April 2014 Newsletter

April 21, 2014By 0 comment

Help Keep Lexington Clean and Green at the Downtown Trash Bash

Come on out to the Downtown Trash Bash on Friday, April 18th and make our downtown more beautiful while helping to protect water quality in the Town Branch watershed! 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. Continue reading…

Volunteers Needed for First Annual Main Street Clean Sweep

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

Upcoming Festivals Will Celebrate Clean Water in Central Kentucky

The birds are chirping, the trees are in bloom, the weather is warming up – spring has sprung and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the Earth! Bluegrass Greensource is working with a variety of local partners to host three watershed festivals this spring in Boyle, Garrard, and Lincoln Counties. Find more details here.

Beth Oleson Joins Our Team

Greensource welcomes Beth Oleson, our new Outreach Specialist, to the team! Beth will be working with Fayette County businesses through the LiveGreenLexington Partner Program. She began her own environmental education as a toddler, flipping over rocks in her Lexington back yard to check out the bugs living underneath. Learn more about Beth.

Go Green, Save Green Workshop A Success

The fifth annual Go Green, Save Green workshop brought together over 105 members of Lexington’s business community. The workshop, sponsored by LFUCG and organized by Bluegrass Greensource, aims to provide various types of Lexington businesses with information from experts in waste reduction, water, and energy efficiency.  Continue reading…

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

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This Earth Day, consider the small things you can do to help environment

April 17, 2014By 0 comment

April 22 marks the 44th annual Earth Day celebration. Earth Day events, held worldwide, demonstrate support for environmental protection. The first Earth Day saw 20 million Americans who peacefully demonstrated for environmental reform. Today it is coordinated by the Earth Day Network and is celebrated by more than 1 billion people in more than 192 countries.

1 earth day

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson organized the first “national teach-in on the environment” after witnessing the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif. His goal was to bring environmental protection into focus. Within a year of the first event, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was formed. Before the EPA was formed there were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment. After its formation it led to the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.

As the world’s population continues to grow and our natural resources are stretched thin, it’s even more important to keep a watchful eye on the natural environment. Not all acts and participation must be large. Many small changes help to reduce our impact on the earth. Following is a list of small changes you can make this Earth Day to improve environmental health.

1. Buy local. Visit your local farmer’s market. Your food will be fresher and will have traveled fewer miles than the majority of foods found at your local grocer. Use the items you purchase to plan an Earth Day dinner serving locally grown food. Remember to take a reusable bag!

2. Compost your food waste. Food thrown into the trash ends up in a landfill. Food rinsed down the drain goes to a waste water treatment center where it is removed from the water and then sent to a landfill. By composting you save land space, save fuel energy from waste removal vehicles, and have a nutrient rich additive for your plants.

3. Attach a rain barrel to your home’s downspout. When structures are built they change the natural flow of rainwater, producing greater amounts of runoff. A rain barrel holds the water during a rain event and is available for later use.

4. Organize a litter cleanup. Litter is not only unsightly, it’s also detrimental to water quality. Litter left on the ground can be picked up by rainwater and swept into a stream or a storm drain, which discharges into a stream. By removing litter you are improving water quality and improving the appearance of your community.

5. Reduce gasoline consumption. Instead of using your vehicle for short trips, walk or ride a bike. Whenever possible, use public transportation. You will not only reduce the amount of gasoline being used (gas is made from a nonrenewable natural resource), you may also see an increase in your funds.

This is just a sampling of the small changes each individual can make to improve the environment. With a world of over 7 billion, individual actions add up. Small changes can make a big impact.

1 Pattie-Stivender

Pattie Stivender is the education outreach and volunteer coordinator for Bluegrass Greensource.

This article appeared in KY Forward on April 17, 2014.

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Upcoming Festivals Will Celebrate Clean Water in Central Kentucky

April 14, 2014By 0 comment

The birds are chirping, the trees are in bloom, the weather is warming up – spring has sprung and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the Earth! Bluegrass Greensource is working with a variety of local partners to host three watershed festivals this spring in Boyle, Garrard, and Lincoln Counties.

The Boyle County Earth Day Festival, held in conjunction with Clarks Run Environmental and Educational Corporation, Boyle County Cooperative Extension, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College, will be held Saturday, April 26th from 11:00 to 3:00 at BCTC’s Danville campus. The event features a 2K “fun hike” and 26K bicycle ride, children’s activities, a display of artwork by Junction City Elementary 5th graders, live music, concessions by Lucky Dog BBQ, and environmentally-themed displays from local vendors such as Boyle County Solid Waste, Boyle County Public Library, Community Arts Center, Smart Growth Boyle, and more. Informational sessions will be offered about local water quality, septic system care, and home composting. Additionally, Boyle County Cooperative Extension will offer a two-part rain garden workshop beginning on Friday, April 25, during which participants can learn to design and build a rain garden using native plants.

