Going Green Memphis 10-03-10

2 GOING GREEN | S u n d ay , October 3, 2010 co m m e r c i a l a p p ea l .co m

Fashion forwardMemphis pair combine talents tolaunch a clothing company — and“green” is core to their aspirations

A new dayExhibit tells the story ofeco fashion’s history

Organic fabricsUse of sustainablematerials on the rise

Trash to treasureJewelry made from paper in Africafinds value in the retail market

Local chefs groworganic produce

Apothecary Fairy’snatural skin care

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Going Green is a special online publication ofThe Commercial Appeal. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Follow GoingGreen on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis.

Ed i t o r : Kim Coleman, 529-5243, [email protected]

Community Editor: Emily Adams Keplinger, [email protected]

What’s in this issue ...4

7 14

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19 23

Hotel supportsgreen practices

Dog park findsvalue in Fido's feces26 29

The Commercial Appeal S u n d ay , October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 3

The Green Page

Green scarecrowsIn addition to enjoying the indoor festivities at

this year’s Stomp in the Swamp party, guests hada chance to stroll through the grounds ofLichterman Nature Center, to view and vote fortheir favorite scarecrows.

For this seasonal celebration, area nonprofitgroups, clubs, classes and troops createdscarecrows, mostly from recycled items. Manycarried a “green” message, such as “GardenGirly” designed by the Memphis Area MasterGardeners; “Memory — The Original RecyclePr o j e c t ” from Apple Grove Assisted Living forAlzheimer’s & Dementia; and “Little Green RidingHood” from Scenic Hills Garden Club, just toname a few.

The scarecrows will remain on display throughNov. 12.

— Ronda Cloud, marketing manager for theMemphis Pink Palace Family of Museums

Chris Gang/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Vincent Van Crow, made by students at thePhoenix School for Creative Learning, wonin the “Most Creative” and “Most Popular”categories of the scarecrow exhibit atLichterman Nature Center.

Greenline openingIt’s time to celebrate the progress

being made on trails and greenwaysand, yes, to start looking at ways toconnect the riverfront and Downtown.

The grand opening of the ShelbyFarms Greenline is set for Saturday.There will be a 7-mile block partythrough the heart of Memphis.Activities will include a bicycle-poweredmobile band, a community run and aribbon-cutting ceremony. The eveningwill be capped off at Shelby Farms Parkwith live entertainment.

For more information, visits h e l by fa r m s g r e e n l i n e.o r g .

EV E N TS

Pink Palace Crafts FairThe 38th annual Pink Palace Crafts

Fair takes place Thursday throughSunday, filling Audubon Park withsights, smells and sounds.

More than 300 artisans will fill thetents and booths, offering blown glass,hand-made soaps, furniture, and all kindsof unique pieces of art. The fair alsooffers plenty for the kids, like theperennial favorite Happy Times FarmPetting Zoo and the Children’s Train. And14 music acts will perform during the fair,complemented by a beer and wine tent.

Yard saleThe Raleigh Community Council is

sponsoring a community yard sale onSa t u r d ay , from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in theparking lot of Raleigh Assembly of GodChurch, 3683 Austin Peay Hwy.Proceeds will be used to prepareseveral acres of land for a communitygarden and park. Call 386-5727 formore information.


HipBy Emily Adams Keplingerkeplinger@commercialappeal .com

Look, Feel, Purpose — are the elementsthat founders Eric Evans and JohnSylvester are using to design theirbusiness, Sache. Based on the precept thateveryone buys clothes for either the waythey look, the way they feel, or the purposethey serve, the two men recently decidedto merge their artistic and businesstalents. And being “g re e n ” is central totheir business aspirations. Step-by-step,Evans and Sylvester have designed theirfashion business to have little-to-nonegative impact on the environment.

Using Sache, the name Evans wasalready using for his initial business, aPrint on Demand (POD) company, thepair began searching for a unique designor style that would become theircompany’s identity.

“To help reduce our footprint on the

&E co-fabIndie clothing companySache keeping it ‘green’


earth, we chose to use as many naturalfabrics as possible. Mostly we use cotton,a renewable resource, for our clothing,some of which is organically grown. Andwe get our cotton garments from aregional distributor, so we are buyinglocally. One of our signature fabrics is aring-spun cotton, with a slight nap, thatgive it the feel of jersey,” Evans said.

