Going Green Memphis 01-30-11

8/7/2019 Going Green Memphis 01-30-11

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FROM THE EDITOR

Bui l d i n g blocks for asust ai nablef ut u re

Sustainability is a simple idea

based on the fact that whenresources are used faster thanthey are replaced that resource isdepleted and eventually used up.In a sustainable world, society'sdemand on nature is in balancewith the capacity to meet thatdemand.

This weeks cover about LEEDcertification got me thinking about what we can do in our dayto day lives that works towardbuilding a sustainable Memphis whether you are a stay athome parent who finds value inmaking your own natural cleaning products or a business ownerdeciding on best practices foryour company.

My hope is that Going Greencan be a part of your journey anda resource for information thatgives you the tools to help build asustainable future for our city.

Thanks, Memphis!

Kim Coleman

S u bs c r i b eSign up to receive the latest

issues of Going Green theenvironmental digital magazine ofThe Commercial Appeal - as they arereleased. The e-magazine ispublished on the last Sunday of eachmonth. Subscriptions are free tosubscribers of The CommercialAppeal, simply follow the one-timeGoing Green registration process toobtain access.

Upon registration, home deliverysubscribers to The CommercialAppeal receive access to the digitalproduct at no additional cost.

Raise your profileElevate your companys profile

within the Green Community. Sendus a short article or a project outlinefor consideration in Going Green,explaining what you are doing togreen up your lifestyle? Includeyour preferred contact phonenumber.

Send in your e-maila d d r es sWe ll share information and

resources to help readers of GoingGreen swap money-saving tips andinformation related to green i s s u esand events. Send toke p l i n ge r @ com me r c i a l app ea l .com .

You can also follow Going Greenon Facebook and at

twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis .

Ed i t o r : Kim Coleman, 529-5243,goi n g g r e e n @ co m m e rci a l a p p ea l .com

Community Editor: Emily AdamsKe p l i n ge r ,ke p l in ger @ com m er c i al a p pea l.co m


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The Commercial Appeal S u nd ay , January 3 0, 2011 | GOING GREEN 3

Precious points forSilver, Gold, PlatinumThe LEED rating is growingin popularity, prestige butnot everyone is sold.

Landowners findrecreation, timberharvests thrivewith proper forestm a n a ge m e n t

Whats in this issue ...

10

16

On the cover: Illustration by Shane McDermott, The Commercial Appeal

26

20

Solar energy classbrightens jobprospects in emergingfield. PAGE 33

W:159.942ptH:118.026pt

Churches makechanges to leave alighter footprint on theEarth. PAGE 40

Food trends inMemphis show aprogression towardlocal sources. PAGE 42

Urban Farms sowsthe seeds for newfarmers market inBinghampton

LOCAL NEWS

Q&A: Green jobsactivist Van Jones

BUS I N ESS FA I T H FO O D


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Leave it to Nike, who has already successfully recycled over 25 millionpairs of tennis shoes with the Reuse-a-Shoe program, to make shreddedmagazines fashionable footwear.The Women's Premium Print Pack is anew shoe decorated with strips of recycled magazine pages. But theactual magazine part of the shoe is laminated and stitched together forwater-resistance and durability. The end result is not only unique, butcolorful and vaguely readable. Unfortunately, the shoes are currentlyavailable only in European and Asian markets.

The Green List...

If ItWe re

My Home

Nike turns old mags into new kicks

What would your life be like if you lived in another country? Would you useless electricity, but have a lower life expectancy? Would you consume moreoil and make more money? One interactive website can help. Created in2010 to track the disasterous BP Gulf Oil Spill, IfItWereMyHome.com aims todiscover if the grass really is greener on the other side.Using statisticalinformation from the CIA World Factbook and the World Health Organization,you can end the age old debate with family and friends about how hard oreasy it would be to live in Memphis versus The Netherlands or Egypt.


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The Green Pic...

Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal

A little cold weather will not keep Horn Lake residentMickey Collins from riding his 30 miles a day. Retired

from FedEx, Collins says, "I love this park (LatimerLakes), riding gives me an opportunity to think and it'sgood for my health. In the last couple of years I've putmore miles on my one owner bike than my truck, I'm

on my 5th set of tires."

On the road again

Interested in sharing your green experiences: a bike ride on theGreenline, a successful recycling project or a neighborhood cleanup?

Do you have a stunning nature photo? Send your green snapshots to [email protected] with "Green Snaps" in the

subject line. E-mail photos as JPEGs that are 1-2 MB in size and include complete caption information, including the full names of everyone featured in the photo. Be sure to include a contact phone

number in case we have questions.


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Ev e n t s

Farm to Table Conference February 7 at SOS on 2505 Poplar. All day.

The Urban Farms Farm to Table Conference forMid-South Producers is not only here to remindyou where real food comes from, but to helpconnect locals whose livelihoods depend onmaking sure the food they grow and cook finds adirect path into your kitchen. The conference willfeature sessions on marketing to diverseaudiences, education on health department rulesand regulations and an information exchangesession for professional attendees.

There will be an emphasis on issues that aremost important to farmers, chefs, food advocates,market managers, producers and others withstakeholds in Memphis food. Lunch will beprovided and the cost to attend the conference is$20 in advance and $25 at the door. ContactMary Elizabeth Phillips at 901-417-1593 for moreinformation on registration, the conference itselfand if you qualify for a scholarship.

Old Forest Jamboree

February 13 at Hi-Tone Cafe on 1913 Poplar, 4 - 7 p.m.Treehuggers and Memphis

music lovers unite for a goodcause with local bandsGasoline Grace, Snowglobe,and the all-star Lorax Posse.Sponsored by Citizens toPreserve Overton Park,donations of $10 will beaccepted at the door tobenefit the organization whodescribes its mission aspreserving and defending the10,000-year-old forest inOverton Park for futuregenerations. The show is allages and kids get in free.

Friends of Library BookSa l e

February 25-26 at Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on 3030 Poplar, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Bibliophiles on tightbudgets, rejoice. The annualFriends of the Library BookSale returns to the CentralLibrary to save gently-usedbooks from an eternity in aland-fill. Encyclopedias,magazines, comics andchildren's books are also upfor the taking. Paperbackbooks in the past have beenpriced as low as $1.50 perbook, so bring a box if you planon stocking up. Proceedsbenefit the Library's programsand collections, like bookclubs and literacy programs.

The Green Page...


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Greenline mixerOn Feb. 11, there will be a Lo v e

the Park/ Love the Greenlinemembership mixer held at theShelby Farms Park Visitor Center,500 North Pine Lake Drive, from 6- 8 p.m.

Mix and mingle for a good

cause at the happy hour eventfeaturing cocktails, food, livemusic, prize drawings and more.

The event is free for members;$10 for non-members (admissionincludes one free drink ticket). Formore information, send an e-mailto [email protected] orvisit shelbyfarmspark.org.

Pr o g r a m sWinter plant care

Master Gardener Betty Llewellyn will beat the Collierville Burch Library Monday todiscuss and answer questions aboutcaring for indoor plants during the wintermonths. The seminar will be from 1 to2:30 p.m. Pre-registration encouraged.Call 457-2601.

Recycling in DeSotoWaste Connections Inc. district

manager Michael Welch will make a publicpresentation on Tuesday at Horn Lake CityHall, 3101 Goodman Road, at 6 p.m. tooutline the citys new recycling program.

Interested residents will pay a $25deposit for a cart and be charged $6.25 ontheir monthly utility bills. The program isscheduled to begin the first week of March.

Gardening seminarsA series of gardening seminars will be

held at the Tipton County Museum, 751Bert Johnston in Covington, each

Saturday throughout February, from 10 to11:30 a.m.

Feb. 5: Where the Wilds Things Arewith guest speaker Sheri Rose, member ofthe Tipton County Master GardenerAs s oc i at i o n

Feb. 12: Ro s es ! with guest speakerVernon Pairmore, president of the TiptonCounty Master Gardener Association, vicepresident of the Memphis Dixie Rose Club,member of the American Rose Society

Feb. 19: Home Vegetable Gardeningwith guest speaker Tom Mashour,member of Memphis Area MasterGardener Association, gardening fromCalifornia and Tennessee since 1967

Feb. 26: Pass Along Day bringseeds and cuttings to share with others.Topic will be Fences, Decks, Arbors,Walkways, and Whatnots: Outdoor styleon a Budget with guest speaker JereHadley, DIY project expert

Refreshments will be served. Admissionfor each program is $5 (free to museummembers), call 476-0242 for ticketi n fo r m a t i o n .

Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

Cycling enthusiast Greg Stablein (right)attends the official opening of the ShelbyFarms Greenline last October.


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WHILE I WASPRESENTING at a brown-bag talk for the Memphis BotanicGarden, the subject of compact fluorescent lightscame up.

