Going Green Memphis 05-01-11

2 GOING GREEN | May 2011 commercialappeal.
com
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Memphis area over a dozen
Raise your profile venues are available to
Elevate your company’s profile shoppers and potential
within the Green Community. Send vendors alike.
us a short article or a project outline In fact, they are becoming
for consideration in Going Green, so commonplace that any day
explaining what you are doing to of the week you can find a
“green up” your lifestyle? Include
your preferred contact phone local market open for business.
number. And thanks to loosening
state regulations, customers
Send in your e-mail can now sample the produce,
address baked goods, and other treats
We’ll share information and
offered.
resources to help readers of Going But it isn’t just about food.
Green swap money-saving tips and Local artists, artisans and
information related to “green” issues craftsman make their goods
and events. Send to available too — from bamboo
keplinger@commercialappeal.com. cutting boards and knife
You can also follow Going Green sharpening to eye catching
on Facebook and at hand-made decorative garden
twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis .
stones and locally-grown
flowers. farmers markets have
Editor: Kim Coleman, 529-5243, a lot to offer.
goinggreen@commercialappeal.com The growth will keep local
Community Editor: Emily Adams dollars supporting local
Keplinger, business and that is good for
keplinger@commercialappeal.com Memphis.
The Commercial Appeal May 2011 | GOING GREEN 3
What’s in this issue ...

LOCAL NEWS
W:159.942pt
H:118.026pt Sustainability is
20 the cornerstone
of Habitat for
Hope’s new
project
24 Shelby Farms
playground uses
In full swing
12 Farmers Markest proliferate,
eco-friendly
concepts in design
thanks to dedicated
producers and willing 26 Build for people,
not cars, experts
shoppers say is key to future
BUSINESS SCHOOL HOME & GARDEN
Local business make Douglass High Older homes not can

big impact on School leads city be energy efficient,
community, smaller schools’ green also offer old-world
one on planet. PAGE 32 initiatives. PAGE 49 charm. PAGE 57
On the cover:Illustration from istockphotos.com

4 GOING GREEN | May 2011 commercialappeal.com
Micro Greens...
United States of the Environment

Every U.S. state is good at something, likewise every state is bad
at something. In relation to the environment and public health,
the Mother Nature Network created a map of America that
names what every single state excels and fails at and let their
users weigh in. Tennessee ranked No. 1 in sewer overflows,
crediting this information to a study done by a pollution locator
with a focus on clean water. On the other hand, Tennessee's
nature preservation shined as the No. 1 state with the most
caves, coming in at 8,350 caves registered to date. To see more
go to tmnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/stories/infographic-
united-states-of-the-environment
Green Snap...
One seed at a time

Prime Time after school participants Andrew Harper (front), Bruce
Baldwin (back left) and Edward Johnson prepare the soil in a raised
bed at Walls Elementary School for planting of herbs and vegetables
as part of Global Youth Service Day and the DeSoto County
Community Health Council’s “Sowing Seeds of Success” project..
Interested in sharing your green experiences: a bike ride on the Greenline, a

successful recycling project or a neighborhood cleanup? Do you have a
stunning nature photo? Send your green snapshots to
goinggreen@commercialappeal.com 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.
The Green Page...

Pawing Through History
May 7 at Elmwood Cemetary on
824 South Dudley, 1 p.m.
A walking tour of the historical
Elmwood Cemetary for dogs with a
focus on the animal symbolism
found on headstones. Dogs must
remain on their leashes. Space for
this tour is limited to 25 people and
advance registration is required.
$15 per person. Call 901-774-3212.
Indie Style Market

May 7 at Tennessee Flea Market
Event Center on 7060 Winchester,
The Commercial Appeal files 10 a.m. — 6 p.m.
One of last year’s winners, Lisa and Jim Described by its creators as
Maddox bought their Midtown home 18 “the Mid-South’s deep-fried
years ago. Since then, Lisa, a self-taught version of an upscale craft show”
gardener, has created what one judge and sponsored by the Memphis
called "a beautiful, mature garden." Melange Etsy Team, local artisans
will gather for one day to sell their
hand-made items. The show is
Events expected to boost the sales of
local entrepeneurs and the
Garden of the Year Contest Memphis economy. It’s $5 to
Maybe your garden feeds your spirit, maybe enter and a portion of the
your garden feeds your family. Whatever it was proceeds will go to the non-profit
created for, it could be the winner of the 2011 Autism Solutions Center.
Garden of the Year contest. From now until June
10, The Commercial Appeal will be accepting Hickory Hill Clean-Up
entries online or by mail. Do-it-yourself gardens May 21 at Greater Community
are appreciated, but it’s OK if you’ve had minimal Temple, 5151 Winchester, 10 a.m.
help with maintenance or landscaping. — 1 p.m.
Send pictures as high-resolution JPEGs to
canewsphoto@gmail.com. Put Garden of the Year Members of Clean Memphis
2011 in the subject line. Or send them by mail to invite the general public and the
Peggy Reisser Winburne, 2011 Garden of the Year Hickory Hill community to pick up
Contest, 495 Union, Memphis TN, 38103. For more trash and other undesirables.
information on the contest and how to submit, go There is no cost, but participants
to CommercialAppeal.com and search for ’Garden are encouraged to sign-up online at
of the Year Contest.’ CleanMemphis.org/category/events.
Fond memories of healthy dining

Your March 22 "Green Bytes" item announcing the opening of the Cosmic
Coconut as the first all-vegan restaurant for Memphis brought to mind a couple of
other healthy-eating establishments that are sadly gone.
For a few years in the early 1990s, my husband and I enjoyed the Babylon Cafe
on Union in Midtown, a vegetarian restaurant that was in either an old guest house
or carriage house behind the Trousseau shop next to Seessel's. We were always the
oldest diners in there. The grocery store razed it for a parking lot.
The other restaurant was La Montagne, first in Midtown and then on Park Avenue
near Highland.
We moved to the country a year ago last November to retire. I am experimenting
with square-foot gardening and am getting hens to have fresh eggs.
I love your green features. Thanks for the innovation for those of us who want to
live as green as possible, no matter our ages.
Madalyn Stanford: Oakland, Tenn.
In case you missed it...

Dapper diapers: No pins, plastic pants
Published on March 29, 2011
Rachel Liberto and her husband
tossed out hundreds of dirty disposable
diapers while raising their first daughter.
But when Liberto got pregnant with their
second child, she knew she wanted to
use cloth diapers. While researching
cloth diapers vs. disposables, information Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal
like it takes nearly 500 years for a
disposable diaper to decompose,
solidified her choice.Many local parents they retain a high resale value, she said.
are converting to cloth diapers, not only For more information, go to
for environmental reasons, but also to Facebook.com/ClothDiaperMemphis
save money and avoid the chemicals in
disposable diapers. One baby in Turning green
disposable diapers will contribute at least
one ton of waste, according to the Real Published on March 18, 2011
Diaper Association. But building a Memphis-based cleaning, lawn care
“stash,“ or cloth diaper collection, isn’t and service company ServiceMaster
cheap. It cost Liberto about $600. Yet unveiled a new fleet of hybrid-electric
compared with spending $1,200 a year trucks. The new vehicles would not only
on disposables, Liberto says there’s a use less gasoline and reduce the
huge savings. Most cloth diaper users company’s carbon footprint, but would
also buy and sell them used online, and reduce noise pollution in residential areas.
True green confession:

Hit, miss at my house
OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, I've Deanna

shared a lot about being green, but I don't Caswell gets a
want to give the impression that I do all bottle ready
of those things all the time. That would for Lilly, one of
be nice, but for me, as with many other two pets goats
people, there's quite a leap between that the family
knowledge and application. has at their
DEANNA Someday I hope to be that saintly, but home.
CASWELL today I'm not. So I thought I'd share a bit
Mike Brown
of what green living actually looks like in The Commercial
Practically my home. Appeal files
Green I have two goats and eight chickens on
my quarter-acre suburban lot, and they to overflowing (AND dropped off,

are still alive and breathing, making hurray!) with unneeded possessions and
eggs, mowing the lawn and composting those items that can recycled at Goodwill.
for my garden. There is a big pot in my kitchen,
I've gardened organically (except for known as the "chicken bucket, " for all
squash, thanks to those stupid vine food scraps (except chicken), so almost
borers) for years, but I didn't garden at nothing goes down the disposal or to
all last year. And lifting 40-pound piles of the landfill.
compost won't likely be happening this I have two trash cans in the kitchen:
year without help, since I just had a baby. one for recycling, one for regular trash.
So, all the lovely "composting" my And, there are two plastic bags hanging
animals are doing back there in the yard is on the fire extinguisher: one for shopping
more accurately regarded as a nasty mess. bags/plastic film, and the other for odd
I banned all paper towels, plates and recyclables like batteries and bulbs.
napkins years ago, but with the However, I must point out that all of
pregnancy, I allowed those items back this recycling and donating happens
in our home for the convenience of my only if I place the receptacles in clear
husband, who is feeding the children view. It's not pretty, but I will never
while I haven't done much cooking . recycle, otherwise. If the box or bag is
I have, in the past, made all my own neatly concealed behind a cabinet door,
toiletries and cleaning supplies, but I recycling will not happen.
haven't for the past few months. And, I also have double trash cans (one for
considering the baby, I will not likely be trash, one for recycling) in the living
standing over cauldrons of bubbling room, even though it's 10 feet from the
soap and borax any time soon. kitchen recycling. I know I won't walk it
I do use CFLs in most of my light over there. In fact, the double-can system
fixtures. However, I have several fixtures works so well, I should buy second cans
for which no CFL is available. I'm not for the bathrooms and bedrooms,
likely to change fixtures any time soon. because all of the old magazines and
I have dual-flush toilet mechanisms, a coloring pages from those rooms are
programmable thermostat, and water going straight in the landfill.
tank and pipe insulation, but they've been So, I guess I'd say that green living is
lying in my garage for months waiting for hit or miss these days in the Caswell
me to chase down my handyman. household. True Greenies would be
The shower and sink aerators are appalled, but after writing so many
installed and have been for years. As is how-to-be-super-green articles in a row,
the whole-house water filter, but it I felt it was time for a reality check.
probably doesn't count since the filter Deanna Caswell is a local writer who blogs
hasn't been changed in ages. It's on the at littlehouseinthesuburbs.com. Her first book,
garage floor with the other green gadgets. "First Ballet, " was released this year by
Hyperion. Caswell and her husband, Jeff, live
There is a big, ugly, green tub in my in Collierville. She practices eco-friendly
bedroom that everyone knows is the living while raising their three children,
"donation box, " which is regularly filled along with pygmy goats and chickens.
Strawberries best
plucked right off plant
I FIND BERRIES irresistible,
but none more so than the first
fruit of spring — the
strawberry.
Traveled, refrigerated berries
lack the heady perfume and
rich flavor found in a sun-
warmed, ripe
berry just
plucked from
the plant. The
distance from
plant to my
mouth is just
less than
6 feet. Think MELISSA
of the global PETERSEN
warming I’m
Eating Local,
preventing! Eating Green
The
strawberries we see
commercially are actually a
perennial herb. Related to the
rose family, modern, cultivated
strawberries are the result of a
natural hybridization. The
berries are hardy, high-yield
and large compared to their
wild cousins.
If you’re lucky enough to
discover a tiny wild berry, be
Chris Desmond/Special to The Commercial Appeal sure to try it. (I found a few in
Arron Watson 16, from Atoka holds a large juicy Germantown the other day. No
Camarosa strawberry picked fresh in the fields. need to look for them: I
enjoyed them on the spot.) Places for picking

