Bluegrass Greensource is Don Jacobs April Charity of the Month!

Mark your calendars! During the month of April, Bluegrass Greensource is the featured Charity of the Month at Don Jacobs BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen in Lexington! This program is a wonderful way to support the many nonprofits that are working to make a difference in Central Kentucky. 

Here’s how it works: If you schedule a service visit at Don Jacobs during the month of April, and make a gift of $1 to $25, Don Jacobs will match your donation! This is a great way to show your support for environmental education, double the impact of every dollar donated, and support a local family-owned dealership and its hard working staff who have placed their commitment to the Lexington area at the center of their operations since 1971.  

Please join us at Don Jacobs in April to show your belief in environmental education and your support for this wonderful community partner!

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County Spotlight: Anderson County

RobBy: Rob Gates
Outreach Specialist
Bluegrass Greensource

Over the past year, Bluegrass Greensource has taken steps to expand our outreach and impact in one of our western most neighbors: Anderson County. These efforts began in earnest, with a multiyear a partnership with Republic Services to assist in the roll out and continuing education for the county’s new and improved curbside recycling program. 

 

In early 2016, Bluegrass Greensource hosted a community forum bringing together a diverse group of local stakeholders to determine the best path forward for the new program. Since that initial meeting, Bluegrass Greensource has undertaken various education initiatives in local schools and the community to promote and educate residents about the new recycling program. These efforts have included hands-on activities at area schools, informational tabling at community events, presentations for local civic groups and businesses, and development of education materials for residents. One of the most noteworthy initiatives was a recycling themed art contest at Emma B Ward Elementary where the winner artwork was used to wrap the county’s new recycling truck!

Building upon relationships developed through the recycling program, Bluegrass Greensource has begun to move forward with partners in Anderson County on a variety of other projects as well. Staff are currently working with the Junior Conservation District to coordinate litter cleanup efforts as a participant in Bluegrass Greensource’s annual Main Street Clean Sweep. In addition, we have taken steps to partner with the City of Lawrenceburg and local businesses to provide support for environmental educational programming for local residents. We are excited about the work we have accomplished thus far and eager to see our partnerships and impact continue to grow in years to come.

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The Path of Water: Community Art Contest & Show in Georgetown, KY

By: Danny Woolums
Bluegrass Greensource
Environmental Educator

Growing up in a city like Georgetown comes with many different perks. When you have a small community, you often find yourself able to walk from home to your favorite coffee shop (oh how I miss Lock & Key!) or to the elementary school playground to play on the swingset. I reflect on catching my first bluegill at Royal Spring Park, canoeing along the Elkhorn at Great Crossing or catching bugs by the Elkhorn near Bi-Water Farm for my 7th grade science project.


All of these cherished memories were behind developing a stormwater walk as part of our contract with the City of Georgetown.

Living in Lexington for the past 8 years means that I have enjoyed watching as stormwater murals have popped up all over town and I wanted to be able to give the same kind of experience to the city that raised me. I wanted to be able to share art with my family and protect the same waters I once loved for the future generations. Because of a fantastic partnership with the Scott County Arts Consortium and Girl Scout Elise Marion, I am thrilled to see such a project coming to life.

The stretch of Broadway in Georgetown between the Indian Acres Shopping Plaza and Garth Elementary houses 22 stormdrains. We will be inviting Scott County artists to develop art that will be digitally printed to cover each one of those stormdrains. The local community will have an opportunity to select their favorite submissions at the Scott County Public Library between April 22nd and May 6th; a public reception will be held on the 22nd at 5 pm at the library. Once the finalists are selected, the will be printed an installed throughout May and June. A panel of judges will select the top 3 for cash prizes.

The goal of the City of Georgetown’s ‘The Path of Water’ project is to increase public awareness about stormwater, and city residents’ role in keeping the local environment clean and safe. This project aims to be an exciting way to engage many members of the Georgetown community and leave a lasting, positive impact on the city that first stole my heart. 

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Workshop Shows that Energy Efficiency Is Truly for Everyone

malloryBy: Mallory Johnson,
AmeriCorps VISTA

The January Saturday morning was cold, but sunny, as people began to file into the basement at Arlington Christian Church. Soon the large room was full of adults and children – more than 60 all together – talking, laughing, and sharing stories. Everyone was gathered for the second hands-on home energy workshop being offered by Bluegrass Greensource, the How$martKY energy efficiency program, and Kentucky State University. 

What made this room different than previous workshops were the participants. Because of the success of a December home-energy workshop, GLOBAL LEX, a program of the City of Lexington that serves our immigrant, refugee, and limited-English proficient populations, reached out to see if we might replicate the workshop for some of the immigrant and refugee communities that it works with. 

Our friends at KSU created this short video the day’s events – check out the video below to see more of this wonderful workshop in action:

Gathered in the basement that Saturday morning were Lexingtonians from diverse backgrounds, representing five different language groups and whose countries of origin include Nepal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Sudan, and others. Despite potential barriers, the presenter, Chris Woolery of the How$martKY program, led the group through a brief presentation before participants broke into small groups to move between stations covering such topics as air sealing, duct sealing, and the benefits of using energy efficient light bulbs.

New to this workshop was a station designed by Isabel Taylor, GLOBAL LEX’s Multicultural Affairs Coordinator. Many of the immigrants and refugees who come to Lexington from warmer climates do not have familiarity with home systems – such as a thermostat or home appliances – that many of us never think about. This combined with the fact that many of these individuals and families live in extremely inefficient homes, creates vulnerabilities that are more pronounced than in other populations. 

This vulnerability means there is also a big opportunity to make huge impacts with relatively inexpensive energy efficiency upgrades. Our partners at Kentucky State University stepped up in a major way to provide the energy efficiency starter kits for this workshop’s participants. By the end of the morning, all of the kits were handed out, and many of the attendees were asking questions about what other steps they could take to make their homes more efficient and protect themselves against high electric bills. The motto of the How$martKY program is “Energy Efficiency for Everyone,” and this workshop proved that this is true.

 

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