While a few of the garments come toSache in color, most of the clothing theyget is initially white, and they dye it intheir shop using their own techniques.

“For our designs, our dyes are actuallyorganic pigments made from minerals,

like those used thousands of years ago.For instance, we use iron to produce acoppery tone. We like the fact that ourpigments are materials actually found innature, not synthetically produced in alab somewhere,” Evans added.

The resulting finishes have names like“Ocean Wash” and “Dip Dye” that offer asense of visual texture through agradation of colors.

In addition to using natural products,Sache uses silk screening to processtheir designs onto the clothing. Andthey’ve opted to use an eco-product line,by Enviroline, that takes some of the

Sowing the seeds of a green bizNative Memphians Eric Evans and John

Sylvester met through their former jobs;Evans was the logo and graphics designerfor the local band Free Sol (now signedwith Interscope Records) and Sylvesterwas a consultant to the group. Evansalready had a successful Print on Demand(POD) business for custom clothing.Customers could bring him a piece ofclothing and request a specific design, andhe would print up the desired quantity.

Sylvester recalled, “At the time, Eric wasworking out of his home, and just aboutevery room in the house was taken over byit. But what really caught my eye were hisown designs — they were postedeverywhere. It just took a little nudge to gethim on board with having his own designcompany and give him the confidence tostart printing designs on his own label.”

“I’ve always had a fascination withfashion. And given my design background,once I started this POD business, printingT-shirts, etc., the next step was to begindesigning my own line,” Evans said.

Sa c h e

Native Memphians Eric Evans andJohn Sylvester knew being ‘green’ wascentral to how they wanted to runtheir indie clothing company Sache.From using sustainable fabrics towater-based inks, they have designedtheir clothes to have minimum impacton the environment.


Sa c h e

For the silk screening process used to lay the graphic designs on the clothing,Sache has opted to use an eco-product line, by Enviroline, that helps keepcontaminants out of the ground water.

harmful processes out of the loop,ultimately keeping contaminants out ofthe ground water.

“We use a water-based printapplication, and all of the chemicals usedto clean our equipment areenvironmentally-friendly. We alsopractice being green by reusing much ofour technical material, such as the silks c re e n s , ” explained Evans.

And rather than adding artificialembellishments to give their fashions aunique flair, Evans said the accidentallight bulb moment came when he wastrying to push the design componentand found a unique style he calls

“c o rs e t i n g. ” Evans cuts horizontal slitsin the clothing, then “we ave s ” the stripsinto a corseted design. The customizedaspect of their clothing continues in thatcustomers can request where they wouldlike the corset component to be placed(shoulders, hips, neckline, back, etc.).

On Aug. 26, Sache held a grandopening for its retail shop at 525 S.Main. Sache is having its first fashionshow this weekend, as part of the Mid-South Fashion Week event being held atthe Cook Convention Center.

For more information about Sache, call 201-4046 or visit sacheclothing.com. You can alsofollow Sache on Facebook.


Demand for eco-friendly fabricsmaking its way into mainstreamBy Suzanne ThompsonSpecial to Going Green

As people continue to incorporate sustainability intotheir lives, organic fabrics have experienced an increasein popularity.

This past week — in Vancouver, British Columbia— saw the first fashion week dedicated exclusivelyto trends in sustainable fashion. New York Fash-ion Week finished its run two weeks ago, wherean entire event called “The GreenShows” p re -miered designs exclusively committed to eco-friendly, ethically sound and fair-trade fashion.

Major retailers like H&M and Nike haveincorporated sustainability policies into theirbusiness practices — increasing the use ofsustainable fabrics, reducing carbon emissionsand advocating for workers’ rights throughoutthe supply chain.

Heather Hocker, programs manager for theOrganic Exchange, said the use of organic fab-rics has continued to grow so much that theo rga n i z at i o n is changing its name and focus tobe more inclusive.