Our strawberry season runs from April
to June, and our local growers are Jones Orchard U-Pick - Agricenter and
predicting a banner year. If you haven’t Millington
yet experienced how your food comes At the Agricenter, near Catch ’Em Lake,
from the earth, venture to a pick-your-own 7777 Walnut Grove; Jones Orchard
farm. Stoop down to the low, wandering U-Pick-Millington, 7170 U.S. 51,
vine. Find a shiny red berry. Pick it, and Millington, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday –
take a juicy bite. You’ll never again want a Saturday; Open until mid-May.
December berry from California. 873-3150; jonesorchard.com
If picking isn’t for you, local and Windermere Farms Organic U-Pick,
regional berries are available at Easy- 3060 Woodhills Drive, Memphis. 8 a.m.-6
Way, Trolley Stop Market, Jones p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Orchard in Millington, and of course at and Saturdays; Wednesday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
our many farmers markets. The local 386-2035; winfarms.com
chefs are going to try to edge you out
there, but feel free to cut in front of them Roasted strawberries
to get your share. 2 cups whole strawberries, hulled
Berries are all over local menus at the 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
moment — in the fruit crisp at Thyme 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Bistro, with scallop ceviche at Restaurant
Iris, atop shortcake at Buon Cibo, “juicy In a medium bowl, sprinkle
with a little sugar” over pound cake at strawberries with granulated sugar and
the Elegant Farmer, freshly cut and piled balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine. Place
high over yogurt at YoLo. berries in a single layer on a
And while the arugula salad with parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at
strawberries, pecans and cane syrup 400 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes, until
vinaigrette is a staple at Felicia just tender. Cool slightly. Serve
Suzanne’s, it’s her buttermilk strawberry strawberries and juices atop ice cream.
milkshake at lunch on Fridays that you
want to line up for.
The joy of a strawberry is that it takes
no effort. Splash with cream or sprinkle supply, or make some jam to enjoy later
with sugar only if you want to go to all in the year.
that trouble. With a short shelf life (only Strawberries are your reward for
refrigerate if you have to), buy only what eating seasonally, for enduring months
you’ll consume in a day or two, and buy of greens.
often while they’re great. Wash. Eat. Toss stem. Repeat.
Add strawberries to salads and cereal. Melissa Petersen is the editor of Edible
Blend into a smoothie. Top pancakes or Memphis, a magazine that celebrates the
abundance of local food, season by season. It is
French toast. Add strained purée to available at various locations around town.
daiquiris and lemonade. After you’ve Contact her at ediblememphis.com. Her
had your fill of fresh, slice and freeze a column runs every other week.
Farmers markets are as

much about the experience
as about getting great fresh
and local produces and
specialty items. Hitting the
farmers markets can be the
start of a great weekend.
The Commercial Appeal file photos
FARMERS
MARKETS
ARE By Kjeld Petersen / Special to Going Green
THE DREARY WINTER has finally

passed, the dogwoods and azaleas are
OFF
in bloom, and anxious shoppers are
awaiting the first true farmers’ markets
of the year.
What’s in store for the markets
this season? New rules, a number of
AND
new markets and new faces and will
make this a special year.
RUNNING
Brandon Dill/The Commercial Appeal files

Bastet Ivery fills a container with roasted cauliflower for Tom Dorsey at the OC
Vegan Foods stand at the Memphis Botanic Garden. New rules this year loosen
restrictions on sampling and cooking demonstrations at farmers markets.
New Rules plunking down their money.

Not so in Memphis – at least until
One of the main complaints about now. In what has been seen as a
farmers’ markets in our area - especially landmark decision by the Memphis
from newcomers - has been about and Shelby County Health
sampling food at producer booths. Department, who oversee the
In many areas around the country, farmers’ markets in our area on behalf
farmers’ market shoppers can sample of the Department of Agriculture,
everything from fruit and cheese to sampling is now permitted at
bread and even wine while at the farmers’ markets and other events as
market. Sampling allows customers long as the item being sampled is not
to ‘try before they buy,’ especially ‘potentially hazardous’. Potentially
important if a producer or farmer is hazardous items include meat,
introducing a new item to the market. poultry, seafood, dairy products or
Shoppers can sample a new cheese items that are high in protein and
or an unfamiliar ingredient – and talk water content and low in acid.
about it with the producer – before Imagine – now farmers’ market
shoppers in Memphis and the surrounding area Be a savvy shopper

will be able to munch on berries, taste a Here are some tips to make this
peppery green or sample locally made oil year’s farmers market trips
directly from the producer. successful:
This small but significant step is important to Make a list of items you’re
both consumers and producers – consumers get looking for based on seasonal
to try before they buy and it is a proven fact that availability. Some items like
producers sell more when they are able to pecans, baking mixes and artisan
provide samples. This is a real win-win for the products, like jams and breads, are
available year-round.
markets, farmers and shoppers this year.
Get there early. Many of the
Another new rule frees-up markets from the very special, short-season items in
restrictive permitting structure for cooking our area (like strawberries) run out
demonstrations of the past. quickly.
In prior years, markets were required to obtain Bring your own basket or
permits for each cooking demonstration they bags — or purchase a tote at the
scheduled and markets were limited as to how market.
many permits they could get in a year. This year, If you’ll be running other
markets will not be required to obtain permits errands after the market, bring a
for demonstrations and there will be no cooler with a couple of frozen ice
bags to keep veggies and other
restrictions on how many they can schedule. sensitive items, like cheese and
Producers will be able to have their own eggs, cool on the way.
demonstrations as well as long as the basic rules Bring cash, and make sure
about giving samples from demonstrations are some of it is in small denominations
followed (all samples must be prepared — $1 and $5 bills really help farmers
beforehand in an inspected commercial kitchen). stressed from breaking $20 bills all
Markets will be able to have demonstrations day.
every day they are open and at no additional Check the market rules about
pets. Most do not allow pets, so
permitting cost to them, saving money they can leave Fido at home, or see if the
use for other improvements or marketing. market offers a doggie day care
Consumers will benefit from the entertainment service while you shop — many do.
and knowledge gained from the demonstrations, Bring along only what you
again benefiting both the consumer and the need to shop — being quick and
producers at the market. Another smart, nimble will help you score the
proactive move that helps our local food economy. perfect items on your list.
And, in another change that benefits both the Save time to enjoy the
markets and consumers, more of our area experience. Talk to the farmers and
producers when appropriate.
farmers’ markets will be accepting EBT cards Spend a moment and listen to
this year than ever before – with a bonus. what they are saying about their
GrowMemphis has received a grant from the offerings. Buy a coffee, listen to
Wholesome Wave Foundation to provide select the music, or stop for a second
markets with ‘green-bucks’ that double the and take in the people-watching
amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that possibilities.
consumers using EBT will be able to purchase. — Kjeld Petersen
Agricenter Farmers Market, Farmers Market at the

7777 Walnut Grove (East Garden, Memphis Botanic
Memphis), 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Garden, 750 Cherry (East
Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-5:30 Memphis), 2-6 p.m.
p.m. Saturdays, May 2-Oct. Wednesdays, April 27 - Oct.
30, agricenter.org 26, in the Pine Grove,
Arlington’s Open Air Market, memphisbotanicgarden.com
12016 Walker St., 9 a.m.-4 Hernando Farmers Market,
p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2535 U.S. 51 S., 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
through Oct. 15 Saturdays, April 30 - Oct. 29,
Church Health Center Hernando, Miss.,
Farmers Market, Church hernandoms-farmersmarket.com
Health Center Wellness, 1115 Memphis Farmers Market,
Union (Midtown), 9 a.m.-1 p.m. corner of Front Street and G.E.
Tuesdays, through Sept. 30, Patterson (Downtown), 7
churchhealthcenter.org a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, through
Cooper-Young Community Oct. 29,
Farmers Market, First memphisfarmersmarket.org
Congregational Church parking Millington Farmers Market,
lot, 1000 S. Cooper, 8 a.m.- 1 5152 Easley, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
p.m. Saturdays, April 30-Oct. Saturdays, May 7 - Oct. 29,
29, cycfarmersmarket.org millingtonparks.com
Collierville Farmers Market, South Memphis (SoMe)
8 a.m.- 1 p.m. Thursdays, May Farmers Market, 1400
19 through late October. The Mississippi Blvd., noon-6 p.m.
location is still to be Thursdays through Oct. 27,
determined, but continue to somefm.org
check web site for details at Whitehaven Farmers Market,
colliervillefarmersmarket.org Elvis Presley Boulevard at
Delta Market at Worthington Wesley Drive, 1-6 p.m.
Park, 900 Block of North Mondays through Oct. 10,
Missouri Street (West Methodist South Hospital
Memphis), first and third Parking Lot,
Thursdays, 1 p.m.-6 p.m., April methodisthealth.org
28 - Sept. 1. Urban Farms Market, 2977
broadwaywestmemphis.com Broad, 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays, 8
Germantown Farmers a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, through
Market, Germantown Nov. 19, corner of Sam Cooper
Hardware parking lot, 7 and Tillman,
a.m.-noon Saturdays, May 14 urbanfarmsmemphis.org
through October. — Kjeld Petersen, compiled
by Edible Memphis magazine
Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

Nhia Her from Bolivar, TN assembles flower arrangements for sale at the new
farmers market in Whitehaven one afternoon. The new market — which is hosted
by Methodist Hospital in the Methodist Medical Office parking lot off Elvis
Pressley Blvd. — will run every Monday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. through October.
Not all markets will accept EBT farmers and producers – with or
cards and not all markets will without a double ‘green-buck’s’
benefit from the GrowMemphis and program. This is another easy win-
Wholesome Wave Foundation win for consumers, markets and our
partnership this year. However it is local producers.
a much needed start especially in
areas where grocery stores and New markets and new faces
produce aisles have vanished. It wasn’t that long ago – in the
Promoting a diet filled with fresh past five years for sure, that only a
fruits and vegetables is important to few (and many say only two)
our community’s health and well- farmers’ markets existed in the
being. By making EBT transfers great Memphis area.
easier and more widespread we help The red barn at the Agricenter
the under-served parts of our and the downtown Memphis
community as well as our local Farmers’ Market seemed to be our
only choices. With their successes as an What to look for this month
example, coupled with exploding
consumer demand for locally grown and Here is an abbreviated list of what’s
produced foods, new markets have been available at farmers markets this month.
coming along at a steady pace. May: Beets, Blackberries, Bok Choi ,
The 2011 farmers’ market season will Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, English Peas,
dawn on a total of 18 markets covering Garlic, Green Beans, Green Tomatoes,
our entire area and every day of the Salad Greens, Snap Peas, Strawberries,
week. Sugar Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard,
Stretching now from Arlington and Tomatoes (Hydroponic), Turnip Greens,
Millington north of the city to northern Turnips, Wax Beans, White Potatoes
Mississippi and western Arkansas,
farmers’ markets both new and with a and producers come in. From all around
few seasons under their belts will be the area, more farms have started to
opening soon. The opportunity to look at the markets as their primary
choose local products over commodity ‘retail’ outlet. And more farms are
or imported foods has never been better. producing crops for retail sale instead of
Consumers are anxious this year to get for commodities.
caught up on the local food news, catch Expect to see many new producers at
a pint of early strawberries or buy a the markets this year which, along with
handful of late winter spinach and the growing number of markets, is a
greens. very positive sign for our local food
Spring is a great time for the markets economy.
and for shoppers. Many new producers Simply put, it means farmers and
will be seen this year in support of the producers will make enough money to
new markets and many of the ‘old- stay in business and support their
standby’ producers will now be in two, families, which keeps farmland as
three or even more markets to meet farmland and not houses or strip-malls.
demand. It also supports our tax base through
The increase in the number of markets increased localized spending and
puts pressure on existing farmers to provides consumers with fresher and
grow or produce more. This is more nutritious food options, especially
sometimes a very difficult or even in under-served areas.
impossible task to accomplish. A farmer The positive growth keeps the
with a set amount of acreage decided farmers’ markets open and bustling and
during the winter what to plant this enables them to be able to deliver on the
spring and in what amounts to support social and community service
their operations. components of their mission. And they
With some, there will simply not be are the true winners in the farmers’
enough produce to go around to more market season ahead.
than one or two markets. But the Kjeld Petersen is a local chef, community
markets exist, and the customers will be gardener, beekeeper and a contributing editor
waiting, and that is where new farmers to Edible Memphis magazine.
LOCAL NEWS
The house hope built

