Submit your 2017 Sustainable New Year Resolution!

Best Wishes for a Sustainable New Year!

AmyBy: Amy Sohner
Bluegrass Greensource
Executive Director

We have realized for a long time that many people make resolutions that they never can keep. I am guilty of that myself.  As an example, I finally renewed my passport, a resolution I made five years ago!

Almost since our inception, Bluegrass Greensource has encouraged Central Kentuckians to think about New Year’s Resolutions differently. Instead of thinking only about personal goals, i.e losing weight, sleeping more, renewing your passport etc., we encourage resolutions that will have, collectively, a big impact on our local environment.

Our resolutions this year are to:

  • Make my home more energy efficient

  • Conserve water at my home or office

  • Improve my recycling

  • Ride my bike more

  • Start or improve my compost practices

  • Get outside more

In addition to offering an alternative to the regular resolutions, Bluegrass Greensource understands that committing to something publically increases its chances of success. By submitting your environmental goals to Bluegrass Greensource, you will be much more likely to actually accomplish them.

Since our mission is to empower the citizens to create a sustainable environment, we also want to know what you are striving to do and learn. By participating in the resolution program, we are alerted to what the needs are in our community, and can target programming to meet those needs.

And finally, as an incentive to participate in the resolution program, we have a drawing to award a $100 gift card! In my opinion, the part of the incentive that makes this great is that the gift card is tailored to what you resolve to do in 2017.  If you choose to improve home composting, you can use your winnings to buy a home composting system. If you resolve to ride your bike more, you can use the money to buy a bike. We hope that the incentive will not only help you commit, but help break down any barriers that are preventing you from being successful.

Each year, we receive many resolutions, and I hope that we can empower you to make 2017 your greenest year yet!

Click here to share your 2017 resolution with us!

how-will-you-live-green

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GreenFest gives attendees new green ideas, offers food, music, more

Did you ever want to learn about keeping chickens or bees in your backyard? What about whether or not solar panels would work in Lexington, or on your house, or how to have a “green” lawn?

Bluegrass Greensource is excited to announce our first annual sustainability fair called GreenFest on May 23 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. We expect the event to attract 200 – 300 people throughout the day, and have Red State BBQ and West Sixth Beer as well as live music and a DJ to give it that festival atmosphere.

Since 2001, Bluegrass Greensource has provided resources to the citizens and students in Central Kentucky, but this will be the first time we are offering a sampling of workshops on a variety of topics all in one setting. Each of the workshops will give the participants enough information to ease their curiosity or give them enough information to figure out if the subject might work for them, and the tools to find out more information.

We are also excited to announce that we will be serving beer from West Sixth, and Ale 8-1, as well as have Red State BBQ on hand for lunch and a live band and DJ all day long. And, no Bluegrass Greensource event would be complete without kids activities that allow kids of all ages to play games while actually learning about our environment.

To round out the event, we will have vendors to peruse where you can learn about local environmental efforts or buy recycled clothes from local entrepreneurs. I am very excited about the event, and I hope that all of you who read this will come out and find something of interest.

GreenFest will be in the parking lot of our new building at 835 National Avenue in Lexington. We would love to show you around our “green” office with a Big Ass Fan, walls painted with recycled paint and reused furniture from ReStore! GreenFest will be on May 23rd from 10-4 rain or shine (don’t worry – we have two big tents to keep us dry if it rains).

A full workshop schedule is below.

10 a.m. Recycling 101 with Lauren
10:30 a.m. Tree Care with Bridget
11 a.m. Sustainable Lawn Care with Dan
11:30 a.m. Beekeeping with John
12 p.m. Tiny Homes with Christine and Candice
12:30 p.m. Solar Power with Jamie
1 p.m. Backyard Chickens with Link
1:30 p.m. Energy Efficiency with Jamie
2 p.m. Rain Gardens with Kara
2:30 p.m. Composting with Schuyler
3 p.m. Rain Barrel Workshop with Amy

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 May 14, 2015.

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Litter begets litter, meaning until we stop it we have to keep cleaning it up

Today I had sushi for lunch – in my car. Who does that?

