Going Green Memphis 8-7-11

8/6/2019 Going Green Memphis 8-7-11

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2 GOING GREEN | August 2011 co mm e r c i al a p pea l.co m

FROM THE EDITOR

Gre en i n g

s c ho ol sWell, I knew it would happen.

Summer, my seven-year-olddaughters favorite time of theyear, is coming to an end.

Thoughts of going back-to-schoolweigh on both our minds.

Traditionally, August is the monthwhen you see all the lists of w h atto and what not to buy forschool supplies. Been there, donethat many times over.

This year I found myselfwondering about what might behappening in the schoolsthemselves in going greenterms. So for this special

schools issue of Going Green,we take a look at:How local independent and

private schools are incorporatingsustainability right into theircurricula, campus activities andm o re .

How a group of enterprisingstudents and teachers arereinventing the school club

concept to include e-clubs in themix.

How grant money has helpedprovide training and educationopportunities in the renewableenergy field for many dislocated,unemployed workers.

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 is

published 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 s

We ll share information andresources 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 August 2011 | GOING GREEN 3

Sustainable lessonscome to the classroom

Independent and privateschools find integratingconservation into thecurriculum a natural fit.

Theres a new club

on the block forstudents theEnv i r o n m e n t a lC l u b.

Green schools issue ...

14

18

On the cover: Illustration from istockphoto.com

24

21

Weary of disposablediapers, transition tocloth poses manychallenges. PAGE 10

Southern peas andbeans are here, andyou dont want to missout . PAGE 12

A memorial tributeto Mike Lenagar, cattlefarmer and operator ofNeola Farms. PAGE 8

Packing a lunch inthe spirit of thebento box is the

green way to go.

Four year collegesaren't the onlyinstitutions thatoffer a greened u ca ti o n .

PRACTICALLY GREEN EATING GREEN SAYING GOODBYE


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4 GOING GREEN | August 2011 co mm e r c i ala ppea l.co m

As the Shelby Farms Greenline increases in popularity, so does the

standard of safety surrounding it. Concerns about pedestrians crossingbusy intersections on the Greenline are being met with an answer from

the City of Memphis Division of Engineering. A new type of traffic light,

known as a pedestrian hybrid beacon, was installed at areas of the

Greenline with heavy traffic. The pedestrian hybrid beacon operates like a

conventional signal and is designed to stop traffic momentarily for

pedestrians and cyclists.

Micro Greens...

Safe crossing: Signals ease way for travelers

Fly orDr ive?

Time toC a l c u l a te

The website BeFrugal.com features a Fly or Drive Calculator a useful toolwhen deciding between rising gas prices or expensive plane tickets fort r av e l . The Fly or Drive Calculator not only tallies up how much money youwould spend on gas versus a flight, but it estimates the time of eachmethod of transportation, CO2 impact and even factors small details likethe price of parking a car at an airport and driving distance by miles. Formore information, go to www.befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator.


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Green Snap...

Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal

Culinary oasis

Heading to an area farmers market this week? Harvesting somethingscrumptious from your garden? Wed like to know how you prepare your

garden delights. Tell us what recipes make the most of the seasons bounty.We ll print as many as we can, and also include the recipes in the GoingGreen e-magazine. Also, please take a picture of you with your garden

goodies either with the raw product or while you are cooking, or thefinished, prepared dish. E-mail recipes and photos to Emily Adams

Keplinger at [email protected].

A customer grabs a tomato at the South Memphis FarmersMarket at the corner of South Parkway and Mississippi

Boulevard. The site, donated by St. Andrew AME Church,served roughly 7,500 customers in it's first year. The

market has also been awarded a 250,000 grant from thePlough Foundation to help renovate the existing building toprovide additional services to the surrounding community.


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Ev e n t s

Full Moon Mixer

Aug. 12 at Shelby Farms Park Visitors Center,6 to 9 p.m.

Sponsored by Ghost River Beer, the fundraiserwill benefit Shelby Farms Park and The Greenline.The event will include food, beverages and livemusic by The Near Reaches. Cost is free tomembers of Shelby Farms Park; $10 for non-members.

Gardening seminar

Aug. 13 the Millington Farmers Market, 11 a.m.

The August Gardening Seminar offered by theMillington City Beautiful Commission will be held atthe Millington Farmers Market on Easley Street.Joellen Dimond, a local horticulturist and memberof the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, willpresent a program on Trees 101. She will discusstree care and give tips on proper mulchingtechniques. The event is open to the public.