“We ’re seeing more synthetic fibers, cellulosicfibers, hemp, some silk, though we’ve not saidwe are going to do much with organic silk. We’re

Sourcing cleaner fabrics — from organic yarns torecycled polyester — and rooting out sweatshoppractices in Asia and elsewhere are the twin planksof the sustainability mantra adopted by many majorbrands — and the most visible example of this isorganic cotton. H&M fashion giant launched its firstexclusive sustainable collection this past spring.


seeing organic wool pop up,” she said.The Organic Exchange plans to unveil

its new name and logo at The Sus-tainable Textiles Conference in NewYork on Oct. 27 and 28.

This is the second year for the con-ference and last year there were par-ticipants from 24 countries.

“This is not just U.S.-centric, this isthroughout the globe,” Hocker said.“We expect about 250 companies fromthe entire supply chain.”

As of Sept. 30, there were no reser-vations from Memphis.

According to information collected by

the Organic Exchange, growth of the or-ganic cotton industry has been stagger-ing. From 2001 to 2009, it has grownfrom $2 million to a $4.2 billion industry.

“Definitely from 2001 to now it hasgrown exponentially,” Hocker said.

Traditionally grown cotton is treatedwith more industrial pesticides than al-most any other crop.

Hocker said in her opinion, consumeroutreach has become increasingly impor-tant, which is being done by retailers withthe use of hang-tags as well as websites.

Short of going organic, dozens ofbrands and retailers — who combine

Darko Sikman

Nicole Bridger proved in her collection at Eco Fashion Week in Vancouver thatthe idea of eco fashion as just khakis and wooly hats has changed. Nicole’sdesigns offered a palette of colors with delicate peaches, baby blues, beiges andbrowns along with the occasional shock of lime green. She wooed the crowd withher soft flowing feminine lines into a world of elegance and grace.


use about 15 percent of global cottonproduction — have committed to aninternational effort called the BetterCotton Initiative.

The programs aims to cut water andsoil pollution, deal with child and bondedlabour issues by enlisting and educating100,000 cotton farmers in China, CentralAsia, Brazil and West and Central Africa.

Big brand companies like Ikea andLevi Strauss sit on the council.

“Consumers have to demand it in or-der for retailers to provide it,” H o c ke rsaid. “The more they hear that, they canwork down their supply chain and makesure they’re sourcing what the con-sumer is interested in.”

Chris Geyer, assistant manager ofOutdoors Inc.’s original location onPoplar Avenue, said a large percentageof the clothing sold by the company ismade from organic fabric or fabric madefrom recycled materials.

Geyer said Outdoors Inc., which op-erates three stores as well as an outletstore around the Mid-South, carriesitems made by Patagonia, a manufac-turer that has been at the forefront inusing sustainable fabric.

“Pat agonia’s whole company is tryingto have a very green, eco-friendly prod-uct. So, anything they make in cottontends to be organic cotton,” he said.

Outdoors Inc. carries other lines, in-cluding Icebreaker, which uses Merinowool (organic) and Arbor, which usesbamboo.

Many customers make purchasesspecifically for the brand name and cloth-ing made from bamboo has become verypopular at his store, according to Geyer.

“It seems the trend more and more isthat people are asking for bamboo,”Geyer said.

Who’s whoThe world's top organic-cotton usingbrands for 2009

1. C&A2. Nike3. Wal-Mart4. WilliamsSo n o m a5. H & M6. Anvil Knitwear

7. CoopSw i t z e r l a n d8. GreenSource9. Levi Strauss10. Target11. Adidas12. Nordstrom

Cotton Exchange

Arbor

Bamboo-based denim is one of thesustainable fabrics Arbor uses in itsclothing line. A durable yetcomfortable material provides theperfect weight between a shirt and ajacket. It features an updated westernyoke, matching front snap pockets,full snap front, inside breast pocket.


Newspaper-inspired fashionsmake headlines on the runway

NEW YORK — Four leading green fashiondesigners made news — “y es t e r d ay ’sn ew s , ” that is — by turning recyclednewspaper into eco-friendly fashions. Theunique, trend-setting designs were unveiledat the Yesterday’s News@ Green CatwalkEvent and Workshop in New York City.

Made with recycled newspaper,Yes t e r d ay ’s News brand cat litter served asinspiration for eco-friendly designersAnthony Lilore of RESTORE CLOTHINGT,Bahar Shahpar, Lara Miller and SamanthaPleet, who debuted their original fashionsmade from newspaper at the New York Cityevent. The designs were auctioned off forcharity from Sept. 22-29 with proceeds goingto each designer’s green charity of choice.

