2013 - Bluegrass Greensource

December Newsletter

December 16, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

‘Tis the Season to Give

Remember when a toy required no batteries and did not include a screen? Albert Einstein said “Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” This holiday season, you could give that gift to classrooms of children right here in Central Kentucky through a donation to Bluegrass Greensource.

Our educators work tirelessly throughout the school year in over 230 schools to teach children in our community about the natural world- something most of us today see less and less of. Our environmental activities include litter cleanups, watershed education using enviroscapes, organizing school green teams, helping students start vermicomposting/worm bins, and introducing students to Kentucky’s flora and fauna at outdoor events to name just a few. With your gift, we can introduce many more young people to the natural world. A world where the gadgets and screens can have a rest and the mind can be free to explore.

A donation to Bluegrass Greensource will not only spread the gift of environmental education, but it can help you with that person who has everything already. In that past, I have personally donated in the name of family. This was the perfect gift for them. There was no plastic and paper packaging to dispose of, no disappointment with another boring sweater, and we both had the pleasure of knowing the young people we might see at the grocery actually benefited from our gift. One contribution’s impact could multiply across generations. What other gift has this potential?

To make your gift of education this year, please go to: https://bggreensource.org/support/.

If you are a teacher who would like one of our educators to visit your classroom, please call us at 266-1572. We also offer many environmental education materials for check-out at no cost.

‘Tis the season to give a gift that can change a life.

Green Christmas Ideas

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

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!
Use a real tree. Plastic trees last longer but are made of PVC, which is harmful to the environment.
Recycle your Christmas tree. Just put it out on the curb to be composted or turned into mulch or wood chips.
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.
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.
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!
Make your own gifts: bake a batch of cookies or other treats for your loved ones and share the recipes.
Give gifts of membership or experiences: a gym membership, music lessons, theater tickets, spa services, and more.
Support local farms by purchasing local organic produce and meat for your holiday meals.
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.

It’s Time to Think About Your New Year’s Resolutions

In keeping with our holiday tradition, Bluegrass Greensource asks that you make a New Year’s Resolution to Get Outside! Let us know how you will be spending more time outside in 2014 and you will be entered to win a $100 Kentucky State Park gift certificate!! The deadline is January 15th, so Register Now!

Green Infrastructure Conference Wrap Up

Through several special educational sessions and field outings in connection with board meetings, WWKY and representatives of NRDC met with officials from Northern Kentucky, Louisville MSD, Lexington LFUCG, Bowling Green, and Owensboro. As a result of those discussions, WWKY contracted

to draft and produce the Kentucky Green Infrastructure Action Plan for Stormwater and Wet Weather Sewage Management (“GI Report”). The Report received final approval from WWKY in February 2013.

Following the submittal of that report, WWKY, River Network, and NRDC, among others, organized an Advancing Green Infrastructure Conference in Louisville. A Louisville Supplement to the GI Report was discussed, but it was decided by WWKY to forego the drafting of a Louisville Supplement at that time. In the meantime, WWKY applied for and received a grant from VEE to host a Green Infrastructure Conference in Lexington with River Network and to draft and produce a Lexington Supplement to the GI Report.

The Advancing Green Infrastructure in Lexington Conference took place at Locust Trace AgriScience Farm in Lexington, Kentucky on October 10, 2013. The Conference began with a keynote from Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, who discussed Lexington’s commitment to green infrastructure and the progress made. Hank Graddy then led the discussion on conference structure and outcomes, and Dr. Lindell Ormsby closed out the introduction with a brief overview of green infrastructure.

The first plenary featured Susan Plueger, P.E., from the LFUCG Division of Water Quality. Ms. Plueger discussed the history of stormwater management in Fayette County, explained how the GI program in Lexington currently functions, and gave several examples of GI projects in Fayette County. The second plenary presented the “State of the State” of GI in Kentucky. The panel featured Scott Southall, who presented his firm’s GI project in Frankfort, John Carman, who presented his firm’s GI project on East Market Street in Louisville, and John Webb, who presented o the Kentucky Division of Water’s 319 grant program and the various GI projects that program has funded across Kentucky.

The Conference also held two rounds of breakout sessions. The first session consisted of five breakout groups. The first breakout group featured Dr. Ormsby who went in depth on GI basics. The second breakout group featured Sandy Carmargo and Eric Larsen, and focused on business and institutional GI projects in Lexington. The third breakout group featured Chris Dent of the LFUCG and Kara Sayles of Bluegrass Greensource who discussed residential GI in Lexington. The fourth breakout group featured Susan Plueger, and Jim Duncan and Jimmy Emmons, both from LFUCG Division of Planning, who presented on GI in planning and zoning regulation and enforcement. The fifth breakout group was a tour of the Locust Trace facility focusing on the various GI elements of the property.

