Thank You for Supporting Environmental Education During Earth Month!

By: Chris Porter
Bluegrass Greensource
Development Director

April was Earth Month, and it was wonderful to see all of the many Central Kentuckians who came out to improve their local environments before, on, or just after Earth Day. Whether through Main Street Clean Sweep, Arbor Day, Reforest the Bluegrass, or other efforts, it’s always inspiring to see so many in the Bluegrass getting involved.

Two fundraising events also took place during Earth Month – Kentucky Gives Day and Charity of the Month for Don Jacobs (link to site?) – that saw Central Kentuckians showing their support for a sustainable local environment. All funds received through these April events will go directly to supporting Greensource’s work to educate and connect residents with the resources necessary to make a positive change in their local environment. In 2016, we had more than 108,000 contacts with Central Kentucky adults and youth, and we worked directly in more than 4,000 classrooms. Thank you to everyone who made a gift to Bluegrass Greensource or who supported our work through a litter clean up or other community activity!

Forgot to make a gift in April? No worries –click here to show your support for environmental education and outreach today!

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The Results are in! Main Street Clean Sweep 2017

AshleyBy Ashley Bryant Cheney
Environmental Educator
Bluegrass Greensource

From Friday April 14th to Saturday April 29th, over 1,000 volunteers came together around Earth Day to participate in 20 community-led litter pick-ups throughout Central Kentucky.  Event participants received t-shirts, gloves, trash bags, and litter grabbers, and took to their downtown storefronts, roadsides, parks and other public spaces to help beautify their community and protect local water quality. Through these community efforts, volunteers throughout the Commonwealth collected approximately 5 tons of trash this year! WOW!


This year’s event was made possible, in part, by our generous sponsors from PNC Bank, Valvoline, Stites & Harbison, and WUKY.

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Caching the Rain in Castlewood Park

RobBy: Rob Gates
Outreach Specialist
Bluegrass Greensource

Visitors to Castlewood Park in Lexington’s North End might be surprised to find some interesting new additions to the park’s landscape. Since 2015, as part of The City of Lexington’s Stormwater Incentive Grant Program, the park had received a number of exciting upgrades to help improve stormwater quality within the park and in the surrounding community. 

On April 29th, 2017 Bluegrass Greensource held a special event in conjunction with the international geocaching community’s Cache In Trash Out® (CITO) environmental initiative to help clean the park and highlight its many stormwater features. Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. Since 2002, CITO has helped preserve the natural beauty of cache-friendly spaces. In that time, more than 240,000 people have volunteered at 11,000 CITO events. At Castlewood Park, 25 volunteers collected over 120 lbs of litter while learning about the importance of the park’s many stormwater features in the process.

In addition to picking up litter, attendees also participated in a “Stormwater Scavenger Hunt” where they were able to get a firsthand look at many of the park’s unique stormwater features. Participants used a special map to navigate to 12 different stormwater features located throughout the park. Each location contained information explaining the purpose and importance of each feature as well as a clue to a stormwater related puzzle. Upon finishing the puzzle, participants were entered in a drawing for a limited edition Cane Run Watershed print from Cricket Press. 

Among the upgrades on display were multiple rain gardens that utilize soils and native Kentucky plants to slow stormwater runoff and remove contaminants through natural processes.  The scavenger hunt also featured an edible orchard and Kentucky Oak Savannah landscape that help prevent erosion, provide surface area for rain to evaporate, and create shade and natural habitat for multiple species. Along the way, participants learned about the importance of proper pet waste disposal, best management practices in construction projects, and educational efforts to keep protect storm drains.

Thanks to funding from the City’s Stormwater Incentive Grant Program North Lime Community Development Corporation will continue efforts to improve stormwater quality in future projects and initiatives with assistance from local organizations including Ecogro, Bluegrass Greensource,Town Branch Tree Experts, Seedleaf, Bullhorn Creative, and the Castlewood and North Limestone Neighborhood Associations.

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Setting Records in Sustainability: School Recognition Ceremony 2017

PattieBy: Pattie Stivender,
Education Director

On April 27, students and teachers from across Fayette County came together to celebrate green initiatives in Fayette County Schools.   The partner recognition ceremony, held at Garrett Morgan Elementary, awarded seventy two public and private schools for their efforts in sustainability.

Garret Morgan, one of Lexington’s newest elementary schools, has focused on sustainability from day one.  Staff quickly set up a school recycling program and raised funds to purchase classroom recycling bins.  Their energy team monitors energy consumption throughout the school as a part of FCPS E=USE2.

 

Lexington schools were recognized for their outstanding efforts in recycling and waste reduction, water quality education, litter abatement initiatives, and energy conservation education as part of the LiveGreenLexington School Partner Program.  This program is funded by LFUCG and managed by Bluegrass Greensource.

Schools also received recognition for their participation in Fayette County Public Schools’ Education leads to Understanding Sustainability, Energy and the Environment program (E=USE). 

Andrea Marcum of Arlington Elementary was named as Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Arlington participated in the Recycle Challenge and improved their district’s recycling rate by over 45%! Ms. Marcum wrote a musical and her students made instruments from recyclable material to promote the challenge.

Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council was named Environmental Stewards of the year.  The council is comprised of high school students from public and private schools across Fayette County.  Students work collaboratively on projects in all areas of sustainability including energy management, outdoor classrooms, waste management, water quality and air quality.

 

 

Providence Montessori Middle was selected as Volunteers of the Year.  Students from Providence visited Bluegrass Greensource’ office monthly to perform tasks that assisted in environmental outreach.  They cheerfully performed each task assigned to them whether it was helping educators prepare materials for classroom activities, cleaning, or organizing.

Refreshments were provided in part by Bryan Station High School’s culinary arts class who produced a refreshing vanilla confetti cake with strawberry yogurt frosting.  Floral arrangements were provided by Locust Trace AgriScience Center.  School awards and table decorations were made from upcycled vinyl records donated by Habitat for Humanity Restore.

The program featured student made videos. SCAPA students showed how to improve water quality with their video on non point source pollution and best management practices. Cardinal Valley Elementary, focused on coal and energy conservation, and Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council showed us their goals with the video Where We’re Going.

Bluegrass Greensource would like to thank Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, teachers, and students for their support of this school partner program.

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