The University of Kentucky’s School of Art and Visual Studies (SAVS) is reimagining what an art studio can be. Two courses, Healthy Materials Lab and Digital Matrix Modeling, led by fabrication lab specialist Hannah Smith and professor Jonathan McFadden last fall, aimed to eliminate toxic materials from studio practices and introduce students to safer, recycled, and biodegradable alternatives.
Vincent Stanley has spent over five decades shaping the values and practices of Patagonia is one of the world’s most recognizable and reputable brands. As the company’s longtime storyteller and current Director of Philosophy, Stanley has dedicated his career to exploring how businesses can act to serve both the people and the planet.
Spend your spring break making a meaningful impact in Memphis, Tennessee, with Alternative Service Breaks (ASB), exploring the urgent issue of plastic pollution and its impact on local ecosystems. This immersive experience centers on hands-on sustainability work where participants will partner with community organizations to support conservation efforts, learn about environmental inequities, and explore how sustainability practices can protect both ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 12, 2026) — The University of Kentucky has earned a STARS Silver rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 3, 2026) — To help raise awareness for climate action across the United States, the Lewis Honors College, the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment, and the Student Sustainability Council are sponsoring the Climate Change Quilt project Feb. 17.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 5, 2025) —The University of Kentucky’s Natural Resources and Environmental Science Club (NRES) and Horticulture Club removed invasive plants from a pollinator garden to provide a vital habitat for pollinators.
The workday included removing Johnson grass, Goldenrod and Chinese elm, then cutting back native plants next to the Barnhart Building on Friday, Nov. 14.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 13, 2025) —The Thrifty Cat, UK’s new ‘campus free store’, started as the independent project of Olivia Smith, a UK Recycling intern through the Sustainability Internship Program.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 3, 2025) — What began as a small dye garden at the University of Kentucky Arboretum has grown into a hands-on summer internship and cross-listed course that immerses students in the sustainable production and use of natural dyes. The project was sparked several years ago when horticulturist Shari Dutton received the book “A Dyer’s Garden” as a Christmas gift.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2025) — Urban trees do so much more than make our campus look beautiful. They filter the air, cool the ground, and improve our mental well-being. But many of the trees at the University of Kentucky are under attack from an invasive pest.
