Upcoming Events
Earth Month Activities
by Thomas Webb**
The first celebration of Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970. The purpose of the original Earth Day was to increase environmental awareness and highlight the importance of protecting our environment. Since that time Earth Day celebrations have continued to be held annually. Within Fayette County, there are several events that you can participate in or volunteer for this spring to help protect our local environment. To obtain information on or volunteer for any of the events listed below, please contact LEXCALL at 425-2255.
Great American Cleanup
Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup will be held in Fayette County beginning Friday April 20. During the Cleanup, volunteers can help improve their community by picking up litter and trash from public areas. During last year’s Great American Cleanup, over 3,700 volunteers picked up approximately 415 tons of garbage, trash, and debris within Fayette County.
Mulch Give Away
The Department of Public Works will be giving away free mulch (from the LFUCG yard waste composting operation) to Fayette County residents from 8:00 a.m. to12:00 noon on Saturday, April 14 and Saturday, April 21 at the Lexington Recycling Center, 360 Thompson Road.
Free Disposal
Public Works is having a “free disposal day” at the Bluegrass Waste Alliance Transfer Station located at 1505 Old Frankfort Pike on Saturday, April 21. On this day Fayette County residents can dispose of trash at the transfer station at no charge.
Electronics Drop-off
Solid Waste is holding an electronics drop-off event during the first week of April (April 2 through April 7). Fayette County residents can drop off unwanted electronic items such as computers, monitors, etc. at the Versailles Road Campus (formerly Furrow’s) at 1306 Versailles Road. The event is for residential electronics only. Electronics from businesses will not be accepted. Last year the LFUCG recycled over 304,000 pounds of electronics.
Reforest the Bluegrass
Reforest the Bluegrass will be held Saturday, April 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Town Branch Trail Head near McConnell’s Trace Subdivision (next to Bracktown Baptist Church). During this event, volunteers can truly get close to the earth by getting their hands dirty planting tree seedlings along stream banks. This will help improve air quality and water quality and protect aquatic life. In the last seven years, over 150,000 tree seedlings have been planted under this program.
River Clean Sweep
The Kentucky River Clean Sweep is sponsored by the Kentucky River Authority and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission. The sweep for 2007 is planned for June 16. Over 206 miles of the river and its tributaries are cleaned during this time. Fayette County’s portion of the sweep is held at the Clays Ferry Boat Dock.
If you want more information on Earth Day as well as some simple steps you can take at home to protect the environment, visit the EPA’s Earth Day website.
**This information originally appeared in the LFUCG Safety Health and Environmental Compliance Newsletter.
Click here for information about University of Kentucky Earth Month Activities.