Rain gardens have many benefits for your yard and the environment

What if all of our neighborhoods incorporated stormwater that drains from the roof into the natural landscaping around our homes? Plants would be watered naturally, the groundwater recharged, and excessive curbing and stormwater systems could be eliminated. Instead of this modern, lackluster, concrete-filled, suburban environment, we could have flourishing ecosystems in our own yards, as well as better water quality in our creeks and streams. Utilizing rain gardens can help with many of our stormwater issues.

 (Photo provided)

A rain garden is a shallow depression that captures and treats runoff from impervious surfaces, such as rooftops, patios, driveways and parking lots, before it enters the stormwater system. Rain gardens use natural processes to improve water quality by filtering pollution and reducing the amount of stormwater entering the storm sewer system. They are specially designated a BMP, or best management practice, which means rain gardens are among the most environmentally conscious ways of handling our stormwater.

As Bluegrass Greensource’s Rain Garden Alliance coordinator, it is great to see the number of rain gardens across Central Kentucky grow and be successful. The ultimate goal for me is helping others see rain gardens as the standard, and routing the water into a stormdrain as an alternative to be used only if needed.

The issue goes far beyond the environmental impact, however; designers also have to join in this quest. Early neighborhood designers had the right idea, incorporating gardens and community areas into the design. Somehow, in the American standard today, that gets left out. It’s mostly left up to the homeowner and community groups to reclaim land for those things.

For some, the concern about building a rain garden in the yard is the wild/weedy look that planting native perennials can give the landscaping around a house.  If the gardens are thoughtfully designed, however, the appearance can be determined by the homeowner and can be attractive.

Another benefit of building these gardens is the habitat and ecosystem they provide. Native plants attract native wildlife. Bees, butterflies and many other pollinator species are in decline, and it is in part because of lack of habitat. By planting native plants we can help provide more space for wildlife, bringing interesting visitors into our own yards.

If this type of garden is something you would like to learn more about, I encourage you to visit our webpage. We have several upcoming educational workshops this fall, as well as grants for homeowners in Jessamine, Clark, Bourbon, Woodford, Madison and Scott counties to build rain gardens at their homes.
Kara-Sayles

Kara Sayles is an environmental educator, focusing on middle and high School grade levels. In addition, she serves the Bluegrass Rain Garden Alliance as rain garden project coordinator. Kara holds a bachelor’s degree with a focus on Ecological Design and Sustainable Agriculture from The Evergreen State College. She also received an associate’s degree in Environmental Technology at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

This post appeared in KY Forward on July 31, 2014.

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July Newsletter 2014

LiveGreenLexington Games Awards Ceremony to be Held July 31st

The 2014 LiveGreenLexington Games Awards Ceremony will be held at Blue Stallion Brewing on Thursday, July 31st from 5-7pm. The awards ceremony is a great opportunity to network with other sustainably-minded folks in the Lexington business community. Learn more about the event and next year’s Games!

Rain Barrel Reception Has Rolled Out Until 2015

Despite the wind and the rain, many people came out to Greensource’s Roll Out the Rain Barrels Reception on June 20th. 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 barrels.  Learn more. 

Volunteer Opportunities Available Throughout the Year

Regardless of your background – environmental science, marketing, journalism, advertising, or underwater basket weaving – Bluegrass Greensource needs YOU!  There are volunteer opportunities in our Lexington office and throughout the 19 county service region.  Learn more.

Join Us for A Green Groups Meeting!

Greensource organizes quarterly Green Groups meetings open to all organizations and individuals interested in our local environment. These meetings provide an opportunity to share ideas, showcase recent work, network, and form partnerships. If you would like to receive e-mail updates about upcoming meetings, contact sandy@bgGreensource.org.

Large Turnout for Spring Rain Barrel Workshops

Through the generous support fo Kentucky American Water, Greensource hosted seven rain barrel workshops in the spring and will host more this fall!  Learn more. 

Check out our Events Calendar to learn more about upcoming green events in your community! Submit your organization’s green event here

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2014 LiveGreenLexington Games: Accolade Descriptions

Education Accolade

The education accolade recognizes organizations with a demonstrated dedication to community outreach and education on sustainability issues. Nominees should be engaged in impactful projects beyond their own organization, providing information, resources, and assistance to achieve greater sustainability in the broader community. Collaboration with other organizations is encouraged.

