KET PRESS RELEASE:

Kentucky Life spotlights environmental efforts of Eastern Kentucky PRIDE

For Release: 2015-03-02 11:07:00

Kentucky Life digs in – literally – with volunteers from Eastern Kentucky PRIDE to clean up litter along Kentucky’s Highway 27 in Pulaski County on the next episode of Kentucky Life. The special episode features a 30-minute spotlight on the work of Eastern Kentucky PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in a Desired Environment), which facilitates environmental clean-up and education efforts in a 42-county region of Eastern Kentucky. The episode airs Saturday, March 28 at 8/7 pm and Sunday, March 29 at 4/3 pm on KET and Monday, March 30 at 7/6 pm on KET2.

Launched in 1997 by Congressman Hal Rogers and the late Brig. Gen. James Bickford, Eastern Kentucky PRIDE encourages Kentucky citizens to take pride in protecting their environment and offers educational resources so they feel empowered to do so. The show follows volunteers during the 2013 Dale Hollow Lake Spring Cleanup in Cumberland County as well as along Highway 27 during the 2014 Cleansweep. It also tags along with students from McCreary County Middle School as they visit the London Regional Recycling Center and the Laurel Ridge Landfill, to emphasize the importance of recycling. Finally, the show stops by Russell County Middle School, where wetland ecologist Tom Biebighauser and RCMS teacher Jean Clement offer lessons in the school’s wetland outdoor classroom. The episode includes interviews with Rogers; Tammie Wilson, PRIDE president/CEO; Jack Keeney, vice-chair of the PRIDE board of directors; Mark Davis, former PRIDE field representative; Calvin Saum, Breathitt County solid waste coordinator; and Ashley Bowman, Wolf County solid waste coordinator, among others. Kentucky Life is a KET production. Series producer is Brandon Wickey. This episode was produced by Matt Grimm. KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, serving more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile. Learn more about Kentucky’s preeminent public media organization on Twitter @KET and facebook.com/KET and at KET.org.

Contact: Tom Martin