The second breakout session featured three breakout groups. The first group featured Hank Graddy and Hal Sprague, and focused on what Lexington can achieve with GI in the future. The second group featured Scott Southall and Robert Hewitt, who discussed the renovation of the Franklin County Courthouse and the use of 319 funds to utilize GI elements in and around the renovated courthouse. Brandi Berryman focused on the daylighting of Town Branch in downtown Lexington. The third group was a repeat tour of the Locust Trace property.

The third plenary session featured Hal Sprague of the Center for Neighborhood Technology headquartered in Chicago. Mr. Sprague presented on his organization’s work regarding the green infrastructure portfolio standard.

The other featured keynote, Christine McKay, a representative of the U.S. EPA, was scheduled to present on EPA support for GI in Kentucky. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to the federal government shutdown.

The Conference ended with the fourth plenary, a panel discussion of Lexington’s goals for GI in the future. Several people commented on the NRDC’s green emerald city ratings, and how Lexington should aspire to be a green emerald city. Hank Graddy and Hal Sprague discussed what it would mean to implement a GI portfolio standard in Lexington and to obtain no net loss in permeability. Also discussed was the stormwater runoff retention exception for rehabilitated property in Lexington. In conclusion, most agreed that Lexington has made a promising start implementing GI. If Lexington continues its course by using innovative ideas such as a GI standard portfolio, or aspires to achieve a full green emerald rating, Lexington will become a leading city in the country for GI and stormwater management.

Summary provided by: Hank Graddy

Garrard County Joined Us For a Septic Workshop

Homeowners attended a free workshop about septic system care and maintenance, hosted by Bluegrass Greensource in partnership with the Garrard County Health Department on November 5^th. The workshop, held at Maywoods Environmental and Educational Laboratory, gave local residents an opportunity to learn about how the septic systems in their homes work, how to take care of them, how to tell if they’re not working properly, and what to do if a problem is suspected. Additionally, Malissa McAlister of the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute discussed the history of water quality sampling in the Dix River watershed and the impact failing septic systems have on human health and on the environment. Following the workshop, participants were able to apply for financial assistance, including free pumpouts and cost-share grants for system repairs or installations.

The workshop was the first in a series of similar workshops to be held as part of a grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act through the Kentucky Division of Water. Bluegrass Greensource will offer a total of nine homeowner workshops over the next three years, as well as a series of watershed festival events in local communities and water-related activities in area Kindergarten – 12^th grade classrooms.

The next free septic system workshop offered through this program is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, January 14^th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at McKinney Elementary in Lincoln County. Only residents of the Dix River watershed in Boyle, Garrard, and Lincoln Counties who attend the workshop are eligible to apply for the financial assistance programs. Please contact Sandy Bottoms at sandy@bggreensource.org or (859) 266-1572 for more information.

Green Jobs for a Green Future

Bluegrass Greensource is starting a new program to promote green jobs to low-income high school students in the Bluegrass region!

Green jobs are growing faster than the national average for jobs in non-green sectors, and this growth is expected to accelerate in the coming years. The goal of this new program is to improve the preparation of low-income students for higher paying jobs by building the capacity of high school guidance counselors and teachers to better inform their students about jobs in the green economy.

Bluegrass Greensource hopes to achieve this goal by building a green jobs database to be used by students and school staff, taking interested counselors/faculty on a tour of regional green businesses, and working with counselors/faculty to organize green career fairs. With the the new Green Jobs Program we hope to coordinate with green businesses to educate high schoolers about high quality green jobs. By doing so, we can improve our environment and, at the same time, provide quality employment opportunities.

But what is a green job? A “green job” refers to any position in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, installation, and maintenance, as well as scientific, technical, administrative, and/or service-related activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality (International Labor Organization). Why should we be encouraging young people to pursue a green career? Well, for one thing, green jobs pay up to 20 percent more than other jobs! And green jobs are not just for scientists; they are for everyone! Becoming trained in a green-collar vocation provides advantages over those who are already in the workforce.

Green jobs are often found closer to home than you might think, and these jobs help protect and improve our environment!

Green jobs are the future, and we want young people in the Bluegrass region to be prepared for the rapidly growing, “green” future! For more information about this program, or if your business would like to be included on our database, please contact Ashley Bryant Cheney at vista@bggreensource.org.