I guess it is not as bad as eating a gourmet filet mignon, but the car is not exactly the best place for sushi. A fast food burger or burrito maybe, but nothing that gets dipped in a wonderful mixture of soy sauce and wasabi and is eaten with chop sticks.

I decided on sushi from a grocery store to choose something that would be a healthier between-meetings lunch than fast food. The problem was less in the act of eating, since I managed to not spill anything, but in throwing it away afterward.

 caption Bluegrass Greensource is planning its second annual Main Street Clean Sweep and will be working with 17 Central Kentucky communities, such as Winchester, to clean up litter in their downtowns.

Let me preface this by saying that it is almost impossible to eat a waste-free lunch on the go. A Chipotle burrito comes closest because the aluminum wrap can often be recycled, along with the paper bag it comes in. But they are so good I eat the whole thing, which usually has enough calories to last the whole day.

The biggest problem with eating the sushi in the car was not just the packaging but also the leftover liquid from the soy sauce/wasabi mixture. Don’t get me wrong, my car is nowhere near pristine. I have two young kids, and I believe that I get a pass on worrying about keeping it clean until they are at least 18. But I do draw the line at anything liquid other than water so I wanted to find a way to dispose of my trash before the pungent mix leaked or spilled on my upholstery.

That is where I found the problem: There are very few easily accessible public trash cans. I know that the obvious choice for public trash cans is at a gas station, that is where I usually throw away all of the lollypop sticks, baby wipes and other things that end up in my floor board. Today, however, there were very few gas stations on my side of the road. There were a lot of restaurants and fast food places, car washes and drug stores, but none of which had a trash can that I could find without going into the establishment.

I finally found a trash can on the sidewalk, near the entrance of a McDonald’s. It was quite a relief to be rid of the soy sauce smell, but my struggle to find a trash can made me think a lot about litter.

Now that all of the snow we had this winter is gone (hopefully!), all I can see is litter. I have not noticed sushi containers but just about everything else that is consumable is on the side of the road. I have no idea why people do this. Some litter can be attributed to stupid people who think that litter fairies take the trash out of the back of their pickup truck instead of the wind, or overflowing trash/recycling cans or maybe even the waste hauling trucks themselves, but most of it is caused by stupid people who just don’t care.

The only type of litter that is thrown by ignorance rather than indifference is the cigarette butt. I have known many people in my life who would never throw a soda can out the window but think nothing of flicking their butts. Often, people think that cigarette butts are either too small to count or biodegrade fast enough to not matter. But looking down at almost any intersection will tell you otherwise.

National studies have shown that litter begets litter. Once the first beer can has been thrown down, the other 100 pieces come easily. So often, our first form of defense is cleanups. Many communities do this all year long with inmates, road crews or volunteers.

Bluegrass Greensource is planning its second annual Main Street Clean Sweep and will be working with 17 communities in Central Kentucky to clean up litter in their downtowns. On Earth Day (April 22), we expect more than 1,000 volunteers to pick up more than 1,000 bags of trash between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Last year we worked with seven communities and had more than 400 people volunteer, but the excitement about a concentrated effort has allowed the program to grow to unprecedented levels. Click here to find out if your city is participating and to sign up to help.

There is an Instagram account called “Litterati,” which is dedicated to taking pictures of litter nationwide. I like the play on the traditional use of the word meaning “the educated class.” I feel that the only way to stop all litter is to find ways to educate our kids about the effects of litter on our local economy and environment.

And between now, and when they are ruling the world, clean up after the stupid people.

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 March 26, 2015.

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Why are some things recyclable and others are not? It’s all about economics

Many people recycle, but I often wonder how much we understand about WHY we recycle.

Recycling is about more than just keeping things out of the landfill, although that is a big part of the reason why we do it. What I find most interesting is not the WHY to recycle, but WHY certain things are recyclable and others are not. The answer is invariably economics.
1 recycle thumb

In Lexington, we can recycle all colored glass (wine bottles, jelly jars) but not Pyrex or ceramic plates; we can recycle plastic bottles and jugs but not yogurt or peanut butter containers; we can recycle most paper, including junk mail and colored copy paper, but not wrapping paper. It does not always make sense.

