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SubscribeIn preparation for the Brightside Community-Wide Planting Day on November 5, Brightside will be partnering with several local garden centers to host plant sales in support of Brightside programs and initiatives.
“Keeping our city clean and green is truly a community-wide effort,” Brightside Director Gina O’Brien said. “We are grateful to these local nurseries for their partnership and ask Louisville residents to support these local businesses so Louisville can add more green to their yards while supporting Brightside at the same time.”
Portions of sale proceeds will be donated to Brightside to support their clean and green initiatives. Participating nurseries and sale details are as follows:
- Plant Kingdom (4101 Westport Road): 20% of tree sales from October 26 through November 9
- St. Matthews Feed & Seed (225 Chenoweth Lane): 10% of all sales on October 29 & 30, November 5 & 6
- Tower View Farms & Nursery (12523 Taylorsville Road): 20% of all tree sales on October 29 & 30, November 5 & 6
- Ken Mulch (2708 Outer Loop): 10 % of all sales on October 29 and November 5
- Frank Otte Nursery and Garden Center (12902 Shelbyville Road): 20% of all plant and plant material sales on October 29 & 30, November 5 & 6
- Frank Otte Nursery and Garden Center (2930 Bardstown Road): 10% of all sales on October 29 & 30, November 5 & 6
- Idlewild Butterfly Farm (1100 Logan Street): 10% of all sales on October 29 and November 5
For more information on the Fall Plant Sale, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/brightside/fall-plant-sale
To sign up as a volunteer for the Community-Wide Planting Day event in Parkland on November 5, please visit https://louisvilleky.wufoo.com/forms/brightside-volunteer-interest-form/
Sustainability Week at the University of Louisville is Oct. 17-23 to raise awareness for responsible environmental, social and economic stewardship. This year’s focus is social justice.
The week, which coincides with homecoming festivities, begins Oct. 17 with “Weigh the Waste” at The Ville Grill, when plate scraps from a typical lunchtime in UofL’s busiest dining hall will be weighed before going into the compost bin to demonstrate how much food is discarded.
Oct. 19, a Campus Sustainability Day Fair featuring booths and information on UofL’s sustainability initiatives will be held in the Humanities Quad on Belknap Campus.
On the evening of Oct. 19, UofL will host the Louisville Sustainability Council’s monthly “Green Drinks” networking event for professionals interested in sustainability. The event will start at 6 p.m. with a campus sustainability tour leaving from in front of the University Club and end at Old Louisville Tavern, 1532 S. 4th St.
The week’s activities include:
- Oct. 18, noon – Diversity Dialogue Series: “Equity vs. Equality” (Cultural Center)
- Oct. 18, 6:30-8 p.m. – Race, Place and Perceptions: Making Louisville Home for Us All (Cultural Center)
- Oct. 18 (Health Sciences Campus, Kornhauser Plaza) and Oct. 20 (Belknap Campus, Humanities Quad) – Bike maintenance workshops
- Oct. 21, noon – EcoReps Lunch&Learn, “Sustainability at UofL,” Ekstrom Library, W210.
- Oct. 21, 2-3 p.m. – Garlic Planting Day! Garden Commons Workshop and Workday (Cultural Center)
- Oct. 23 –UofL Community Composting Volunteer Day, 200 block of E. Bloom St. (one block north of Cardinal Boulevard between Brook and Floyd streets)
For more information, contact Justin Mog, assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives, at 502-852-8575.
5K Race, Outdoor Adventure, Guided Hikes, Food Trucks & Music Highlight Event
Families can enjoy fall color at Jefferson Memorial Forest during the Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure on Saturday, October 15 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Participants can get a pumpkin, take a hay ride, and hike trails of various lengths through the Forest at the height of fall color. The event is free to the public.
Activities include a children’s nature exploration area, Alpine Tower climbs, pumpkin decorating, hayrides, archery, and fishing. The Forest’s volunteer trail team and staff will lead hikes at various skill levels and introduce visitors to the native plant gardens, bird blind and animal exhibits.
The event will also feature a 5K trail run through the forested knobs starting at 9 a.m.
“The annual Forest Adventure is the perfect opportunity for families to discover the natural beauty and recreational opportunities at Jefferson Memorial Forest, which is thirty minutes away, or less, no matter where you live in Louisville,” Park Administrator Bennett Knox said.
With 6,600 acres, Jefferson Memorial Forest offers many opportunities for individuals and families to enjoy and explore the outdoors. The Forest features more than 35 miles of marked hiking trails, fishing, and primitive camping. It is also home to one of Louisville’s most exciting new attractions, the Go Ape treetop adventure course.
Theresa Zawacki, Chair of Wilderness Louisville, the non-profit supporting Jefferson Memorial Forest, stressed the importance of Louisville’s community forest and the general role natural areas contribute to the city’s quality of life.
“All of us, young and old, benefit from being outdoors,”Zawacki said. “Being active in nature benefits us in so many ways from helping us manage stress, to creating opportunities for families to bond, and of course, just plain fun.”
The hiking Saturday will be through the Horine Reservation of the Forest, located at 12304 Holsclaw Hill Road. Nine different trail routes in four sections of the Forest will be featured, providing a range of options for hikers of all abilities. The trails range in length from one-fifth of a mile up to five miles, and have terrain varying from relatively flat to rugged.