There weremanycomplaintsabout them.

They taketoo long tocome on. Thelight is an ickycolor. Theydont last aslong as theysay. I wasasked to

please do some research on itand write a column. So hereyou go. (I will addresscomplaints about disposal of spent or broken CFLs in afuture column.)

CFLs save you money, butthat up-front cost is painful.

DEANNACASW E L L

Pra c t i ca l l yG reen

Fl u o re s c e n tbulbs:You get what you pay for


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Over the life of the bulb,the math works out, butmost of us still flinch andreach for the store-branddiscount version. It seems

that is the reason forproblems with delay, earlyburnout and poor lightq u a l i t y.

To avoid thosep ro b l e m s :

Buy brand-namebulbs. Discount CFLs arepoorer quality and maylast only six months,regardless of what the boxsays. You will still savemoney over the life of thebulb compared withincandescent energy costand bulb replacement.

Buy soft light ordaylight varieties toimprove the light quality

and avoid that depressing blue fluorescent flicker.CFLs like warmth. In

an environment below 68degrees, they take longerto come on. For outdooruse in winter months, useCFLs specified for outdooruse. Yes, theyre moreexpensive, but theyre

worth it.And tighten up yourceiling fans. Vibrationshortens the life of thebulb.

How much is too muchto spend on lightbulbs?When am I not saving

money any more.H e re s the math:For 8,000 hours of 60

W incandescent light, wepay about $43, plus the

cost of about 10 bulbs.For 8,000 hours of whatis equivalent to 60 Wlight from the CFL, wepay $9, plus the cost of theone bulb.

So unless that CFL bulbcosts more than $35

dollars, were still saving m o n e y.

Deanna Caswell is a local writer who blogs at littlehouseinthesuburbs.com .

Her first book, First Ballet, was released this year by Hyperion. Caswell and her husband, Jeff, live inCollierville. She practices eco-

friendly living while raising their three children, along

with pygmy goats and chi ck e n s .

How they stack up

COST COMPARISONI n c a n d es c e n t : 60 watt at 8,000 hours times 9-centsper kWh/1000 W per kWh is $43 of electricity cost perbulb.Now add in the 10 bulbs needed since they onlylast about 800 hours each at 40-cents each is $4. For8,000 hours of incandescent light, we pay about $47.CFL:13 watt at 8000 hours times 9-cents perkWh/1000 W per kWh is $9.36 For 8,000 hours of 60Wlight from the CFL, we pay $9.36. With an average cost

of $10 per bulb, we pay about $20 for 8,000 hours ofCFL light.

Acompact fluorescent bulb hasa phosphor coating inside the lampthat gives off light when it is

exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Itd oes n t use heat to create lightwhich makes it more efficient.Incandescent bulbs produce lightby heating a filament inside thebulb which becomes white hot andemits light. Most of the electricenergy used is converted into heat.


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LEED-INGTHE WAY?By Jim Coleman / Special to Going Green

NOT SO LONG AGO it was a new skyscraper thatcaptured the imagination of the public. Lately, Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design-certified buildings, withtheir estimated energy savings and improved environmentalst andards, are beginning to stand out.

In a little over a decade, the The U.S. Green Building Council rating system has gone from the drawing board tothe near defacto method of rating a buildings potentialperformance in a variety of areas energy efficiency, airquality and CO2 emissions, just to name a few.

In Memphis, LEED-rated buildings are starting to

show up. One of them is the Triad Centre III. The seven-floor building was built with a heavy reliance on recycledmaterials and sits on a previously developed site. It is ratedgold on the USGBCs 4-tiered rating scale.

Grecertinewcritiits l

Illustration by Shane McDermott/The Commercial Appeal


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buildingation setsandard;question if ng up to it


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Triad Centre III is the first LEED-certified office building in Memphis.

The LEED Five

The program has five key elementsthey look at before certifying a building asup-to-standard. Each element has indepth standards and codes, but here is abrief outline of each:

1. Sustainable Sites: The chosen siteand design should incorporate a controlplan for sediment and erosion. In addition,if its a new building you might considerwhich way you build it in relation tosunlight, wind, etc.

2. Water Efficiency: This categorydeals with water use reduction andwastewater technologies, such as usingrainwater for irrigation or high efficiencyplumbing fixtures.

3. Energy and Atmosphere: En e r g y

efficiency, ozone protection andrenewable energy all fall under thiscategory. A good example of this is a 10%reduction in energy usage for a newbuilding.

4. Materials and Resources: Thiscategory deals with waste reduction inregards to reused materials and recycling.Using recycled construction materials is a

good example, and one of theprerequisites is that the building has astorage area to hold the occupantsrecyclable materials.

5. Indoor Environmental Quality: Themain aim of this category is reducingindoor pollutants and improving comfortand quality of the air and temperature. Asa prerequisite, the design has to meetspecific ANSI/ASHRAE standards.


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At least in Memphis, it is the onlymultitenant office building that isLEED- certified. said local architectand USGBC member Steve Guinn.

Guinn said that Triad III will havea five- to six-year payback, whichmeans that the extra costs of building a LEED-rated structureshould be returned within thatperiod of time through things likeenergy savings.

But how do Guinn and otherLEED proponents really know thesebuildings are performing up to snuff.

The USGBCs rating system merely

sets a list of requirements that abuilding must meet during construction to become LEED-rated.It says nothing of required energysavings, for example. They also donot require energy use of theirbuildings to be tracked or reported.

One of the more prominent criticsof the LEED system is architectFrank Gehry. The Pritker prize-winning architect made thestatement that LEED certificationhas become fetishized in myp ro f e s s i o n and compared it towearing an American flag pin onyour lapel during an interview withBloomberg Business.

Gehry isnt necessarily opposed toLEED, he just thinks there is morethan one way to reach a desired level

of efficiency. In many Europeancountries, for example, governmentsbasically tell the architects andbuilders what you can and cannot doand things have to be built in asustainable way.

Another critic, gadfly actually, isHenry Gifford, who recently leveleda $100 million class-action lawsuitagainst the USGBC.

We re suing to stop them frommaking false claims, such asclaiming that LEED-rated buildingssave energy. Were hoping to ask thecourt to prevent them from claiming

they are Leaders in Energy, asimplied by the LEED name, s aidGifford, an energy efficiency expertand co-founder of Architecture andEnergy Unlimited, which is based inNew York City.

According to Gifford, the mainproblem with LEED-rated buildingsis that there is little proof to showthat they are more efficient thanstandard construction.I base my conclusion on the totallack of evidence that LEED buildingssave any energy at all, and the datafrom the one study ever done, whichshowed they use 29 percent morethan comparable buildings.

Gifford said the LEED approachto heating and cooling are a big partof the problem.

LEED buildings typically have better air quality andcomfort. That should be talked about more.

STEVE GUINN, ARCHITECT AND USCCB MEMBER


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HVAC systems are complicatedsystems that blow large amounts of air around a building to Heat,Ventilate, and Air Condition (cool) abuilding very hard to get twosystems to work as one, three isunrealistic. But, they are consideredhigh end, and for business reasonsengineers always specify them inhigh-profile buildings. They mightspecify more efficient equipment toget some LEED points, but they willstill use much, much more energythan simply doing separate heating,cooling and ventilation.

He also pointed a finger at one of the materials used, often quiteheavily, in LEED-rated buildings.

Glass buildings are a joke, yetthey regularly get awards.

While Giffords focus is primarilyon the efficiency of the building,Guinn cautions against taking toonarrow a view of the green building p ro g ra m .

LEED buildings typically havebetter air quality and comfort. Thatshould be talked about more. But Iwill tell you, one of the parameters of becoming LEED-certified is that youhave to save 14 percent (in energy)as a baseline.

While the merits of the programare still being debated, one thing is

for sure, LEED is gaining popularity.Illustrative of this is homegrownshipping giant FedExs recentannouncement that all FedExExpress buildings would begin tofollow the USGBCs standards.

The jurys still out on whether itsthe best investment for their greend o l l a rs .

FedEx headquarters winscoveted certification

A low-flow shower head here, somerecycled paper products there, and thedecade-old FedEx Express World

Headquarters is officially Earth-friendly.The nine-building campus at HacksCross and Winchester has achieved theU.S. Green Building CouncilsLeadership in Energy Efficient Designgold-level certification.

FedEx said all new FedEx Expressbuildings would follow the industry-leading standards, starting with a LasVegas sorting facility.

LEED projects incorporate various

energy-, material- and water-conservation features in buildingdesign, construction and operation. TheWorld Headquarters, which containsabout 1.3 million square feet of floorarea, qualified under an existingbuildings rating system.