The campaign is helping to spread theword that going green is in fashion.

“To d ay ’s event demonstrates that good,green choices should be a part of everyaspect of our lives — from the way we dressto the food we eat,” said Renee Loux, greenliving expert, author and spokesperson forthe Yesterday’s News Do-Gooder DesignC h a l l e n ge.

Fabric made from bamboo has prop-erties that are attractive to people wholead active lives and participate insporting activities.

“The bamboo fabric is very moisturewicking, whereas cotton feels good onyour skin but if you really are workingout or something like that, cotton justtends to soak up water, and it never willeva p o rat e , ” he said. “Bamboo is nat-urally wicking, and the other thing,bamboo is also naturally microbial, sobamboo doesn’t stink.”

Once customers have tried bambooproducts, they ask specifically for thingsmade from it, Geyer said.

Doug Dinerstein, marketing managerfor online retailer GreenEarthBam-boo.com, said it’s the amazing wickingproperties of the material that has madesocks the best seller in the company’sclothing line.

“People just love the socks, becausethey’re really soft, and for people whohave athletes’ food, or whose feet justsweat a lot, they are amazed at thedifference between a bamboo sock and aregular cotton sock.”

Geyer said consumers who want bam-boo clothing must be ready to pay forthose benefits because bamboo shirts atOutdoors Inc. are about $10 more ex-pensive than those made from cotton.

Striving to support the Americanwork force also makes their socks andbaby clothes more expensive.

“Of course that’s going to give it a high-er cost than if we were just buying bam-boo socks from China,” Dinerstein said.

GreenEarthBamboo.com already isoutperforming its sales this year 200percent over business in 2009.

“The demand seems to be increas-ing,” he said.


By Candice ShihThe Orange County Register

After more than three decadesin the activewear industry, whatJeff Yokoyama does now withGeneric Youth is possibly hisleast generic project.

His clothes aren’t made inChina, mass marketed or sold toretail stores.

With few exceptions, eachgarment is designed, hand-sewnand sold by Yokoyama and hissmall team at his workshop in anindustrial area in WestsideCosta Mesa, Calif.

The centerpiece of GenericYouth (genericyouth.com) is itsapproach to raw materials.

“We hand-make items fromfabrics left over on the open

M CT

Generic Youth fashions are designed and hand-sewn at Jeff Yokoyama’sCalifornia workshop.

Not so genericUn i q u e

garmentscrafted

fromdiscarded

fabric


M CT

Discarded fabric is used to make Yokoyama’s one-of-a-kind designs.

market ,” said Yokoyama, 55, ofNewport Beach, Calif. “We takeadvantage of the things people arediscarding and make one-of-a-kinditems.”

Fleece, cashmere, flannel, T-shirtsand oxford shirts are mixed andmatched to make new garments. Asquare swatch is cut from an old kimonoand sewn on to a new T-shirt as a pocketfor $38.

Generic Youth also uses beach towelsas a featured fabric, lining or trim on agarment. A fleece hoodie is decoratedwith a pelican cut from a beach towel.

To collect beach towels and promotecommunity spirit, the workshop hosts

an event called Burger Wednesdays.Anyone who donates a beach towel (or$5) will be treated to a cheeseburgermade by Scott Andrews, who is alsoYo koya m a ’s assistant.

Yo koya m a ’s youth and activity-drivenaesthetic comes from the magnetism hefeels toward the beach and the waves.“The smells, colors and feel of warmwater — t h at ’s what pushes me todesign.”

He began designing at 24 andstarted Maui and Sons as well as PirateSurf, both of which he sold. His lastcompany before Generic Youth wasModern Amusement, a sportswearcompany he sold to Mossimo.


“I saw the market evolving andchanging, and what I saw the marketdoing is what we’re doing, being moreresourceful with the products given toyo u , ” Yokoyama said.

“I used to make product in China. Iused to make it by putting a giantcarbon footprint on the market.”

The idea for GenericYouth came from acollaboration five yearsago with his daughterCoco, who is embodied inthe company’s silhouettel o go . That year Yokoyamaasked his then-15-year-olddaughter what shewanted to do thats u m m e r.