MLGW, libraries offerenergy programs

Memphis Light, Gas andWater Division and theTennessee Valley Authoritywill be at various publiclibrary branches this monthwith the Get Energy Smart@ Your Library program.During the two-hour GetEnergy Smart @ YourLibrary workshops,

participants learn practicaltips, get hands-oninstructions and leave with$50 worth of gadgets andtools for do-it-yourselfprojects. Registration isrequired. For generalinformation on eitherprogram, call (901) 415-270 0.

Dates and locations:

Aug. 9, 10:30 a.m.,Cordova Branch, 8457Trinity Road, (901) 754-8443

Aug. 9, 3 p.m., PoplarWhite-Station Branch,5094 Poplar, (901) 682-16 16

Aug. 16, 3 p.m., CorneliaCrenshaw Branch, 531

Vance, (901) 525-1643Going Green Memphis is

now on Facebook. SimplyLIKE the page to receiveregular news briefs andupdates about green eventsand programs taking placein and around the GreaterMemphis area.

The Green Page...

Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

The Shelby Farms bison herd mills about inthe park. The herd has grown by leaps in thepast few years with the help of donations.


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Thank you for your July 11 editorialadvising your readers of the spendingcuts that Congress is attempting to enactin the Land, Water and Conservation

Funds (LWCF). Your editorial illustratedvery well what these reductions in fundscould mean to the state of Tennessee. It isalso important for your readers tounderstand the following:

LWCF is not paid for with taxpayerdollars. In 1965, Congress made acommitment to the American public thata small portion of revenue from off-shoreoil and gas drilling would be earmarked forconservation. This is the only

conservation offset for the American

p u b l i c.In FY 2010, the revenues from off-shore

oil and gas drilling total $6 billion, yet thisproposed bill would only allocate $60

million (1 percent) forconservation/outdoor recreation for theAmerican public.

If your readers want to support moreland and water conservation efforts, theyshould contact their appropriateCongressional representative and voicetheir disapproval of the current proposedlegislation.

Keith Cole, Executive director,

The Wolf River Conservancy

Going to bat for the LWCF

FROM THE GOING GREEN BLOGGERS

JosephineA l ex a n d e r :If you havedriven by St. JudeChildrens Research

Hospital in the pastyear, you have probablyseen the fenced lotacross the street withbrightly colored raisedbeds. These days, thebeds are brimming withtomato plants, squash,cucumbers, peppers andmore. The vegetablesgrown in the garden gostraight to the kitchen,which serves patients,staff and visitors at St.Jude and can make asignificant contributionto the bottom line.

Lisa Enderle:Fa r m e r s m a r ke t s

make my mouth water.I adore the vendors. I

ca n t resist thefragrant, ripe produce.I am a sucker forhomemade jams. I ams o m e t i m esoverwhelmed by whatto do with all of itbefore it turns to mushin my crisper.Quickr e c i p es that I use athome are great forsneaking in the goodstuff for the stubbornlittle (or big!) ones, aswell as using littleproduce odds n endsin the fridge.

Going social

For daily updatesrelated to greenissues, follow GoingGreen on Twitter att w i t t e r .co m /go g r e e nmemphis and checkus out on Facebookby searching GoingGreen Memphis. Yo u

can see the latestfrom bloggersJosephine Alexanderand Lisa Enderle atco mm e rci a la p p ea l.co m/go i n g g r e e n .


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Saying goodbye to MichaelMike Lenagar of Neola Farms

It is with great sadness that we saygoodbye to our friend Michael M i ke Lenagar, cattle farmer and operator ofNeola Farms, in Brighton, TN.

Mike passed away on July 19 after abrief illness. He was 56.

Neola Farms has been a largepresence in the our green sceneoffering locally raised beef. They wereone of the first vendors at the MemphisFarmers Market and have now a

devoted following of people who knowto find them on Saturdays at thatmarket. Additionally, the exposurethere helped Mike get his aged BlackAngus beef into several arearestaurants and hotels, because chefswere looking to increase the quality oftheir offerings by working with localfoods. And Mike stood behind thequality of his products, putting his

name and phone number on everyp a c ka ge.

With Mikes passing, many peopleare questioning what will become ofNeola Farms. It was heartening to hear,that through Charline Lenagar, Mikeswife, and their two sons, Derek andHeath, Neola Farms will go on,continuing to provide their farm-freshproducts to customers and restaurantsa l i ke.

Neola Farms will continue to be apresence at the Memphis FarmersMarket on Saturdays, as well as beavailable daily at Miss Cordelias inHarbor Town and the Trolley StopMarket, 704 Madison, in Midtown. Also,

Chris Desmond/The Commercial Appeal files

Mike Lenagar, owner of NeolaFarms, helped jump start the farmto table movement in Memphiswith his locally-raised beef. As one

of the first vendors at the MemphisFarmers Market, his farm hasdeveloped a devoted following wholook for their products every week.