The Las Vegas facility, whichincludes vehicle maintenance andoffices, is the first new project built tothe standard. It also qualified for gold,

third-highest of four LEED levels.This certification is third-partyverification that FedEx is being a goodsteward of the planet, said Don Colvin,vice president of properties andfacilities at FedEx Express.

Project architect Stephen Manginsaid his initial reaction to adopting thegreen building standard was surprise.

I didnt think I heard correctly,Mangin wrote on a company blog.

Surely we just want to specify that ourbuildings might go for LEED, not thatwe really intend to certify all our futureprojects, right? Wrong! Yes, we wantedto save energy, help the environment,and create better places for ourcustomers and employees, but we alsowanted to be sure that FedEx was doingit the right way.

Construction on the FedEx Express


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FedEx photos

Built right from the start, FedEx Express World Headquarters needed littlechanges to earn LEED certification. Doormats at all exterior doors to reducethe tracking of contaminants inside is one step that helped win the rating.

World Headquarters began in 1998 andwas completed by 2000. Planning for LEEDcertification began in June 2008,

Since the facility was relatively new, theproject involved a lot of little changes,FedEx spokeswoman Deborah Willig said.

We were doing a lot of things righta l r ea d y , Willig said. The campus was 10years old and was built right from the

start. Most of the plumbing and heating,ventilation and air conditioning werealready certified as energy- or water-saving.

Installation of newer low-flow aeratorsand shower heads cut water consumptionan additional 17-22 percent.

Suppliers furnished paper products andtrash can liners that include more recycledand recyclable content.

The company confirmed with vendors of

cleaning and pest control that they werealready using ecologically safe chemicals.

The waste collector, Republic Services,conducted a waste-stream audit andidentified opportunities to increaserecycling and reduce trash.

As a result of their findings, we have aFedEx team thats working on improvingopportunities for recycling throughout thehea d q u a r t e r s , Willig said.

A U.S. Green Building Council databaseshowed four other FedEx projects in ShelbyCounty as registered for LEED, but not yetcertified. They were a corporate aviationhangar, a hub sort expansion and the mainscreening facility, all at the airport; andexpansion of the FedEx World TechnologyCenter in Collierville. Wayne Risher, The Commercial Appeal


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By Suzanne Thompson

Special to Going Green

With more than 14 million acresof forests, Tennessee is one of then at i o n s largest producers of hard-wood, according to the AmericanForestry Foundation.

Most of this land is owned byprivate landowners, many of whom

have stands of 50 to 100 acres, said

the foundations president, TomMartin.While some of the l a n d ow n e rs

use their property for hunting andfishing, others harvest the t i m b e r.

Proper management of forestland ensures that these wooded ar-eas remain viable and help thelandowners achieve their goals,

In the land we trust Recreation, timber harvests thrive with proper management

Photos by Karen Pulfer Focht/The Commercial Appeal files

The Ghost section of the river gets its name because the river seems todisappear, easily disorienting its visitors. The whole area (Memphis) used to becovered in bottom land hardwood forest and swamp.

LOCAL NEWS


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whether it is for timber or recreation.Of great concern is the selling off of

small plots in urban areas, due to therobust market for timber, Martin said.

All of us have a stake in making sure these forests stay forests, Mar-tin said.

Candace Dinwiddie, executive di-rector of the Tennessee Forestry As-sociation, said overharvesting is not aproblem in Tennessee.

We re still growing twice as manyhardwoods than are being harvested,she said.

Most owners of small tracts of landonly harvest the trees to sell for tim-ber once in a lifetime, Dinwiddie said.

Hardwoods such as oak, beech,cherry and walnut are 65 to 75 yearsold before they are mature enough toharvest, she said.

Tennessee has a Greenbelt Programthat started as a result of the Agri-cultural, Forest and Open Space LandAct of 1974.

This program gives tax advantagesto landowners who preserve their for-est land.

Our goal is to give landowners asmany reasons as possible to keeptheir land, Dinwiddie said.

Martin said forest owners generallyare not motivated by monetary in-centives to hang onto their property.

One thing that draws people to-

gether is the love of their land, Mar-tin said.

That is certainly true of John Rossof Savannah, Tenn., and Richard Dayof Cordova, both of whom own landthat has been in their families forge n e rat i o n s .

Our goal is to give landowners as many reasons aspossible to keep their land.

CANDACE DINWIDDIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE TENNESSEE FORESTRY ASSOCIATION

In Holly Springs National Forest,there are several trails andboardwalks for hikers that lead tovarious points of the Wolf River.


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Ross owns about 7,500 acres, andhis forest is comprised of a com-bination of hardwood, wetlands usedfor recreation and Loblolly pinet re e s .

About two-thirds of his acreage iscovered with pine trees and the oth-er third is used for hunting, fishing,biking, canoeing and other recre-ational activities.

We ve built trails through it. Myfriends and I ride mountain bikes,

he said.Ross and Day agree that one of

the most important aspects of forestry management is the partic-ipation of a professional forester.

A professional forester helps meoversee it, Ross said.

Day said hes been working with aprofessional forester since 1980 tomanage the 360 acres he and hisfamily own in McNairy County.

His family once owned 600 acres,

Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appea

Richard Day has been working with a professional forester since 1980 tomanage the 360 acres he and his family own in McNairy County. Day and hissiblings continue to run a good portion of forest land and are managing to keepa vibrant ecosystem like other wooded lands that are privately owned.


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which was purchased after the CivilWar, but over the years some sec-tions have been sold off, he said.

The Day farm also has a mix of hardwood and pine, and his land ismostly used for recreation and ed-u c at i o n .

Boy Scouts have been camping there since 1940, he said.

When he first started activelymanaging his forest, he clear cutabout 80 acres and converted it tothe cultivation of pine trees.

Sixteen years later, we did thefirst thinning, Day said. We re

about due for another thinning n ow. Thinning the forest can be done

by harvesting the trees for lumber,or by burning areas of the forest.

While it may seem counter-intu-itive to start forest fires, Ross saidthat prescribed burning is necessaryfrom time to time, to make room fornew growth.

Open fires within 500 feet of forests require a permit from thestate Division of Forestry. I n fo r m a -tion about how to contact the agen-cys local offices is at burnsafetn.org.

Ross said he handles burning small parcels of 10 to 15 acres him-self, but for the 100-plus acres he isplanning to burn next, he will have

bring in the pros, because specialequipment is necessary to managesuch a large fire.

The practice of burning areas of forests goes back to Native Amer-icans, who set fires to promote habi-tat for deer and other wildlife theydepended on for food.

Its part of the natural cycle,Ross said. A lot of trees respondwell to burning, especially pine. Itgives them more room and improvesthe habitat for deer and turkey.

Burning increases the growth anddiversity of forbs, tender greens thatwildlife feed on.

Burning is done in the wintermonths when plants are dormant.

Ross thins the stands of pine ev -ery 15 to 20 years, allowing smallertrees to reach maturity, which areharvested by loggers on a 30- to 40-year rotation.

Loggers are hired by the profes-sional foresters, and are paid by theton for the timber.

The government encourages thepreservation of forests through theNational Tree Forest program,which not only provides professionaladvice to forest owners, but paysrent per acre based on market value

and has a cost sharing plan for re-planting of trees.Participating in the National Tree

Forest program requires landownersto have a written forest managementplan.

Both Day and Ross encouragepeople who own forest land of anysize to have such a plan.

Day said the NTF program hashelped him tremendously in preserv-ing the land where his family oftengathers in a 100-old farmhouse.

We designed it to stay in thefamily for generations to come.We ve got heaven just an hour or anhour and half from here, Day said.


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A market

blossoms inB i n g h a m to n

Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Rosalie Bouck (left), Urban Farms market manager, and Mary Phillips, farmmanager with Urban Farms, stand at the location of the new Urban FarmsMarket at the corner of Broad and Tillman that will open in late March.

By Suzanne Thompson


The sign at the corner of Broad and Tillman with just aname Urban Farms Market

and a web address was the firstmark of something newpreparing to take root in thes p r i n g.

A new farmers marketscheduled to open on March 26plans to offer items not onlyfrom its own garden, Urban

Urban Farms looks to provide fresh produce to neighborhood


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Farms, but also from other localve n d o rs .

Urban Farms Market is thefruition of a project that started withthe goal of providing access to freshfruit and vegetables in theBinghamton area, which isconsidered one of several fo o ddeserts in Memphis.

The Binghampton CommunityDevelopment Corp. and ChristCommunity Health Services, along with funding provided by TheMemphis Daily News and supportfrom the Jack Pirtle family, have

cooperated to bring this new marketto Memphis. The Urban Farms concept started

after interested parties took a trip toMilwaukee in March 2010 to checkout the urban farm project in thatc i t y.