Habitat for Hope inspires creation of sustainable community
Chris Desmond/The Commercial Appeal files

Mark Horrocks is the founder of Habitat for Hope, an organization that gives
families of children being treated at area childrens hospitals a home away from
home, and a pilot site for the Sustainable Sites Initiative.
By Suzanne thompson 2005 by Mark Horrocks after one

Special to Going Green of his children, Bella, was
diagnosed with cancer in 2003.
What started as a part-time effort “When your child is diagnosed,
to provide moral support to the the bubble of your world gets
families of patients at local popped,” he said. “You get exposed
children’s hospitals, has grown into to all these different people who
an organization building a new have a sick child or who have had a
sustainable community. child with cancer.”
Habitat for Hope was founded in After the Horrocks brought their
daughter to Memphis for treatment, more than 250 families from 27 states
they went back home to Ft. Fort and five other countries. Of that
Myers , Fla. and started the support number, the group has provided
organization. housing for 120 families and some
He looked at other cities with major stay for many months at a time.
children’s hospitals such as “As long as we’ve been here, the
Philadelphia and Cincinnati, but need has been ever present,” Horrocks
decided to headquarter the new said. “Although we are based in
venture in Memphis. Memphis we have worked with
“For us, all roads pointed back to families at 12 other children’s
Memphis,” Horrocks said. “It wasn’t hospitals, providing emotional
our original plan, but it was God’s support.”
plan for us.” In fact, the need has been so great
In summer 2006, the family moved that Habitat for Hope has launched a
to Millington, into a large house that Barn Raising Project.
sits on 50 bucolic acres of land in the The name goes back to the days
Shelby Forest area. when community members gathered
The 4,500-square-foot house now when a new family moved in to help
functions as a hospitality house, in them build a barn.
which guest families can gather and The Barn Raising Project is a
discuss their concerns. planned community that includes
“Building the community spread to eight cottages, a community center
the building,” he said. and stables, all of which will be built
The Horrocks divided the house by volunteers using sustainable
into several living areas and live in the building methods and landscaping.
home as a host family, and there is Fisher & Arnold Inc., an
also a two-bedroom apartment where architectural firm, initially helped with
a family can live, and two guest the planning. Then Barry Yoakum, a
bedrooms. principal at Memphis-based firm
The guest rooms basically serve as Archimania, took a shine to the idea
bed-and-breakfast type and began talking to other architects
accommodations. about the project.
Habitat for Hope also has two Now a group of nine architects is
apartments in Downtown it offers to working together, and each one will
families, all free of charge. design one of the houses in the new
So far, Habitat for Hope has helped community.
“We always wanted to be minimally invasive.”

MARK HORROCKS, FOUNDER OF HABITAT FOR HOPE, ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY
Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal files

Architects, left to right, Andy Gross, Marc Newman, and Mauricio Castro work
on a schematic for the organization's three-year expansion plan which will
eventually consist of eight family cottages, equestrian facilities, hiking trails,
office space and chapel.
“Early on, we wanted it to be a

collaboration,” Horrocks said. “To date,
we’ve had about $100,000 worth of
design services donated.”
The Barn Raising Project has been
selected as one of 150 pilot programs
for the Sustainable Sites Initiative
(SITES), a Texas-based nonprofit that
began as a partnership between the
American Society of Landscape
Architects and the Lady Bird Johnson
Brandon Dill/Special to Going Green
Wildflower Center.
SITES has selected projects all Tucker Davis is the director of
around the country and Habitat for property development at Habitat
Hope’s project is one of a handful in for Hope in Millington.
Tennessee. Sustainable Sites Initiative

To be selected as one of the The Sustainable Sites Initiative was created to
pilot projects, the design must promote sustainable land development and
fit certain criteria for land management practices that can apply to a variety of
conservation during building sites including, but not limited to the following:
Open spaces such as local, state and national
and development, such as parks, conservation easements and buffer zones and
waste runoff, use of native transportation rights-of-way.
plants, and controlling the way Sites with buildings including industrial, retail
construction equipment enters and office parks, military complexes, airports,
and exits the site. botanical gardens, streetscapes and plazas,
residential and commercial developments and public
“We have a beautiful piece of and private campuses.
property, so we knew we The initiative is developing a rating system for
wanted to take good care of it outdoor work similar to LEED (Leadership in Energy
and be good stewards of the and Environmental Design) certification for buildings.
land,” said Tucker Davis, Approximately 150 sites from as far away as Spain
director of property are part of the two-year pilot project. They represent
development for Habitat for the “leading edge of the sustainable movement,”
said Jim Lapides, spokesman for the American
Hope, a former employee at Society of Landscape Architects.
Looney Ricks Kiss Architects. The Shelby Farms playground was selected partly
Although the SITES because of its use of recycled materials to create a
program deals with the land permeable surface that allows rain to soak into the
use only, Horrocks said they earth. It also includes restoration of a woodland area.
The Habitat for Hope project involves the
plan to construct the buildings collective effort to design a “community” for families
in the development as of seriously ill children. Planned for the Shelby Forest
sustainably as possible. area, it will include cabins, a chapel, gardens and trail
For instance, Davis has been to provide solace for the families.
in contact with a company that Other pilot sites in Tennessee include:
Design Resource Office - Demonstration
manufactures insulation from Gardens in La Vergne, Tennessee: The gardens are
recycled blue jeans. a1/3-acre lot in middle-Tennessee suburbia. The home
“They have agreed to donate office demonstrates how the retrofit of a suburban
all the insulation for the first lot can obtain a yield of food, water, energy and
cottage,” he said. wildlife habitat and function as a restorative place for
the surrounding community.
Construction on the first Hill Center in Nashville, Tennessee: Green Hills is
cottage is scheduled for this a mixed-use development completed in 2007. The
fall. Davis said they hope to design incorporated collaboration with the local
complete the project in 2014. community and efforts to include local retailers,
pedestrian, bike and transit options, and inviting
Horrocks said sustainability streetscapes. The sustainable elements are also
has been important to Habitat economical, such as full cutoff street and parking
for Hope from the beginning. lighting, bioswales, rainwater harvesting cistern,
“We always wanted to be native plants, and high efficiency irrigation.
minimally invasive,” he said. Source: sustainablesites.org
Photos by Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Ava Parks, 5, and other children from the community break in the new slides
and other activities at the Woodland Discovery Playground at Shelby Farms.
By Tom Charlier
Fun for
charlier@commercialappeal.com
For all its trend-setting equipment and

environmentally friendly design, the
Woodland Discovery Playground in
Shelby Farms Park won't be at its best
all ages
for months to come.
“Unlike most playgrounds, ours is
actually going to look better over time,”
park communications director Jen
Andrews.
Over the coming months and years, a
Shelby Farms playground leafy canopy of willows and native
flowers and vines will grow around a
to get better with time winding latticework of recycled steel,
giving those inside the feeling

of being in a tunnel.
The arbor is just one feature
of the first-of-its-kind
playground, built at a cost of
$3.5 million over the past year
and funded largely through a
grant by the Plough Foundation.
The playground opened on
April 8 with a ribbon-cutting
ceremony.
Camden Andrews (center) and other
Part of the master plan
students from local elementary
developed by the firm James
schools break in one of the new slides .
Corner Field Operations, the
playground is the latest in a
series of projects that are Playground gets family thumbs-up
transforming Shelby Farms Thanks to the Greenline, Shelby Farms Park has
Park, a 4,500-acre patchwork of gone from being a place we rarely visited to being a
fields, woods, lakes and part of our everyday lives. And now that the new
Woodland Discovery Playground is open in the
meadows along Walnut Grove Plough Park area of Shelby Farms , we are even
between the Wolf River and more motivated to get there.
Germantown Parkway. We visited the playground during the members -
Last year, officials christened only sneak preview. It is fabulous, and it exceeded
the Shelby Farms Greenline, a every one of my high expectations.
6.5-mile multi-use paved trail We were there for about two seconds before the
from the park to Binghamton, boys ran off to explore. Their first stop was the two-
along with connecting paths story slide in the first nest. It was just high enough
to be thrilling but not scary. Next they ran over to
within Shelby Farms. check out the slides and gently sloped climbing wall
In all, some $75 million in the second nest. The third nest is an outdoor
worth of improvements are classroom space.
under way at the park, The fourth nest, which features swings and
including a major enlargement spinners, was by far their favorite. The most alluring
of Patriot Lake and the piece of equipment was a swing seesaw of sorts
planting of 1 million trees. that catapulted the kids into the air at various
Because of its use of heights depending on the amount of bouncing and
jumping involved. The final nest was the most
permeable surfaces and challenging as it features climbing ropes and webs.
recycled material, including Another exciting element of the Woodland
ground-up sneakers and rubber Discovery Playground is that it was selected as one of
boot soles, the playground the pilot projects for the Sustainable Sites Initiative.
project was selected to be part Some things I noticed were recycling bins, lawn
of a pilot project run by the chairs made from recycled bottles, benches made
Sustainable Sites Initiative. from reclaimed trees, and ground cover made from
Nike Grind, made locally from recycled Nike shoes.
The playground design
derives some of its components Stacey Greenberg, Special to the Commercial Appeal
Lydian Kennin (center) of Germantown plays on one of the bungee swings at

the Woodland Discovery Playground at Shelby Farms. Kennin was part of the
original design committee for the playground in 2009. The 3.5 million
playground features slides, sandpits, bungee swings and rope climbing.
from studies of “natural play” done tree house, a climbing wall and other
by Shelby Farms Park elements. The swings, including one
Conservancys. Park officials also got known as the “teeter-totter,” were
inspiration from children who took made by a German company noted
part in a play “workshop” last year, for its innovative equipment.
designing their own playgrounds The playground project also
and specifying their preferences. featured the restoration of an
With its tunnel-like structure and adjoining wooded area, which is one
openings, the arbor “provides a of the seven total play nests.
sense of exploration and discovery,” Amid all the child-centric
Adams said. equipment and features, there are
“It’s an organizing, living piece of areas set aside for parents,
the playground,” she said. including one with some chairs
Tucked into the twists and turns nestled in the shade.
of the arbor are a half-dozen play “It’s designed as a quiet spot,”
“nests” featuring slides, swings, a Adams said.
Transportation is key to building a better city
Designing for the future

By Suzanne Thompson
Special to Going Green
As people continue to
strive for more sustainable
lives, it seems natural to look
closely not only at the things
we can do as individuals, but
also at the way in which our
neighborhoods and
communities develop.
Geoffrey Anderson,
executive director of Smart
Growth America, a national
coalition that provides
information to help cities
expand in a sustainable
manner, said several elements
are essential in smart growth.
Giving people choices
about transportation is very
important, he said.
“Transportation is so
intimately connected to our
daily lives,” Anderson said.
The cost of owning a car, in
terms of gas, maintenance
and repair, is $8,000 to
$10,000 a year, he said.
Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal files
With a reduction in car travel
by altering street routes and
I-240 eastbound traffic seen from the Shady increasing use of public transit
Grove over pass slows to a crawl late one like the light rail system,
evening. Experts believe such transportation Portland, Ore., reduced the
woes in the Memphis area can be alleviated with average commute by 4 miles
proper city planning. and residents experienced $2.6
Associated Press files