A memorial tribute

Trolley Stop will continue to hostNeola Burger Night ev e r yWe d n es d ay .

Memorials may be sent to St. JudeChildrens Research Hospital or theLiberty Baptist Church Building Fund,2097 Holly Grove Road, Covington, TN3 8 0 1 9.

Emily Adams Keplinger,keplinger@commercialappeal .com


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A celebration

B ea l e s permanent cocktail menu.Certified restaurants give back

by donating a portion of theproceeds from PGF menu items tothe organization. The cocktail willjoin The Cosmic Coconuts PGFcelery, cucumber, bell pepper andspinach juice; Sekisui MidtownsPGF sushi roll with tempura sweetpotato, tempura asparagus,cucumber, avocado and scallionswrapped in a green soy paper anddrizzled with sweet soy reduction;

and Sweet Grass PGF specialtyhand-crafted cocktail featuring St.Germain, Midori, cucumber vodkaand ginger beer.

To learn more about P G F, visitthe organizations new, improvedwebsite: p r o j e c t g r e e n fo r k .o r g .

By Stacey Greenberg,Special to The Commercial Appeal

In season

this month

Lady peas

Purple hullp easSpeckledp easCrowder peasTo m a t o esSq u a s hZu cc h i n iEg g p l a n tOkra

B ea n sBell peppersBananapeppers

Hot peppersSweet cornOni onsPo t a t o es(new andsweet)S h i i t a kemushroomsPea c h esA p p l es

F i gsWa t e r m e l o nHoney dewmelonCantaloupeB l ue b e r ri esPlumsM u s ca d in es

Project Green Fork turns 3

Project Green Fork ce le b r at edits third birthday on August 4.

And there was plenty tocelebrate for the organization thataims to contribute to sustainabilityin our community by helping localrestaurants reduce theirenvironmental impact.

They also focus onstrengthening homegrownres t a u r a n t s .

There are 34 certifiedrestaurants Grill 83 Downtown

being the most recent to completethe process and nine othersworking toward it.

The average restaurantproduces 1.5 lbs. of trash permeal, or about 25 tons of garbagea year. Typically, nearly 95 percentof this waste could be recycled orco mp ost ed .

So far, PGF-certified restaurantshave recycled about 600,000

gallons of plastic, glass andaluminum; nearly 300 tons ofcardboard and paper and 79,000gallons of food waste. Thesenumbers are increasing every dayas new restaurants join.

The organization held a birthdaycelebration at South of Bealerestaurant, 361 S. Maint.

The restaurant unveiled its newmenu in conjunction with the

party, and provided samples forguests. The celebration included acocktail competition.

Michael Hughes of Joes Winesand Liquor created two PGFspecialty cocktails. Guests votedvia text message for the cocktailthey liked the most, and thewinner will be featured on South of

The Commercial Appeal files

A decal posted in thewindow of Tsunami certifiesit as part of the ProjectGreen Fork program.


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My 4-month-old is watching me asI write this weeks column. On heradorable behind is my first foray intocloth diapers.

I confess that I didnt join the clothdiaper brigade forgreen aspirations

alone. Or even primar-ily. After three otherchildren, I am simpletired of buying dispos-able diapers.

Im also tired of fliesbuzzing around thetrash can. Im tired ofleaks. Im tired of rash-es. Im tired of the

late-night runs to thestore for another 50-pack. But clothdiapering hasnt been an easy tran-sition for me.

First, most cloth diapers arentcheap. But Im cheap! After hours offutile Internet searching, a friendpointed me to eBay, where plenty ofreasonably priced Babyland pocketdiapers are available through a com-pany called Papoose. They run about$4 a diaper and have adjustablesnaps to fit newborns through tod-dlers. Ive found that they work won-d e r f u l l y.

The next hurdle was mental. Imused to throwing away dirty diapers ,

not storing them in pails and laterwashing them. So the idea of in-tentionally letting a child soil some-thing cloth seemed insane. The un-opened pack of diapers sat on mydresser for two weeks before I triedthem. Even then, I kept her in my

room at my side all day, poised towhip off her pants the second I sus-pected contact. It took about fourreally dirty diapers before it nolonger fazed me.

The next concern was choosing awashing detergent. I thought that thewaterproof cloth would deteriorate ifI used the wrong detergent. I re-searched for hours trying to choose

the right brand. Everyone had a dif-ferent opinion. Only use brand X!No, brand X is horrid! Never use it!My head was spinning. I couldntunderstand how there could be somuch debate over whether a deter-gent degraded the waterproof lining.

But silly me: As it turned out, allthat debate had less to do with de-tergents keeping the integrity of thediaper and more to do with deter-gent chemicals irritating Babys skin.