We went up and spent a daylearning about their strategy andoperation and then came back andkicked off a farm with the intent toopen a market, said RobertMontague, executive director of theBinghampton CDC.

The 3 acres is part of a 9-acre plotthat was once densely covered withvines and weeds.

On April 1, they began clearing the land, and one of the first

volunteers for the program, 23-year-old Mary Phillips, was made farmmanager in June.

The farm produces a variety of vegetables, raises chickens, and hasa 1,500-gallon tank in which they areraising 1,000 tilapia.

Water from the tank is pumped up

through the top layer of soil,providing rich nutrients forwatercress and other vegetables,which also filter out the ammoniaand nitrates from the fish waste inthe water.

The filtered water is then pumpedback into the tank.

While there is always something to be done at the farm, Phillips saidher main focus in the winter monthsis not growing the produce, but

Vendor applicationAnyone interested in participating

as a vendor in the Urban FarmsMarket can go to to apply. You willneed to review the Guidelines andAgreement (sign and return the lastpage with your completedapplication) and print and fill out thevendor application form.Mail the completed forms to:Urban Farms Marketc/o Binghampton DevelopmentCo rpo r a t io nP.O. Box 111447Memphis, TN 38111


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22 GOING GREEN| Su n day , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

growing the soil.You have to grow the soil before

you can grow food, she said.Phillips is tending both worm

composting piles and regularcomposting piles, to which localrestaurants contribute producewa s t e .

Phillips has also developed a croprotation plan.

She said she has had an interest inagriculture since she was in highschool and has worked on severalfarms in the area, including theWarren Wilson Farm and Peace Bee

Fa r m .Even though the market is not yetopen, Phillips has big plans for thee n d e avo r.

We are working towards a year-round market, she said.

For some, Phillips and UrbanFarms have become synonymousbecause of her work growing

vegetables at Urban Farms andmarketing them in the community.Urban Farms already produces

winter vegetables like beets, carrotsand kale.

Jason Severs, owner of ThreeAngels Diner, which opened inSeptember on Broad Street, and BariRestaurant in Overton Square,regularly uses Urban Farms p ro d u c ein dishes at his new eatery.

We already get a lot of ourvegetables from Mary, he said. Thefirst day we opened, Mary called andsaid, H e re s what I have, would youlike any of this?

Each day, the fresh vegetablesavailable at the restaurant are posted

on its Facebook page.Most of the time half of them (at

least) are from Mary, Severs said.We post Urban Farms (whatever itis) like this is Urban Farmsc a b b a ge .

Three Angels Diner serves sixfresh vegetables a day, and Severssaid he would like to buy more fromlocal growers.

And he agrees Memphis has ashortage of farmers markets.

We need more farmers markets intown. Theres not enough produce inMemphis that is local, he said.

Looking toward the spring opening of Urban Farms Market,Phillips is more concerned withrecruiting local vendors toparticipate in the market than she iswith selling the vegetables.

So far, only one vendor has sent inthe paperwork and secured a place atthe new market, but Phillips isconfident others will follow.

In addition to produce farmers,Phillips is also trying to get localbeef and pig farmers and dairies toparticipate at Urban Farms Market.

We want to have all kinds of healthy food there, she said.

Initially, the plan is for it tooperate from March through mid-N ove m b e r.

A booth at Urban Farms Marketwill also be dedicated as a co-opbooth.

Its a chance for the communitygardeners to sell their produce,Phillips said.

For more information, e-mail Mary Phillips at Mary@ urbanfarmsmemphis.org.


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By Suzanne Thompson


There simply are notenough organic farmers, sostate and federal govern-ments are doing what theycan to try to change that.

They are offering cost-shar-ing incentives to farmers whowant to become certified or-ga n i c .

We do have several pro-grams in place in the state,said Jon Frady, organic market-ing specialist at the TennesseeDepartment of Agriculture.

For small fruit and veg-etable farmers, the cost of be-ing certified as an organicfarm usually $600 to $700 can be an issue.

Even a few hundred dol-lars that it costs to certifyorganic can be a bit of anobst acle, Frady said.

Certification cost-sharehelps defray those costs at arate of 75 percent. If it costs$600 to become certified, thefarmer could be reimbursed$450, he said.

With only 41 certified or-ganic farmers in Tennessee,the state is looking to encour-

Incentives encourage organic

certification by local growers

Im excited about it and Ihope I can figure it out andmake it work.

BRANDON PUGH, OWNER OF DELTA SOL FARM

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal files


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24 GOING GREEN| S u n d ay, January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

age more farmers to become certified. To be certified organic, farmers

must meet a variety of standards. They involve, among other things, alist of substances that cannot be usedin crop production, and disallow theuse of genetically engineered seeds.

There is a prescribed border be-

tween certified organic farm land andground which has been treated withnonorganic herbicides and pesticides.

Still, growing pesticide-free is verydifferent from organic. Simply notusing chemicals in crop productiondoes not mean a grower is o rga n i c .

Certified organic farmers must al-so use some different equipment

which is costly and difficult to findin Tennessee.

A lot of this equipment is special-ized and there are not a lot of equip-ment companies out there that carrythis equipment, Frady said. It canbe a very expensive capital invest-ment on the part of the producer.

Ken Lansing, owner of Winder-mere Farms, the only certified or-ganic farm in the Memphis city lim-its, said he has purchased most of his equipment from other states be-cause of the lack of availability of these specialized items l o c a l l y.

The only thing I bought in Ten-nessee is a tractor and a disk, he said.

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal files

If there was no equipment grant I couldnt havefunded buying equipment with the money I have.

KEN LANSING, OWNER OF WINDERMERE FARMS


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The Tennessee Agricultural En-hancement Program also offers acapital investment cost-share thatpays up to 50 percent of the price of equipment and other improvementsessential to farm operation. Eve nthough operating a farm requiresmuch more than machinery, theequipment cost-share is essential.

If there was no equipment grantI couldnt have funded buying equip-ment with the money I have. If Ididnt have another funding source,I wouldnt be able to make it, Lans-ing said, referring to his boat gauge

business. The USDA offers a separate grantfor equipment, which will pay 75percent of the costs.

Lansing said he discovered hecould use both the state and federalgrants simultaneously.

Piggybacking the state and federalprograms provided a little extramoney to invest in other equipment.

That was wonderful, almost awindfall. It cost $7,000, the statepaid a 50 percent cost-share grantand the federal paid 75 percent, sothat let me get some other equipmentwith a lot less cost a potato diggerand Im getting a seed planter.

To maintain his certification as anorganic farmer, Lansing said he isfastidious about checking with hiscertifier before using new products.

If a product has only the mostminuscule amount of a nonapprovedelement, the use of it would putorganic certification at risk.

Some farmers dont believe organ-ic certification is necessary.

Keith Forrester, owner of Whitten

Farms, said he is not interested inorganic certification and is even op-posed to it, because he considersthe process intrusive.

We practice the best methodsavailable, but I dont want anyonetelling me how I have to practice,Forrester said.

Brandon Pugh, owner of Delta SolFarm in Proctor, Ark., operated acertified organic farm California be-fore moving to Memphis severalyears ago, and he said the presenceof bureaucracy caused him to let thecertification lapse for two years.

I just decided to step back fromit , he said.But after reconsidering, Pugh ac-

knowledges the importance of accessto organic produce and said he isnow very interested in certification.

Im excited about it and I hope Ican figure it out and make it work,he said.

Pughs certification would be asmall step toward bridging the gapbetween demand for organics andthe available supply.

Usually the average number hasbeen about 20 to 30 percent in-crease per year in demand. Wereseeing about a 1 to 2 percentgrowth in supply, Frady said.

Officials at the Tennessee Depart-ment of Agriculture want to encour-age farmers in the state to cash inon the growing demand for organicp ro d u c e .

In the state of Tennessee as awhole, we have seen a lot of demandand we want our producers to cap-italize on that by expanding intoo rga n i c s , Frady said.


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26 GOING GREEN| S u n day, January 3 0, 2011 co mm erci a l a pp ea l.com

By Jim Coleman


Van Jones recent visit toMemphis was a bit of a homecoming for the environmental and civilrights leader.

I spent a lot of time in OrangeMound as a kid, said Jones, whosefather grew up in the area. I stillhave family in Memphis.

He was in the Bluff City to deliver

the keynote address at the Mid-South Peace and Justice Centers29th Annual Gala on Jan. 15.

Among a long list of accomplishments, he is mostrecognized for his tenure as thegreen jobs czar with the formaltitle of Special Adviser for GreenJobs, Enterprise and Innovation forthe White House Council onEnvironmental Quality.

It was an honor to serve, Jo n e s

Green Collar activist urgefocus on energy of future


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said of his stint with the Obamaa d m i n i s t rat i o n .

