Enjoy the outdoors? Like to get your hands dirty? Have a passion for the environment and want to make a difference in the community? Want to be apart of an environmental organization that helps Lexington?
The Citizens’ Environmental Academy is accepting applications for individuals who have a passion for improving the Lexington environment. This program is a year long commitment that is presented by Lexington’s Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works. It is designed to engage Fayette County residents in environmental issues related to the department’s work.
Brian Popa says the part of the academy he enjoyed the most was touring the different facilities managed by the Department of Environmental Quality and Public Works, especially waste water treatment and recycling plants. “I was able to learn a great deal because I had not previously thought about how these operations worked,” Popa says. “Not only did I get to see the inner workings firsthand, but I learned about the challenges these operational units faced and how, as a citizen, I can help.”
Participants will meet on Saturday each month for talks, tours, and hands-on activity. The places that will be attended to are the Recycling Center, Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Senior Center, and McConnell Springs. Each participant will be allowed up to $2,500 to contribute toward their chosen project and these projects are selected by class vote and need to be approved, along with the budget, by the city.
“Being a part of the Citizens’ Environmental Academy definitely gave me a new perspective on how my personal choices and actions affect all the things ‘downstream,’ whether it be the plastic waste I produce or the things I pour down my sink,” says Sandra Broadus. “It has made me a more conscientious consumer and a better advocate for our city among my friends and colleagues.”
For additional information, including the academy schedule and application, visit www.lexingtonky.gov/CEA. Applications are due March 29, and the new class will begin on May 18.
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