| University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service ENRI Task Force |
Environmental and
Natural Resource
Issues Task Force
Newsletter
Spring 2012
Contents
Natural Resources and Environmental Science:
A University of Kentucky Bachelor’s Degree
Noteworthy News
1
Grant Opportunities
6
Upcoming Events
7
Surfing the Web
8
Written by Geri Philpott, NRES Academic Coordinator
Natural Resources
and Environmental Science (NRES) is an
interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree grounded in the natural
and social sciences and housed within the College of Agriculture.
The curriculum is rich in experiential learning, requiring a 3-week
summer camp and an internship or research experience. With small
class sizes, one-on-one faculty interactions, writing intensive courses,
and a strong network of former graduates working in natural
resources, environmental science, and environmental policy, NRES is
a proven program that has been in existence for over 18 years.
After acquiring a solid background in science, math, and society
through the NRES major requirements, each student then focuses
their degree by taking nine credit hours in each of two emphasis
areas (Analytical Skills and Environmental Systems) of their choice
(see image on page 2.
Continued on page 2…
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About this Newsletter…
This newsletter is available on the
ENRI web site in PDF format. The
newsletter is coordinated by Ashley
Osborne, Extension Associate for
Environmental and Natural
Resource Issues.
University of Kentucky
Cooperative Extension
Service ENRI Task Force
N122 Agricultural Science North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
P: 859-257-2505
E: ashley.osborne@uky.edu
Find us on the Web:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/enri/
Image above: Analytical Skills and Environmental Systems
Upon completing a degree in NRES students will be well prepared to pursue graduate school, law school, or
obtain a job working as a:
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Conservation Scientist
Environmental Quality Manager
Environmental Scientist
Land Planning Consultant
Natural Resource Manager
Environmental Educator
Naturalist
Sustainability Coordinator
Watershed Manager
Wildlife Biologist
And more!
NRES graduates are able to find jobs in:
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Federal government
State and local government
Consulting firms
Non-profit organizations
Utilities
Real estate developers
Academic organizations
For profit companies
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For more information:
Visit us at: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/nres/
or
Contact: Geri Philpott, NRES Academic
Coordinator
Geri.Philpott@uky.edu, 859-257-2337
Disposing of Storm Debris
Reprinted, with permission, from the Kentucky Division for Air Quality
Storm-affected Kentuckians face a number of health,
safety, and compliance hazards when handling and
disposing of debris.
Debris from homes and businesses should not be
burned. This includes structural materials, roofing,
insulation, siding, appliances, carpet, furniture, and
other household items.
Burning of vegetative debris is permitted; however, if
local governments decide to burn woody and vegetative
debris, local fire departments should oversee the
burning and ensure there are adequate fire breaks. To
be in compliance with state regulations, all trash, tires,
appliances, construction/demolition debris, etc. must
be removed prior to burning. To minimize
environmental impact, debris should not be burned
until dry, at least on exterior surfaces. Small amounts of
clean diesel fuel or kerosene, not to exceed five gallons,
may be used to aid ignition. Storm-damaged building
materials, appliances and furniture may not be burned.
For questions about open burning, call 888-BURN-LAW
(888-287-6529).
Recycling is the preferred disposal method for many
kinds of debris. If it is not feasible to recycle all debris,
cities or counties should identify staging areas where
debris can be temporarily stored or, in the case of
woody and vegetative debris, burned. At a minimum,
staging areas must be well away from residences and
businesses. They also must be out of floodplains and
away from sinkholes and drainage channels.
Local officials should contact the Division of Waste
Management (502-564-6716) or Division for Air Quality
(502-564-3999) with proposed staging areas. Inspectors
will check the site to ensure it meets specific
environmental criteria. Once a staging area is approved,
material may be disposed using any combination of the
following methods:
Disposing of Woody & Vegetative Waste
Local governments are strongly encouraged to recycle
woody and vegetative debris by composting, shredding,
or chipping for reuse as mulch.
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Storm-generated vegetative debris managed at a
staging area may be disposed of in a permitted,
contained landfill or construction debris landfill.
