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UK College of Agriculture
Awarded Grants
To Promote Energy Efficiency
 LEXINGTON,
Ky., (July 25, 2007) - University of Kentucky’s College of
Agriculture was awarded $175,000 in grants from the Governor’s
Office of Energy Policy to promote energy efficiency and
renewable energy education throughout the state.
The grant will help support an ENERGY STAR circuit rider who
travels across the state promoting ENERGY STAR at more than 50
events including home and garden shows and electric cooperative
annual meetings, as well as a large exhibit at the Kentucky
State Fair. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary, government-backed
program helping businesses and individuals protect the
environment through superior energy efficiency. Kentucky became
only the fourth state in the nation to be declared an ENERGY
STAR partner by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
This grant helps to educate UK Cooperative Extension agents
about ENERGY STAR and energy-efficient practices. These agents,
in turn, will take the energy efficiency message to Kentuckians
in almost every county.
“Over the past several years the Cooperative Extension Service
and the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy have forged a strong
partnership,” said Jimmy Henning, associate dean and associate
director for extension. “Kentucky agriculture has a role in
energy production and we must help teach our communities how to
better use their energy resources – it will improve our rural
economies and our environment.”
In addition, the funding supports UK’s Tracy Farmer Center for
the Environment to conduct teacher training on energy
efficiency. This training will be in collaboration with UK’s
Center for Applied Energy Research and the Kentucky National
Energy Education Project.
“Elementary and middle school teachers in Kentucky struggle with
physical science topics, and none are more elusive than ideas
dealing with energy,” said Carol Hanley, director of education
and communication for the Tracy Farmer Center. “For the first
time this grant offers a professional development series for
elementary and middle school teachers that lets them explore
energy topics alongside Kentucky energy research experts.”
The funding, from the federal State Energy Program grant, will
also enable the university to provide renewable energy technical
support to the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy.
More information about ENERGY STAR can be found at
http://www.energystar.gov. Also, for more information on the Governor’s
Office of Energy Policy, visit its Web site at
http://www.energy.ky.gov.
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Contacts: Jimmy Henning, 859-257-4302; Laura Skillman,
270-365-7541, ext. 278
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
Questions/Comments,
e-mail the
webmaster
Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
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