I had a chance to work in the WhiteHouse for six months. Thats longerthan anybody I know, he said, laughing.

Jones says he draws inspiration tolead on key issues like theenvironment, social justice and povertyfrom the fact that he was born in 1968,the year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.was killed.

He also gives a healthy dose of creditto his father, who joined the military togive himself an education andeconomic opportunities.

But it was his fathers later work as aprincipal at a predominantly African-American middle school that openedthe young mans eyes.

My father took on a very distressedschool in Jackson, Tenn. People hadbasically written it off.

After receiving a bachelors degreein communications and politicalscience at UT-Martin, Jones attendedYale Law School, where his awarenessof social issues grew.

By the time he was out of school,with a plethora of opportunities beforehim, he chose activism as his path inlife. He became involved in orfounded grass-roots organizationsdedicated to social justice, such as theElla Baker Center for Human Rights

and Color of Change.In 2005, Jones began to focus onenvironmentalism, particularly on agreen economy as a way to provide

jobs for distressed areas. In a fewyears, his work had gained enoughattention that he was named a Hero of the Environment as well as one of the12 Most Creative Minds of 2008 by

Q&A with Van JonesQ: With your insight as the

former special adviser ongreen jobs, can you tell us thelevel of commitment theadministration has fornurturing a green economy?

The administration knows thatthe cornerstone for long-termrecovery is innovation andmanufacturing in the cleanenergy sector.

Q: How will the new Congresseffect the development of a

green economy?Red states and blue states canbenefit from a clean energyrevolution. Industrial blue statescan produce wind turbines, smartbatteries and solar panels. Butrural red states are where thesolar farms and wind farms willbe deployed, at great profit. Bothparties should be promotingclean energy independence.

Q: What is the potential interms of jobs and dollars ofthe green economy forAmerica?

With smart policy, we could net2 million jobs over the next 10y ea r s.

Q: What are some of thecompanies that stand out asleaders in the green economy?

Companies associated with theSocial Venture Network,BALLE/Business Alliance forLocal Living Economies, GreenAmerica, ACORE and AWEA areamong the best.


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30 GOING GREEN| S u n d ay , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

By Suzanne Thompson


Child psychiatrist Dr. Valerie Arnold sat at abooth crocheting with tape from inside an oldVCR cassette, at Temple Israels Eco Expo III heldlast Sunday.

This is very therapeutic for me, she said.

She made items ranging from wine gift bags totote bags and clutch purses, but they were not fors ale.

Her purpose was simply to teach people how tomake them.

Arnold was among more than 50 exhibitors atthe third annual Eco Expo, which included smallbusinesses and public and private agencies.

Eco Expooffers

ideas for ag re e n e r lifestyle

Photos by Mike Brown//The Commercial Appeal

Valerie Arnold demonstrates how to make old VHS tapes functional againby crocheting the tape into assorted bags during the third annual EcoExpo at Temple Israel.


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32 GOING GREEN| Sun d ay , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

Temple Israels booth displayedinsulation made from recycled blue

jeans, and glass boxes made fromrecycled windshields which are usedto construct custom showers.

Chris Gammill, owner of the local1-800-GOT-JUNK franchise, said hetakes about 40 percent of the thingshis company collects to recyclers.

Our big thing is landfill diver-sion, he said.

Gammill said his business is in-volved in several local recycling pro-

jects, including collecting all theplastic bottles from Earth Day at

Shelby Farms and providing parts toa local bike shop that teaches peoplewho have no transportation how tobuild their own bikes from usedparts.

We are constantly looking forways we can be green and have funwith it, he said.

Wolf River Honey sold their eco-friendly products, like lip balm andlotion bars made from beeswax.

It melts to your body temper-ature and has natural antisepticproperties, so it helps heal cuts,said co-owner Lee Cagle of the bars.

Other exhibitors includedMosquito Squad, which providesmosquito and tick control using agarlic-based organic substance, the

Sierra Club, Memphis InspectionServices, which provides energy us-age assessments, and Urb a nFo re s t r y.

Local government agencies occu-pied several booths, such as the cityof Memphis Public Works Depart-ment, which provides recycling binsfor curbside pickup (ones with

wheels are available upon request),the Storm Water Program, and theMemphis and Shelby County HealthDepartments air pollution controloffice.

Although the focus was on learn-ing, it was done in a fun environ-ment .

One company handed out freesaplings to anyone who wanted one.

Door prizes, many of which wereprovided by participants, were givenout throughout the event.

Having door prizes announcedthrough the day gives it a festiveat m o s p h e re , Kaplan said.

It all adds upIf, per year, every family in the U.S.

substituted one roll of toilet papermade out of 100 percent recycledpaper for one roll made out of new

paper, 423,900 trees would be saved.If, per year, every family in the U.S.substituted one box of tissue madeout of 100 percent recycled paper forone box of tissue made out of newpaper, 163,000 trees would be saved.

If a car is driven 12,000 miles peryear in mostly city driving, and if thatcar gets about 18 city miles per

gallon, fuel costs would be about$2,000 per year (assuming $3/gallongas.). However, if you drive a hybridor other type of car that gets 40 citymiles per gallon, fuel costs would beabout $900 per year, a savings ofabout $1,200 per year.

Linda Kaplan


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34 GOING GREEN| Su n day , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

The class in Memphis drewstudents mainly from Shelby County,but also some from East and Middle

Tennessee. Course instructor EarlPomeroy, a manufacturing consultant for the solar institute,said he expected only 20 students.

The classes began, Pomeroy said,with units on basic electricity andmathematics. The courses willprogress through the weekto include the basics of solar energyand solar equipment design.

(The classes) are important forwork force development and also to

make more apparent the solarindustry throughout the state andgenerate jobs as they becomeava i l a b l e , Pomeroy said.

The program ended Saturday witha test to assemble a small solarsystem, boot it up, produce someelectricity and turn some lights on.Once the students graduate, theywill be prepared for jobs as solarequipment installers, or in sales withsolar companiest.

Jimmie Tucker, a principal of D ow n t ow n s Self Tucker ArchitectsInc., said he hopes the class will helphim incorporate solar electricity intothe development of a 400-unit public-

housing facility at Cleaborn Homes.We re trying to understand the

overall return you can get byincorporating the panels into theproject , Tucker said. Some of thecosts of the panels are coming down.We re closing the gap, but its still ac h a l l e n ge .

George Graham is an assistant cityattorney in Memphis Housing andCommunity Developmentdepartment. He said his boss, RobertLipscomb, returned from aconference e m b a r ra s s e d at how farMemphis was behind the solar curve.

When he made that comment, Iknew I needed to enhance myunderstanding of (solar energyp ro j e c t s ) , Graham said.

Two more courses are in the worksfor the spring semester, though thedetails have not been finalized.

T h e re s an adequate work forcefor the demand (for solar energy)right now in Tennessee, Inabinetsaid. The No. 1 drawback to putting more systems in is the expense, andthe only thing that will bring theexpense down is to put more systemsin. But the incentives were getting from the government, thats a biggie.

Toby Sells: 529-2742

TENNESSEE SOLAR INSTITUTE

What: Solar Photovoltaic Technology Training CourseWhen: Through SaturdayWhere: University of MemphisRe g i s t r a t i o n : Course is closed, but new courses to be announced in springDe t a i l s : s o l a r .t e n n es s e e.e d u


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Nick Bridgeman Natural Resources Technician; City of L a k el a n d

MY GREEN JOB

U r banForestr y Why did you choose a

green career? After highschool a really good friend ofmine took me hunting on hishunting land. The propertywas run by a forest productscompany and it just amazedme at how much actuallygoes into land use planningand the production of

timber/non-timber forestproducts. From then on, I washooked and started lookinginto schools offering ForestResource Managementmajors. While in college atThe University of Tennessee, Iworked for a company inPigeon Forge (Tenn.) locatingtrees to preserve ahead ofdevelopment; thus I wasintroduced to Urban Forestry.When I started work for theCity of Lakeland, I reallywasnt aware of what all wentinto Municipal Forestry andwhat working for the mostprogressive program in theState would entail. This iswhat keeps me going;

educating and training thepublic, providing my expertiseand volunteering for the WestTennessee region, and thefriendships that Ive gainedalong the way.

What education/experience did you needfor your job? Natural

Resource Technician jobsusually require the following:Two years of directly

related experience, a BS innatural resourcemanagement from anaccredited university and/orprofessional certificationsuch as the ISA CertifiedArborist programs, andability to work in inclement

weather and strenuous workcon d it i o ns.