For detailed information about the Boyle County Earth Day Festival, click here.

The Garrard County Earth Day/Watershed Festival will be held on Saturday, May 10th from 10:00 to 4:00 at the Garrard County Extension office. The event is co-sponsored by Earth Angels, Garrard/Lincoln Solid Waste, and Garrard County Cooperative Extension and will feature children’s activities, a display of watershed posters by Paint Lick Elementary students, a display of Garrard County nature photography, vendors selling recycled and handmade items, concessions, nature walks on the Pleasant Retreat trail, a recycled fashion show, and environmentally-themed displays from local organizations. Informational sessions will be offered about local water quality, septic system care, monarch waystations, and Garrard County flora.

For detailed information about the Garrard County Earth Day/Watershed Festival, click here.

The Lincoln County Earth and Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, June 14th from 10:00 to 3:00 at the First Southern Community Arts Center in Stanford. The event is co-sponsored by the Community Arts Center and Garrard/Lincoln Solid Waste, and will feature children’s activities, live music, food vendors, rain barrel sales, environmentally-themed displays from local organizations, and more.

For detailed information about the Lincoln County Earth & Arts Festival, click here.

The spring festivals are funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act. Bluegrass Greensource will work with local partners to host a total of nine Earth Day or watershed festival events over the next three years in Boyle, Garrard, and Lincoln Counties.

Nature 4shrunken

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Go Green, Save Green Workshop a Success

April 14, 2014By 0 comment

The fifth annual Go Green, Save Green (GGSG) Workshop was held on March 20, 2014. The weather was kind, the presentations enlightening, and lunch was delicious. Many agreed the post-workshop happy hour held at Blue Stallion Brewing Company was an added bonus. The workshop, sponsored by LFUCG and organized by Bluegrass Greensource, aims to provide various types of Lexington businesses with information from experts in waste reduction, water, and energy efficiency. Learning how to be a greener business can result in cost savings through reducing landfill-bound waste, saving on water costs, and/or reducing energy bills. The workshop brought together over 105 members of Lexington’s business community. Industrial and small businesses, restaurants, churches, LEED professionals, apartments, and non-profits had specialized tracks based on their needs and specific interests. The event was held at BCTC’s Newtown Campus, the former site of Eastern State Hospital, in the beautiful Main Building. The LEED certified building was the perfect venue with its brand-spanking new technology, abundance of natural light, and friendly staff.

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Above: Clive Pohl delivers keynote address.

To start the day, Susan Plueger, Director of LFUCG’s Division of Environmental Policy, gave opening remarks and discussed the city’s green initiatives. Later, Susan also gave a presentation on low impact development guidelines for stormwater management. Clive Pohl, Architect at Pohl Rosa Pohl, delivered the lunchtime keynote address, “Accentuate the Positive,” putting into context the need for sustainable business practices. Businesses, says Pohl, can be more sustainable through Natural Capital Accounting. This form of accounting places economic value on nature and accounts for the negative externalities – the costs of industrialization, such as air pollution, which do not factor into most business calculations. Pohl concluded by saying, “it is up to us to recognize the economic imperative for conservation.”

Workshop LEED and sustainability highlights included Sy Safi of Louisville discussing building the first net-zero home in Kentucky. The home’s energy is provided by solar panels while the water is provided by a cistern which stores rainwater. No-VOC and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) building materials were used to prevent off-gassing and air pollution. Energy Star appliances and recycled materials like old barn posts combined to make the home both eco-friendly and charmingly eclectic. Chris Zitelli from Ecos Materials and Services shared his expertise on HERS and the LEED process. Joan Pauly, Sustainability Coordinator for Berea College, educated workshop-goers on the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) framework and illustrated the process with examples from the college. Tim Darst from Louisville’s Interfaith Power and Light delivered the first ever session for a religious institutions GGSG workshop track and shared ideas on how one can “green” their house of worship. Greg Phipps from Big Ass Fans discussed the mechanics behind thermal energy and low-velocity, large-diameter fans in conditioned spaces.

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Above: Joan Pauly, Berea College

Waste and recycling issues specific to Lexington were discussed by Esther Moberly, LFUCG Recycling Program Specialist, and Ryan Farley, Environmental Educator for Bluegrass Greensource. Barry Prater, LFUCG Commodity Market Manager, discussed the details behind Lexington’s recycling program and complexities of selling recyclables on the global market. Harriet Dupree-Bradley presented her company’s journey to becoming a certified Green Restaurant (Dupree Catering was the first business in Kentucky to become a 2 Star Certified Green Restaurant Caterer). Lastly, Lexington-based non-profit Seedleaf was represented by Ryan Koch, who shared details on creating low-tech composting.

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Beth Oleson Joins Our Team

April 14, 2014By 0 comment

Greensource welcomes Beth Oleson, our new Outreach Specialist, to the team! Beth joined us in March 2014 and will be working with the LiveGreenLexington Partner Program, helping local businesses and apartment complexes expand recycling efforts, improve energy and water efficiency, and reduce stormwater runoff.