The combatants were concernedabout the baby, not destroying thepricey diapers! No wonder they wereso hostile. I settled on Ultra PurexFree and Clear. Ive been very

Transition to cloth diapers

fraught with hang-ups

DEANNA

CASW E L L

Pra c t i ca l l yG reen


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pleased with it and will buy it again.My last and most enduring dif-

ficulty with cloth diapers is socialstigma. If a regular paper diaper hasa blowout in public, people under-stand, but if its a cloth diaper, I feel

like theyre judging me. I have afriend who took her child to thechurch nursery for months without aleak. But the one visit she used acloth diaper, which Baby wore reg-ularly at home without incident,there was an accident. On any otherday, she would have shrugged it off.But she felt really embarrassed thatthere was an accident on the day shewas being weird. She felt like thenursery workers held her and heraberrant diaper usage personally re-sponsible.

The social stigma may be only inmy imagination, but its enoughto make me put her in dis-posables before we go outanywhere others are apt to

see her diaper. She needsto be changed. I would doit, but I dont knowhow to operatethat , hasbeen heardm o re

than once from my relatives. Perhapst h at refers to the complicated mazeof snaps, but I always hear it asyour hippie weirdo child-rearingchoices. So we always keep a stashof disposables around for extended

public appearances.Regardless, I have found cloth di-

apers to be a positive experience andwould recommend them to othermothers. I like green behaviors thatquickly translate into savings, andcloth diapers have definitely earnedtheir keep around here.

Deanna Caswell is a local writer whoblogs at littlehouseinthesuburbs.com . Herfirst book, First Ballet, was released lastyear by Hyperion. Caswell and herhusband, Jeff, live in Collierville. Shepractices eco-friendly living while raisingtheir four children, along with pygmygoats and chickens.


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12 GOING GREEN | August 2011 co mm e r c i ala pp ea l.co m

If you hail from somewhereother than the South, theresa good chance youve neverheard of a purple-hull pea.Black-eyed peas are ubiqui-tous, but try to find a ladypea anywhere else, and youre

going to be out of luck.This is the season for freshpeas and beans. Technically,they are all beans, but namingour food isnt always logical.Southern peas and beans arehere, and you dont want to miss out think of how many meals justwo u l d n t be right without a mess o

beans on the table (Messapplies to greens and beans,and means the quantityneeded to feed your family).

If left to dry in the pod,they would resemble andcook the same as the dried

beans you get at the grocery.Fresh beans let you to skipthe soaking and long cookingtimes. These little summerwonders have delicate flavorand texture, come in oodles

of colors, and pair so well with farm-fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Unlike string, green and pole

Keep eye out for local

varieties of peas, beansSouthern peasand beans arehere, and youdont want to

miss out.T h ese

delicatelyf l av o r e d

legumes comein a variety of

colors andpair well with

herbs tocreate

cou n t l es ssummer

salads.

M E L I SSAP E T E RS E N

Eating Local,Eating Green


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beans, you do not eat the pod, butrather spend a sweltering afternoonshelling beans for your supper. Justkidding. While you can buy themunshelled, most markets sell themshelled, ready to steam, boil or bake.

The beans are named based on thecolor of the seed, the pod and theseed eye. Purple-hull peas come incolored pods. C re a m peas have nocolor. Pink-eyed and black-eyed peashave colored e ye s on their seeds.C rowd e r (seeds are tightly packedin the pod) and conch ( l o o s el yspaced in pod) describe many va-

rieties as well. Seedsavers.org boastsmore than 1,000 varieties of beansand peas (not including 116 vari-eties of limas). Expand your palatewith shelly beans, cranberry beans,butterbeans and hopefully the elu-sive yet coveted lady pea.

Easy Way sells lady peas (theresa waiting list). But keep your eye

out for them at the farmers markets,and snap them up immediately.

Beans are nutritious and inexpen-sive, but most of all, they are sat-isfying. Steam and chill peas for asummer salad. Blanch and freezeplenty to add to soups next winter.Use in place of kidney or pintobeans in your favorite recipe. Boil,drain and puree to create a local

version of hummus dip (like theyhave at McEwens), or go traditionallike they do at Alcenias.

Melissa Petersen is the editor of EdibleMemphis, a magazine that celebrates theabundance of local food, season byseason. It is available at various locationsaround town. Contact her atediblememphis.com .

Purple Hull Pea Hummus2 cups of shelled purple-hull peas, cookedand drained1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice2 3 cloves garlic3 tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)

olive oilsalt and pepper

Place all ingredients into foodprocessor, adding olive oil, slowlyprocess until smooth. Add a littlewater if consistency is too thick.Serve with pita chips or rawveggies. Option: Can be made withany beans fava beans,edamame, pinto, black beans, limabeans, lady peas, cannelini beans,e t c.

