Really Going Green

Keeneland begins innovative program to be environmentally friendly

By Jennifer Haas Hoyt

K
eeneland has long been
associated with the color
green. From the trees in the
parking lot, to the coveted bench-
es on the apron, to the uniforms
of employees, to the money be-
ing passed through the windows,
green is everywhere you look.
Meanwhile, Keeneland is work-
ing to be known for another kind
of green. Over the last year, the
track has found an innovative
way to take the tons of waste pro-
duced by horses and convert it
into biofuel while it has launched
a large-scale recycling program
for patrons and employees.

PhotosByZ.com
One of Keeneland’s core mis-
sions is to preserve the heritage
of Thoroughbred racing, which
to the track includes being good stewards of the land.
With this in mind, John Howard, Keeneland’s Projects
Administrator, was given the task of expanding the
track’s recycling program and finding environmentally
sound ways to dispose of trash and muck, which is of-
ten a costly initiative.
“Keeneland started our Going Green program be-
cause it is the right thing to do,” said Howard. “It can
be costly, but we are keeping waste out of landfills. Our
goal is to have the program running so effectively that
there is no cost to us.”

Muck to fuel
During a race meeting or a sale, Keeneland might
house up to 1,900 horses, which can produce up to 60
tons of muck (straw bedding and manure) a day. In GREAT GUESTROOMS. GREAT LOCATION.
the past, Keeneland’s best solution for disposing muck GREAT MEETINGS.
was to truck it to mushroom farms at a 100% cost to
the track. This program took more than 900 truckloads Hyatt Regency offers 20,000
annually. Now through a partnership with a company square feet of elegant function
called Three Seconds to Oil of Albany, Georgia, Keene- space that is stylish and unique.
land will soon be converting up to 20,000 tons of muck Renovated guestrooms include a
a year into usable Grade 3 fuel oil. In November 2009, Hyatt Grand BedTM complete with
Keeneland received a permit to establish a processing a plush pillow-top mattress and
plant on two acres of its property. Three Seconds to a state-of-the-art work center.
Oil will provide and operate two modular bio oil plants For more information or to book
(MBOPs). a meeting, call 859 519 4211 or
The technology that goes into this process, called visit www.lexington.hyatt.com.
pyrolysis, is not new. It was invented by the Germans 401 WEST HIGH STREET
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
during World War II when their fuel supplies were be-
continued on page 20
2010 Keeneland Spring Program 2 19
Going Green worldwide name. They have
made their facility available
continued from page 19 to anyone who wants to
ing shut off. Three Seconds to learn more.”
Oil and its chief technical offi- Brown said many
cer, John Tharpe Jr., have scaled horsemen in Central Ken-
the process down to a movable tucky and officials at race-
size. An MBOP is approximate- tracks around the world are
ly 40 feet long, eight feet wide watching the Keeneland

Anderson
and 9 ½ feet high. Converting program. With the help of
muck into fuel literally takes Keeneland has a recycling program for patrons and employees and Keeneland and the National
seconds—hence the name of the is converting the tons of waste produced by horses into biofuel. Thoroughbred Racing As-
company sociation, Three Seconds to
Providing the muck, which also might include grass, Oil has had discussions with
leaves and tree trimmings, to Three Seconds to Oil to other interested parties, including Churchill Downs Inc.
produce fuel not only will significantly cut Keeneland’s and the New York Racing Association.
costs, but it will provide a local source of renewable fuel
for the trucking and maritime industries along the Ohio Renew, reuse, recycle
River. Compared to the number of trucks needed to haul Since Howard, an employee at Keeneland since 1981,
muck to mushroom farms, fewer tankers will be needed took over the track’s Going Green program in June 2009,
to haul biofuel from Keeneland, and those tankers will 100 multi-functional recycling bins have been built and
travel shorter distances to their destinations. placed around the facility to col-
“Muck removal is a huge cost to racetracks and horse lect plastic, paper, cardboard, glass
farms of all breeds,” said Michael Brown of 4 E Corp, and aluminum cans. Depending
an investor in the Keeneland project. “With the MBOPs, on the time of year, the contents
we are bringing the cost of removal down to as close to of these containers can be changed
zero as we can, and the fact that Keeneland is involved by switching their labels. For ex-
is huge. They are the gold standard in the industry with a ample, during the 2009 Keeneland
September Yearling Sale, Keene-
land gave away 16,000 bottles of

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water, so the majority of the bins
were labeled “plastic.”
John Howard
Through early 2010, Keene-
land had kept nearly 150 tons of
waste out of landfills and hopes to reach its one-year
goal of 200 tons by June. During the 2009 fall meeting,
Keeneland recycled more than 50 tons, and Howard says
the spring meeting traditionally draws more people.
To help offset the cost of recycling, Howard will sell
paper, cardboard and aluminum cans to whomever is of-
fering the best price at the time. He says the market for
plastic is not as profitable as other items, but that it’s just
as important to recycle.
“All recycling is worth the effort, regardless of
whether or not you’re getting paid for the items,” said
Howard.
To help ensure the success of Keeneland’s recycling
program, Howard and his team strategically place bins
in front of garbage cans. They have found that people
generally will look for a way to recycle if they have the
opportunity.
“Keeneland is striving to be good stewards to the
land, and we are stepping up our efforts to do so,” said
Howard. “We really appreciate the help and cooperation
we receive from our patrons.”
Jennifer Haas Hoyt is a freelance writer and public
relations consultant based in Northern Kentucky.

20 2010 Keeneland Spring Program 2