Spring Watershed Festivals and Septic Maintenance Workshops

March 11, 2015By 0 comment

After a cold and snowy winter, Garrard, Lincoln, and Boyle Counties will welcome the long-awaited spring with festivals celebrating the Earth and focusing on the importance of clean water. Bluegrass Greensource is working with local partners to host two festivals and workshops in April.

The Garrard/Lincoln County Earth Day and Watershed Festival will be held on April 18th from 10:00-3:00 at Garrard County High School. Garrard County High School offers a perfect venue for the event. The outdoor area features a rain garden, a monarch butterfly way station, and ample space for local vendors, children’s activities, food, hiking, and music. Free workshops will be held inside and will focus on water quality in the Dix River watershed, septic system care and maintenance, organic gardening, rain barrels, and monarch butterfly way stations. A guided hike at nearby Tom Dorman Nature Preserve will take place in the afternoon.

The Boyle County Earth Day and Watershed Festival will be held on April 25th from 11:00-3:00 at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Danville Campus. Boyle County’s Earth Day Festival’s theme of Water Quality will help educate the community about the importance of clean water and the ways they can protect their local waterways. Local vendors, children’s activities, art contests, food, music, and a 14-mile bike ride will be featured at the festival. The Boyle County Earth Day festival will also offer a variety of free workshops indoors, including septic system care and maintenance.

Bluegrass Greensource will host the Septic System Care and Maintenance workshops at the festivals. Septic workshops will focus on the Dix River Watershed in Garrard, Lincoln, and Boyle Counties and the impact of failing septic systems on human health and on the environment. The workshops will give local residents an opportunity to learn about local watersheds and water quality, how septic systems work, proper septic system maintenance, and how to identify problems in a septic system. After attending a workshop, homeowners may apply for financial assistance for system repairs or installation, or for a free septic tank pumpout. To be eligible for the grants, homeowners must reside within the Dix River watershed in Boyle, Garrard, or Lincoln Counties. County health departments are partnering with Bluegrass Greensource to help make this project possible. Please contact Bridget Abernathy at bridget@bgGreensource.org or (859) 266-1572 for more information or to register for an upcoming workshop in advance. Workshop registration will also be available the day of the festivals.

The spring festivals and septic workshops are funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under §319(h) of the Clean Water Act. The Garrard/Lincoln County Earth Day and Watershed Festival is co-sponsored by Earth Angels, Garrard/Lincoln Solid Waste, and Garrard/Lincoln County Cooperative Extension. The Boyle County Earth Day Festival will be held in conjunction with Clarks Run Environmental and Educational Corporation, Boyle County Cooperative Extension, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

Festival Locations and Additional Information:

Garrard/Lincoln County Earth Day and Watershed Festival

April 18th, 10:00-3:00

Garrard County High School

599 Industry Road
Lancaster, KY 40444

https://www.facebook.com/events/362190993964925/

 Boyle County Earth Day and Watershed Festival

April 25th, 11:00-3:00

BCTC Danville Campus

59 Corporate Drive
Danville, KY 40422-9690

https://www.facebook.com/events/956443684365965/

 

 

 

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Walmart Grant Provides $50,000 for Waste Reduction Education

October 14, 2014By 0 comment

The campaign to promote environmental responsibility through recycling in Central Kentucky schools received a boost on September 30th through the presentation of a $50,000 contribution from the Walmart Foundation to Bluegrass Greensource.

walmart press event 1

“Bluegrass Greensource is excited to once again partner with Walmart, to expand the Wastebuster program to more schools in Central Kentucky,” said Bluegrass Greensource Executive Director Amy Sohner at an event at Conkwright Elementary School. “We look forward to working with all of the schools in Boyle, Clark and Madison Counties to help increase recycling rates and teach students and families the importance of waste reduction. Thank you very much to Walmart for giving us this opportunity.”