Summer Hoppin LadySa l a d2 cups shelled lady peas (or other freshbean), cooked and drained, chilled2 cups steamed rice, chilled1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced1 large tomato, diced

2 ribs celery, diced2 green onions, finely sliced2 cloves garlic, minced2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only3-4 tbsp. olive oilJuice from 1 lemonSalt and pepper4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large bowl combine peas,rice, pepper, tomato, celery andgreen onions. Stir to combine. In a

small bowl, whisk together garlic,thyme, olive oil and lemon juice.Stir oil mixture into pea mixture.Season to taste with salt andpepper. Add more lemon juice if alittle more punch is needed.Garnish with crumbled bacon.Serve chilled.


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Lessons in sustainabilityConservation part of curriculum at independent schools

By Suzanne Thompson

Special to Going Green

Many independent and privateschools are teaching conservation asan integral part of the curriculum.

Independent schools can movemore deeply into areas of charactereducation, and weave more specificvalues into our learning environ-

ment. Because of this, stewardship of

the environment is congruent withthe missions and philosophies ofmany local independent schools,said Bill Taylor, president of Mem-phis Area Independent Schools.

Taylor is also school president atSt. Georges Independent School.

The middle and upper school inCollierville was built 10 years ago

St. Georges Independent School weaves specific values into their curriculumsuch as environmental education. The school recycles paper and plastic andhas installed a community garden on the campus.


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ence, said Steve ODell, community re-lations coordinator for the HutchisonS chool.

Since the project began, the farm hasgrown exponentially and flower, veg-etable, herb and butterfly gardens have

been installed, along with an orchardand apiary.

In the 2011-2012 school year, a cur-riculum is being developed for sustain-able agriculture specifically and MaryPhillips, former manager of Urban Farms,will head up the program, ODell said.

In addition to making changes in thecafeteria, such as the elimination of pa-

per plates, Hutchison started a recyclingprogram and recycled about 2,500pounds of material throughout theschool year.

At Briarcrest Christian Schools up-per elementary school campus, locatedon Houston Levee Road, the recyclingprogram with International Paper beganlast year, according to Dr. Barbara Har-ris, the schools principal.

Each classroom has two collectionb oxe s , she said.

One is for paper, the other for plasticbottles. The boxes are emptied duringthe week into a large cart and the con-tents are picked up by IP weekly.

We think its really important for ourchildren to understand how recyclingimpacts our homes, the local commu-nity and our world. It also helps teachthe students responsibility, accountabil-ity and leadership, Harris said.

Briarcrest Christian Schools EastMemphis elementary school is gearingup to start a similar recycling programwith IP, according to Dr. BryanWilliams, principal.

Im excited about the International

Paper recycling program, he said.When the Houston Levee campus

opened many of the students who wereattending classes at the original locationon Briarcrest Road began attendingclasses at the new school, which opened

up room for a garden.Space that was once occupied by play-

ground equipment now contains araised-bed garden the center ofwhich is an octagon with spokes madeup of separate beds as a geometric rep-resentation, tying the garden to math.

Students in grades K through 5 at-tend school at the original campus,

where 14 different sections make up thestudent body.In the spring, a master gardener

comes to the school and teaches eachsection individually about different as-pects of gardening.

The younger students are taughtabout which plants survive best in whatlight and the differences in plantingvines as opposed to tomatoes.

Last year, they gained some addition-al knowledge about gardening duringthe summer.

The kids learned an important les-son about drought, Williams said.

Much of the schools garden withered,like so many others during the scorch-ing temperatures late last summer.

Its a constantly evolving lesson,Williams said.

Installing a garden is something thatthe Houston Levee campus is currentlyworking on and when school starts, stu-dents will be able to begin learningabout planting, Harris said.

We re going to allow the children todo some planting and some harvestingand in conjunction with that garden this


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year, part of our plan is to implementsome composting and a rain barrel wa-tering plan, she said.

Plans also call for centering the gar-den around a butterfly garden, inwhich pollinators drawing butterflieswill be planted by the children.

We want it to be part of the sciencecurriculum as well, Harris said.

At the east elementary campus, partof the extra playground space was usedto create a water feature with benchesproviding a quiet outdoor learning area.

The school officials are constantly ex-amining ways in which they can expandthe conservation curriculum.

Leaders at Briarcrest believe teachingthe Biblical dicta for protecting theworld is key to the childrens education.

The way we look at it, its our re-sponsibility as a Christian school toteach the children to be good stewardsof Gods creation, Williams said.