The Wilderness Louisville Forest Adventure is presented by Quest Outdoors.
Hazmat crews are on scene in the 600 block of Main St where a chemical leak is spilling ammonia.
A shelter-in-place has been ordered for the NuLu area within the borders of I-65 and Witherspoon, Clay, and Market Streets.
Louisville MetroSafe/EMA issued the following:
THERE HAS BEEN A RELEASE OF A HAZARDOUS MATERIAL AT 609 EAST MAIN STREET. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ASKING THAT PERSONS EAST OF I 65 NORTH OF MAIN STREET AND EAST TO CLAY STREET TO SHELTER IN PLACE AT THIS TIME.
After a study completed by the Office of Planning and Design Services, a draft of regulations regarding methane plants within the county has been given the Louisville Metro Council.
The methane plants are bio-digester. A bio-digester is defined as a renewable energy system that uses controlled decomposition of biodegradable materials (e.g. outdated food from local groceries and yard waste) in oxygen-deprived environments using naturally occurring bacteria to convert the biodegradable materials into methane-rich biogas and a waste product, which is used as a fertilizer.
According to the proposed regulations, any plant will need to be a minimum of 1,320 feet away from a residential property, school, religious building, park, community center, hospital, nursing home, or assisted living facility and at least 50 feet from a public right-of-way. Vehicles delivering feedstock, the biodegradable materials, shall not unload their cargo until they are fully enclosed in the receiving building and feedstock can only be stored in a fully enclosed building. All bio-digesters must also comply with noise ordinances, all local, state and federal laws regarding utility substations, safety, maintenance, health, and so on. Plants must also submit an emergency response plan and strategies for limiting odor that is generated from the decomposition. Natural methane is an odorless gas and it is produced in a variety of places throughout the world, including swamps and marsh lands.
There are currently three bio-digesters in the county: two of which are operated about Metropolitan Sewer District and the third is a private company. Any new proposed plants would need to seek a conditional use permit in industrial zones and the permit grants the applicant the ability to hold a public hearing. Conditional use permit holders must meet all requirements set forth in the regulations, and the Board of Zoning Adjustment must determine that there will be no adverse effects to neighboring properties before the permit is issued. However, plants that are strictly for agricultural use are exempt from zoning requirements, noise ordinances, odor mitigation, and emergency response plans per state law. A map of lands that are eligible for use is available on the City’s website.
The regulations are open for public comment, and if you missed one of the six meetings already, the final four meetings are coming up quick:
- July 27th, 6 – 8 PM – Newburg Library: 4800 Exeter Ave,
- July 27th, 6 – 8 PM- Central Government Center: 7201 Outer Loop
- July 28, 9 AM- Old Jail Auditorium: 514 W. Liberty St
- August 1, 6 PM – Old Jail Auditorium: 514 W Liberty St
Written comments can be submitted to Brian Mabry via Brian.Mabry@louisvilleky.gov. All comments must be received by 12 PM on August 1st to considered during the evening public hearing.
A free bulk waste and junk drop-off event will be held on Sunday, May 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Waste Management Outer Loop Landfill, 2673 Outer Loop. Residents throughout Jefferson County may drop off bulky items not accepted during regular garbage collection such as appliances, furniture and mattresses.
The drop-off event is a partnership of Metro Public Works and Waste Management of Kentucky. Residents are asked to separate metal items from other junk so it can be recycled to conserve limited landfill space.
Items that will not be accepted during the drop-off event include yard waste (grass, limbs, leaves, etc.), hazardous materials, paint, tires and commercial trash.
The event is in addition to regular bulk waste disposal available throughout the year at the Waste Reduction Center located at 636 Meriwether Avenue. In the year round service, up to three bulk items per household are accepted free of charge during regular operating hours Tuesday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Materials such as oil and lead-based paints, lawn fertilizers, batteries and household chemicals may be taken the Household Hazardous Materials Collection Center, known as Haz Bin, at 7501 Grade Lane. The center is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no charge for Louisville residents for HAZ BIN services.
Event set for Saturday, November 7th from 9:00am to 2:00pm
Brightside is putting out a call for volunteers this Saturday to help expand Metro Louisville’s tree canopy with a Community-Wide Planting Day set along West Broadway.
“A goal of 150 trees planted is what we are hoping for and we need volunteers if we are going to reach that goal,” says Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5). “The city has an ambitious plan to replace our tree canopy after years of neglect and destruction by the forces of nature and disease.”
The Brightside Community – Wide Planting Day is set for Saturday, November 7th from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Volunteers should meet at the Shawnee Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, 3912 West Broadway
Brightside will assist the volunteers in planting 150 trees along West Broadway from 20th Street to 44th Street.
“If you want to be a part of helping beautify this area as part of our sustainability efforts and improving the environment I would encourage you to come and join the volunteers, “says Hamilton. “ We are only asking people to plant one tree per volunteer. If enough people show up to help we can have the planting done in no time.”
For more information about the Brightside Community-Wide Planting Day or if you want to register, call 574-2613 or visit www.Brightsideinc.org