bachelor of arts in religion.  At Bluegrass Greensource, Blair works with elementary students in Fayette and surrounding counties.  She is dedicated to educating Central Kentucky students about environmental issues and loves to watch them become passionate about their own environment.  On any given day, you can find Blair playing with worms, dumpster diving or turning old junk into new recycled creations. Contact Blair to schedule activities with your elementary-aged students.

This article appeared in KY Forward on November 7, 2013.

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