Harris said at her campus, childrenlearn simple passages from the Biblethat instruct people to care for theEarth and she agreed that it is a duty ofChristians to follow those mandates.

We want our students to know thatfrom a Biblical perspective, it is ourresponsibility to keep our land unpol-luted, Harris said.

Hutchison began a 2-acre farm on campus in 2007 that was created as anoutdoor classroom and has grown with the addition of flower, vegetable,

herb and butterfly gardens, along with an orchard and apiary.


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By Suzanne Thompson

Special to Going Green

When many of us were in high school, choices forclubs to join might have included Chess Club, Thes-pian Society, Beta Club, Bible Club or Debate Club.

T h e re s a new club on the block now students atsome schools participate in Environmental Club.

Tein Dao, who graduated from Wooddale HighSchool last spring, was one of the 30 students whoparticipated in its environmental club during the2010-2011 school year.

At our meetings, we discussed about how we could

Students

put their

passionfor the

Earth into

school

activities

The Green club

Mike Maple

Tien Dao started an environmental club at her alma matter WooddaleHigh School where students participated in an atrium makeover.


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motivate teachers and students to re-cycle papers, and upcoming events suchas school cleanups, field trips, havingguest speakers about conservation is-sues, and strategies, she said.

One of the projects the club worked

on was an atrium makeover at Wo o d -dale.The members helped clean up the

atrium, rebuilt the fish pond and plant-ed flowers, she said.

Club members also help periodiccleanups around the school and its cam-pus.

The Wooddale Environmental Clubhad a recycling program which consist-

ed mostly of paper and ink cartridges,but students in the club made the re-cycling containers and distributed themto the classrooms.

For the recycling program, I paintedseveral recycling boxes, distributedthem to teachers, and collected themevery week, she said.

Douglass High School also has anextremely active environmental club, ac-cording to Heather Danielson, MemphisCity Schools communications manager.

Douglass is the most environmen-tally conscious school we have in thedistrict , she said.

Mera Baker, who taught Algebra 1 atDouglass, helped science teacher AprilJones run the club.

The Douglass Environmental Club

undertook several projects which were

fun for the students and the teachers.The students issued tickets to teach-

ers who left their classroom lights onand they had to pay a $1 fine, B akers aid.

She said the club had an impact onthe school and in the community.

The level of awareness those kidswere able to achieve, they really, reallyimproved things, Baker said.

The club met every two weeks andheld green the wing, where teams ofclub members took turns doing end-of-day sweeps of one wing of the school,checking to make sure lights wereturned off and collecting recycling.

Douglass Environmental Club mem-bers also planted a community garden,where they grew a variety of vegetables,

including tomatoes, greens, onions and

Kyle Kurlick/The Commercial Appeal files

Douglass High students work thegrounds and pick up garbage at thefirst GreenUp Memphis festival in 2010.

The level of awareness those kids were able to achieve,

they really, really improved things.

MERA BAKER, DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA TEACHER


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bell peppers.Everything was organic. I got to take

home a few tomatoes and they were sod el i c i o u s , she said.

The club initiated a Green theBlock program, in which they split up

into teams and set out into the com-munity, block by block, distributing en-ergy kits with tips about how to savee n e rg y.

Students also offered to replace res-idents existing light bulbs with energy-efficient ones, the purchase of whichwas partially funded by fines collectedwhen teachers paid their tickets.

The community members loved it,Baker said. Everyone was excited, andinvolved, and the kids really got into it.

She said the work of the club seemedto have a ripple effect which evenreached her classroom.

We did energy audits and crunchedthe numbers. I think it was good that ithad such a purpose.

In fact, the club was so popular that

there were more students who wantedto be involved than there were spaces inthe club.

The club brought in speakers, includ-ing a presentation by the Alliance forClimate Education (ACE), a nationalnonprofit organization dedicated to ed-ucating Americas high school studentsabout the science behind the change inc l i m at e .

It was fantastic. I would recommendit for any school.

Dao, who earned a scholarship atRhodes College, said she wants to keepparticipating in environmental protec-tion activities on a collegiate level.

I will continue to be involved withconservation issues, she said.

St. Agnes -St. Dominic,IP partner for recycling

St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic Schoolwon the first International Paperrecycling competition this year, collectingmore than 34,000 pounds of paper andcardboard. SAA-SDS was the first schoolin the area to partner with InternationalPaper for its recycling program.

International Paper provided the schoolwith containers for all the classrooms andoffices on campus. The schools GreenTea m , comprised of SAA and SDS fourth-

graders, collected recycling every Friday,and International Paper provided T-shirtsfor the Green Team to wear.

Thanks to the ongoing efforts fromeveryone, the school was able to get ridof one Waste Management trash bin,saving the school money and helping theea r th .