Portland reduced the average commute time of their residents by 4 miles after
emphasizing public transportation, like the light rail system, and altering street
routes to reduce the amount of time cars spend on the road.
billion in annual savings. and essentially disconnects people

Residents in Chicago reduced instead of bringing them together.
travel by 2.1 miles and collectively Anderson said cities with the
saved $5.5 billion. most sustainable communities must
Cities keep building new roads to have both a good mass transit
accommodate ever-increasing system and “walkable”
sprawl, when Anderson said it communities, where schools,
would be better to repair or reroute grocery stores and retail stores are
the existing roads. within easy walking distance.
Experts in sustainable Curving streets with low speed
community development say sprawl limits are a good way to force traffic
reduces or eliminates the to slow down, and make the street
opportunity for suburban areas to friendlier to pedestrians.
take advantage of the myriad “An indicator of smart growth is
benefits of public transportation, how many people are walking,”
“We need to go back to the timeless tradition of building

places for people instead of cars.”
DOM NOZZI, PRESIDENT OF WALKABLE STREETS, AUTHOR OF “THE CAR IS THE ENEMY OF THE CITY”
Anderson said. perception that you can pull right up and

Dom Nozzi, president of Walkable go inside the store,” Anderson said.
Streets and author of “Road to Run: An There aren’t many retail areas in
Introduction to Sprawl and How to Cure Memphis that fit this model, and that
It,” said when it comes to designing needs to change, according to Dr. Grant
streets, one size doesn’t fit all. Thrall, who is the Robert and Martha
“We need to go back to the timeless Fogelman chair of excellence at the
tradition of building places for people University of Memphis.
instead of cars,” said Nozzi. There are not enough people to
One way to make streets more support the current retail space here. In
pedestrian-friendly is to reduce their Memphis, there are 3,500 square feet of
size, taking a four-lane road down to a retail space per capita, compared with 7
three-lane road and adding a bike lane square feet per capita in Toronto.
and walkway. “That’s not sustainable,” Thrall said.
Three lanes generally carry as much “Our development here is based on
traffic flow as four, because the center cannibalism of existing neighborhoods
lane is a dedicated turn lane, and traffic and existing retail centers, as opposed to
isn’t slowed down or stopped when developing it to fit actual population
someone wants make a left turn, he said. growth and need. It’s a 20th century
“It’s almost a no-brainer,” Nozzi said. model.”
“We need to retrofit areas to The Fogelmans funded Thrall’s chair
sustainability.” of excellence — he is also chair of
Smaller streets that cause traffic to sustainable real estate — to bring the
back up aren’t a big concern. message to the community that the
“Spill-over traffic is a red herring, current model is not sustainable.
because motorists don’t mind losing a “It lowers the development for the
few seconds on the road if they are entire Memphis area,” Thrall said.
driving on a more visually appealing He believes that Memphis is on the
road,” Nozzi said. verge of a great take-off and controlling
The most sustainable communities, development is critical.
Anderson pointed out, have high-density “We are the nation’s most prominent
housing, trees and street parking. hub city and there will only be a few of
A street lined with parking spaces them in the world,” he said. “Memphis is
increases the success of retail businesses. in a very desirable position at this point
“That’s key for successful retailers, the in time.”
Businesses embrace green

to save green
Pity the polar bear and its melting
habitat, but corporate America just doesn’t
much care anymore.
Several years ago U.S. business was
more altruistic about converting to green,
sustainable enterprise to help save the
world from environmental collapse, David
Pogue said at the University of Memphis’s
first Conference on Sustainable Real Estate.
Then the market crashed.
“Firms went from sustainability to
survivability,” said Pogue, CB Richard A.J. Wolfe/The Commercial Appeal files
Ellis’s national director of sustainability.
And there’s the good news for the climate.
A treeless subdivision lies to the west
Forget the cute penguins losing their ice, of Berryhill Road while heavy
the bean counters are finding that green equipment clears trees to make room
buildings make economic sense. for another subdivision on the east.
That’s important because the highest
consumers of energy and highest producers Thrall said it’s up to the people of
of carbon emissions are buildings.
CBRE manages 750 million square feet
Memphis to decide the course of growth
of property in the United States, making it the city will take.
the world’s largest property manager. “It’s a decision for the community to
CBRE surveys and researchers in the make. What type of land use pattern do
field are finding that corporate America’s we want to see at the stage of build-out
investment in sustainability is a strong, in the multi-county and multi-states we
growing trend, not a fad. have here?”
The survey found that the green buildings Thrall is hoping that smart growth
were 3.4 percent more occupied than
general market buildings. Pogue described will play a major role in the development
the difference as a “small but discernible of the city.
improvement of occupancy rates.” “Do we want to be a razor wire city? The
The survey also found that tenants pay amount of razor wire around town, areas
an average 1.46 percent more in rent for that are cordoned off — which is what I
green buildings. see as a visitor in this city — is absolutely
Rent at the Energy Star-labeled buildings shocking. Memphis is a sick city.”
were 4.8 percent below market, he said. The healing of Memphis, experts
But the LEED buildings commanded 7.38
percent above market in rent. believe, will occur only if it takes a
Converting a building to LEED different path to development, one
certification adds $5.6 million on average which creates sustainable communities
to its worth, Pogue said. and draws people together.
Energy efficiency and sustainability are “It’s difficult to retrofit connectivity
now a business unit of CBRE, and the due to attention attrition. It could be
company gets paid for it. we’re not going to see an increase in
Tom Bailey Jr., The Commercial Appeal connectivity in our lifetimes,” Nozzi said.
A fitting
cause
Bartlett student
begins a chapter of
Becca’s Closet
Regan Perkins (left) is
founder of the Memphis/
Mid-South chapter of
Becca’s Closet.
By Patsy Fralich Keith help. She needs more of both.

Special to Going Green “School service clubs like the Honor
Society, Key Club or Beta Club could
Last autumn a high school student hold dress drives for us after their
from Bartlett was looking for a way to proms,” said Perkins. “That’s a great
recirculate her gently used formals. She way for the schools to get involved in
also had a strong desire to help others. community service.”
Regan Perkins searched the Web and Items needed include clothing racks,
found a nonprofit organization that fit and hanging accessories. Often churches
her needs — Becca’s Closet. or hotels will donate space for open
Becca’s Closet, founded in Florida in houses while dry cleaners will offer
2003, now stretches to over 80 chapters cleaning or pressing. Monetary gifts are
nationwide that accept tax-deductible also welcomed, she added.
donations. For information about Becca’s Closet,
Perkins, a senior at Faith Heritage visit beccascloset.org . (Click on the
Christian Academy in Millington, began map icon on the right, designating
the only Memphis/Mid-South chapter active chapters. Under Tennessee, click
last fall. Pat Wade, her guidance on Millington to find the Memphis area
counselor, helped. website.)
Before her first open house at Bellevue To volunteer, donate dresses, or to
Baptist Church on March 26, Perkins receive a free formal, e-mail
spent her time getting the word out and fabulousformals@yahoo.com or call 388-
collecting donations and volunteers to 5018.
Chris Desmond/Special to The Commercial Appeal
Top: Maggie Taylor

(on left) and Harper
Behnke lend their
artistic skills to the
community mural
during the Down to
Earth Festival at
Shelby Farms Park.
Right: A Dahlia bud is
kissed by a beam of
light during the
Spring's Best Plant
Sale at the Memphis
Botanic Garden which
was part of their
month-long Earth Day
program. Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal
THE BIZ PAGE
COMMUNITY
RELATIONS
Local businesses step up to support green ideas, events
By Suzanne Thompson / Special to Going Green
Corporate America hasn’t always been known for it’s commitment to improving the
cities they operate in. As green practices have grown in popularity and significance,
the practice of company “greenwashing” — or faking concern for the environment —
increased as well. Fortunately, in Memphis it is quite the opposite.
These area businesses are trying to make a bigger impact on the community and a
smaller one on the world. So what better day to get outside and connect with other like-
minded Memphians than on Earth Day?
By sponsoring a variety of celebrations, FedEx, International Paper and more are
building bridges and impacting the locals in a good way.
International Paper sustainability efforts that have long

International Paper was the leader been a part of IPs corporate
in sponsorship of local Earth Week philosophy.
events this year including acting as a “At International Paper, we are
primary sponsor of GreenShoe at the proud of our legacy of sustainability
Lake at Shelby Farms, as well as a and environmental stewardship,”
month-long celebration at Memphis said Kim Wirth, IP Foundation
Botanic Gardens, Earth Day, Every executive director. “Partnering with
Day. the Memphis Botanic Garden to
Kim Wirth, executive director of celebrate Earth Day is another
the IP Foundation, said the extension of our commitment to the
company’s sponsorship of Earth Day communities where we live and
Events is in keeping with its work.”
Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal files

Adavia Davis, 6, gets a hand from his dad Corey Davis during Skyfest at Shelby
Farms during the Down to Earth Festival, sponsored by AutoZone.
Whole Foods involved in the Earth Week

At Shelby Farms Earth Week, Celebration for the past four years .
sponsorship is divided into tiers, with The company donates many of the
the highest level of sponsorship food that is offered during events.
being a presenting sponsor. All “We know that the food is coming
sponsorship amounts are from a sustainable source and frees
customized, according to Jen up a lot of money that we would
Andrews, director of otherwise,” Andrews said.
communications for the Shelby
Farms Park Conservancy. Federal Express
That’s because some sponsors As the presenting sponsor of the
contribute not just money, but in-kind Down to Earth event, FedEx
donations, like Whole Foods, a primary continues its support of Shelby
sponsor in the second tier of support. Farms. This is an Earth Week kick-off
Whole Foods has been very event FedEx has sponsored for the
past six years — since it started. events such as kite making, a birds of
“FedEx values community and is prey demonstration, rocket launches
committed to connecting the world in and wind surfing. Officials agree that
responsible and resourceful ways. sponsoring the event is not only good
Shelby Farms is a remarkable park in for business, but good for the city.
which we can celebrate and appreciate “Shelby Farms Park Conservancy
the earth; this is why we have been provides an opportunity to impact the
sponsoring Shelby Farms Earth Day quality of life in our community,” said
celebrations for years,” said Stephanie Trina Poquette, director, community
Butler, manager of corporate relations.
contributions and volunteers. Other high level sponsors of
Earth Week at Shelby Farms:
Pinnacle Airlines Presenting Sponsors: First
Pinnacle Airlines is a primary Tennessee Foundation, the Hyde
sponsor for Earth Week, and this is not Family Foundation and Whole Foods,
the first time that the airline has Primary Sponsors: Smith &
supported Earth Week. Nephew
Not all corporate sponsorship of
“Pinnacle significantly expanded its
Earth-friendly programs are directly
environmental initiatives last year. We
related to Earth Day, TruGreen, for
have partnered with Shelby Farms
example, sponsors several events at
many times before, including this
the Memphis Botanic Gardens.
event. We chose to return as a key
For Spring Blooms, the company
sponsor because we believe in the
provided funding to support the
long-term mission of Shelby Farms and
planting of more than 21,000 new bulbs
see this as a key part of our community
to bloom this spring at the Garden.
investment,” said Joe Williams,
director of corporate communications
for Pinnacle Airlines Corp.
Williams said he believes Shelby
Farms is a major draw for the
Memphis business community.
“In the larger picture, Shelby Farms
impact reaches beyond its
environmental leadership. It’s a
priceless amenity that is important to
economic development and business
recruiting, and is an essential element
of our community’s quality of life.”
Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal files
AutoZone Aalyah Jobbins, 6, and a crew of
AutoZone sponsors SkyFest, which volunteers from Smith and Nephew pot
is a part of the Down to Earth seedlings to be grown and planted at
Celebration. This family event features Shelby Farms as part of Earth Day event.
EarthSmart extends
outreach into communities
Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal

