Survey Shows Environmental Awareness Up in KY

By Tony McVeigh

Frankfort, KY – In a recent survey of 634 Kentuckians, water and air pollution were cited as Kentucky's leading environmental problems. But mountaintop removal, which didn't make the top rankings in 1999 and 2004 surveys, came in third.

The University of Kentucky survey also found that 28-percent of respondents correctly listed runoff from fields, pavements and lawns as the leading source of water pollution in the state. That's up from 17-percent in 2004.

Asked if it's possible to both protect the environment and have a strong economy, 96% said Yes. Asked if environmental education should be taught in schools, 98% said Yes. And asked if they thought human activity is causing global climate change, 76% of Kentuckians surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed.

The survey is conducted for the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, which seeks to improve environmental education in the commonwealth.