Everything is recyclable; it just may not be recyclable in our community. The most common comment I get is that if the container has a recycling symbol on the bottom, it must be recyclable. And that is, in part, true – it just depends on which community you are talking about. In Lexington, we have the volume and infrastructure in place to process and sell plastic bottles and jugs. The numbers on the bottom, in the middle of the recycling symbol, are actually code for the plastic industry, and not for the recyclers, and they generally don’t tell you whether an item can be recycled.

Again, it all goes back to economics. Is the item able to be easily separated from all of the other recyclables? Is the item able to be sold at a rate that surpasses the expense of shipping it to its destination? These are the most important questions that dictate whether an item can be recycled in a particular area.

A good example is glass. Glass, even when crushed, is very expensive to haul. It is easily made into new products, but for the most part, it is more expensive to ship it to a plant that takes used glass and makes new bottles than it is to send it to a landfill. In Lexington, we generally pulverize our glass and use it in road bed material, which makes the most economic sense locally.

Plastic is another good example. There is a great market for No. 1 and No. 2 plastics that take the form of a bottle or jug (water bottles, shampoo bottle, milk jugs). This means that the plastic that was used to make those materials was blown into a mold (glass) rather than injected into a mold (Starbucks cup or yogurt container). This makes the plastic more marketable and more marketable means that municipal sorting facilities have the chance to make their money back after sorting and baling these plastics.

Aluminum is the easy one. Aluminum cans (soda, beer) are the most recyclable container available. Most products can be recycled into something that is of lesser value than it started out as. For example, nice white copy paper can be recycled into newsprint which can then be recycled into toilet paper (The process stops there, thankfully!). Aluminum cans can be made into another can and then another and another, which helps keep the price of a bale of aluminum cans at a premium. Cans from Lexington, and from much of the state, go to Novellis in Berea, one of the largest aluminum smelters in the country.

Cardboard is another item that is easily recyclable – that is that it is easy to make into other useful products and it is fairly light/easy to ship. Cardboard from Lexington goes to a paper mill in Maysville to be made into new corrugated cardboard boxes. However, refrigerated boxes (soft drink boxes, pizza boxes) cannot be recycled. These have little bits of plastic impregnated between the layers of boxboard that make recycling harder and therefore less economically viable.

There are a few places in the United States that can recycle almost everything. Some even mandate recycling and food waste composting. We are far from that in Lexington, but I think it is helpful to understand why some things can be recycled here and others cannot. It may help us all understand how we can affect our waste stream.

Next time you are at the grocery store, think about how what you are buying will affect your trash can. Can you buy in bulk to reduce the amount sent to the landfill? Can you buy a gallon milk jug that can be recycled instead of a half-gallon that has to be sent to the garbage? Can you reuse the bag that held your bread instead of throwing it away? Because to-go coffee containers cannot be recycled, can you bring your own mug and maybe even save a few cents?

We all have the ability to effect great change in our local community. Knowing how and what and why to recycle is one very important way to start. Talk to your local solid waste coordinator, or click here to find out what can be recycled in Lexington.
1 Amy-Sohner

Amy Sohner is executive director of Greensource and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. 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 September 4, 2014.

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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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‘Summer is coming’ mantra means finding fun ways to keep it green

This type of green camping is described as "leave no trace" and certainly more green than big Airstream trailers with wifi, television and toilets. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)Summer is coming. If you happen to be a Game of Thrones fan, you are well versed in the “Winter is coming” mantra of the people from the North. However, since we in Kentucky have experienced way more winter than we care to for a few years, I think changing the mantra to “Summer is coming” is much better.

And it is.

This type of green camping is described as “leave no trace” and is certainly more green than big Airstream trailers with wifi, television and toilets. (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Saturday, June 21, marks the first day of official summer, though many have been wearing white pants and shoes (a winter fashion “don’t”) since Memorial Day.

So how can we remain environmentally conscious during the hottest season? It is more than wearing less and drinking more water. See below for the greatest tips for keeping the next few months eco friendly:

Summer BBQs – I have never been a fan of heat, whether it is in the kitchen or under the sun, but I do love to eat barbeque! The eating part is best, but the socializing with friends is amazing.