Use controlled burning for vegetative debris only. After
burning, ashes may not be buried. There are three
options for ash disposal:
 Small amounts of ash may be incorporated into the
soil at the staging area using a tractor and disc.
 Ash may be given away to farmers for use as a soil
amendment.
 Ash may be disposed of in a permitted landfill
(check with landfill first).
Disposing of Household/Business Debris
Construction & Demolition Debris: All storm-related
construction/demolition debris should be treated as
potentially asbestos contaminated material (ACM) and
maintained in a wet condition from demolition to final
disposal activity. Construction and demolition debris
may be disposed of at a permitted construction and
demolition landfill or a contained landfill. Contact the
Division for Waste Management for a list of permitted
landfills: 502-564-6716. Contact the Kevin Flowers at
the Division for Air Quality for more information about
handling asbestos at 502-564-3999.
Appliances: These can be picked up by a hauler and
taken to a recycling center or county staging area.
Contact the Division for Waste Management for a list of
recycling centers: 502-564-6716.
Household Garbage & Residential Waste: All
residential waste must go to a contained landfill.
Contact your county or city government to see if they
have a special household hazardous waste drop-off for
items like paint and pesticides.
Special Handling Applies to:
Livestock Carcasses: Contact the Department for
Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health at 502-564-3956
for information and assistance on proper disposal.
55 Gallon Drums or Tanks: Don’t attempt to move a
drum or tank, since it may contain hazardous materials
or waste. Note the location and contact the Division for
Waste Management at 502-564-6716.
Disposing of Storm Debris continued…
Important Contact Numbers:
Environmental Response Team
 Office number – 502-564-2150
 Spill Reporting Hotline – 800-928-2380
Division of Water
 Office number – 502- 564-3410
 Wastewater issues – ask for Tom Gabbard
 Drinking water issues – ask for Julie Roney
Division of Waste Management
 Office number – 502-564-6716
Division for Air Quality
 Office number – 502-564-3999
 Open Burning Hotline: 888-287-6529
This factsheet can be downloaded and reprinted at
http://tinyurl.com/87u9djs.
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Division for Air Quality Issues Precautions about Safe Handling of Storm Debris
Mixed Building Debris Could Contain Asbestos
Reprinted, with permission, from the Kentucky Division for Air Quality (March 8, 2012)
The Kentucky Division for Air Quality (DAQ) is issuing guidelines to Kentuckians in storm-stricken counties for the safe handling
of building debris which may contain asbestos. All debris from damaged buildings should be kept thoroughly wetted until final
disposal to prevent the potential release of asbestos particles. Such debris should never be burned and must be properly
disposed of in an approved landfill.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that is commonly found in a variety of building construction materials such as roofing shingles,
ceiling and floor tiles, pipe insulation, and flame retardant products like asbestos cement. When asbestos-containing
materials are damaged or disturbed, microscopic fibers become airborne and can be inhaled into the lungs, where they can
cause significant health problems.
The tornadoes that swept through Kentucky damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and left behind tons of debris. The
high volume and mixed nature of the debris makes asbestos testing impractical. Therefore, all debris containing building or
demolition materials should be treated as if it contains asbestos, and properly handled to protect public health.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping asbestos-containing material thoroughly wetted to
prevent asbestos particles from being released. DAQ recommends wetting or misting demolition debris with water to keep it
continuously moist until disposal in a landfill. Containers and tractor trailers should be covered before transporting debris to
landfills.
Open burning of demolition debris is dangerous and illegal. Burning this debris can release many types of toxic materials,
including asbestos.
For more information on safely handling and disposing of storm debris, Kentuckians can call: 888-BURN-LAW or 888-2876529. A complete copy of the guidelines can be found on the Division for Air Quality’s website at air.ky.gov/Pages/News-andEvents.aspx .
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Register Now for the KY Association of Environmental Education Conference
September 14-15, 2012, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park
Early Bird Registration Opens June 15, 2012
Keynote Speaker: Tim Farmer, KY Afield
http://kaee.org/conference/
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University of Kentucky Becomes Empowered
Reprinted, with permission, from Gail Hairston, UKNOW January 2012
http://www.empowered.uky.edu/
Are you an Energy Hog?