Beth

Beth began her own environmental education as a toddler, flipping over rocks in her Lexington back yard to check out the bugs living underneath.  She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Marine Science and a minor in Environmental Studies in 2008, and promptly moved back to Kentucky and several hundred miles from the nearest ocean (although she still enjoys scuba diving whenever the opportunity arises).  In her free time, Beth is passionate about native plants and animal rescue.  She still flips over rocks to check out bugs.

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

April 10, 2014By 0 comment

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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When redecorating for spring, don’t run to buy new or throw out – go green

April 9, 2014By 0 comment

Spring is finally here, and if you’re anything like me then you like to mix some redecorating in with your spring cleaning. Recently, I have been redecorating my dining room while trying to focus my efforts on reducing my consumption.

Admittedly, the easiest decision may have been to just head to a big box store and pick-up the prettiest items on the shelf, but I wanted do my best to reduce my impact on the environment.

I decided to follow the buying decision chart below. I did my research and decided that I would paint and recover my old dining room chairs. I also decided that we really needed a larger dining table. My first choice was to look for a used table on Craigslist and at thrift/antique stores. However, I soon discovered that the size of table I wanted was not a common size.
(Chart from Infographic)

(Chart from Thenotepasser.com)

My next best option was to find an affordable table made from sustainable materials. Through a little research and some patience, I actually found a local artisan who builds custom furniture from sustainably harvested native Kentucky wood. Yes, I did have to wait for it to be built. However, it is a piece that I know will last, and surprisingly it cost less than many of the mass-produced pieces I have seen at various stores.

Now my dining room has a beautiful new look, and I know that I made a more eco-friendly decorating choice.

If you are looking to do some eco-friendly decorating of your own, I’ve got some tips for creating an environmentally conscious living space. You can find some more tips and even some projects on our Pinterest board here.

When you are trying to do some eco-friendly redecorating, your first step should be to reduce the number of items on your “want list.” Ask yourself, “Is this really something that I need?” or “Will I still want this item in a year?” If the answer is no, resist the urge to purchase.

If the item is something you really need, buying it new shouldn’t be your first choice. Try buying the item used, or look for items made from recycled or sustainably produced materials. Craigslist, Ebay and thrift stores often have great, gently used items for amazing prices.

Do you have some old wood furniture in your house or in storage? Rather than simply discarding it, you could give the piece new life by refinishing, repainting or repurposing it. If you do need to get rid of any item, why not contact your friends and plan an exchange party? I bet your friends have furniture or accessories they are ready to change out.

Their bookshelf might be the answer to your living room storage needs, and your lamp could be the piece his/her bedroom was missing. If it can’t be repurposed or exchanged, consider donating home items you’ve replaced to nonprofits and thrift stores.

Eco-friendly redecorating may take a little more time and energy, but the results are usually worth the time and effort. So when you are redesigning or redecorating, try taking some of these steps to move toward a green theme – and I don’t mean the color.

Ashley photo

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.

 

This article appeared in KY Forward on April 3, 2014.

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Downtown Trash Bash 2014

April 2, 2014By 0 comment

Help Keep Downtown Lexington Clean and Green at the 2014 Downtown Trash Bash

Come on out to the Downtown Trash Bash on Friday, April 18 and make our downtown more beautiful while helping to protect water quality in the Town Branch watershed!

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 Street
  • South Limestone at Avenue of Champions

Each location will provide snacks and thank-you gifts for participants. Prizes will be given to the organization with the most volunteers, all organizations who register at least 10 volunteers, and the top 3 businesses with the most improved storefronts (must be within the Central Business District)! Event and registration details are available at downtownlex.com or by calling 425-2590.

In case of rain, the event will take place on April 25, 2014.

This year, we have partnered with the Downtown Lexington Corporation and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to help expand the scope of this annual event to include multiple areas of downtown. We have been further assisted by our partners at the University of Kentucky Student Sustainability Council, Fayette Alliance, and NoLi Community Development Corporation in organizing the sign-in locations.

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Earth Day Main St. Clean Sweep

April 1, 2014By 0 comment

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

BGGS_Main St Clean Sweep

In the past, Bluegrass Greensource has worked with numerous community groups on litter clean ups and helped collect over 150,000 bags of trash and recycled an additional 1,500 tons.

Cleanups are planned in Frankfort, Lawrenceburg, Harrodsburg, Irvine, Lancaster, Stanford, and Winchester from 11:30 – 1:30 pm, rain or shine, on April 22nd.  Bluegrass Greensource will provide trash bags, gloves, t-shirts (adults), and tattoos (kids) to participants at each location.  Click on your city below to see more details.  Click here to register.

[add_eventon event_type=”176″ fixed_month=”4″ fixed_year=”2014″ event_order=”DESC” ux_val=”3″ ]

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