2013 Education Accolade Winner: Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council, for their role in energy use monitoring and behavior-based energy consumption reduction in the Fayette County Public Schools Central Office Building and LFUCG Phoenix Building.

Innovation Accolade

The innovation accolade recognizes organizations addressing sustainability issues with creative or groundbreaking problem-solving. Nominees should be successfully reducing energy and water consumption, reducing waste production, or otherwise minimizing their environmental footprint through use of unique practices, infrastructure, and/or technology.

2013 Innovation Accolade Winner: FoodChain, for their 7000 gallon aquaponic system demonstrating sustainable indoor food production.

Stewardship Accolade

The stewardship accolade recognizes organizations embracing environmental stewardship in all aspects of their business and operations. Nominees should integrate sustainable practices into both internal operations and the product or service they provide to the community at large.

2013 Stewardship Accolade Winner: Town Branch Tree Experts, Inc, for their dedication to organic- and holistic-based tree care, including fertilization and insect and disease control.

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Elkhorn Creek Clean Up

Everybody loves Elkhorn Creek

Bluegrass Conservancy and Bluegrass Greensource are partnering for a Scott County creek clean-up. Are you looking for a fun way to make a difference with  your family this summer and play in a cool stream at the same time?

When: Friday, July 18th

Time: 10:00am – 1:00pm

Where: Bluegrass Conservancy-protected Riddle Farm on Fisher’s Mill Road in Scott County.  

FREE family-friendly: Water station and snacks, as well as garbage grabbers, bags, and gloves will be provided.

Call Ryan at 859-266-1572 to get more details and to sign up. 

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Large Turnout for Spring Rain Barrel Workshops

In May and June, Bluegrass Greensource hosted seven rain barrel workshops in Bourbon, Clark, Scott, and Woodford Counties, sponsored by Kentucky American Water.  Representatives from Bluegrass Greensource taught workshop participants about water conservation, its importance, and the purpose of rain barrels, as well as demonstrated for participants how to make a rain barrel. After the demonstration, each participant put together his or her own rain barrel to take home.

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Thanks to generous support from Kentucky American Water, local citizens can participate in a workshop for just $10 per person. Over 140 people participated in the spring workshops.

If you are interested in learning to make your own rain barrel, Bluegrass Greensource will be hosting more rain barrel workshops this fall in Bourbon, Owen, and Scott Counties with the support of Kentucky American Water.  The dates of these workshops will be announced in early August. If you are interested in attending, please visit www.bgGreensource.org to get the registration information, or join our mailing list to be among the first to receive the schedule!

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Volunteer Opportunities Available Throughout the Year

With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering are enormous to you, your family, and your community. The right match can help you meet new friends, make a positive impact on your community, and learn new skills.

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mont middle volunteers

Regardless of your work experience we have a volunteer opportunity for you!  Volunteer opportunities change throughout the year.  Spring and fall are perfect for the volunteer that likes to work community outreach events.  Winter offers opportunities for the volunteer that would like to express their artistic side.  Summer is the best time for the volunteer that likes to work with children.  And all year long we need volunteers to assist with waste reduction at events, help with litter cleanups, and to assist in our office.

If you would like to learn more about volunteering with Bluegrass Greensource please click here.  Or contact our volunteer coordinator for upcoming opportunities.

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2014 LiveGreenLexington Games wraps up with awards ceremony on July 31st

Thanks to our dedicated LiveGreenLexington business partners, another successful round of the LiveGreenLexington Games is in the books!  Competition wrapped up on June 30th, with eighteen local businesses participating in this year’s green business challenge.

Special thanks to all of our 2014 participants:

3M Ceradyne
A Sense of Order
alt32 ARCHITECTURE | DESIGN
Cardinal Hill Hospital
CDP Engineers
Dismas Charities, Lexington
Dupree Catering + Events
Element Design
Good Foods Co-Op
Graybar
Growing Together Preschool
Kentucky American Water
Lexington Habitat ReStore
Lexington Public Library
Lextran
Richards Electric
Salon Asa, LLC
Town Branch Tree Experts, Inc.

