Campus News

BBGG Offers Tours of Watershed, More

LEXINGTON, Ky, (Sept. 18, 2009) -- For those who can fit it into their schedule today, University of Kentucky's Big Blue Goes Green offers extensive tours of the Cane Run Watershed, the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) and the Kentucky Geological Survey.

A bus will depart from the William T. Young Library at 9:30 a.m. Friday for the Cane Run Watershed. Participants can either limit their tour to the watershed when the bus returns to the library at 12:30 p.m. or continue on to CAER and the Kentucky Geological Survey facility tour from 1-3 p.m. with the bus returning to Young Library at 3 p.m. Those interested only in the CAER tour can simply board the tour bus at 12:30 p.m.

The Cane Run Watershed is an important water resource contained within parts of Fayette and Scott counties in central Kentucky. The project is led by the UK College of Agriculture, funded through the U.S. EPA, and is a collaborative effort to assess and restore the Cane Run Watershed. The tour is sponsored by the UK College of Agriculture and the UK Cooperative Extension Service.

One of UK’s 11 multidisciplinary research centers, CAER provides a focal point for energy and environmental research, including environmental issues related to fuel use. At the end of the tour, participants will visit the Kentucky Geological Survey Well Sample and Core Library, which holds a large repository of samples taken from drilling sites all around Kentucky. A sample of the type of rock in which KGS has injected carbon dioxide will be shown. This research is intended to help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere from industrial sources by storing it in deep geologic formations. The tours are presented by the UK Center for Applied Energy Research and Kentucky Geological Survey.

A special event is scheduled during the Kentucky vs. Louisville Football Game on Saturday. Volunteers will assist UK PPD Recycling, Residence Life Recycling, and the Kappa Delta Sorority by collecting recyclables before, during and after the football game. Volunteers will also be talking to tailgaters about recycling options. Volunteers can sign-in at Gate 11 of Commonwealth Stadium, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The initiative is presented by UK Physical Plant Department Recycling, UK Residence Life Recycling, and Kappa Delta Sorority.

For detailed information about the two-week sustainability showcase, visit www.sustainability.uky.edu.