Most recent job(s):Currently I work as theNatural Resources Technicianfor the City of Lakeland. Ihave held internships for theU.S. Forest Service as aBiologic Science Technician

and as a Cartographic Aid.Working for the City ofLakeland has been andcontinues to be a greatexperience. I have a greatboss, great city manager,great mayor, and a greatNatural Resources Boardhere at the city. Since theprogram was started, the

department has grown tobecome the most progressivenatural resources program inthe State.

Career highlights:Completing the citys

Natural Resources Inventory(15,000 acres)

Completing the citysNatural Resources

Ass es s m en tBecoming an ISACertified Arborist

Holding a Conferenceintroducing traditionalforesters to urban forestersand their respectivei n du s tri es

Graduating theMunicipal Forestry Institute


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36 GOING GREEN| S u n d ay , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

Becoming an ISA Municipal SpecialistBeing Chairman for West Tennessee

Chapter of the Kentucky/Tennessee Society ofAmerican Foresters and as the Chairman forWest Tennessee Chapter of the TennesseeUrban Forestry Council

Whats the hardest thing about findingwork in your field (in the Greater Memphisarea)? Working in a natural resources relatedfield is a great job choice. Its very rewarding.Teaching children and adults, providing amunicipal service for so many inside the cityand consultation to the public throughoutWest Tennessee is a huge positive for ourcommunity. That being said, the abovepositive reasons are why it can be hard to find

work like this because people dont usuallychoose to leave this type of job. In toughtimes, and these are just that, these servicescan be seen as a place to look to free upmoney in federal, state, and local budgets.Urban Forestry is not necessarily a newindustry by any means. However, we findourselves continually fighting to keep (orestablish) a place at the table for thediscussion/argument on our countrys biggestthreat to natural resources; urbanization and

forest land fragmentation.What green trends would you like to see

in the future? I would love to see the GreaterMemphis area become a little more interestedin recycling. Less emphasis on what it costsme now and more emphasis on what it keepsme from sacrificing or watching disappear inthe future. STOP littering. The trash in your carcan wait to be tossed out until you pull intoyour own driveway. Finally, Memphis has a

great urban forest, one of the best in the state.Conservation means development as much

as it does protection. I recognize the right andduty of this generation to develop and use thenatural resources of our land; but I do notrecognize the right to waste them, or to rob,by wasteful use, the generations that comeafter us. Theodore Roosevelt

Compiled by Emily Adams Keplinger

Chamber welcomesClayton Poff as new director of energy eff i c i e n c y

Clayton Poff recently joined theBartlett Area Chamber ofCommerce staff as director ofenergy efficiency.

Poff is a resident of Memphis anda veteran of the United StatesMarine Corps. His main objectiveas the BACC director of energyefficiency will be to actively engage

in assisting businesses to reducetheir energy consumption throughtested and reliable technology. Theprimary focus of the director is therecommissioning of existingfacilities through processesapproved and recommended by theDOE, EPA and other energy-relatedagencies. Additionally, he will beresponsible for maintainingawareness in energy conservationtechnology that can be easilydisseminated to businessesseeking reliable and cost-effectiveways to reduce their carbonfo o t p r i n t .

Poff is working to establish ateam of green solution providersand solution seekers called TEAM

GREEN ZONE.For more information, contactPoff at 372-9457 or e-mailc p o f f@ ba r t l ett c h a m b e r .or g.

Maria Mclendon, Special to Going G reen

Maria McLendon is director of marketing and communications for the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce.


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38 GOING GREEN| S und ay , January 3 0, 2011 co mm erci a l a pp ea l.com

said Frank, as he handled his newcars plug-in cords like a proudfather. This is kind of like aculmination of all my work.

Frank, 77, is the first person inthe Sacramento area to take homea new Volt model, which he isleasing from GM.

As he displayed his s i l ve r- g re e nhatchback at a news conference,Frank said it is gratifying to seehow car manufacturers arebeginning to embrace the electriccars and plug-in hybrids hehelped pioneer.

Nissan is rolling out its all-electric Leaf car and Toyota willintroduce its plug-in hybrid Priusin 2012.

A plug-in hybrid version of theFord Escape will also hit themarket in 2012, Frank said.

Its all coming together, hes aid.

Fra n k s 2011 Volt is among thefirst of several hundred being delivered around the country byGM.

The car uses a rechargeablebattery to drive 25 to 50 miles ata time. After that, a gasoline-powered generator kicks in tosupply the motor with electricity.

With a sticker price of about

$41,000, the Volt isnt cheap.However, federal tax incentivesbring down the price by $7,500.Frank said state credits that kickin for later models will lower theprice by another $2,500.

He test-drove the Volt on Dec.21 and found it offers a smootherand more powerful ride than non-

Eat up, and charge up,at the Cracker Barrel

Yo u re on the highway, and your

stomach is starting to rumble. You see thefamiliar orange sign a Cracker Barrel.The turn signals are on before you eventhink about it. Now chances are that thename Cracker Barrel conjures up anumber of images a cinnamon Frenchtoast breakfast with eggs; a HickorySmoked Barbecue Country Dinner;signature rocking chairs. But electric cars?

Nevertheless, Cracker Barrel is takinga plunge into the unknown with 24

electric charging stations (half of themwith ultra-fast 480-volt DC) in aTennessee triangle that includesNashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Theidea is to keep the Cracker Barrel brandrelevant to changing times. And how.Grandmas Oldsmobile cant fuel up atthese electric vehicle pumps, but theNissan Leaf (to be built in Tennessee) can.

Cracker Barrel is partnering withECOtality and the federally sponsored EVProject, which is following Nissan Leafrollout markets. Hence the focus onTennessee when Cracker Barrel, whichhas 597 outlets, could have put theECOtality Blink stations anywhere.

We dont know yet how manychargers there will be per store, saidCaitlin Cieslik-Miskimen, a spokeswomanfor ECOtality.

I had an amiable chat with CrackerBarrel spokeswoman Julia Davis, andwenoticed that the map of EV locationsdescribes a rough circle between thethree cities. You could drive a Leaf alongthe whole route, which is something like425 miles, stopping for refreshments anda charge along the way. The CrackerBarrel Electric Highway is expected to bein place next summer.

Jim Motavalli, Mother Nature Network


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plug-in hybrids hes driven, such asthe Toyota Prius.

He said the Volt has an evenquicker response time than manytraditional gasoline cars.

T h e re s a lot of gee-whiz stuff in

h e re , said Frank, as he showed off the cars high-tech dashboard, whichdisplays everything from the carb att e r y s power levels to the airpressure in the tires.

This is going to be a greatexperience for the average person onthe street.

Frank isnt your average motorist.

A professor of mechanical andaeronautical engineering, Frankworked with GM to convert an EV 1electric car to a plug-in hybridduring the 1990s.

He and his students have

converted several American-madesport-utility vehicles to plug-ingasoline-electric hybrids.

I look at this not as the end of along sojourn. I see this as just thebeginning, he said.

Contact Rick Daysog at [email protected] .

Andy Alfaro/ The Sacramento Bee

Andrew Frank said he expects to get more than 90 miles per gallon and use about50 gallons of gasoline a year out of his new Volt plug-in hybrid. A traditionalgasoline car would use about 400 gallons a year for the same mileage.


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40 GOING GREEN| S u nd ay , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er cia l a pp ea l.co m

FA I T H

Local congregations moveto live lighter on the earthIS THERE A MORE COMMON SYMBOL of

fellowship on Gods green earth than the simple,disposable, environmentally sinful polystyrene foamcup?

For more onmatters offaith, check outthe Saturday Msection of theCo m me r c i alAppeal or go toco m me r c i a lappeal.com and

click onL i fes t y l e / Fa i t h .

Creation is littered withthese byproducts of countless congregationalcoffee hours, committeemeetings and covenantgroups, not to mention theoccasional communionc e re m o n y.

Most of these commoncups will be as old asMethuselah by the timethey biodegrade.

Waste not, want not, theBible says. Or was itBenjamin Franklin? In anycase, trashing Gods

creation is not anexpression of faith. T h at s why folks at First

Unitarian Church of theRiver, LindenwoodChristian Church and St.Jo h n s United MethodistChurch to mention a few

are now clutching newfangled compostablepaper cups or old-fashioned, reusable ceramiccups.

International Papermakes the compostablecups, so were supporting the environment and thelocal economy, said BillLanders, a businessconsultant and one of theleaders of Church of theR i ve r s effort to become anaccredited Green Sanctuaryin the Unitarian

Universalist denomination.If any sanctuary inMemphis should be green,its the Church of the Riverand its environmentallysublime setting on thefourth Chickasaw Bluff justsouth of Downtown. Its


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getting greener every Sunday.In addition to raising coffee-cup

consciousness (and using only fair-trade coffee), the church replacedthree of its four boilers with moreenergy-efficient units, replaced all of its incandescent light bulbs withLED lighting, and installedprogrammable thermostats.