When planning for a BBQ event, make sure you choose non-disposable options. Now is the best time to find durable plastic plates and cutlery at prices that will support even the most popular person’s BBQ event. Summer is also the BEST time to visit local farmer’s markets for fresh veggies and meats for the grill!

Lawn Care – I have never been one to have a green lawn, although I guess it depends on how you define “green.” My lawn currently is mowed fairly regularly, but that is about it – few chemicals and NO summer watering.

As we move toward the middle of summer, and my lawn becomes more and more brown, I am usually happy since the mowing regimen slows down.

If you are interested in watering your lawn, make it a game for your (or the neighborhood’s) kids. Turn on the sprinkler on a hot Saturday and see who shows up at your house, but just make sure you have enough popsicles!

Mosquitoes – Urgh! I am a giant animal lover, but I take pride in all of the mosquitoes I kill. It takes about seven days for mosquito larvae to become the flying terror, so the obvious preventions include cleaning out gutters, putting Mosquito Dunks in rain barrels and eliminating any standing water, but how else do you deal with the blood sucking beasts in any sort of environmentally responsible way?

Here are a few:

Bats: Bats LOVE mosquitoes. Put up a bat house and hope they come in droves!

Smell: Citronella candles and sprays work to some extent so try them before using much more toxic DEET products. Mosquitoes love floral smells, so you are much better off to use unscented soap, deodorant of lotion.

Breeze: Mosquitoes are poor fliers, so point a fan toward your feet to blow them away!

Gin and Tonic: Quinine has a potential effect on repelling mosquitoes, and the best way to ingest quinine is by mixing a gin and tonic. Just saying!

Energy Efficiency: Find out where your home leaks! I know that winter utility bills are usually the largest, but now is the time to address any home improvement plans. Check out Greensource’s energy audit kits from any Lexington Public Library and find out if your attic hatch or knee walls are giant suckers of cool air.

Summer Vacation: Greening your vacation and staying close to home are almost the same thing, so it is all about how you frame it for your family. Camping (unless you do it the way my family has begun by going to a campground with wifi and electric) can be super eco friendly and even help all of your family members appreciate our great state more than they did before.

You can also choose “one tank trips” across the state where it only takes one tank of gas to get there. No matter what you choose, remember to turn down your thermostat and unplug any unnecessary appliances like the tv, toaster, etc. to save on energy usage.

The best thing summer has to offer is the ability to get outside. Even if it is at a pool or only in your backyard, take a moment to appreciate what is around you, and know that you play a part in keeping it “green.”
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 June 12, 2014.

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With basketball over, April’s Earth Month shifts our focus to environment

Basketball is over … now what?

Wow, what a basketball season! I am still recovering from the game parties last weekend and staying up way too late on a work night to watch the final game. I am also recovering from my guilt in thinking that our team would not get nearly as far this year. But now that basketball season is over, how will we ever spend our spring?

This artistic rain barrel was painted by Franklin Independent High School art teacher Miles Johnson and his students. It is located in the Capitol Annex in Frankfort. (Photo from bgGreensource)

This artistic rain barrel was painted by Franklin Independent High School art teacher Miles Johnson and his students. It is located in the Capitol Annex in Frankfort.

Aside from Major League Baseball’s opening games (which if we are honest, who really watches baseball until much later in the season), April is known for Earth Day. April 22, 1970 was the first celebrated Earth Day (as well as the day my husband was born!) and, since then, environmentalists have expanded the day to Earth Week, and now many of us talk about Earth Month.

So now that your weekends have become more free, I thought that I would give you a list of the wonderful things happening in Central Kentucky to celebrate and give back to our Earth. The list starts this weekend and goes through April but if you are interested in celebrating Earth Day all year long, join Bluegrass Greensource’s e-newsletter or check out the calendar on the website at www.bgGreensource.org:

Reforest the Bluegrass is held Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Hisle Park between 3551 and 3655 Briar Hill Rd. in Lexington.