Ginger Jordan, Special to My Life

Green Team members KeetonRobinson (left) and ThomasKardoush help collect recyclingfrom classrooms.


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With the start of a new schoolyear, parents everywhere are outbuying shoes, backpacks, schoolsupplies and the like. Many are alsostocking up on juice boxes, single-serve packages of Cheetos, fruitcups, string cheese and those

shameful Lunchables (have youread the nutrition l a b el ? ) .

Like many of you, I pack a lunchfor each of my children almost ev-ery day (I let them indulge in acafeteria Pizza Day now and then).But packing five lunches a weekgets old and I am often uninspired.

BAC K-TO - SC H O O L

B ento

B oxesL I SA

ENDERLE

Green StuffI Love

Bento Boxes are essentially a box divided into small sections for each part of a

meal. Fill them with fruit kebobs using decorative swizzle sticks, cutsandwiches into tiny shapes, and include dips like hummus for veggies.


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22 GOING GREEN | August 2011 co mm e r c i al a p pea l.co m

One of my top priorities when itcomes to school lunches is that they areoften 100 percent waste free. How do Ido it and get to be a cool mom too?

Bento Boxes.Certainly nothing new, Bento orig-

inates from a term meaning c o nve -nience. Bento Boxes are typicallyfound throughout Asia in places liketrain stations and small grocery stores.It is essentially a box divided into smallsections for each part of a meal.

Colorful lunch boxes made of plasticor stainless steel can be purchased at avariety of online shops such as ebay and

laptoplunches.com. I found a Ziplockversion for a few dollars at Kroger. AnyTupperware will do if you arrangethings bento-style by separating thefoods using silicon muffin liners.

Get creative. Make fruit kebobs usingdecorative swizzle sticks, paint pictureson bread using food color, cut sand-wiches into tiny shapes, roll sticky riceballs into snowmen and include dips

like hummus for veggies.Divide it all into cute little compart-

ments. Toss a few nuts in one, someyogurt sprinkled with granola in another.

Think you dont have time? I am amom-on-the-go and I appreciate everylittle convenience as much as the nextparent. Yes, its easier to throw aS muckers Uncrustable, fruit roll-up, sin-

gle-serve bag of chips, squeezable yo-gurt and juice box into a lunch bag.Lots of things that are easier are not

necessarily better. Aside from being un-healthy, the c o nve n i e n t lunch men-tioned above takes its toll on our environ-ment with all those individual wrappers.

An average public school kid gener-ates 67 pounds of discarded school

lunch packaging each year totalingsomething like 87,000 pounds of wasteannually for the average-sized elemen-tary school. If every American child at-tending a public elementary schoolpacked a waste-free lunch, 1.2 billionpounds of lunch waste would be divert-

Fun ideas for a bento-style lunchinclude: a ham sandwich cut into aheart shape and painted with foodcolors, carrots, cheese cubes andgrapes in silicone heart muffin liner.

A wrap with roast beef and cheese,olives, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots,lettuce and edamame with ranch

dressing make for a healthy lunch.


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ed from landfills each year.

Convenience has itsplace but if each of us cutscorners every time with-out being mindful of theimpact , a re n t we being ir-responsible? When youcan make the time this ex-tra effort is worth it .

Packing a lunch intoreusable containers fromitems purchased bulk isthe green way to go.

Even if you do not havethe time every morning to

cut carrots into little flow-ers, you can cut back onwaste. Buy juice in half-gallon containers and fill ascrew-top reusable bottle.Forget the 100-caloriepacks and get the big boxof goldfish crackers. Packit all into reusable contain-

ers, send a real spoon andcloth napkin. They mightnot make it home everytime but the benefit out-weighs the loss.

Just make sure to keepit simple and pack foodsyour child will like.

Lisa Enderle is a mom oftwo, who is trying to makesense of the modern science asit relates to health, lifestyleand the environment. Sincemaking the move Seattle in2005 where green is not amovement but just a way oflife she spends her timelooking for ways that a familyin the suburbs in the Mid-South can green it up.

Back to school on a budget

Here are some savings tips from consumer andmoney-saving expert Andrea Woroch to help you throughthe back-to-school shopping season.