The congregation hosts the SierraClubs annual Environmental JusticeConference. Nearly all weeklynewsletters are e-mailed, notprinted. The first Sunday of eachmonth is Green Sunday, which

includes lessons and workshops oncomposting, recycling and other actsof faith.

The way to greening our habitatwill not necessarily come from moretechnology or reverting to aromanticized past, Rev. BurtonCarley said in a sermon thatlaunched the Green Sanctuaryp ro g ra m .

The root of the matter is spiritual. . . Seeing ourselves separate fromnature and believing that nature ishere only to serve us is at the root of the spiritual problem.

T h at s not an easy lesson for manycongregations, especially in a highlycharged political context thatequates environmental concerns

about global warming and carbonemissions with government controlsand economic interference.

So instead of using politicizedterms like environmental justice oreco -justice, some clergy haveturned to kinder, more personal andfaith-friendly terms to engage

congregations in conservatione f fo r t s .

Words like s t ewa rd s h i p andcreation care resonate more withpeople of faith, said Dr. Ron Buck,L i n d e nwo o d s senior minister. Weare starting with small steps.

Lindenwood is taking steps toreduce, reuse, recycle andreconnect with creation.

A common chalice has replacedplastic communion cups at twoSunday services. Church officials areusing smart-phone apps to controlheating and cooling. New bike racks,

as well as the churchs proximity tothe Green Line, encourage membersto cycle to church.

Lindenwood was one of the faith-based sponsors of last falls Gather atthe River conference. On March 6, itwill host Rev. Fletcher Harper,executive director of the interfaithadvocacy group Gre e n Fa i t h . Among the churchs small groups is onedevoted to Care for Creation.

We re taking a gentle approach,said Rev. Sarah Taylor-Peck,L i n d e nwo o d s associate minister.We re trying to get people to realizethat 400 people changing their lightbulbs or not using plastic cups willhave a more positive impact on theenvironment than four people

moving off the grid.Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.Repent .

The end of polystyrene foam cupsis near.

Know someone who has Faith in Memphis, contact David Waters at 529- 2377 or [email protected].


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42 GOING GREEN| Su n day, January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l a pp ea l.co m

Richard Robbins/The Commercial Appeal


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The Commercial Appeal S u nd ay , January 3 0, 2011 | GOING GREEN 43

FO O D

W H AT S INSTO R E ?Memphis scene already on board

with trends toward local, sustainableBy Melissa Petersen / Special to The Commercial Appeal

T THE BEGINNING of every year, food publicationstake a stab at listing what they hope will be the hotfood topics for the coming months.

The trends in Memphis food make mehopeful. While I am looking forward to the ice pop trend thatFood & Wine Magazine predicts for 2011, thetrends that are already established here s h ow

that Memphis is a great food town and is on its way to being even better.

You might have to work a little to find the food gems inMemphis, but they are definitely around. The following trendsare here to stay and growing strong in 2011.

CO M M E N TA RY

A


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Getting to know where your food comesfrom: Four years ago, Memphis had twofarmers markets and a handful of chefs whosourced locally on their menus. Now, the areaboasts 14 farmers markets, several dozenrestaurants and even a hospital sourcing locally.Every grocery store that carries local itemsdraws attention to them. Why? Memphians areasking where their food comes from.

Green fo o d : This topic encompasseseverything from restaurant recycling to bicycledelivery. The food industry is notorious for itswaste, but Memphis restaurants are takingsteps to be as environmentally friendly.

Large barbecue productions such as the

Rendezvous and Central BBQ have eliminatedpolystyrene foam cups. Project Green Fork hasdoubled the number of restaurants it works withto be environmentally sustainable. AutoZonePark is recycling bottles. FedExForum is usingeco-friendly food trays. Hueys has built a facilityto house its compost and recycling in Midtown.

Grow your own: You cant get more localthan your own backyard, neighborhood, roof orpatio. The Mid-South is seeing schoolyard,community and restaurant gardens pop upeverywhere. Backyard chickens, homegrownhoneybees and even the occasional milk goatare being employed for food production bothnovelty and necessity.

Being veggie-friendly: Memphis may beknown worldwide for its fabulous pork, butrestaurants here have beefed up vegetarianand vegan offerings. From off-the-menu veggie

plates at places like The Majestic Grille tovegan soul food at DejaVu to all-vegetabledinners at Trolley Stop Market, we still love ourmeat, but were seeing the glory of local fruitsand vegetables holding their own on the plate.

Melissa Petersen is the editor of Edible Memphis, a magazine that celebrates the abundance of local food, season by season.Contact her at ediblememphis.com.

JENNIFER BIGGS

Whining & Dining

Catch up onpickling basicsbefore summer

H e re s fair warning: Inabout six months, Ill startwriting about canning pickles, relishes, chow-chowand so on. If past experienceholds true, you are going tobe so jealous .

But who wants that? Imcrazy about you people, and Iwant everyone to have a goodtime and good pickles to eatall year.


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University of Tennessee Extension AgentDonna Downen has stepped up. Join her from 6to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, for an introductionto food preservation. Shell cover canning aswell as freezing and drying.

After this class, you can sign up for specificclasses (which is where the pickles come in).H e re s the deal: You have to learn the basics

the benefits, the drawbacks, the safety rulesand so on. But dont get discouraged if it soundsoverwhelming, because, in reality, its not.

I spent years wanting to can, but scared to doit because it seemed complicated andd a n ge ro u s .

Meh. Now I put up a dozen jars of pickles in acouple of hours on my own, or make a funevening of it with friends which is not dorky,no matter how it sounds.

(But let my enthusiasm be your cautionarytale: I cleaned out my refrigerator this weekendand found 28 jars of pickles, plus at least adozen of relishes and chow-chow.)

Learn the basics; then we can share recipesthis summer. The class is at the extension officeat Agricenter International, 7777 Walnut Grove.Enter at entrance B, and go to the upstairsconference room.

Its free, but preregistration is required. Call752-1207.

Recipe of the weekOnce you begin roasting vegetables in the oven,

you wont want to cook them any other way. Thecaramelization adds so much flavor. While I roastall of the vegetables in this recipe, Ive never donethem all in one pan. Serve as a side to just aboutanything chicken, fish, pork.

Contact Jennifer Biggs [email protected] or 529-5223. Her blog is

whiningdining.com .

Ov e n - Ro a s t e dVe g e t a b l es2 small fennel bulbs, topsremoved1 lb. fingerling or small potatoes1/ 3 cup good olive oilKosher salt and freshly groundblack pepper, to taste1 lb. French string beans( haricots verts ), trimmed1 bunch fresh asparagus, endsremoved, cut diagonally into3-inch pieces1/ 4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425degrees. Cut the fennel

bulbs into 6 wedges each,cutting through the core tokeep the wedges intact.Place on a sheet pan. Cutthe potatoes in halflengthwise and place themon the pan with the fennel.Drizzle the olive oil on thevegetables, then sprinklewith 2 teaspoons salt and 1

teaspoon pepper. Toss withyour hands.Roast the vegetables for

25 to 30 minutes, until thepotatoes are tender,tossing once while cooking.Toss the string beans andasparagus with the roastedvegetables and roast foranother 10 - 15 minutes,until the vegetables aretender. Sprinkle on theparmesan cheese and roastfor another minute or twountil the cheese melts.Serves 6.

Source: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina Garten


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46 GOING GREEN| S u nd ay , January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

MEATLESS MONDAY

B u t te r n u tsquash

By Alyce Mantia


We were having a fewfriends in last week for a very

casual get-together. Myhusband, Tom, asked what I wasthinking of making, and I said,Oh, I dont know. Some sort of amusing lasagna.

I like butternut squash any time, butthis time of year, it just seems right.

Our guests seemed to like it. Icertainly did. Now, I have to say that

Tom said later, But it didnt haveany meat in it!

The recipe looks like a lot of work,but it goes quickly. And theres noreason you cant have it doneentirely a day ahead. Refrigeratecovered, but be sure to let it sit outat room temperature for an hour orso before baking.

In Italy, Ive never had lasagnausing the wavy noodles so commonhere; its always with flat noodles. SoIve often made my own pastasheets. What a treat, then, to findBarilla makes a noodle that is notonly flat but also doesnt have to beboiled before using.

Alyce Mantia Price owned Mantias International Foods in East Memphis for 13 years. She blogs about food at

mantias.blogspot.com. You may contact her at [email protected].