Since its beginnings, Reforest the Bluegrass has used citizen volunteers to plant over 100,000 trees along streams throughout Fayette County. The program is designed to recreate pre-settlement streamside forests that were once native to the inner Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. Through the efforts of thousands of volunteers, Lexington is progressively restoring the long lost benefits of streamside forests for generations to come. Register here.

Downtown Trash Bash is held Friday, April 18, from 12 to 4 p.m. in various locations downtown.

Come on out to the Downtown Trash Bash and make our downtown more beautiful while helping to protect water quality in the Town Branch.
Individuals and businesses are invited to join us any time between noon and 4 p.m. at one of five starting locations, where we will provide the tools you need to help remove litter from our cityscape.

Our check-in booths are located at:

• Fifth Third Bank Pavilion at Main Street,
• Thoroughbred Park at Main Street,
• Duncan Park on North Limestone,
• Jefferson and Short Streets, and
• South Limestone at Avenue of Champions on the University of Kentucky campus.
Register here.

Main Street Clean Sweep is held Tuesday, April 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in various locations in Central Kentucky.

Bluegrass Greensource needs your help this Earth Day for our first annual Main Street Clean Sweep.  On April 22, employees from seven downtown communities throughout the Bluegrass will work during their lunch break to pick up litter and keep their Main Street clean.
Register here.

Rain Garden Workshop is held Friday, April 25, in Boyle County.

Join Bluegrass Greensource for class instruction on building your own rain garden, and on Saturday, April 26, for the garden install that will coincide with Boyle County Earth Day. Register by contacting the Boyle County Cooperative Extension Service at 859-236-4484.

Arbor Day at the Arboretum is held Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Arboretum.

This year the Arboretum will host the 27th Annual Arbor Day event. Activities will include:

• More than 40 exhibitors
,
• Proclamation by the mayor,
• Presentation of Tree City USA Award,
• Tree planting ceremony with Kentucky Utilities representatives, Lexington dignitaries and Arboretum staff,
• Free admission to KU Day in the Kentucky Children’s Garden
, and
• Many children’s activities including a puppet show.

Registration is not necessary for this event, but more information can be found at here.

 

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 April 10, 2014.

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NCAA ‘green’ tournament helps all environmental efforts go more mainstream

I like basketball. Ok, maybe not quite as much as you do, assuming you live in Kentucky and are obsessed with the #BBN (Big Blue Nation) – which took me longer than I care to admit to figure out what it stood for, but I can definitely get into a game, and even find myself jumping up from the couch in glee at three-pointers.

I call myself a social fan, because I find it wonderful to watch University of Kentucky basketball with a group of people all shouting at the TV, but am not sure I would watch a game by myself.

While the rest of the state, and honestly the nation, are obsessed with brackets, I thought it would be interesting to see how “green” the NCAA tournament is going to be this year. For my part, I am going to save a tree and my $2 by not filling out a bracket this year.

For the “green research,” I thought I would stick with the Final Four. Mostly because we (by which I mean UK, because for all things basketball I look to UK, my alma mater, and because I know nothing about any other team) have a better chance than we did last year to get to the Final Four. It helps to actually be IN the tournament.

It turns out that there is a lot going on this year to make the championship weekend more sustainable, and these initiatives have been going on for some time.

In 2011, Reliant Stadium purchased 600 additional recycling containers (one paired with each trash container) which allowed them to recycle 10 tons of material, purchased carbon credits to offset their energy usage and they even played PSA’s about their efforts to the 75,000 fans.

Last year, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta expanded their sustainability efforts beyond just the stadium. As part of the initiative leading up to the weekend activities, the city hosted an electronic recycling opportunity that resulted in 14,000 pounds of old electronics being recycled. They also placed community recycling trailers throughout the city and collected more than 4 tons of material just from the foot traffic from the games. The total recyclables recovered from all of the venues related to the three-day event were more than 33 tons.

The 2013 Final Four was also unique in that it made a recycling symbol just for the sustainability initiative and turned the banners used throughout the events into more than 1,000 tote bags.