But who’s the greenest of them all?  Swing by the awards ceremony and find out!

The 2014 LiveGreenLexington Games Awards Ceremony will be held at Blue Stallion Brewing, Thursday, July 31st, from 5-7pm.  In addition to recognizing overall and category winners, we’ll be awarding innovation, education, and stewardship accolades to businesses who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to become more sustainable (nominate a business here – nominations will be accepted through Monday, July 21st).  The awards ceremony is also a great opportunity to network with other sustainably-minded folks in the Lexington business community, and there’s no better way to share great ideas than over a cold, locally-brewed beer.

The awards ceremony is also your first chance to check out all of the exciting changes coming in the next round of competition, starting September 1st!  Lexington is one of only four cities nationwide selected to receive a generous grant from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives for the purpose of expanding and improving our green business challenge.  Just a few of the new perks coming on September 1st include an activity-based format with more than 100 activities to choose from and complete; GreenPSF (Per Square Foot) software for managing utility data, monitoring challenge progress, keeping an eye on the leader board, and so much more; and expanded trainings, services, and educational resources for participating businesses and their staff.  Registration for the 2015 LiveGreenLexington Green Business Challenge officially opens at 5pm on July 31st – test out the software, register, or simply find out more while you enjoy the awards ceremony!  We’ll even start you off with 50 extra points if you register by August 31st.

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2014 LiveGreenLexington Games: Accolade Nominations

Accolade nominations are now closed!

Meet the winners at the LiveGreenLexington Games Award Ceremony on 7/31, 5-7pm at Blue Stallion Brewing.


Do you know of a Fayette County business or organization that goes above and beyond the call of duty to be sustainable? Nominations are now open for the 2014 LiveGreenLexington Games Accolades for organizations demonstrating exceptional performance in innovation, education, and stewardship! Help us recognize their outstanding efforts: submit your nomination(s) through Monday, July 21 and winners will be announced at the 2014 LiveGreenLexington Games Awards Ceremony on July 31.

Any LiveGreenLexington Partner organization is eligible for an accolade; if you are uncertain if your nominee is a LiveGreenLexington Partner, please submit their information anyway and Bluegrass Greensource staff will follow up. Self-nomination is allowed.

Read descriptions of the accolade requirements here.

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This Fourth of July, add a little (or a lot) of green to your red, white and blue

Ah, today is the last day of a short week, and time for one of my favorite holidays. Actually, if it weren’t for the heat, Independence Day may be No. 1 in my book.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Being in downtown Lexington, watching a parade, walking the streets and meeting people I haven’t seen since the last Fourth of July. Then there is the eating… barbecue, funnel cake and beer before 5 p.m. … it does not get much better! Oh, and there is the patriotic part, too.

So how do we include green in our red, white and blue celebrations? Here is a quick list of four simple things you can do on the fourth that can have a great impact on our local environment.

1. Watch fireworks in a group. Fourth of July would not be the same without fireworks. I have many great memories of sparklers, snakes and bottle rockets, but the greenest way to watch fireworks is in a group. One of the biggest problems with home fireworks is the litter. If you shoot something into the air, chances are you will not find its remnants and they will get washed into a stream during the next rain. Most communities have fabulous fireworks shows produced by professionals – go there, save money, be with friends and don’t catch anything on fire!

2. Conserve water – July in Kentucky is HOT. Drink lots of water, but use tap water in a reusable bottle. Remember, recycling is the third R in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Reduce and reuse are the most important parts.

3. Use propane – if you are a gourmet chef and believe that charcoal is the only way to cook, skip this part. According to a study showcased on Earth 911 “as a fuel, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is dramatically more efficient than charcoal in its production and considerably more efficient in cooking.” Make sure to trade in your tanks when they are empty because this will save money as well as resources.

4. Make sun tea – I have to admit that I don’t like any sort of cold tea. I grew up on the West Coast, so sweet tea and sun tea are foreign to me, but I understand that you southerners love both. The idea of sun tea is great, though, and would make a nice, green addition to your holiday BBQ. If you need a recipe however, you will have to find a real Southern girl.

Happy Fourth of July!
1 Amy-SohnerAmy 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 July 3, 2014.

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