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2012 Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup Weeks!
Spring Clean – March 18-24
Summer Scrub – June 3-9
Fall Sweep – Sept. 16-22
For more information about Adopt-a-Highway, click here.
Recycling News
Did You Know…
You can drop off your personal paper items at the Division of Waste Management’s Ky. Government Recycling Section to be shredded and recycled for FREE. They are located at 115 Northgate Dr. in Frankfort Ky. 40601. All items are shredded and confidentiality of personal information is maintained.
Papers with staples and paper clips are acceptable, but other metals such as binder clips and plastics need to be removed prior to drop-off. Call Brian Bentley or Timmy Bryant at 564-8070 or e-mail them at brian.bentley@ky.gov or timmy.bryant@ky.gov to schedule an appointment or for more information. Click here for details about the State Office Paper Recycling Program. Click here for information on other recycling opportunities.
Thanks for recycling!
For information on carpooling with other state employees, click here.
Two Kentucky State Government Agencies Honored by
Green Fleets of the Bluegrass
 The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Finance and Administration Cabinet’s Division of Fleet Management have been honored by the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition (KCFC) for the agencies’ work to improve the environmental performance of state vehicle fleets. Both agencies earned the status as a “Pioneer” member of the Green Fleets of the Bluegrass program.
The agencies’ participation in Green Fleets supports the Governor’s Energy Plan, which calls for a 30 percent improvement in the fuel economy of the state vehicle fleet by 2015 and a 50 percent improvement by 2025. A key strategy of the Governor’s plan is the development of purchasing criteria to increase the overall fuel efficiency of the vehicles in the state fleet.
“Improving fleet efficiency makes economic sense,” said DEP Commissioner Bruce Scott. “In addition to substantially cutting fuel costs, these actions will have a positive impact on public health and the environment since transportation accounts for an estimated 30 percent of all air pollution nationwide.”
Participating fleets are evaluated on an annual basis for improvements in seven areas – vehicles, fuel, maintenance, operation, partnerships, strategy, and transparency. Fleets are recognized with an annual Green Fleets of the Bluegrass rating on a three-tier scale: Improving, Achieving, and Leading. DEP earned the additional rating of “Improving” because it has made progress in five of these categories since joining the program in July. The Division of Fleet Management earned the “Achieving” rating.
“Receiving this recognition is especially rewarding because, as with nearly every state agency, the Division of Fleet Management is operating with fewer resources during these lean budgetary times,” said Lori H. Flanery, secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet. “Even though we do not have the ability to purchase many new, fuel-efficient vehicles at this time, the Division is still working diligently to apply practices to improve fuel efficiency and decrease the effect on the environment.”
Current efforts include downsizing the DEP fleet to the smallest and most fuel-efficient class possible for replacement vehicles, as well as taking advantage of hybrid efficiencies. Twenty hybrid vehicles are included among the 261 vehicles DEP operates across the state, but that number could increase as older, less efficient vehicles are phased out.
There are currently 4,500 vehicles in the Division of Fleet Management.
Additional strategies for improving fleet efficiency could include:
- Adoption of an idle reduction policy
- Establishing a renewable fuel standard for the fleet
- Improved maintenance such as proper tire inflation.
For more information about Green Fleets of the Bluegrass, visit http://www.kentuckycleanfuels.org/greenfleets.htm.
Water Conservation Tips to Reduce the Water You Use and Save You Money!
Submitted by Michelle Shane, Energy and Environment Cabinet
- If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a water-efficient model. Water-efficient showerheads are inexpensive, easy to install and can save you up to 750 gallons a month! This change will also save you money on your water bill.
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and save 25 gallons a month and money on your water bill.
- Turn off the water while you shave and save up to 300 gallons a month and money on your water bill.
- Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Instead, compost vegetable food waste and save gallons every time. Cold composting is typical for households and super easy. An added benefit over time is the creation of rich compost. To start a pile, simply throw compostable material in a corner of your yard or flowerbed. Be sure you add browns, like leaves, and greens, like clipped grass. Keep the pile semi-moist by spraying it once in a while with water from the hose, and poke it occasionally to give it air. Then just let it be; there is no need to flip the pile with cold composting. In six months to a year, your waste will be gone and instead you’ll have great compost for your garden or flower beds!
- Let your lawn go dormant during the summer. Dormant grass only needs to be watered every three weeks or less if it rains.
Share Your Green Tips!
By making a few, simple lifestyle changes, each of us can make a huge, positive impact on the environment. Please submit your Green Tip, along with a photo of yourself, if you wish, to Tina.Goodmann@ky.gov so that it may be shared with your fellow state employees in a future edition of the Kentucky Employee Connection.
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