Carmela Lilly

As a college student who makes minimum wage, it is often difficult to make the most sustainable minded purchases when shopping for food. However, there are other ways that I can reduce my impact while still not reducing my bank account to heavily. I have not shopped first-hand for clothing, besides a few fair trade items and merchandise t-shirts (most of which for bands and artists I support) in years. My roommates and I also have started using the glass of canned goods like pasta or soup that we buy to make coffee and tea at home, rather than buying from corporations that use plastic cups.

Last Sunday, I led a UKY Adventure trip to Gorge Underground. While this trip was for my job, I was very interested in learning the history of how Gorge Underground came to be. The abandoned limestone quarry is directly under the water table, which is what caused it to fill with water and be navigable by kayak. While mining is not the most sustainable practice, the reuse of the already existing area is much preferred to letting it sit abandoned. The company also promotes other ecotourism in the Red River Gorge, all of which is highly Leave No Trace monitored.