Winter vegetable

makes for amusing lasagna


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The Commercial Appeal S u n day , January 3 0, 2011 | GOING GREEN 47

Butternut Squash-GoatCheese Lasagna2 medium butternut squash2 tbsp. good olive oilSalt and pepper3 leeks cup butter, divided cup fresh sage leaves, minced6 tbsp. flour6 cups milk8 oz. goat cheese, divided1 large pinch nutmeg, preferably freshlygrated2 cups ricotta cheese2 eggs1 box Barilla no-cook lasagna sheets1 cup Italian cheese mix, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.With a vegetable peeler, strip boththe hard outside and the lighterflesh just under it from the squash.Cut in half lengthwise and with aspoon scoop out the seeds and fiberfrom the center. Cut into -inchcubes. Spread on a baking sheetand drizzle with the olive oil. Toss tocover. Sprinkle lightly with salt andpepper. Roast until tender and juststarting to brown around the edges,15-20 minutes.

Reduce the oven heat to 350d e g r e es .

Cut a slice off the root end of theleeks. Cut off the dark green tops

and discard. Cut the white and lightgreen part in half lengthwise, thenslice -inch thick. In a large skillet,heat 2 tbsp. butter over medium-lowheat. Add the sliced leek and cookuntil just tender. Add the roastedsquash cubes and the sage, toss tocombine, and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile in a saucepan, heat theremaining butter over medium heat.Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring,a couple of minutes. Whisk in themilk and simmer until thickened.Add half the goat cheese and whiskuntil melted into the sauce. Remove

from the heat.In a small bowl, mix the ricottaand eggs.

Assemble the lasagna: Butter a9-by-13 baking dish (or use cookingspray). Spread 2 cups of the sauceevenly on the bottom. Arrange threeor four pasta sheets on top. Spreadhalf the ricotta on top, then half thesquash-leek mixture, then one cupof sauce. Sprinkle with one-third ofthe Italian cheese mixture. Repeatthe layers.

Finish with a layer of pasta sheetsand the remaining sauce. Be surethe sauce/fillings are spread all theway to the edge of the pan. Crumblethe remaining goat cheese over thetop and sprinkle with the remainingItalian cheese mixture.

Cover the pan with foil and bakefor 20 minutes. Remove foil andbake until top is nicely browned,another 20-30 minutes. Removefrom the oven and let sit for 15-20minutes before cutting into squaresto serve. Serves 8 to 12, dependingon the appetite of your friends.


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My favorite websites for greencleaner recipes and reliableinformation about truly green store-bought products that work best areNational Geographicst h e g re e n gu i d e . c o m ande a r t h e a s y. c o m .

H e re s what Ive gleaned to helpme stock my cleaning closet for thenew year. Many of the productsmentioned are available at WholeFoods and area grocery stores. If theyare not, check these online options:eartheasy.com, amazon.com, anddrugstore.com or soundearth.com.

Scouring powderHomemade: Baking soda or Borax

and a scouring pad.Store-bought: Bon Ami, Sound

Ea r t h s Velvet Hammer.

Tile and groutHomemade: Equal parts salt and

baking soda with enough liquid soap to

make a pasteStore-bought: Earth Friendly ShowerKleener.

Toilet cleanerHomemade: Full-strength vinegar, or

borax, or baking soda (optional: rinsewith vinegar for a fizzy finish)

Store-bought: Ecover NaturalHousehold Products Toilet Cleaner,Seventh Generation Natural Mint ToiletBowl Cleaner.

All-purpose cleanerHomemade: Mixture made of equal

parts Heinz White Vinegar and water; adda few drops of detergent for more power.

Store-bought: Aub r ey s OrganicsEarth Aware Household Cleaner, Dr.

Bronners Tea Tree Organic Liquid Soap,Sound Earth Lightning Liquid Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Vermont Soap OrganicsLiquid Sunshine Non-Toxic Cleaner.

Glass cleanerHomemade: equal parts Heinz White

Vinegar and water.Store-bought: Aubrey Liquid Sparkle

Spray Cleaner, Seaside Naturals GlassCleaner, Sound Earth Crystal Clean Glassand Surface Cleaner.

Laundry detergentHomemade: two parts soap flakes

(Fels Naptha, Zote and Ivory arepopular), one part washing soda to cutgrease, 1 part Borax to remove stains, cup white vinegar in the rinse to softenand eliminate cling. Amount needed perwash varies from 2 tablespoons updepending on your water.

Store-bought: Nellies All NaturalLaundry Products or Maggies SoapNuts.

My very favorite discovery, however, isa homemade disinfectant recipe that ismore effective than bleach. It killssalmonella, E. coli, all that bad stuff. Astudy was done at Virginia Tech thatfound that a counter (or food) mistedseparately (and in either order) withstore-strength vinegar and hydrogenperoxide was 10 times more effectivethan either product alone. Use twoseparate sprayers. Dont mix them in the

same bottle. Deanna Caswell is a local writer who

blogs at l i tt l eh o u s e i n t h e s u b u r bs . co m . Her first book, First Ballet, was releasedthis year by Hyperion. Caswell and her

husband, Jeff, live in Collierville. She practices eco-friendly living while raising their three children, along with pygmy

goats and chickens.


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50 GOING GREEN| S u n day, January 3 0, 2011 co mm er c ia l app ea l.co m

GREATER MEMPHIS GARDENER

Janet t eK rauc h

Emily Adams Keplinger/The Commercial Appeal

Janette Krauch of East Memphisenjoys flowers in every season,including poinsettias and LentenRoses during the holidays. She is afounding member and a pastpresident of River Oaks GardenClub, and she is a member of theSuburban Garden Club.

How long have you beeninterested in gardening? Ive beeninterested in gardening all my life,but especially during my marriedlife.

How did you get your greenthumb? I have always loved prettyyards and attractive landscaping.

Average amount of time involvedwith gardening per week ormonth: I piddle in the gardenalmost every day even during thewinter. Im always checking on it.

What's your favorite plant andwhy? My favorite plants are KnockOut Roses They are always in bloomand you get instant gratification.

What are your favorite gardeningexperiences? Ive been taking garden classes at the University of Memphis and attending specialityworkshops at both the Dixon and theMemphis Botanic Garden. And Ilove reading gardening books.

What type of gardening projectwould you like to try in the future?I would like to work in an inner-citygarden, and Id like to take MasterGardener classes.

What is your most memorablegardening moment? My most

memorable gardening moment waswhen I grew arugula for the firsttime and enjoyed eating it in mysalad. Also, some of my fondestmemories were working in thegarden with my grandchildren whenthey were young.

What else do you do when youare not being a gardener? I love totravel the world, as well as be withmy grandchildren and family.

Compiled by Emily Adams Keplinger


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Book review: Re a lSimple: 869 New Uses

for Old ThingsReal Simple manages to makethe frugal ways of ourgrandmothers seem chic. Rea lSimple: 869 New Uses for OldT h i n gs contains page after pageof good ideas harvested from thefirst 10 years of the magazine.

Here, a sampling:Use an old contact-lens case

to carry spices on a camping trip.Give a plastic cassette case

new life in the iPod age: Use it tokeep your earbuds or chargercord tidy while traveling.

Coffee filters are a New Usesfavorite. Use one to cover food inthe microwave, to catch splatters.How about using one to line yourflowerpots, to keep the dirt fromdribbling out the drain hole?

Run used wrapping paperand tissue paper through a papershredder, then use the shreds asfiller in gift bags and boxes.

Use a fabric wristband toprotect wrap a hot coffee cup or to

Is it safe to pour bleach down a drain?Dear EarthTalk: My neighbor told me to pour

bleach down my drains every week to keep themclear. Is this safe to do?

Bleach is a useful cleaner and disinfectant, butpouring it down the drain will not do anything to helpkeep the drains clear. In addition, you could cause adangerous chemical reaction if it comes into contactwith other household products you might be using.

Common household bleach, also known as chlorinebleach, is a liquid compound of sodium hypochlorite.Its often used to whiten laundry or to disinfectkitchen surfaces. Bleach is also an ingredient in otherhousehold cleaners, like those used for bath andtoilet cleaning.

One of the most common home accidents is themixing of products containing chlorine bleach withthose containing ammonia, says Washington ToxicsCoalition (WTC), a Seattle non-profit that advocates forgreen friendly household products. The combinationcreates a gas, which is highly irritating to the lungs.Since many cleaning products contain ammonia, the

inadvertent mixing must be avoided.Bleach alone is not necessarilyhard on the environment. When

use as directed, it will breakdown mostly into salt water

in wastewater treatmentor septic systems, saysWTC. A dilution ofbleach in water iseffective as adisinfectant, and can bescrubbed onto non-porous food-contactsurfaces like plasticcutting boards orrefrigerator shelves and

left to air dry.So, what are thebetter ways to keep drains

clear? Home drains in the kitchen and bath generallyget clogged by grease, food waste and hair, none of

hi h ill b ff ti l di d b bl h WTC

Going Green Memphis 01-30-11

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Transcript of Going Green Memphis 01-30-11