Environment

The Sierra Club is planning a rally at noon today at the University of Kentucky to protest the ties between the school's athletic department and the coal industry.

UK and the coal industry have a fairly close relationship--the men's basketball dorm is called the Wildcat Coal Lodge, after coal industry contributions, and there have been prominent coal advertisements during some athletic events.

A proposed ban on putting yard waste in plastic bags has won the support of several Louisville residents. The ban was one common element in the 23 written and four spoken comments Louisville’s Waste Management Board received Tuesday evening.

On August 21, 2017, Hopkinsville, Kentucky will be the place to be.

That's because on that date, the total solar eclipse of the sun will last longer in Hopkinsville than anywhere else in the world. Of course, it'll still only last about two minutes and 40 seconds. But as the Associated Press reports, the area is already seeing a boost in tourism from people who are planning five years in advance.

Louisville's Solid Waste Management division will hold a public hearing tonight on its five-year plan for the city's garbage and recycling programs.

The plan includes a proposal to ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste and expand composting. As I reported last month, at least one member of the solid waste advisory committee is skeptical.

A pilot project to capture and store carbon dioxide has begun at a power plant in Alabama. The effort at the Barry Electric Generating Station began in full at the end of last month.

The plant is big, and the carbon-capture apparatus is small, so only about one percent of the flue gas is actually being captured. But the fact that the carbon dioxide is also being transported about 12 miles through a pipeline and sequestered deep in the earth is an important step for the technology.