With today’s launch of Empowered™ every
individual in the University of Kentucky community
will be able to discern exactly how much energy
they use every day – from an energy-efficient desk
lamp to an energy-guzzling mini refrigerator.
Accessible through touch-screen kiosks located
around campus, a public website, and a mobile
version for smartphones and tablets, Empowered is
an interactive, user-friendly educational resource,
featuring a web-based, real-time campus energy
dashboard that measures energy consumption in
residence halls, classrooms and labs, as well as
offices and public spaces. While the stated mission
of the program is to elevate the energy IQ of the
campus community, a secondary but no less
important role is to inspire individuals to
participate in a culture of conservation.
“We are the only university that has taken these
steps to deploy a program on such a broad level,
serving such a large community. Through the
deployment of these kiosks and the launch of the
Empowered website, UK will be the model by which
other campus programs around the country are
measured,” said UK President Eli Capilouto.
In terms of its comprehensive layers of interactive
programs, including virtual rooms, a video library,
and a behavior-based incentive program,
Empowered is a one-of-a-kind resource for UK
students, staff, faculty and researchers. There’s
quite simply nothing like it anywhere in the
country; it was developed by UK for UK.
While the UK Office of Sustainability, Ameresco,
and Yonder Interactive Neighborhoods were the
primary creators and implementers of Empowered,
the initiative is the result of collaborative efforts by
many programs, departments and agencies,
including: The President’s Sustainability Advisory
Council, the Office of the Vice President for
Facilities Management, the Office of University
Capital Projects, Greenthumb (a students’ club), the
Student Sustainability Council, the Center for
Applied Energy Research, UK Energy Club (a
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students’ club), Kentucky Geological Survey, the
College of Engineering, and the Tracy Farmer
Institute for Sustainability and the Environment.
“We live in a world primarily powered by finite
resources,” Capilouto said. “Our planet has limits.
But our faculty researchers in research centers find
new ways to work within these parameters and
utilize our assets to maximize, in a responsible and
respectful manner, the impact of these resources."
“The Empowered Program exemplifies the
university's continued commitment to being a
responsible consumer of our energy resources and
a respectful neighbor in the city of Lexington. At the
heart of the matter, responsible behavior requires
education and awareness. These new tools provide
a fun, interactive resource for our students, faculty
and staff to see the impact they have on the energy
footprint of our campus,” said Capilouto, who has
had the opportunity this past week to work with an
Empowered kiosk temporarily located in his office
suite.
“Most people want to save money and to reduce
their negative impact on the environment,” UK
Sustainability Coordinator Shane Tedder said.
“Empowered makes this easy to do by visualizing
the impact that our daily decisions have on our
wallets and our planet.”
Empowered provides real-time energy usage from
across the campus as well as an archive with data
on historical energy usage and comparisons that
put the numbers into perspective. While it can be
used for friendly 'Who’s the Energy Hog' contests
between individuals or residence halls or office
buildings, Empowered is also loaded with
conservation tips, videos, and a glossary of
sustainability terms.
“I am excited to see how Empowered will allow the
campus community to learn how their individual
actions affect the energy use at this university.
Empowered will allow us to educate ourselves so
that we may become better at protecting our
resources,” said UK Student Body President Micah
Fielden.
Empowered continued…
“Empowered will be essential in aiding UK students
as they learn about how our resources are used and
an invaluable tool as we work together to modify
our behavior so that we become more
environmentally friendly and work hard to reduce
waste,” he added.
Just two years ago, UK embarked on an ambitious,
some may have even said risky, plan to dramatically
reduce its energy usage. The Board of Trustees on
Dec. 1, 2009, approved the initiation of an energy
savings performance contract with Ameresco, an
energy service company based in Louisville, Ky.
provide these returns on the investment, the ESCO
is responsible for the difference.
