Sustainability

Sustainability is an ongoing process that involves buy-in at multiple levels – individuals, businesses, educational institutions, local and national governments.

At the heart of sustainability is the goal of meeting needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. It’s not only about the environment but also people and the economy.

A sustainable community is a more resilient community, better positioned to quickly and justly meet the challenges presented by a changing climate, economic instability, pandemics and other disruptors.

In 2022, LFUCG hired its first sustainability manager to lead holistic, coordinated, long-term efforts related to sustainability. Learn about some of our sustainability initiatives below.

2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

LFUCG hired a contractor to complete a community-wide and municipal greenhouse gas emissions inventory for calendar year 2021. This information will help our community understand how much energy our community uses and the quantity of resulting greenhouse gas emissions we generate. The inventory was compiled using the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) and included the Stationary Energy, Transportation, Waste, Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU), and Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors.

The results of our baseline inventory were enlightening. The analysis reported that energy use accounts for almost 70% of our total community-wide emissions. We discovered Lexington’s carbon footprint is approximately 5,818,885 MT CO2e, or 18.1 MT CO2e per person, which compares favorably to many cities both here in Kentucky and in the United States. However, significant efforts are still needed to achieve our net-zero target by 2050. Below are the summary and complete report.

Greenhouse Gas Inventories Report

Greenhouse Gas Inventories Report Summary

Pickleball recycling

Pickleball players are able to recycle used, damaged and cracked pickleballs in bins specially labeled for pickleball recycling at Kirklevington Park.

Pickleballs are made from a type of plastic that most recycling facilities, including the Lexington Recycle Center, do not have an outlet for. The collected pickleballs will be recycled through P3 Cares, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement, accessibility and sustainability of pickleball.

As the popularity of pickleball grows in Lexington and court access is expanded, additional recycling locations may be added.

The pickleball recycling program is a partnership between Lexington’s Division of Environmental Services Sustainability section, Lexington Parks and Recreation, and the Kentucky Pickleball Association.

To date, 145 pickleballs have been recycled through the program! That's more than 9 pounds of plastic being diverted from the landfill.