Bluegrass Greensource will use the contribution to increase student knowledge of waste reduction issues in Central Kentucky. Experiential environmental education about recycling and waste reduction can be taught in three main content areas: practical living, social studies and science.

walmart press event 2

In addition to educating students, Walmart’s contribution will be used to provide classroom bins and rolling carts to facilitate recycling in each school.  It will also enable Greensource educators to work with students to perform two waste audits in each school – one before the program is implemented and one afterward.  Also, grants of up to $500 will be awarded for projects that will help the schools continue their recycling and waste reduction programs after the initial grant period is over.

“At Walmart, our community involvement is based on the philosophy of operating globally and giving back locally,” said Walmart Store Manager Shannon Willoughby. “We believe we can do the most good by supporting issues and causes that are important to our customers and associates in their own neighborhoods – including programs that stress environmental sustainability and incorporating green practices into every day life. We are pleased this donation to Bluegrass Greensource will enable the Wastebusters Program to expand into Boyle, Clark and Madison counties and look forward to following its success.”

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PRESS RELEASE: Bluegrass Greensource receives $50,000 grant from Walmart

October 1, 2014By 0 comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Tiffany Smith, 859/797-0324

 Bluegrass Greensource receives $50,000 grant from Walmart

Winchester, Ky., September 30, 2014 –The campaign to promote environmental responsibility through recycling in Central Kentucky schools received a boost today through the presentation of a $50,000 contribution from the Walmart Foundation to Bluegrass Greensource.

“Bluegrass Greensource is excited to once again partner with Walmart, to expand the Wastebuster program to more schools in Central Kentucky,” said Bluegrass Greensource Executive Director Amy Sohner at an event at Conkwright Elementary School. “We look forward to working with all of the schools in Boyle, Clark and Madison Counties to help increase recycling rates and teach students and families the importance of waste reduction. Thank you very much to Walmart for giving us this opportunity.”

Bluegrass Greensource will use the contribution to increase student knowledge of waste reduction issues in Central Kentucky. Experiential environmental education about recycling and waste reduction can be taught in three main content areas: practical living, social studies and science.

In addition to education students, Walmart’s contribution will be used to provide classroom bins and rolling carts to facilitate recycling in each school.  It will also enable Greensource educators to work with students to perform two waste audits in each school – one before the program is implemented and one afterward.  Also, grants of up to $500 will be awarded for projects that will help the schools continue their recycling and waste reduction programs after the initial grant period is over.

“At Walmart, our community involvement is based on the philosophy of operating globally and giving back locally,” said Walmart Store Manager Shannon Willoughby. “We believe we can do the most good by supporting issues and causes that are important to our customers and associates in their own neighborhoods – including programs that stress environmental sustainability and incorporating green practices into every day life. We are pleased this donation to Bluegrass Greensource will enable the Wastebusters Program to expand into Boyle, Clark and Madison counties and look forward to following its success.”

Bluegrass Greensource is an environmental, non-profit organization that has offered resources and educational information to Central Kentucky since 2001. Greensource provides outreach to over 230 schools, 600 community groups, businesses, local governments and private citizens throughout Central Kentucky. Encouraging small, every day changes that make a big difference, the organization fosters positive environmental and economic impact throughout the region. For more information please visit www.bgGreensource.org.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

 Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the communities it serves and make a significant social impact within its core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Career Opportunity and Women’s Economic Empowerment. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States with a $2 billion commitment through 2015. Walmart has donated more than 1 billion meals to those in need across the country. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit www.foundation.walmart.com.

 

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Bluegrass Greensource uses Walmart grant to promote school recycling in three counties

October 1, 2014By 0 comment

Walmart has given Bluegrass Greensource a $50,000 grant to help promote more recycling and waste reduction in schools in three Kentucky counties – Boyle, Clark and Madison.

The program has existed for a number of years in six other counties – Anderson, Fayette, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, and Mercer – and been responsible, according to Bluegrass Greensource, for improved student state test scores, an increase in the rate of recycling, and significant financial savings. Fayette County schools estimated they saved $50,000 on their waste removal budget through the pilot program. Another county reports a 40 percent reduction in their landfill-bound waste.

