On Earth Day, let’s recognize our local environmental efforts and keep on going

Twenty years ago, I didn’t have kids, I didn’t have a mortgage and I did not have any long term plans. Star Wars was only on Episode II and buying the newest ringtone for your cell phone was the epitome of tech savviness. It was also the time I started working at a brand-new nonprofit, then called Bluegrass PRIDE (Personal Responsibility In a Desirable Environment). On Friday, as we celebrate Earth Day, and the 20th anniversary of what is now Bluegrass Greensource, I am humbled by our accomplishments and the work our community has done to make small changes that will have a big, positive impact.

I basically grew up with Bluegrass Greensource. As my first “real” job (defined by me as one with health insurance and a retirement plan), I dove headfirst into idealistic visions of a Kentucky that valued environmental education, rain gardens and rain barrels, recycling and energy efficiency. In 2002, Leonardo DiCaprio had not made “the environment” quite as hip of a cause as it is now, so it felt like an uphill battle, but one that could be won by perseverance, education, and optimism, all of which we as an organization had.

For 20 years, Bluegrass Greensource has worked in 20 Central Kentucky counties providing resources and education to empower our neighbors to create a sustainable environment. Before the pandemic, we had more than 100,000 engagements with adults and students and taught in more than 4,000 classrooms each year. I’ve watched the demand for our education staff grow exponentially and our educators pivot to online learning with grace as they help preK-12th graders understand how they impact our local environment and how they can make a difference in their own backyards. In 2021 alone we reached almost 200 people from underserved communities understand how to make their homes more energy efficient with very little investment and hosted our 9th annual Main Street Clean Sweep where 715 volunteers picked up more than 4 tons of litter during Earth Week.

Much more important than the successes that Greensource has seen, is the increase in interest and participation in environmental activities over the last 20 years. Rain barrels and rain gardens are now household names, and action teams have been formed to work on local waste, water, energy and local food initiatives. As a brand-new organization, we had to beg and plead to do Earth Day activities with local schools and organizations, and now we have to turn people away if they don’t book us months in advance. Our newly revamped website has already received thousands of visitors looking to learn how to do home composting or plant a riparian buffer. My knowledge about behavior change education has evolved too. No longer do I believe that just by telling someone why to do something, they will change their behavior. Now I understand that in addition to education, we have to breakdown barriers and change social norms, which we are working hard at every day.

So what about the next 20? On the horizon is a state-of-the-art environmental education facility that will allow Greensource to more fully realize our mission and demonstrate green living to a much broader audience. In the more immediate future, we will be hosting the 2nd Annual Sustainability Summit on May 12 which will focus on Environmental Justice and Kentucky’s Solar Future, as well as GreenFest on June 4 which will showcase 16 different green living sessions and a sustainable vendor fair.

Overall, the success of the organization lies solely on the incredible staff that I have worked with since the beginning. Their dedication, expertise and passion for our local environment has been unparalleled and they make me happy to go to work every day.

Now, with my own house, two kids, a cell phone that pings my watch instead of ringing and George Lucas selling out to Disney (I’ve lost track of all of the Star Wars spinoffs), I am still optimistic and idealistic and very proud of the accomplishments of a small but mighty environmental education nonprofit.

Amy Sohner is the executive director of Bluegrass Greensource.