UK Happenings

UK's Earth Days in the Bluegrass Offers Full Month of Events

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 3, 2017) — April is a great month to observe, celebrate and engage with our natural world. Environmental stewardship is one of three core components of the University of Kentucky's sustainability mission and Earth Days in the Bluegrass offers a full month of great events organized around that theme.

“These events, coordinated by a diverse group of campus organizations, promote the importance of a balanced triple bottom line: people, prosperity and the planet," said UK Sustainability Coordinator Shane Tedder. 

The calendar of events kicks off on Monday, April 3, with an environmental fair coordinated by the student group UK Greenthumb from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the White Hall Classroom Building.

“The purpose of the fair is to educate students about local environmental groups and organizations within the Lexington community,” said Kevin Royal, student member of UK Greenthumb.

The student organization has invited a wide variety of campus and community organizations to participate and showcase ways that students can get involved with grassroots environmental activism, community sustainability projects, academic programs, internship opportunities and much more.

From 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, the UK Urban Forest Initiative will host a lecture with Cornell University’s Nin Bassuk titled “Beyond the Native/Exotic Debate: Best Practices for a Healthy Urban Forest.” The event is free, open to the public and will take place at the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Fayette County Cooperative Extension Office at 1140 Harry Sykes Way.

April 9-14 is the fifth annual Bike Week at UK sponsored by the Bicycle Advisory Committee and UK Transportation Services. The week kicks off with a guided ride featuring some of Lexington’s significant architectural and historical sites on Sunday, April 9, and features a "Bike To Campus" celebration with free bike-powered smoothies, a DIY maintenance clinic and brown bag lunch for those interested in learning more about UK’s bicycle voucher program. For more information on these events, please visit www.uky.edu/pts/bac/bike_week

UK’s corporate partners are also involved with this year’s calendar. UK Dining currently incorporates local food and waste reduction into their efforts year-round and will be announcing new sustainability efforts this month. Coca-Cola will also be hosting two events on campus on April 20 and 21 to connect students with the work the company is doing globally through its sustainability initiatives.

Earth Day, April 22, falls on a Saturday this year and there are tons of opportunities to engage around the community. This year, folks will have the opportunity to participate in a reforestation project on reclaimed surface mines near UK’s Robinson Forest sponsored by Green Forests Work.

The month concludes with the annual Arbor Day celebration, "Party for the Planet," hosted by The Arboretum from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., on April 29. The event will feature great activities for all ages, a tree giveaway, free admission to the UK Children’s Garden, a choral performance by students from Cassidy Elementary and a proclamation by Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. The event is free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of multiple sponsors.

There is truly something for everyone on this year’s Earth Days in the Bluegrass calendar. For more information on the full list of events, please visit www.uky.edu/sustainability/edbg