Team members for the Memphis community service initiative met at the Wolf
River Greenway to discuss plans for the cleanup. They are Robin Hicks (from
left), Rachel Kesselman, Keith Kirkland, Russell Smith and Keith Cole.
By Suzanne Thompson hybrids, our electronic trade documents,

Special to Going Green anything that helped our customers to
reduce the carbon footprint of the
In a continuing effort to expand their package shipping as well as help us
dedication to sustainable practices, reduce our carbon footprint,” said
FedEx officials implemented a program Brandon Tidwell, program adviser of
in 2010 called EarthSmart. global citizenship for FedEx.
“EarthSmart was our commitment to FedEx wanted to extend the
sustainability and it looked at solutions commitment to sustainability beyond
such as our electric vehicles, our just the business, and into the
communities so there are a host of The NFWF has parlayed the $500,000
initiatives under the new program’s from FedEx this year into a total of
banner, according to Tidwell. $1.32 million in conservation resources,
One of those, called Sustainable Cities, Bond said.
involves hands-on participation in The Wolf River Conservancy, this
community service projects by FedEx year’s Memphis grant recipient, received
employees and began last year in six cities: more than $80,000.
Memphis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bond said FedEx’s program is
New York, Washington and Pittsburgh. different from that of many other
This year Seattle, Dallas, Boston, companies that provide financial support
Philadelphia, Chicago and Indianapolis for nonprofit organizations.
have been added, Tidwell said. “We’re very excited to be working
FedEx has contributed a total of with FedEx because FedEx is one of few
$500,000 in grant money, $400,000 of corporations that get their employees
which was given this year to nonprofit involved,” he said.
organizations in all 12 cities. On May 9, a group of FedEx employees
The community service projects will are expected to gather at the Wolf River
take place over a two-month period that Greenway in Germantown at 11:30 a.m.
began on April 19. They will be clearing out an invasive
Projects in each city are different and plant called privet hedge on a strip of the
focus on a single goal, such as a beach Wolf River Greenway along Humphreys
clean-up, removing weeds and other Boulevard near Shady Grove Road.
invasive plant species or tree planting. Privets are an exotic shrub from China
The Memphis community service which is used in landscaping. However,
initiative will take place on May 9 along it tends to overtake native plants.
the Wolf River Greenway, where Keith Kirkland, director of outreach
volunteers from FedEx will gather to and landscape for the Wolf River
clear an invasive plant called privet hedge Conservancy, said that is what has
from a section of the greenway. As part of happened in that section of the
the support from FedEx, the Wolf River greenway. Although the shrubbery is a
Conservancy will receive a grant award. natural barrier from the road, the privet
The National Fish and Wildlife needs to be replaced with plants that
Foundation (NFWF), a nonprofit will be healthier to the overall habitat.
organization, acts as the grantor, using “It works as a screen, and not a
money from companies like FedEx to particularly attractive one, between the
leverage matching funds from global street and the Wolf River Greenway,” he
organizations, which last year totaled said.
$180 million. The invasive plant can grow to
“It’s a collaboration between many heights of 20 feet.
different parties,” said Joe Bond, Funds from the city of Memphis will
director of corporate relations for NFWF. provide native plants, such as sawgrass,
Since NFWF was created, it has put water lilies and water oaks to plant in
approximately $1.8 billion into national the areas where the hedge growth has
conservation efforts, said Bond. been removed, Kirkland said.
MY GREEN JOB
Taking the LEED in interior design

First job: Filing clerk for
Whitney Joiner Interior Designer - MBI my dad’s financial advisory
office
Most recent job: Interior
designer with MBI
Career highlights: I have
the luxury of working with
talented professionals
among a diverse group of
industries such as
corporate, small business,
healthcare, government and
education. Each day is a
new opportunity to create a
more efficient and enjoyable
place to work, heal, or
study for my clients.
Most satisfying career
moment: While studying
sustainability in preparation
for the LEED Green
Associate exam, I was
astounded to discover the
adverse effects that
commercial buildings can
have on our environment. I
gain satisfaction from
advising my clients in a way
that enables them to achieve
their business objectives
while preserving the Earth.
Designer Whitney Joiner likes to advise clients on I am humbled by the
sustainability options that can have a positive realization that my work can
impact on the environment. impact the environment.
Career advice: Realize
that you never master a task. Always be What is something about yourself
open to new perspective. that most people don’t know about
Person I most admire: My husband, you... I’m a health nut by nature, but I
Grant, for his unconditional love and often crave candied cherry slices and
passion; my father for his loyalty and circus peanuts.
vigor for life; and my mother for her Change I would like to see: I’d like
sense of equality and resilience to see Memphis become more
Hobbies: Exercising, enjoying good pedestrian-friendly with less of a need
food, reading, watching movies, tennis to drive all over the city for essentials.
Mitsubishi plant County Industrial fully taxable.

to make battery Development Board The plant will boost
approved a 14-year freeze Shelby County’s green
electrolyte of Shelby County taxes economy, company
A Mitsubishi Chemical worth about $3.7 million, officials said.
subsidiary is pressing with the option of a 15th “By providing incentives
forward with plans to build year if the company meets to (Mitsubishi Chemical
a new plant in Memphis, diversity goals. Ionic Solutions) based upon
this one to make a MC Ionic Solutions, like the nature of the business,
chemical for electric- Lucite, is a subsidiary of the (Industrial) Board sends
vehicle batteries. Mitsubishi Chemical a strong message to other
Newly formed MC Ionic Corporation, part of businesses that support
Solutions will employ 27 Mitsubishi Chemical electric vehicles, solar and
people by the end of 2015 Holdings Corp. The parent wind energy and the other
and 52 workers with company employs 54,000 green technologies to come
salaries averaging $69,000 people worldwide. to Shelby County to develop
by 2019, according to its The Woodstock site will these products in the
application for tax breaks. manufacture an electrolyte future,” the application
MC Ionic Solutions solution used in lithium ion states.
would build on five to eight batteries. Such batteries “Such ’cutting edge’
acres next to a related power electric vehicles, projects can also be
Mitsubishi Chemical computers and cellphones. expected to produce many
operation, Lucite But the main customer of high-paying, quality jobs.”
International at 2665 Fite the new plant will be The industrial board staff
Road, just north of vehicle manufacturers, the calculates that even though
Memphis in Woodstock. application states. a 14-year PILOT would save
The company plans to The new company’s MC Ionic Solutions $3.7
spend $12 million on the manufacturing operation million in taxes, the tax
40,000-square-foot would warehouse an revenue generated by
building and another $50 inventory of more than $11 construction, operations,
million to fill it with million in raw materials and property tax and payments
equipment, computers and supply, the application would total $7.2 million.
other personal property. states. That’s significant Tom Bailey Jr., The
The Memphis-Shelby because the inventory is Commercial Appeal
TRANSPORTATION
A revolution on wheels
Volunteers spread gospel of bicycles from Midtown church
Spare parts are By Suzanne Thompson

in abundance at Special to Going Green
Revolutions
Community Anthony Siracusa is convinced that
Bicycle Shop Memphis is undergoing a transportation
in First transformation.
Congregational “Bicycle facilities are going to be
Church. implemented on a number of major roads
throughout the city. The Greenline is going to
Britney McIntosh/ be experiencing more heavy use than we’ve
The Commercial seen throughout this past fall and into the
Appeal files
spring.”
Bicycling is something that Siracusa Revolutions Community

is passionate about, and has been for Bicycle Shop
much of his 27 years.
An avid cyclist himself, when he First Congregational Church UCC
started work, it was at a retail bicycle 1000 S. Cooper St.
shop. Door in rear of building by the
So, it’s not surprising that Siracusa playground
would take his love of bicycling and Hours: Monday and Thursday 5:30 p.m.
spread it throughout the community. to 7:30 p.m.
While he worked in a bike shop, he Sunday 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
said he often got inquiries from young
people about repairing their bikes and
it got him thinking about the idea of a
community bike shop. Siracusa said.
“Every once in a while a young Julia Hicks, director of missions, said
person from the neighborhood would when Siracusa walked into First
come by and they would say, ‘Hey, I Congregational Church in Midtown
need to have my brakes fixed,’ but nine years ago, she knew he wasn’t
really that was just the tip of the your run-of-the-mill 17-year-old.
iceberg,” Siracusa said. “What was so incredible was that
Usually, these bikes needed much there was an intensity that was more
more than a minor repair, but due to than just being excited about a project.
the time constraints of working in I was riveted,” Hicks said.
retail, Siracusa just didn’t have the time Siracusa and a friend met with Hicks
to provide the help the kids needed. to ask for the use of space to set up a
Determined to find a way to fill this shop repairing and building bicycles
need in the community, he began to from donated or discarded ones.
research programs other cities were Because they were asking only for
using to provide affordable bicycle space, not money, Hicks said she
repairs and bicycle education. couldn’t see a downside, and by June
He stumbled upon a book, “Tools for 2002, Revolutions Community Bike
Life,” a kind of how-to guide for Shop went from being a dream to a
starting a program like the ones he’d reality.
studied about operating in Seattle and Since that time, it has grown
New York. exponentially.
The main ingredients were donated “They started out in one space and
bikes, donated space and volunteer now they have four larger rooms,”
workers. Hicks said.
“I began to throw all those The church is working on putting in
ingredients into a big ole cauldron, and an entrance dedicated to Revolutions
in February of 2002, sat down with and recently provided them with two
First Congregational Church to discuss large storage units for bicycles.
setting up a bike-based ministry,” Participation at Revolutions requires
Brandon Dill/The Commercial Appeal files

Volunteer Jordan Emerson (right) shows Jalon Mosby (left) and Paul Malone
how to adjust brake cables at Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop.
a membership and memberships “You can pick out all your parts
are earned through hours of individually and build it from
volunteer work. scratch, or you can pick out a bike
“In order to actually be able to that is put together and maybe
work on a bike, you have to first go needs a tune-up and some part,”
through the volunteer training said John Paul Shaffer, Revolutions
program, in which you disassemble volunteer coordinator.
wheels. You disassemble bikes,” Most of the people who come
Siracusa said. “We are working on through the program have no
dozens of bikes and wheels in the experience working on bicycles.
volunteer program every week.” “These are people who have
After volunteering for 10 hours never worked on bikes in their
at Revolutions, there is a fee of lives, and they are building a bike,
$40, which entitles the member to usually from scratch, for the very
choose a bike from the inventory of first time,” Siracusa said.
used, donated bikes. Revolutions is open seven hours
a week, on Monday and Thursday normally, if we were talking about

evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. religion, might not have a lot in
and on Sunday afternoons from 2 p.m. common, but because the bicycle has
to 5 p.m. become the catalyst, they are able to
Monday evenings and Sunday form meaningful relationships that they
afternoons are for established can in turn use to serve needs in their
volunteers only. communities,” Siracusa said.
Siracusa said sometimes when they Shaffer, who has been volunteering at
arrive at Revolutions on Thursday Revolutions for about three years and
evenings, there may be five bikes sitting has long been a cycling enthusiast, said
outside that have been dropped off. the program is really for anybody.
“Generosity is the element that Thursday evenings, when the doors
sustains Revolutions,” he said. open to new participants at 6:30,
For the past several years, Shaffer never knows who or how many
Revolutions has offered an educational people will be there.
program that runs six weeks and meets “We generally have anywhere from
on Saturday mornings. eight to 20 volunteers come in on any
The usual program, offered in the given Thursday,” Shaffer said.
fall, spring and summer, teaches bike While at one time the participation
maintenance and bike safety. It is free was somewhat seasonal, that’s changed.
to members and costs $10 for the Once volunteers complete their 10-
public. hour training, it may be as little as a
But an educational program with a week, or up to three months before
different twist was recently offered for they can schedule the use of a bike
the first time, after Siracusa contacted stand to work on their own bikes.
groups from two other communities To get started, it’s best not to call,
interested in the bike-based ministry. and there’s no e-mail registration,
One group is from a church in because Siracusa and Karl
Cordova. The other is a group from Wagenschutz, Revolutions executive
Orange Mound. Both are studying how director, both work full-time jobs, so
Revolutions operates, so they can start they don’t have time to man phones or
bike-based ministries in their own spend hours with e-mail.
communities. Information about the program is
“They are coming together once a available at
week to learn how to establish and revolutionsmemphis.wordpress.com. To
operate community bike programs,” he learn more, stop by the shop on
said. Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The fact that two such disparate “Basically, you show up at the shop.
groups come together to learn about For 40 bucks and 10 hours of time you
starting a bike-based ministry proves get a fully working bicycle and
how powerful it can be. maintenance for a year,” Shaffer said.
“What happens in that process is, you “If you come by when the shop’s open,
build relationships between people, who you can just bang on the windows.”
FAITH
Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Rev. Cheryl Cornish and others at First Congregational Church have focused
attention on environmental issues.
By Suzanne Thompson
A message Special to Going Green
First Congregational Church, known

as a less traditional place of worship, is
worthy of also unique in its approach toward

sustainability.
“One of our goals is to be a beacon to
sharing
other institutions,” said Julia Hicks,
director of missions at the church.
Several years ago, Hicks and Cheryl
Cornish, pastor, decided they wanted to
start doing something intentional for the
First Congo follows path to environment.
Who better to act as chair of their
environmental awareness sustainability committee than member
Betsy Howard, a chemical engineer who
worked for the Environmental The north building houses a hostel

Protection Agency for 20 years? and conference center. When the
The six people on the committee bathrooms there were renovated, water-
decided to start with an energy audit. efficient fixtures were installed.
The group walked through the entire The water heater of the church was
80,000-square-foot building with an eye replaced with a tankless unit and other
toward changes that could reduce energy practical changes were made, such as the
usage. use of green cleaning supplies.
“We looked at the heating and air- Recycling bins were set around the
conditioning systems. We looked at the church for members to deposit used
lighting, looked at the windows and doors bulletins. The church has had a city
and how air moved through the building. recycling center in the parking lot for
We looked at how many refrigerators we some time.
were using,” Howard said. Then church officials began to spread
They started off small, sealing air the message of conservation to the
leaks and putting weather stripping on congregation.
windows and doors. “Our experience Many types of correspondence to
demonstrated that you can’t wait until members, such as newsletters,
you can do something big,” Hicks said. statements sent to donors and thank-you
“The small things lead to bigger ones.” notes, all were produced by e-mail,
Committee members assessed larger drastically reducing paper usage.
projects, put together a book of First Congregational Church has a
suggestions, and submitted it to Cornish coffee area where members congregate
and Hicks. before and after services, and in it they
“Trying to do this within the context have “poster sessions” aimed at education.
of a church is different than in the areas Their focus turned to sustainability.
that I’ve done this before. I’ve worked The sessions each dealt with a
with private houses, and the 1,000,000- different topic, such as how to deal with
square-foot building EPA built about 10 hazardous waste, energy-efficient
years ago,” Howard said. “The lighting and ways to deal with broken
budgeting is very different.” fluorescent light bulbs, which contain a
Big changes cost big bucks, but small amount of mercury.
church officials knew they would have to A Peace Fellowship meets once a week
invest to start saving significant to discuss how people can live in a way
amounts of energy. that is at better peace, not only with one
The first major undertaking suggested another but with the environment as well.
was replacing the lighting with a more The church programs are about more
energy-efficient system and occupancy than just helping the environment,
sensors. Howard said.
Many windows were replaced, and “Part of the point is doing this for the
two of the four sections of roofing were environment and part of the point is
replaced using insulated, light-colored contributing to people’s spiritual health
material. and well-being.”
ENERGY
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Consumer interest in solar panel installations rising
By Suzanne Thompson
Special to Going Green
Business owners who already sell and install solar panels have
the jump in an industry that is growing in leaps and bounds.
Malikia Griffin, owner of MCCG Solar Energy Inc., started his
Horn Lake, Miss., business nearly four years ago, and has seen
the demand for solar energy steadily rise.
“People are more interested because they want to know what
it is and how it works,” he said.
Solar panels, which can range in price from $500 to $1,500
each, depending on size, do require an initial significant financial
commitment, but the payback is relatively fast, Griffin said.
“Solar panels usually pay for themselves in eight to 10
years,” he said.
To install the panels he sells, Griffin Memphis firms win solar grants
works with companies in two other Several Memphis-area companies have won
cities to handle the installation, one in grants totaling about $777,000 in grants for
Jackson, Tenn., and the other in solar projects from the Tennessee Solar
Brighton, Tenn. Institute.
MCCG Solar provides a detailed MidSouth Sustainable Energy Solutions
overall energy evaluation for prospective was awarded $428,000. The company will use
clients. the funds to begin manufacturing components
of its Weather Smart Racking Response System.
“We take a thorough, detailed look at Shelby Electric Co. will use a $183,656
what (power) they are using,” he said. grant to install solar panels on its
Using a computerized system, Griffin administration building.
can take potential customers’ utility bills Sharp Manufacturing Co. of America will
and help them determine how much train 40 employees with a $50,000 grant to
savings they would yield by installing run an expansion of its solar panel module
solar panels on their homes or businesses. manufacturing line.
Tri-State Armature & Electrical Works Inc.
Harnessing the power of a natural was awarded $47,330 to train employees on
resource makes sense, and Griffin has energy efficiency, sales and installation..
the resources and know-how to help LabFour received grants totaling $49,796 to
people do just that. make its building more efficient and to train its
“It’s taking something that is given to trainers in solar panel installation.
you all day — sunlight — you just need
the technology to collect it,” he said.
Jefferson Sanders purchased solar the 5,000 panels at the solar farm in
panels from Griffin for his 3,500-square- Brownsville, Tenn., and currently
foot Southaven home about a year ago. Schaf’s company has three or four
Prior to installing the panels, he said projects scheduled in West Tennessee.
his family’s average electric bill was There’s not much competition in the
$500 to $600. solar installation field at this time, he said.
“I can honestly say we’ve saved. Our But that is changing.
last Entergy bill was $75,” he said. In January, the Tennessee Solar
One of the other companies Griffin Institute gave a class in solar installation
uses for installation of the solar panels at the University of Memphis.
he sells is Southern Solar & Electric The popularity of the course is
Inc., in Brighton, Tenn. indicative of a rising interest in solar
Cost for installation is about $7 per panel installation, said Earl Pomeroy,
watt of energy, said Terry Schaf, vice one of the co-instructors from the
president of Southern Solar & Electric. University of Tennessee Center for
Griffin also does general contracting Industrial Science Services.
work and Schaf is a licensed electrician, “Ultimately, this course was about
but the solar end of both their work force development and teaching
businesses continues to expand. the skills necessary to put people to
“It is really starting to pick up,” he said. work, and the high turnout tells me that
Southern Solar & Electric installed people are interested in solar.”
EDITORIAL
On a course to clean air

THE ELECTRICITY Memphians weakening demand for electricity
use in order to enjoy the due to the economic turndown.
conveniences of the 21st century will But there are other changes in the
get cleaner, so to speak, over the works that should allow TVA to
next six years. move away gradually from its
As will the air, especially around dependence on coal.
three power plants where the Advanced pollution controls at a
Tennessee Valley Authority plans to number of its other generators will
shut down 18 aging, inefficient coal- take up some of the slack, but the
burning generators. utility also plans to increase its
The units, located in Middle and dependence on nuclear generation,
East Tennessee and North Alabama, which now accounts for about 30
will be shuttered as part of the percent of its capacity. It will also
settlement of clean air lawsuits filed build a highly efficient gas-fired
by the Environmental Protection generator in East Tennessee.
Agency, four states, including And it has a number of energy
Tennessee, and three environmental efficiency programs in the works.
organizations. Perhaps the most visible effect will
Together, the units produce about be in the the Smoky Mountains, where
16 percent of TVA's coal-fired scenic vistas have been fading from
generation, which produces about 60 view and various plant species have
percent of TVA's power overall. suffered from the effects of the air
Memphis Light, Gas and Water pollution produced by burning coal.
Division is the giant, government- Any significant dampening on the
owned utility's biggest customer. demand for coal also is good news
The historic agreement owes for areas of East Tennessee and West
much to the persistence and Virginia where the practice of
dedication of the Southeast's mountaintop removal mining has
environmental activists, state and polluted streams and horribly
federal regulators and TVA's damaged the landscape.
willingness to set a new course for Some of that damage can never be
the future that was outlined in its 20- undone, but the settlement has put
year Integrated Resource Plan, TVA on a more sustainable course.
which the board adopted on That's welcome news for customers
Thursday. all across the TVA spectrum, in
The agreement was aided by a Shelby County and beyond.
SCHOOLS Douglass
leads city
Energy savvy
schools’
green
initiatives
By Jane Roberts Douglass High

robertsj@commercialappeal.com School students
(from left) Cedric
Anyplace else, leaving computers and lights on Roberts, 16, Adam
all night is irksome but generally forgivable. At Coleman, 16,
Douglass High, a posse of student Watt-Busters Nicholas Pollion,
slips “green” tickets under offending staff 16, and April Jones,
members’ doors. 15, conduct energy
Such diligence reduced the school’s utility bill 6 audits.
percent, saving taxpayers $14,906 for the year
ending Sept. 31. This week, Douglass was named Brandon Dill/The
Commercial Appeal files
a partner in the Tennessee Pollution Prevention
Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Tiuyana Moy (left) and Quin Paige, volunteers from Douglass High School, pick
up garbage for the first GreenUp Memphis festival.
Partnership (TP3), one of 20 schools “greening the wing.” Staff get a

statewide that were green-savvy enough reminder over the intercom twice a
to make the grade, and the first in week, then the posse moves in with
Shelby County. energy meters.
“The first thing we do is collect data. “They (staff) are asking, can they
As a math teacher I am big fan of data have a moment to turn things off, “ said
and the computation of it, “ said Mera April Jones, 15.
Baker, one of two faculty coordinators at “We tell them, ’you should have done
Douglass whose green reach extends to that by now, ’” she says, with
the school football and baseball fields, unconcealed delight.
where no pesticides are used. With student prompting, the school
“Our sophomores are wing leaders. installed motion lights in one hallway.
They take the freshmen and calculate “We found the lights were left on
the amount of energy being wasted on holidays and weekends and our light bill
each wing (of the building), “ she said. was high, “ said Rayven Burns, 15.
In Douglass terms, it’s called Douglass, the optional school for
communications and public service, went Architect is head of the class