Sign Up for Great American Clean Up Event

Teachers, are you looking for a fun activity that get your students outside after it warms up? Our Bluegrass Greensource educators will be looking for classrooms to participate in Live Green Lexington’s Great American Clean up Event. This activity send students out across your school campus with gloves, bags and litter pick up tools to clean up any litter that been lying under the snow! For more information or to sign your class up, contact Pattie Stivender at pattie@bgGreensource.org.

Our staff would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season! Thank you for your support in 2013 and we look forward to working with you in the new year!

If you have any questions or comments about this issue, please contact us at info@bggreensource.org.

Sincerely,
Amy Sohner

Executive Director

Bluegrass Greensource

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

December 12, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

‘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)

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.

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 December 12, 2013.

Garrard County Joins Us for Septic Workshop

December 11, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

Homeowners attended a free workshop about septic system care and maintenance, hosted by Bluegrass Greensource in partnership with the Garrard County Health Department on November 5^th. The workshop, held at Maywoods Environmental and Educational Laboratory, gave local residents an opportunity to learn about how the septic systems in their homes work, how to take care of them, how to tell if they’re not working properly, and what to do if a problem is suspected. Additionally, Malissa McAlister of the Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute discussed the history of water quality sampling in the Dix River watershed and the impact failing septic systems have on human health and on the environment. Following the workshop, participants were able to apply for financial assistance, including free pumpouts and cost-share grants for system repairs or installations.

The workshop was the first in a series of similar workshops to be held as part of a grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act through the Kentucky Division of Water. Bluegrass Greensource will offer a total of nine homeowner workshops over the next three years, as well as a series of watershed festival events in local communities and water-related activities in area Kindergarten – 12^th grade classrooms.

The next free septic system workshop offered through this program is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, January 14^th from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at McKinney Elementary in Lincoln County. Only residents of the Dix River watershed in Boyle, Garrard, and Lincoln Counties who attend the workshop are eligible to apply for the financial assistance programs. Please contact Sandy Bottoms at sandy@bggreensource.org or (859) 266-1572 for more information.

Green Infrastructure Conference Wrap Up

December 11, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

Through several special educational sessions and field outings in connection with board meetings, WWKY and representatives of NRDC met with officials from Northern Kentucky, Louisville MSD, Lexington LFUCG, Bowling Green, and Owensboro. As a result of those discussions, WWKY contracted to draft and produce the Kentucky Green Infrastructure Action Plan for Stormwater and Wet Weather Sewage Management (“GI Report”). The Report received final approval from WWKY in February 2013.

Following the submittal of that report, WWKY, River Network, and NRDC, among others, organized an Advancing Green Infrastructure Conference in Louisville. A Louisville Supplement to the GI Report was discussed, but it was decided by WWKY to forego the drafting of a Louisville Supplement at that time. In the meantime, WWKY applied for and received a grant from VEE to host a Green Infrastructure Conference in Lexington with River Network and to draft and produce a Lexington Supplement to the GI Report.

The Advancing Green Infrastructure in Lexington Conference took place at Locust Trace AgriScience Farm in Lexington, Kentucky on October 10, 2013. The Conference began with a keynote from Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, who discussed Lexington’s commitment to green infrastructure and the progress made. Hank Graddy then led the discussion on conference structure and outcomes, and Dr. Lindell Ormsby closed out the introduction with a brief overview of green infrastructure.

The first plenary featured Susan Plueger, P.E., from the LFUCG Division of Water Quality. Ms. Plueger discussed the history of stormwater management in Fayette County, explained how the GI program in Lexington currently functions, and gave several examples of GI projects in Fayette County. The second plenary presented the “State of the State” of GI in Kentucky. The panel featured Scott Southall, who presented his firm’s GI project in Frankfort, John Carman, who presented his firm’s GI project on East Market Street in Louisville, and John Webb, who presented o the Kentucky Division of Water’s 319 grant program and the various GI projects that program has funded across Kentucky.

The Conference also held two rounds of breakout sessions. The first session consisted of five breakout groups. The first breakout group featured Dr. Ormsby who went in depth on GI basics. The second breakout group featured Sandy Carmargo and Eric Larsen, and focused on business and institutional GI projects in Lexington. The third breakout group featured Chris Dent of the LFUCG and Kara Sayles of Bluegrass Greensource who discussed residential GI in Lexington. The fourth breakout group featured Susan Plueger, and Jim Duncan and Jimmy Emmons, both from LFUCG Division of Planning, who presented on GI in planning and zoning regulation and enforcement. The fifth breakout group was a tour of the Locust Trace facility focusing on the various GI elements of the property.