The first phase of the project encompassed a
yearlong, energy-savings retrofit of 61 campus
buildings, which dramatically decreased the
university’s carbon footprint, an annual emissions
reduction of about 23,291 tons of CO2. That is
roughly the equivalent of taking 45,755 cars off the
road or planting 62,257 acres of trees or powering
5,251 homes -- each and every year. In addition,
about 13,987,779 kilowatt hours and 37,673,020
gallons of water were saved.
Vice President for Facilities Management Bob
An energy service company (ESCO), such as
Wiseman said, “Empowered is an exciting addition
Ameresco, provides comprehensive energy and
to our campus. It provides a very visible public
water management analysis plans as well as energy
interface to our recent centralized on-going,
and water-related capital improvement services.
energy-saving initiatives and projects. It encourages
Enabled by Kentucky Revised Statute 56.774,
individuals to make personal choices and assume
energy savings performance contracting is a costindividual responsibility that will save more energy
effective process for energy upgrades. Energy
and money on campus. I believe that as faculty,
service companies guarantee that utility savings
staff and students are given specific energy
generated by facility upgrades are sufficient to pay
information and suggestions on conservation, they
back the capital investment over a set period
will do their part.”
(generally 11 to 12 years). If the project does not
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Grant Opportunities
Do Something Club Grant
Five $250 grants are awarded each month to clubs currently working on a project or have an idea of a project to benefit their
community. For more information visit http://www.dosomething.org/clubs/grants.
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Upcoming Events
For more information about the events listed below (including contact information and web links) visit
http://www.ca.uky.edu/gogreen/upcomingevents.php.
April
Earth Month
17: Incorporating Rain Gardens into Youth Water Education
Let's G.O. (Get Outside) Month
Workshop. West KY 4-H Camp, Dawson Springs, KY.
National Garden Month
Earthdays in the Bluegrass. University of Kentucky Campus
19: Incorporating Rain Gardens into Youth Water Education
Workshop. Lake Cumberland 4-H Camp, Jabez, KY.
12: Improving Children's Health Webinar Series: Communities
Working Together for Better Health
21-29: National Park Week
15-21: Environmental Education Week: Greening STEM
22: Earth Day
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
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April continued…
June
29-May 6: Stewardship Week
Great Outdoors Month
National Rivers Month
30-May 6: Screen Free Week
9: National Get Outdoors Day
May
Kentucky Water Awareness Month
11-15: KY Forest Leadership Program. Lake Cumberland 4-H
American Wetlands Month
Educational Center, Jabez, KY.
7-11: Air Quality Awareness Week
11-15: KY Entomology Leadership Program. Lake Cumberland
4-H Educational Center, Jabez, KY.
7-12: International Compost Awareness Week
14: Improving Children's Health Webinar Series: Healthy
8: Incorporating Rain Gardens into Youth Water Education
Homes
Workshop. North Central KY 4-H Camp, Carlisle, KY. Contact
Ashley Osborne.
18-24: Pollinator Week
9: Waste Not, Want Not: Tackling the Consumption and
July
Waste Path Webinar - National Wildlife Federation
Lakes Appreciation Month
Parks and Recreation Month
10: Improving Children's Health Webinar Series: Success
Smart Irrigation Month
Asthma Management
August
11: Incorporating Rain Gardens into Youth Water Education
9: Improving Children's Health Webinar Series: Children's
Workshop. Feltner KY 4-H Camp, London, KY. Contact Ashley
Environmental Health Research
Osborne.
September
13: Improving Children's Health Webinar Series: National
Children's Study
14-15: KY Association of Environmental Education
Conference. Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Jamestown,
KY.
Image designed by Misty Hamilton, UK Ag Communications.
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Surfing the Net
U.S. EPA Nutrient Pollution
http://epa.gov/nutrientpollution/
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently unveiled a new website on nutrient pollution for homeowners,
students, and educators. Included on the site is information explaining the problem of nutrient pollution; the sources of
the pollution; how it affects the environment, economy, and public health; and what people can do to reduce the
problem. In addition, an interactive map of local case studies in reducing nutrient pollution is provided.
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