BBN Tackles Plastic, an initiative aimed at reducing campus plastic waste through the collection of plastic bags, is expanding into select campus residence halls. The project, created by Shayna Bassi, a UK Recycling intern and communication science and disorders senior in the College of Health Sciences, has been integral at removing plastic bags from campus landfill waste.
Thrift Pop-up Shop
Apr 1, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:30 PMGatton Student Center, Ballroom A
Come on out to UK Recycling’s 8th annual Thrift Shop Pop-Up in partnership with Student Organizations and Activities and Wildcat Wardrobe. UK students will be able to replenish their wardrobes for free while also reusing clothing items that might’ve otherwise ended up in the landfill. Clothing, ties, purses, hats, and belts will all be available.
University of Kentucky students have been making a difference across campus through the UK Sustainability Internship Program and Student Sustainability Council. Over the last 11 years, student-led research and projects have included creating a Waste Reduction Week focused on the importance of waste issues, highlighting student art related to climate change and revitalizing campus landscaping through tree planting events and garden design.
The city of Lexington, the University of Kentucky and Fayette County Public Schools invite Lexington residents to celebrate Kentucky’s rivers and streams during Water Week, March 20-29. For the seventh year, Water Week encourages Lexingtonians to find a connection to local creeks through dozens of in-person, virtual and self-guided events.
Since the University of Kentucky was founded in 1865, our campus landscape has been an important part of who we are and how our community engages with the campus. This year, UK received its 15th consecutive Tree Campus Higher Education recognition in honor of high levels of attention in the care of our campus canopy.
Chase Lobaldo, 3rd year product design student, was working in the Fabrication Lab at the University of Kentucky’s College of Design, when the Office of Sustainability approached him with a clear goal in mind: create a multi-person workspace where students, employees, and visitors can work and conversate in front of the large glass windows overlooking the intersection of S Limestone and S Upper.
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.