The second breakout session featured three breakout groups. The first group featured Hank Graddy and Hal Sprague, and focused on what Lexington can achieve with GI in the future. The second group featured Scott Southall and Robert Hewitt, who discussed the renovation of the Franklin County Courthouse and the use of 319 funds to utilize GI elements in and around the renovated courthouse. Brandi Berryman focused on the daylighting of Town Branch in downtown Lexington. The third group was a repeat tour of the Locust Trace property.

The third plenary session featured Hal Sprague of the Center for Neighborhood Technology headquartered in Chicago. Mr. Sprague presented on his organization’s work regarding the green infrastructure portfolio standard. The other featured keynote, Christine McKay, a representative of the U.S. EPA, was scheduled to present on EPA support for GI in Kentucky. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to the federal government shutdown.

The Conference ended with the fourth plenary, a panel discussion of Lexington’s goals for GI in the future. Several people commented on the NRDC’s green emerald city ratings, and how Lexington should aspire to be a green emerald city. Hank Graddy and Hal Sprague discussed what it would mean to implement a GI portfolio standard in Lexington and to obtain no net loss in permeability. Also discussed was the stormwater runoff retention exception for rehabilitated property in Lexington. In conclusion, most agreed that Lexington has made a promising start implementing GI. If Lexington continues its course by using innovative ideas such as a GI standard portfolio, or aspires to achieve a full green emerald rating, Lexington will become a leading city in the country for GI and stormwater management.

Summary provided by: Hank Graddy

Green Jobs for a Green Future

December 11, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

Bluegrass Greensource is starting a new program to promote green jobs to low-income high school students in the Bluegrass region!

Green jobs are growing faster than the national average for jobs in non-green sectors, and this growth is expected to accelerate in the coming years. The goal of this new program is to improve the preparation of low-income students for higher paying jobs by building the capacity of high school guidance counselors and teachers to better inform their students about jobs in the green economy.

Bluegrass Greensource hopes to achieve this goal by building a green jobs database to be used by students and school staff, taking interested counselors/faculty on a tour of regional green businesses, and working with counselors/faculty to organize green career fairs. With the the new Green Jobs Program we hope to coordinate with green businesses to educate high schoolers about high quality green jobs. By doing so, we can improve our environment and, at the same time, provide quality employment opportunities.

But what is a green job? A “green job” refers to any position in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, installation, and maintenance, as well as scientific, technical, administrative, and/or service-related activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality (International Labor Organization). Why should we be encouraging young people to pursue a green career? Well, for one thing, green jobs pay up to 20 percent more than other jobs! And green jobs are not just for scientists; they are for everyone! Becoming trained in a green-collar vocation provides advantages over those who are already in the workforce.

Green jobs are often found closer to home than you might think, and these jobs help protect and improve our environment!

Green jobs are the future, and we want young people in the Bluegrass region to be prepared for the rapidly growing, “green” future! For more information about this program, or if your business would like to be included on our database, please contact Ashley Bryant Cheney at vista@bggreensource.org.

Tis the Season to GIVE

December 11, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

By Lisa Conley

Remember when a toy required no batteries and did not include a screen? Albert Einstein said “Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” This holiday season, you could give that gift to classrooms of children right here in Central Kentucky through a donation to Bluegrass Greensource.

Our educators work tirelessly throughout the school year in over 230 schools to teach children in our community about the natural world- something most of us today see less and less of. Our environmental activities include litter cleanups, watershed education using enviroscapes, organizing school green teams, helping students start vermicomposting/worm bins, and introducing students to Kentucky’s flora and fauna at outdoor events to name just a few. With your gift, we can introduce many more young people to the natural world. A world where the gadgets and screens can have a rest and the mind can be free to explore.

A donation to Bluegrass Greensource will not only spread the gift of environmental education, but it can help you with that person who has everything already. In the past, I have personally donated in the name of family. This was the perfect gift for them. There was no plastic and paper packaging to dispose of, no disappointment with another boring gift they didn’t really need, and we both had the pleasure of knowing the young people we might see at the grocery actually benefited from our gift. Your one contribution’s impact could multiply across generations. What other gift has this potential?

To make your gift of education this year, please go to: https://bggreensource.org/support/

If you are a teacher who would like one of our educators to visit your classroom, please call us at 266-1572. We also offer many environmental education materials for check-out at no cost.

‘Tis the season to give a gift that can change a life.

Coal as Energy Tour gives local educators look inside flipping the light switch

December 2, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

A group of educators tour TECO Coal in Hazard on the Coal as Energy Tour.

I was fortunate enough to go on a Bluegrass Greensource Coal as Energy Tour, recently, with educators from the Bluegrass Region. The tour is intended to broaden teacher’s knowledge of potential energy sources and provide a balanced and fair view of each resource.