Priorities for the program include increasing student understanding for the need to reduce waste and increase recycling. This is to be achieved, according to Greensource, by working with classrooms, cafeterias, custodians, and administrators on five elements including waste audits; provision of recycling equipment and materials; offering age-specific hands-on activities aligned with Common Core; providing a Manual for Waste Reduction; and helping schools apply for mini-grants to implement school-specific waste reduction initiatives.

Conkwright Elementary in Clark County will host an official launch of this year’s program on Tuesday, Sept. 30, during which students will participate in a school-wide waste audit and complete recycling lessons. Present at the launch will be the mayor of Winchester, the Clark County judge executive, the school superintendent, representatives from participating schools, the Clark County solid waste coordinator, and representatives from Winchester Municipal Utilities.

This post appeared in KY Forward on September 29, 2014.

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First Annual Earth Day Main St. Clean Sweep!

March 13, 2014By 0 comment

BGGS_Main St Clean Sweep

 

 

Bluegrass Greensource needs your help this Earth Day for our first annual Main St. Clean Sweep!  What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by getting out in your community and picking up litter?  Litter thrown on the streets ends up in storm drains and trashes our environment.  Storm drains often flow directly into streams, lakes, and rivers.  When water becomes polluted, it is no longer safe for drinking or recreation, and this litter harms fish and other wildlife.  Many of the items that are thrown from car windows or dropped on the sidewalk are not biodegradable, which means that their chemical decomposition takes a very long time and that these items will create long-term damage to environment (this is the case with cigarette butts).

You may have heard all kinds of things about how litter harms the environment, but did you know that litter also hurts local economies?  Houses in littered neighborhoods sell for less money than those in unlittered neighborhoods.  Also, cleaner communities have a better chance of attracting new businesses, residents, and tourists.  Much of what is thrown away or littered (like cans and plastic bottles) could have been recycled and is thus a lost resource.  So, let’s pick up some litter and help clean up the Bluegrass this Earth Day!

We are asking employees from businesses in Downtown/Main Street areas throughout the Bluegrass region to get outside during their lunch break on April 22nd anytime between 11:30 am and 2:00pm and pick up some litter (rain or shine).  Bluegrass Greensource is planning cleanups in Frankfort, Lancaster, Harrodsburg, Winchester, Stanford, Irvine, and Danville.  We will provide trash bags, gloves, and FREE T-SHIRTS at all locations!  Stay tuned for kick-off locations and more details in the coming month!

Even if you aren’t able to get out on Earth Day and help with one of the litter cleanups, you can still make a difference by picking up litter anytime, anywhere.  With your help we can make every day Earth Day!

If you are interested in being involved in one of the Earth Day Main St. Clean Sweep events, please contact Ashley at 859-266-1572 or vista@bggreensource.org.

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Boyle, Clark and Madison Counties Become WasteBusters!

February 12, 2014By 0 comment

LCMS - Energy Team - 2nd Audit

Boyle, Clark and Madison Counties Become WasteBusters!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Walmart Foundation, Bluegrass Greensource will be able to expand our successful WasteBuster Program to schools in Boyle, Clark and Madison Counties.   The goal of this program will be to increase school wide recycling, improve learning and save the school systems money.  

The WasteBuster Program is an expansion of a program we successfully completed in Anderson, Garrard, Lincoln and Jessamine counties, and mirrors the award winning LiveGreenLexington Partner Schools Program in Fayette County.  In each of these counties, school districts have shown increased recycling rates, reduction in their landfill bound waste, and improved student test scores.  Fayette County has also shown a significant cost savings because of their participation.

Bluegrass Greensource educators will work with principals, custodians, cafeteria mangers and teachers to provide recycling bins, conduct waste audits, and work with students in the classroom.  Greensource educators will facilitate hands on classroom activities to educate students about recyclable items and waste reduction practices they can implement at their schools.  All participating schools in Boyle, Clark and Madison also have the opportunity to apply for a waste reduction grant to implement specific initiatives in their school.

Bluegrass Greensource is excited about the opportunity to work with schools, staff and students in these three counties!  If you are a teacher in Boyle, Clark or Madison County and would like to participate, please contact Blair@bgGreensource.org.  

 

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