Take Inventory: Consider what youll actually need

before hitting the stores. Has your child grown out ofschool clothes or will they do so by the time schoolstarts? Can you reuse last years school supplies or willyou need to replace some items?Set a Budget: Create a shopping list and stick to it, soyou avoid impulse purchases. That fancy-schmancyTr a n s fo r m e r s Trapper Keeper can push your budgetover the edge.Use Coupons: There may be great deals, but couponscan make them even greater. Check out sites likeCouponSherpa.com that offer a wide selection of online,printable and mobile coupons for back to schools av i n gs .Go Mobile: Tap into your mobile phone with apps likeRe d L a s e r , which allows you to scan bar codes and findany cheaper prices online or at other retailers.Check Social Media: Twitter and Facebook are greatplaces to find deals offered to a brands social-mediafan base. L i ke or Fo l l o w the merchant and keep aneye out for coupons and sales announcements.Buy in Bulk: Take advantage of bulk offers on pens,crayons, paper and other items your kids will burnthrough over the course of the year. You might team upwith other parents for bigger bulk purchases that willbring prices down even lower.Spend More, Save More: Sometimes it costs money tosave money.For example, Staples offers a 15-percent savings passfor $10, which you can use throughout the back-to-school season.Ex c h a n g e : Gather your family and friends along withtheir kids school wardrobes for an exchange night of

hand-me-downs that will save everyone money.Buy for Yourself: Back-to-school sales arent just forkids. You might stock up on office supplies, jeans andother items that traditionally go on sale during thiss eas o n .And you can save more during Tennessees Sales TaxHoliday this weekend. Te n n es s e e s tax-free holiday endsS u n d ay at 11:59 p.m. Items eligible to be tax-freeinclude: clothing less than $100; school supplies lessthan $100; computers $1,500 or less.


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24 GOING GREEN | August 2011 co mm e r c i ala pp ea l.co m

By Melody Gordon

Going Green

The Southern Energy TrainingConsortium (SETC) grant awardedto Southwest Tennessee CommunityCollege has introduced new engi-neering, architecture and technologyclasses to the existing curriculum.

All of our courses offer skills thatcan be applied to both green and tra-ditional jobs. Through the grant, we

have added curriculum on solar/PVtechnology, wind turbine technology,biodiesel production, green manufac-turing practices and LEED buildingp ra c t i c e s , said Cindy Fowinkle, theSETC program coordinator and as-sistant professor of Mechanical En-gineering Technology at Southwest.

Each area is important for fillinggreen jobs, she said.

According to Recovery.gov, theofficial U.S. government website

Community colleges fill keyrole in training for green jobs

Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Seedco instructor Alicia Delbridge (center) helps Maurice Reed accessinformation before an orientation class for workers seeking renewableenergy certification at Southwest Tennessee Community College.


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that tracks money and data related tothe Recovery Act, $1,414,520 wasawarded to help aid employers, labororganizations and regional leaders p re -pare workers for careers in the energyefficiency and renewable energy fields.

So far the program has been a successat Southwest, said Fowinkle.Although the grant ends in January

2012 and the program is more than 50percent complete, classes wont stop.

The grant has allowed Southwest toenhance and modify existing educa-tional programs with the addition of greencurricula, which will be retained long af-ter the end of the grant, said Fowinkle.

We have exceeded our goals for re-cruiting participants and enrolling stu-dents in the grant modified courses,she said. Some of the first participantsare completing training this semesterand are starting to be placed in jobs.

Lisa Jones, academic coordinator forthe SETC grant and associate professorin Electrical Engineering Technology, de-scribed a list of green-related skills thatcan be learned in some of the classes.

(Students can learn) how to do solarpanels, how they work, what environ-ment can you use them in, what kind ofvoltage would you get with them andhow to design them, said Jones. Theyare learning about biodiesel, solar pho-tovoltaics, Energy Star and energy con-sumption/conversation, LEED construc-

tion and green manufacturing.An added bonus that came with thegrant is the utilization of a job devel-oper and employment specialist on staff.

By completing one of our technicalcertificates, they have skills that willhelp them with an entry level technicianposition. Some will choose a full-timejob or an internship so that they can

work and continue pursuing an asso-ciate degree, Fowinkle said.

The grant provides job-readinessworkshops and assistance in preparingresumes and preparing for interviews.We have an employment specialist oncontract to help match participants with

jobs in the Memphis area, Jones said.

Southwest as a whole has becomemore environmentally responsible in re-cent years. According to statistics pro-vided by Fowinkle, the school compostscafeteria waste, shredded paper andplant materials. During the 2009-2010school year 19 tons of e-waste was re-cycled. Cleaning products used by thestaff are green certified, as well.

New participants are not being ac-cepted into the SETC grant program,however new students can learn thesame material because of alternative en-ergy concepts that have been incorpo-rated into the traditional curriculum.

If you are interested in taking one ofthese classes, apply to Southwest onlineat Southwest.tn.edu/ApplyOnline.htm.

Alan Spearman/The Commercial Appea files

A Southern Energy TrainingConsortium grant provides funding fortraining and certification in thegrowing renewable energy industry.

Going Green Memphis 8-7-11

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Transcript of Going Green Memphis 8-7-11