green thanks to a couple of factors. When Architect John Pruett has received a lot of
the school opened in 2008, it was already ink lately with public officials touting his
the most energy-efficient in the city. designs for the soon to be developed
It also exists in a North Memphis Memphis Bioworks Hotel, as well as the $2
neighborhood once riddled with million in federal grant monies those designs
industrial pollution. There’s an illegal helped attract to the project.
dump on the back lot line. Meanwhile, the architect is following up
on the success of another green building in
Last year, the students filled three another arena: the city’s schools.
trash bins in a cleanup, said Sandra “We’ve proven the model,” Pruett
Upchurch, science teacher and declared proudly, referring to building
coordinator of campus green activities. practices he’d advocated to cut energy
“The school was already doing a lot of costs for the Memphis City Schools system
things that would qualify as TP3 site, “ during a redevelopment project managed
she said. “We saw it as a wonderful by his firm, John Pruett Architects Inc.
opportunity for children to get credit for The model is Fairview Middle School, a
1930 monument to the Art Deco style.
things they were doing.” It sits at the corner of East Parkway and
She signed them up in 2009 at TP3 Central Avenue.
pledges. John Pruett Architects worked with
They had to develop a five-project plan Memphis City Schools’ top administrators
to prevent pollution of air, land and water to update both the energy efficiency and
while conserving natural resources. appearance of the building.
“It is a significant accomplishment to The Energy Star Ratings formula yielded
get approved for ’partner, ’ “ said Tisha stellar results for the Fairview rehab.
Calabrese at TP3. “To reach ’performer, ’ Following Pruett’s alterations, Fairview’s
Energy Star Rating jumped from 25.9 to 40.
the top level, Douglass must complete More tangibly, overall energy usage at
the four other projects, involve the Fairview dropped by 12 percent.
community in environmental activities In this first phase of the Fairview
and mentor another school.” refitting, Pruett focused primarily on
The school has a recycling club. The windows, replacing the building’s original
student body participates in city cleanups windows with insulated glazing in thermally
and students are also in the background improved aluminum frames that duplicated
at community festivals, sorting the original, historic window configurations.
The glazing methods and materials
recyclables. Students have won green Pruett suggested also provided savings
poster contests, garden in a school plot over the products and technologies the
and replaced incandescent bulbs in the school system had previously been using
neighborhood with compact fluorescent. to upgrade the efficiency of older buildings.
Officially, the district’s goal is to Based upon his success, Pruett has been
reduce energy consumption 7 percent. green-lighted to begin the second phase of
“My personal goal is to reduce improvements he has advocated for
consumption by 10 percent, “ Wright Fairview. These consist of a total interior
renovation of the school utilizing sustainable
says. design techniques and materials.
— Jane Roberts: 529-2512
Greg Belz, Special to My Life
FOOD
FRESH IDEAS
Make a salad into a hearty meal with lots of fresh
ingredients and a little protein
By Susan Snapp “For a hearty meal, just add your
Special to The Commercial Appeal favorite protein. Top the salad with
a warm piece of grilled meat or
Main-dish salads are the perfect fish. If you prefer a cold salad,
entrée for the lighter dining fare of combine shredded, chilled chicken
spring and summer. with the greens. Toss in some of
With prepackaged greens and your favorite veggies,
abundant local produce, salads fruits or nuts to add different
filled with a variety of tasty tastes and textures. Crumbles or
ingredients are an easy way to grated cheeses also make flavorful
change up weeknight menus. And additions.”
with the addition of protein, they Chef Rick Saviori of Thyme
become a meal. Bistro in East Memphis suggests
“A salad can be so much more the French cooking technique “en
than just a precursor to a meal or a papillote” as an easy way to prepare
bland diet food, “ said chef Jennifer fish at home to be used as a salad
Chandler of Memphis, author of topper or a simple meal on its own.
“Simply Salads.” “Dishes made from “At home I like to bake it wrapped
leafy greens make a delicious and in foil with vegetables and add
healthy main attraction of any meal. white wine, ginger, soy and sesame
The Primavera Salad at Thyme Bistro features flank steak and Maytag
blue cheese. It’s one of the signature main-dish salads served at the
East Memphis restaurant.
Photos by Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal
Chef Rick Saviori of Thyme Bistro suggests using common items like canned
tuna and beans to help transform a salad into a main dish. Dress it up with
olives, roasted peppers, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
oil, “ Saviori said. “I like to use some chicken. I would pick all the meat off
Asian flavors to make it different. the bones and make a chicken salad
This is a great way to cook fish at out of it with some celery, pecans or
home. There is very little cleanup by walnuts and some onion.”
cooking everything in one pouch.” And to top off salad creations,
Saviori also pointed to common both chefs noted the ease of making
pantry items that can be added to dressings at home.
make a hearty salad.
“I am a big fan of homemade
“Most people I know have tuna dressings, “ Chandler said. “They
and canned beans at home, “ he said. are economical, healthier and taste
“This makes a great salad — just add better. Most dressings can be made
some olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon using pantry staples, such as vinegar
juice and put it over lettuce, maybe and oil. I use ingredients like
with some olives or roasted peppers. mustards and herbs to add flavor.”
You could also buy rotisserie
Primavera Salad with Flank Steak and Blue Cheese

For the dressing: For the salad: Oil for brushing vegetables
¼ cup balsamic vinegar 1 medium squash 1 lb. flank steak
½ shallot, minced 1 medium zucchini Salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced ½ eggplant 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
½ tbsp. Dijon mustard ½ small red onion, small 4 oz. blue cheese
1 cup olive oil dice 8 cups baby spinach
1 tomato, small dice 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
For the dressing: Mix the vinegar, side). Let the steak rest. Dice the
shallot and garlic in a bowl. Add mustard vegetables. Slice the steak very thinly and
and whisk. Slowly add oil into bowl make sure you cut against the grain.
whisking quickly to emulsify the Shingle the slices on a sheet pan and top
vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. them with the blue cheese. Put it in the
For the salad: Cut both ends off the broiler and cook until the cheese melts
vegetables. Then lengthwise slice the and browns. Mix spinach and balsamic
vegetables in ¼-inch slices. Brush with oil vinaigrette in a bowl and divide it up into 4
and season with salt and pepper and grill plates. Top the spinach with 1/2 cup of
or roast until they are tender (but not the diced vegetable mixture. Top each
mushy). Season steak with salt, pepper salad with equal portion of steak. Makes 4
and balsamic vinegar. Grill the steak to a servings.
medium rare (about 5 minutes on each Source: Rick Saviori of Thyme Bistro
Chinese Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

For the peanut dressing: 1 pinch of red pepper flakes 2 carrots, peeled and
¼ cup rice wine vinegar (optional) shredded on the large holes
2 tbsp. creamy peanut Kosher salt and freshly of a traditional grater
butter ground pepper ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
1 tsp. finely grated fresh For the salad: ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
peeled ginger ½ cup fresh snow peas ½ cup chopped roasted
1 tbsp. soy sauce 1 bag (5 oz.) spring mix peanuts
1 tbsp. honey salad blend 2 limes, quartered for
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 2 cups shredded cooked garnish
½ cup canola oil chicken ½ cup peanut dressing
For the dressing: In a small bowl and immerse in an ice bath to stop the
whisk together the vinegar, peanut cooking process. Drain again and place
butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, in a large salad bowl.
sesame oil, canola oil and red pepper Add the salad blend, chicken, carrots,
flakes. Season with salt and pepper to scallions, cilantro and peanuts and
taste. toss. Add the dressing to taste and
For the salad: Bring salted water to gently toss to coat. Garnish with lime
a boil in a medium pot. Add snow peas wedges. Serve immediately. Makes 4
and cook until vibrant green and crisp dinner salads.
tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the peas From “Simply Salads” by Jennifer Chandler
Memphis to taste MEATLESS MONDAY

Chipotle ‘integrity’
After opening more than
1,000 restaurants
nationwide, Chipotle
Sweet treat from childhood
Mexican Grill finally brings Alicia Silverstone, best known for her role as a
its ‘Food With Integrity’ spoiled Valley Girl in the 1995 hit ‘Clueless’, became
concept to Memphis. a vegan 10 years ago after battling severe asthma,
The Denver-based chain insomnia acne and chronic constipation. Today at 33,
opened its sixth Tennessee she says she sleeps like a baby, doesn’t worry about
location at 5865 Poplar in
Ridgeway Trace center, just her weight and has tons of energy. “I used to have all
east of Interstate 240. those white marks on my nails and they were very
The gourmet burrito brittle, and now they’re so strong I cannot bend
purveyor specializes in them,” she said in an interview for Oprah.com.
fast-casual dining with Changing to a vegan lifestyle wasn’t an overnight
ingredients that are transition and Silverstone says she had to give up
naturally, sustainably many things she had loved to eat — especially
raised or locally produced.
Chipotle (pronounced
comfort foods from childhood. One of her favorites
chi-POAT-lay) touts itself as was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups so she developed a
the nation’s No. 1 vegan version. “I always give them to people as an
restaurant seller of introduction to how great vegan treats can be.”
naturally raised meats. It’s Compiled from the wires
poised to serve more than
100 million pounds this
year. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chipotle’s signature 1
/2 cup Earth Balance butter substitute
3
menu items include /4 cup crunchy peanut butter (preferably unsweetened and
burritos, tacos, bowls unsalted)
3
(burrito sans tortilla) and /4 cup graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker squares
3
salads. /4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate or carob chips
The Memphis restaurant 1
/4 cup soy or rice or nut milk
has been built out with 1
/4 cup chopped pecans or almonds or peanuts
sustainable architectural
features, including recycled Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
drywall, low volatile organic Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium
compound paints and heat. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker
energy- efficient appliances. crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well. Remove the
Food packaging is mixture from the heat. Evenly divide the mixture,
environmentally friendly:
bowls made from recycled approximately 2 tbsp. per cup, among the muffin cups.
newsprint, unbleached tray Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan.
liners and napkins and Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted.
cups made from Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter
postconsumer waste. mixture. Top with chopped nuts. Place in the
Wayne Risher, refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
The Commercial Appeal From The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone
HOME & GARDEN

Older homes can make good candidates for energy efficiency
retrofitting — like Jeannie Mandelker’s midtown house —
because they were built with high ceilings and porches to be
cool without the benefit of air conditioning.
By Suzanne Thompson
Older is Special to Going Green
Newly constructed, LEED certified

buildings are all the rage when it
better
comes to energy efficiency today.
Slight modifications to older homes
can not only be energy efficient, but
offer an old world charm that promotes
a sense of community that is lacking in
In terms of sustainability newer designs.
“The most sustainable house is the
a home that already one that already exists,” said John
Pruett, principal in Pruett Architects.
exists is a good choice “I do a lot of rehabbing.”

