EcoEKY: Green News from Eastern Kentucky

from the Harlan Daily Enterprise:

JOHN MIDDLETON/Harlan Daily Enterprise
Wal-Mart assistant manager Ross Everage presented a check in the amount of $500 to Harlan County 4-H agent Raymond Cox during the annual Earth Day festivities Thursday.


Trees distributed as part of Earth Day celebration

By JOHN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer
Published:
Friday, April 25, 2008 1:15 AM CDT

Residents from around Harlan County traveled to Wal-Mart on Thursday to pick up trees that were given away as part of an annual Earth Day celebration.

Hundreds of people waited in line outside of the building to receive one of the hundreds of black oak, red oak, black walnut, redbud and white dogwood trees that were donated by the Harlan County 4-H Club, Harlan County Conservation District, Kentucky Division of Forestry and Wal-Mart.

“We have tree seedlings here to give to everybody,” said Susan Mavinidis of the Harlan County Conservation District. “We are hoping they will go home and plant them and beautify their home and Harlan County.”

Raymond Cox, a 4-H agent with the Harlan County Extension Office, said he was happy to see the trees given to citizens who will plant them around the county.

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“We will be giving away about 1,000 trees today,” Cox said. “If they take the trees and set them out in their community, we will have some more of these beautiful trees that you see around on these mountains.”

During the event, Wal-Mart donated a $500 check to the Harlan County 4-H Camp.

“We raised $500 that we are going to donate to 4H camp to kick off the tree event,” said Wal-Mart assistant manager Ross Everage. “We wanted to participate with them this year and actively be involved in the event.

“We hope it will show people that Wal-Mart is trying our best to be a part of the community here in Harlan.”

Wal-Mart also raised $550 that was used to purchase trees for the event.

“People can plant these trees around their homes and restore the environment,” Everage said. “We want to do our best to give back to the community.”

Bob Kelly of the Kentucky Division of Forestry said the trees that were given away would help the county in the future.

“This helps our tree production through the years,” Kelly said. “It’s good for the environment.”

In addition to the trees, a Yard Machine riding lawnmower was given away. The mower was won by Donnie Ray Lewis, of Evarts.

Officials said the were pleased with the turnout for the event.

To conclude the festivities, a tree was planted behind the Wal-Mart building. Everage said employees will look after the tree as it grows in the upcoming years.

from the Harlan Daily Enterprise:

Cameras suggested at dump sites
By JOEY WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

Published: Friday, April 11, 2008 2:56 AM CDT

The severe problem of littering in Harlan County was the focus of Wednesday’s meeting of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce.

Lakis Mavinidis, Harlan County’s solid waste director, was the guest speaker and noted that not only is littering a problem for Harlan County but one the entire country needs to address.

“We in America currently produce 350 million tons of trash each year. That is an incredible number. We could line semi-trucks up bumper to bumper from here to New York, and we could pack each of them with garbage, and it still wouldn’t be 350 tons,” Mavinidis said. “So, it’s not only just a problem for this county, it is a problem nationwide. However, we have to do our part as a community to help solve the problem.”

The county received $46,000 last year to clean up litter, but Mavinidis said the amount ultimately used to clean up the county was $53,000. He estimated that it will take close to $1 million to clean up all the remaining illegal dump sites.

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Board members suggested security cameras be purchased and placed at illegal dumping sites. Mavinidis says that is something he plans to pursue.

“We would need to purchase at least 10 cameras. That would probably run us about $1,000, but I do think that it would be money well-spent. I think this could go a long way in actually catching the people who litter,” he said.

Also announced at the meeting were plans for a new morning talk show host for WFSR. Barry Leonard, who is currently the pastor at the Harlan United Methodist Church, will take over the morning show Monday through Friday.

“I wasn’t even thinking about this kind of thing happening right now. So, it was definitely a total surprise. I guess God just has things in store for you sometimes that are his plans,” Leonard said. “I have a lot of plans for the show. I plan on getting the community a lot more involved. That’s my main goal.”

from the Harlan Daily Enterprise:

Harlan Countians urged to pitch in during spring cleanup

Over 300 volunteers participated in 2007

By JOHN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

Published: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 11:03 PM CDT

The 2008 Harlan County PRIDE Spring Cleanup has been scheduled for April 5-19, and Harlan County Solid Waste Coordinator Lakis Mavinidis said he would like to encourage all citizens to get involved and help keep their community clean.

“We would like to ask everyone to start by cleaning up their own homes,” he said. “It’s important for everyone to work together to clean up our communities.”

“We would like to get everyone involved,” added Harlan County Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop. “Cleaning up the environment improves our quality of life.”

The PRIDE Spring Cleanup is a two-week period designated for environmental cleaning throughout southeastern Kentucky. During this time, coordinators organize cleanup events in their communities and clean illegal dumps, roadsides and waterways.

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Mavinidis said that 8,500 bags of litter and 300 tons of waste from illegal dumps were cleaned by over 300 volunteers in 2007. He said that he expects this year’s cleanup to continue the success of previous events, and added that the PRIDE Spring Cleanup is an opportunity for residents to build on this momentum and demonstrate personal responsibility by volunteering to pick up trash in their communities and taking advantage of free trash disposal services.

“We have had great participation in the past, and I think that will continue this year. We have always had good turnouts,” Mavinidis said. “We want to have another good spring cleaning season this year.”

He added that the amount of litter collected in Harlan County has steadily decreased, but more work is required before the problem is solved.

“We have been involved in the PRIDE program since 1997, and we have seen an increase in support since then. It is important that we continue what we started and, hopefully, bring the litter problem to a close,” Mavinidis said.

“The amount of litter around the county has been reduced considerably, but it is still a problem,” Grieshop said.

Anyone interested in conducting a cleanup project during the spring cleanup may call Grieshop’s office at 573-2600 or the Harlan County Recycling Center at 573-9423.