The two-day tour (offered free to educators) definitely broadened all participants’ knowledge of the complex processes involved in the simple act of flipping a light switch.

The first day of the tour was packed full of information and featured stops at Eastern Kentucky University’s Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies, Berea College’s Ecovillage, Berea Utilities Solar Farm, Berea’s Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, and the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum. We spent the night in Benham, Ky. at the School House Inn (which is rumored to be haunted).

The next morning we got up bright and early for a deep mine tour at TECO Coal Company in Hazard.

The deep mine tour at the TECO coal mine was the most memorable stop for me. After watching a two-hour safety training and donning coveralls, steel-toed boots, safety glasses, identification tag and safety belts with a SRU (self rescuer unit), we headed toward the entrance of the mine.

The foreman showed us a map of the mine and the three-mile path we would be taking into the side of a mountain in order to see the heart of the mining operation. Our one-hour journey to the mining site involved a 700-foot trip down in a slope car, followed by a 40-minute ride in a “man trip” (an open-air bumpy rail car), and a ride down a muddy hill in a similar diesel-powered contraption.

Traveling down, I could feel the ventilation system pushing air through the mine – a constant stream of cold. Once we reached the end of our journey through the wet, cave-like tunnel, we saw the real work-horse of today’s mining operation – the Continuous Miner. This giant machine is like a large steam roller with hundreds of drill bits that cuts through walls of coal at an extraordinary speed.

I watched a car fill up with 15 tons of coal in less than one minute. At the same time the coal is being mined, hundreds of gallons of water are being pumped onto the mining site to keep the coal dust under control.

We then walked through the mud and rock dust, ducking our heads as we went, to see the most dangerous job in modern coal mining – the roof bolters. The roof bolters go into areas that have just been mined to secure the ceiling. Every few feet the roof bolters must drill deep into the rock (not knowing what they might find while drilling) to mount the bolts that will allow the Continuous Miner to go forward and allow miners to walk into a new part of the mine. These roof bolts also provide the safety and support needed to prevent tons of rock falling and crushing a miner.

As we started to travel out, we also saw the conveyer that takes the coal out of the mine and the small break room (a hole in the rock) with a much-welcomed heater. The trip out took just as long as the trip in and was twice as cold, since we were traveling against the stream of the ventilation system.

We only spent three hours total in the mine, but the experience is something I will never forget. There are men and women that spend 10 hours in this mine every day doing this work to support their families, and they deserve our respect.

This entire Coal as Energy Tour gave me a new perspective and expanded my knowledge of energy in Kentucky. All of the educators I spoke with on the tour had nothing but great things to say about the experience. One teacher even praised the tour stating it was “one of the best, educational, thought-provoking tours, as an educator, I have taken in 25 years of teaching.”

Not only is the tour a great educational and personal development opportunity for teachers; all teachers who go on the tour receive funding for an energy related field trip for their students and help from the Bluegrass Greensource educators on energy based lesson plans and activities.

If you are a teacher and are interested in going on our next Coal as Energy Tour, please contact Pattie Stivender at pattie@bggreensource.org or call 859-266-1572.

Ashley Bryant Cheney is the Green Jobs Coordinator for Bluegrass Greensource, connecting green businesses with a young workforce and preparing students for green careers in the Bluegrass. From Knoxville, she’s worked in volunteer and program management at various nonprofits. She has a bachelor’s in Psychology from Carson-Newman University and a master’s in Urban Studies and Community Development from Eastern University.

10 Tips for a Green Christmas

November 26, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

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

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!
Use a real tree. Plastic trees last longer but are made of PVC, which is harmful to the environment.
Recycle your Christmas tree. Just put it out on the curb to be composted or turned into mulch or wood chips.
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.
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.
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!
Make your own gifts: bake a batch of cookies or other treats for your loved ones and share the recipes.
Give gifts of membership or experiences: a gym membership, music lessons, theater tickets, spa services, and more.
Support local farms by purchasing local organic produce and meat for your holiday meals.
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.

Want to help others be more earth-friendly? Join the Zero Waste Team

November 25, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

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.

We 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.

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.

November Newsletter

November 19, 2013By BGGS Admin0 comment

Bluegrass 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

Franklin 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!

Greensource 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 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 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 18^th.

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!

Students 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

Yearly Archives: 2013

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Want to help others be more earth-friendly? Join the Zero Waste Team

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Small Changes, Big Impact: Earth Day 2024

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All Things Energy: Students Investigate the Science of Energy Through Interactive Lessons

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