Contact: Lisa Deffendall • First Posted: Tuesday, August 8, 2006

The Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community (BPGC) will host the Creating a Greener Bluegrass Conference on August 10th and 11th at Lexington’s Radisson Plaza.

Funded through a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the conference will feature presentations by and panel discussions with local, state, and national experts from a variety of environmental fields.

The program includes such sessions as: What Is the Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community; What Is a Sustainable City; How Can We Achieve a Sustainable Bluegrass Region; and Sustainability around the Nation. In addition, a field trip will provide participants with tours of McConnell Springs Nature Area, Town Branch Treatment Facility, and the Old Frankfort Pike Landfill. The complete agenda is now available online at: http://www.uky.edu/sustainability/greencities/06ConferenceAgenda.pdf .

The Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community was established by proclamation in August 2005. At that time, Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman, and University of Kentucky President Lee Todd pledged to “engage [their] respective organizations and citizens in working together to find economically sustainable ways to protect [the] environment, conserve…resources, develop sustainability-related economic opportunities for business and industry, and enhance [the] way of life for future generations.” In the year since its formation, the Partnership has created nine teams to tackle environmental issues ranging from transportation to environmental education to recycling.

For more information on the Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community, visit the BPGC website at: www.uky.edu/sustainability/greencities .

Media Contact: Anna Goodman Hoover at Anna.Hoover@uky.edu or by phone at 859-257-8637.