High ceilings and big windows in older homes like Jeannie Mandelker’s midtown
house make it a good candidate for energy efficiency retrofitting.
Pruett’s firm has gained an efficiency just by taking advantage

increasing amount of recognition of natural lighting.
for the work it has done modifying “We were able to adapt passive
older buildings to become more solar techniques to control the sun
energy efficient. and the natural use of light,” Pruett
His home, a 1930s bungalow-style said.
house on North Parkway, is not a For instance, with lots of
type of house that is typical of windows on the southern side of the
Memphis architectural design, and room and floors made of tile, the
was built in a way it was situated on floor is warmed in the winter by the
the lot to not to best take advantage sun, and deep overhangs around the
of natural lighting. room protect the tile from
So, when Pruett added a room overheating in the summer months.
onto the rear of his house, it was Older homes were constructed
designed and constructed in a way with natural light in mind out of
that would offer more energy necessity, Pruett said.
“For thousands of years, residential the sidewalk to the front door, whereas
buildings have been built to rely on newer homes often don’t have that,
natural resources. It was no different because the driveway leads to a garage or
here,” he said. carport where residents enter and leave.
Other things typical of older homes Dom Nozzi, who operates a Colorado-
that are often absent in new subdivision based community design consulting
due to clear cutting, is the presence of firm, Walkable Streets, said newer
old-growth trees, which shade the neighborhoods tend to be planned with
houses from sun in the sweltering heat traffic flow, not people, in mind.
of Memphis summers. “Pedestrians become an afterthought
Jeannie Mandelker, who lives in a in modern architectural design,” he said.
home in the Evergreen District with her Also important for encouraging
boyfriend Phil Ashford, said their house pedestrian traffic is what Nozzi likes to
is shaded by trees. Built in 1915 it has call, “lovable” houses.
high ceilings as well, which draw “Older, more historic homes tend to
summer heat upward. be more lovable,” he said, and when a
Mandelker said in hotter months, she neighborhood is visually appealing,
usually keeps the thermostat set around people are more likely to get out and
78 or 80 degrees, and supplements walk to nearby stores in the community.
central air with the use of ceiling fans. Older homes, he said, tend to be
She said she considers her house to be sturdier, because of the ways in which
breathable, because of the open spaces. they were constructed.
“It’s a more livable environment,” she Pruett agrees that the choice of
said. building materials makes a difference in
Older homes are typically built closer to several ways.
the street, which encourages pedestrian “There’s a tremendous amount of
traffic, fostering a sense of community. charm. They are made of real materials,”
“You’re walking the dog, and you’re he said, though he was quick to add that
close to your neighbors, so you can there’s not necessarily anything wrong
speak to them and get to know them,” with construction of new homes.
Mandelker said. “All new homes are not bad, just as all
Another thing she loves about her old homes are not good,” Pruett said.
Midtown home is the front porch, which A common problem with older homes
has a swing and Mandelker said she and is that they are drafty, but issues like
Ashford use the porch often to socialize that can easily be resolved with applying
with neighbors. caulking and making other changes.
“We sit outside and have a glass of “Check into insulation,” Pruett
tea, or lemonade. Sometimes we invite advises, because many older homes don’t
the neighbors for cocktails or have some have much and some don’t have any.
wine. It’s a great community.” Other changes that can be made to
Pruett said older subdivisions were older homes include changing out the
planned with that in mind. Most older windows, light fixtures and appliances
homes have a walkway that leads from with more energy efficient ones.
Boxing veggies
Elevated beds yield
more produce in
tighter spaces

Pat Skaggs, a master gardener from Collierville, plants Romaine lettuce in
raised garden beds while granddaughter Karlee Skaggs looks on. Pat Skaggs
switched last year from in-ground rows to raised boxes for planting vegetables.
By Christine Arpe Gang Instead of tilling up long rows,

Special to The Commercial Appeal they divide their space into blocks
by building a few bottomless boxes
Whether you are planting your to hold a fertile blend of soil and
first or 40th vegetable garden, you organic materials.
can harvest more produce over a Making the boxes requires some
longer period in a smaller space effort, tools and money for supplies,
with less work if you garden in but it pays off with increased yields
boxes. and much less maintenance.
Sound impossible? Gardeners It’s a method popularized in Mel
have been doing it for a long time. Bartholomew’s “Square Foot
Gardening” book published in Tips for gardening in small spaces

1981 and adapted by many Arrange your vegetable garden in square or
others since. His book “All New rectangular boxes, instead of rows.
Square Foot Gardening” was Use untreated wood, preferably 2 by 6 inches,
published in 2006. to build the bottomless boxes. Some gardeners
“Traditional backyard gardens, rub linseed oil onto the wood to help preserve it.
you will be dealing with a lot of Boxes that are 4-by-4 feet are easy to work
weeds, “ said Beth Babbit, urban with. Do not make them bigger than 4-by-8-feet.
Be sure to allow space to walk around each
horticulture specialist with box, because you will be tending the plants from
University of Tennessee outside the boxes. Cover the paths with a thick
Extension. “Hoeing is no fun.” layer of mulch to reduce weeds and mud.
Placing a weed barrier of Place several layers of newspaper on the ground
layered newspapers inside the inside the boxes to keep weeds in check. Eventually
planting boxes suppresses weeds. earthworms in the soil beneath the newspaper will
Those that pop up from the soil eat through the paper and get into the new soil.
Mel Bartholomew, author of “Square Foot
mix are easily removed. Gardening, “ recommends a weed barrier with
Pat Skaggs, a master gardener light or no digging underneath it.
who lives in Collierville, made the Bill Colvard, a Memphis master gardener who
switch last year from in-ground is an experienced vegetable grower, likes to “fork
rows to a collection of boxes. up” the soil a little. Don’t use a rotary tiller
“It’s so much easier than because it destroys worms.
working long rows, “ Skaggs Bartholomew recommends filling the boxes
said. “And I feel like I can plant with a mixture containing equal parts of peat
moss, blended composts and coarse vermiculite.
as much or more.” Some area gardeners omit the peat moss and
Skaggs’ several sizes and add other organic products such as humus,
shapes of boxes are patterned cottonseed burr compost and soil conditioner,
after a magazine photo she saw which is finely ground pine bark.
of a French-style potager or Colvard also makes sure he has some real soil
kitchen garden. mixed into the blend.
She’s already planted broccoli, If doing the square foot method, make a grid
on top of the soil with string, bamboo stakes or
potatoes and several kinds of even old Venetian blinds slats.
lettuce. Plant just two to three seeds per hole and one
The foot-tall garlic she planted to 16 plants per square foot, depending on their
last fall down the center of a 4- size. Put one tomato in a square or up to 16
by 8-foot bed will be joined soon carrots or radishes.
by onions planted on either side. Water seeds in well.
Cilantro from last year has As you harvest a square, replant it with a crop
recovered from the winter and is that matures late in the season.
Here’s a tip from a gardening magazine. Novice
now covered in spicy new leaves. vegetable gardeners may try vegetable gardening
When hot weather wilts it and in boxes by using large drawers at least 6 inches
the lettuces, she will replace deep from discarded dressers.
them with basil and another Remove the bottoms and set the drawers on
vegetable. top of the ground. Follow the other directions.

Pat Skaggs' garden is based on French potager design — similar to an English
kitchen garden but with an emphasis on growing vegetables in small spaces.
Two beds will be devoted to the planting in the boxes.”

tomatoes and peppers Skaggs grew She already seeded or planted
from seed using a shelving unit with broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard,
a zip-up plastic cover that turns it lettuce, cauliflower and sugar snap
into a greenhouse. peas.
Evelyn Mosley, a past president of “Somehow I feel freer to plant
the Memphis Herb Society and a more in these small spaces, “ she
friend of Skaggs, is also using boxes said. She will add some flowers to
for vegetables this year. Her the edges, such as zinnias,
husband, Phil Mosley, built six 3-by- marigolds and tasty nasturtiums.
4 foot and two 3-by-5 foot Bartholomew recommends laying
containers. out a garden with 4- by 4-foot
“I thought I could do a better job square boxes, rather than rows.
of rotating tomatoes from year to Each box is further divided into 16
year with the boxes, “ Mosley said. distinct 12-by-12-inch squares using
“And it is easier to do succession string, bamboo sticks or other
dividers to create a grid. Plant sales

A 12-inch square will hold from one to Time to take stock of your yard, garden,
16 plants: one tomato plant, four and house plants, then check out these area
lettuces, nine beets or 16 carrots. plant sales to renew your green thumb.
The growing season is extended May 2: Agricenter’s Farmer’s Market
because once a square is harvested, it 2011 Opening Day: 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at
can be planted with another vegetable The Agricenter
that matures later in the season. This Farmer’s Market sells flowers as well as
This technique, known as biointensive fresh fruits and vegetables. It opens 30 minutes
earlier Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.
gardening, uses less water, less fertilizer July 14: University of Tennessee Summer
and fewer seeds than traditional row Celebration Lawn & Garden Show: 10 a.m.
gardening. Because weeding isn’t a big at West Tennessee AgResearch & Education
issue, it also saves times and labor. Center on 605 Airways Blvd
Having just one or two 4-by-4 foot Visitors can purchase various plants at the
boxes is easy for beginners and yields a Master Gardeners Plant Sale and have been
surprisingly large amount of food. researched and tested in West Tennessee for
endurance and survival in local environments.
Bill Colvard, a vegetable gardener UT experts will also lead workshops and
extraordinaire, maintains a big plot in answer questions about plants, gardening and
the community gardening area at Shelby landscaping. Admission is $5.
Farms, but he downsized his backyard Emily Adams Keplinger,
vegetable garden to a few raised beds. The Commercial Appeal
And while he doesn’t use
Bartholomew’s rigid grid system, he
does find that gardening in raised beds enough to require little or no staking.
promotes organized, dense planting. Placing trellises or other supports in
“When you do it that way, you can the boxes makes it possible to grow
grow quite a bit in a very small area, “ he vining vegetables vertically, such as
said. sugar snap peas, Malabar spinach,
He dedicates one of his raised beds to cucumbers and even cantaloupes.
asparagus planted three years ago. The Colvard makes slings from old nylon
plants are still too young to produce a hosiery to further support melons as
big crop, so Colvard eats the sparse they grow big and heavy.
spears raw straight from the garden. Above all, you should have fun with
Another box is planted with lettuces, your garden, Babbit said. Don’t expect it
spinach and other types of greens. to look like the ones you see in
Strawberries work well along the magazines and seed catalogs.
outside edges of others. “Vegetables are mostly annuals, so you
He suggests growing determinant can’t really make that many mistakes, “
bush-type tomatoes. They are often she said. “And remember that all
called patio or container tomatoes in gardeners have their fair share of
catalogs and on tags. failures.”
Most grow just 30 to 36 inches tall, Freelance writer Christine Arpe Gang can
and some have central stems strong be reached at chrisagang@hotmail.com.

Going Green Memphis 05-01-11

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2 GOING GREEN | May 2011 commercialappeal.

What’s in this issue ...

BUSINESS SCHOOL HOME & GARDEN

Local business make Douglass High Older homes not can

On the cover:Illustration from istockphotos.com

United States of the Environment

One seed at a time

Interested in sharing your green experiences: a bike ride on the Greenline, a

The Green Page...

Indie Style Market

Fond memories of healthy dining

In case you missed it...

True green confession:

OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, I've Deanna

my quarter-acre suburban lot, and they to overflowing (AND dropped off,

enjoyed them on the spot.) Places for picking

Farmers markets are as

THE DREARY WINTER has finally

Brandon Dill/The Commercial Appeal files

New Rules plunking down their money.

shoppers in Memphis and the surrounding area Be a savvy shopper

Agricenter Farmers Market, Farmers Market at the

Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal

The house hope built

Chris Desmond/The Commercial Appeal files

By Suzanne thompson 2005 by Mark Horrocks after one

“We always wanted to be minimally invasive.”

Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal files

“Early on, we wanted it to be a

Tennessee. Sustainable Sites Initiative

Photos by Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal

For all its trend-setting equipment and

giving those inside the feeling

Lydian Kennin (center) of Germantown plays on one of the bungee swings at

Transportation is key to building a better city

Designing for the future

Associated Press files

billion in annual savings. and essentially disconnects people

“We need to go back to the timeless tradition of building

Anderson said. perception that you can pull right up and

Businesses embrace green

By Patsy Fralich Keith help. She needs more of both.

Chris Desmond/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Top: Maggie Taylor

THE BIZ PAGE

International Paper sustainability efforts that have long

Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal files

Whole Foods involved in the Earth Week

Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal

By Suzanne Thompson hybrids, our electronic trade documents,

Taking the LEED in interior design

Mitsubishi plant County Industrial fully taxable.

Spare parts are By Suzanne Thompson

Bicycling is something that Siracusa Revolutions Community

Brandon Dill/The Commercial Appeal files

a week, on Monday and Thursday normally, if we were talking about

Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal

A message Special to Going Green

First Congregational Church, known

worthy of also unique in its approach toward

worked for the Environmental The north building houses a hostel

On a course to clean air

By Jane Roberts Douglass High

Kyle Kurlick/Special to The Commercial Appeal