This year, the Kay Bailey Hutchison convention Center in Texas will compost for the first time, as well as donate all of the extra food to local charities. All of the events will offer recycling, and the local community will display public art pieces throughout the city made out of recycled material. There is also an increased effort to promote public transportation, and a special basketball court made out of recycled materials will be donated to a local community center.

I am very impressed and happy about the effort that the NCAA and the communities are putting into reducing the environmental effect the championship can have on the local environment. What I hope is that they shout from the rooftops about their efforts. The more people and organizations showcase their environmental work, the more it becomes mainstream and the more mainstream environmental efforts become, the more impact we can have as a community.

We, in Central Kentucky, are poised to make environmental and sustainable practices the mainstream as we plan and build our new basketball facility. I look forward to what the leaders of the project propose to make recycling, composting, energy efficiency and water quality part of the design instead of an add-on later.

While I am waiting, I will cheer as loud as I can on Friday (assuming I can stay up that late), and as the Cats proceed through the tournament.

 

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 March 20, 2014.

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In this season of giving, let’s try not presenting the planet with more waste

‘Tis the season for a lot of waste. Ok, I don’t want to be a Scrooge, but it is also the season of giving and that giving often generates waste.

Although one of the best feelings in the world is giving a gift which is lovingly received, that feeling often accompanies an unintended byproduct. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, we create 25 percent more waste, or about 1 million extra tons, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. The waste comes from packaging, wrapping and ‘gifts’ we either don’t want or need.

 

These reindeer are made from cardboard toilet paper rolls and twigs. (Photo from Pinterest)

These reindeer are made from cardboard toilet paper rolls and twigs. (Photo from Pinterest)

This year I am trying to make my gift giving and decorating as purposeful and waste free as possible, so here are some tips I will try to follow:

• Traditional wrapping paper cannot be recycled in Central Kentucky, so don’t use it! My favorite wrapping paper is brown shipping paper (which can be recycled) that has been decorated by my wonderful daughters. I also have a box full of gift bags from previous holidays and tissue paper I rescued.

• Ribbons can be made from old VHS or cassette tapes. I have not tried this personally since it is hard for me to part with any of my tapes despite the fact that I don’t have a way to play them anymore, but I do hear that they curl nicely.

• Give gifts that do not use batteries, or if they do include rechargeable batteries with the present. Regular alkaline batteries are hard to recycle, but, once they no longer work, rechargeables can be recycled many places.

• Give services instead of things. Massages, pedicures or my favorite – an hour of house cleaning – will not end up in a landfill and provide local jobs.

• On the subject of Christmas trees, the age-old question is real or artificial. Both have their environmental attributes and drawbacks, but the real answer is to buy a living tree that can either be planted or reused each year. This may be a bit impractical, but I did find a company in Portland where you can rent a live tree for the season. The company will obviously not deliver to Kentucky, but that might be an idea for a local entrepreneur.

• Give gifts made out of recycled material. My one year old is still playing with the tea set made out of old milk jugs that was given to my older daughter. In fact, I just bought the same one to give to a friend’s daughter.

• On the subject of decorations, my guess is that most people are using LED lights since they use so much less energy and are cooler, but what about making recycled decorations? I am going to make toilet paper tube reindeer with my daughter’s first-grade class next week, but you can also make tree ornaments out of old puzzle pieces or old CD’s. Pinterest is an amazing resource for anything crafty and Bluegrass Greensource has a whole section on our page found here just for recycled Christmas crafts.

• Make pine cone bird feeders to “decorate” trees outside. This is a fun, albeit bit messy, activity for kids and the birds love it! Spread peanut butter on a pine cone and then roll it in bird seed. The peanut butter and seeds will give the birds much needed protein to help in the cold weather.

It is hard to avoid all of the waste during this season, especially with kids who probably don’t value a house cleaning service as much as the newest Monster High doll. I have already purchased my share of toys for my girls, but I am trying to make sure they are things that will grow with them as long as possible.

Finally, since this is the season for giving, don’t forget your favorite charity like Bluegrass Greensource. Gifts of time and money can do wonders for local and national nonprofits, and may give you a bit of a tax deduction, too.

 

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 December 12, 2013.

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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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