by Keith Hautala, Shane Tedder

(April 8, 2014) — The University of Kentucky this month is hosting the ninth annual Earth Days in the Bluegrass (EDBG), a month-long series of events promoting sustainability.  

The Office of Sustainability coordinates EDBG and partners with other campus and community organizations to provide a full calendar of workshops, presentations, films screenings and more. This year the schedule of events includes several unique sustainability-focused volunteer opportunities.

The Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment is hosting a rain garden “Planting Party” at 1 p.m. Friday, April 11, at the newly constructed rain garden on Farm Road. Volunteers will join event organizers and plant more than 300 plants that will improve water quality issues in that area of campus.

The city of Lexington is hosting Reforest the Bluegrass, where volunteers will be planting thousands of trees from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in Lexington’s Hisle Park. 

The UK Sustainability Council is partnering with the Downtown Lexington Corporation on the annual Downtown Trash Bash. The Student Sustainability Council will staff a table from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, April 18, on the corner of Limestone and Avenue of Champions and will coordinate volunteers who will be cleaning up litter along Limestone from campus to downtown. 

Finally, the UK Environmental Science Club is partnering with EDBG to host a river sweep Saturday, April 26, on the South Fork of the Licking River, near Cynthiana. Participants will canoe down the river to an illegal dump site and help clear hundreds of tires from the river side. Transportation from campus, canoe rental, and lunch will be provided.  Volunteers will leave campus at 8:30 a.m. and will return around  4 p.m. 

More information about these events, a full EDBG calendar can be found here, or contact Shane Tedder, UK sustainability coordinator, at 859-257-0014; shane.tedder@uky.edu.