Now studying art at theUniversity of Oregon,Coco suggested sourcingmaterials for a clothingcompany from the openmarket. Kids didn’t wanta brand name emblazonedon their clothes, so that’swhere the “ge n e r i c ” partof the company’s name originated, herfather said.

It was also her idea to use keys aszipper pulls. “Every key is cutdifferent, like every kid in the world isdifferent ,” Yokoyama said.

Generic Youth garments are madefrom an average of 50 percent recycledor discarded materials, although somepieces reach 100 percent.

Yokoyama cautions that he isn’t astandard-bearer for environmentalists.Products for his 3-month-old store inKamakura, Japan, were first made hereand shipped, although now they’remade locally. He also admits to using

charcoal on Burger Wednesdays.But he is inspired to do his small

part and to encourage other companiesto reconsider the way they do business.

The Generic Youth workshop,located for the past three years amongcar repair shops, is also a testament toYo koya m a ’s alternative vision.

On the left side of thebuilding is the sewingspace where SergioChiguil makes patternsand samples and sewsmaybe 20 pieces a week.Stocked fabricsrepresent a myriad ofcolors, prints andtextures but come inquantities impossible tonegotiate given thenature of leftovers.

“We have to designinto the fabric instead ofdesigning and makingthe fabric fit,” Yo koya m asaid. “We design aroundsome of our zipperseve n . ”

A desk piled with fabrics and oddsand ends is where Yokoyamabrainstorms his ideas.

On the right side of the building, thefinished product is laid out and hungamong vintage furniture.

Although far from a traditional retailenvironment, Generic Youth is friendlyto visitors, who sometimes contributetheir art if not their beach towels andd o l l a rs .

“It’s not high-pressure,” Yo koya m asaid. “These kids are a lot smarter thanus. They know if we’re faking it.”

“I saw the marketevolving and

changing, andwhat I saw the

market doing iswhat we’re doing,

being moreresourceful with

the products givento you.”

JEFF YOKOYAMAClothing designer


A new day for couture

New YorkCity

exhibitchronicleseco-fashion

throughthe years

Photos courtesy of FIT

Left: Edun evening gown, black and off-white organic Tunisian denim,from 2007. Right: FIN marble-print dress, organic bamboo satin, fromthe fall 2010 collection.

By Booth MooreLos Angeles Times

NEW YORK — Did you know that Halston’s famous1970s-era Ultrasuede dresses are not biodegradable?Talk about timeless fashion.

Or that Madame Gres was using faux fur way back in1942, to get around real fur shortages during theGerman occupation of Paris during World War II?

Or that the democratization of fashion didn’t begin atTarget and H&M, but at New York City’s 19th century


shirtwaist factories, which producedaffordable styles that allowed morewomen to participate in fashion, but atthe cost of fair labor practices?

These are just a few of the fascinatingtidbits from the exhibition “EcoFashion: Going Green,” on view at theMuseum at the Fashion Institute ofTechnology in New York City throughNov. 13.

The term eco-fashion is at odds withthe nature of an industry that thrives onchurning through styles. But over the lastdecade, there hasbeen a growingmovement ofdesigners andbrands using,producing orp ro m o t i n gsustainable andethical products.They include Bonoand Ali Hewson,whose Edun labelfocuses on creatingsust ainableeconomies in Africa,and AlabamaChanin, who champions fair laborpractices by employing 80 women tohand-stitch and paint garments.

T h e re ’s a rising consciousness amongmore mainstream fashion designers too.

But eco-fashion, as defined by thecurators Colleen Hill and JenniferFarley, includes industry examples ofboth good and bad environmentalpractices. Their exhibit provides 150years of historical context on animalrights, labor and manufacturing issuesto add to the discussion.

The exhibit is organizedchronologically, beginning in the mid-

19th century, when fine silk brocadeswere so rare and cherished that theirrepurposing was its own kind ofc o n s e r vat i o n .

A pale green silk dress from 1840 isan early example of multifunctionality.To get more out of a dress made ofhigh-cost fabric, it has a removablecapelet and sleeves to take a womanfrom day to night.

Mass production of ready-to-wearpieces such as the 1894 Stanleyshirtwaist helped break down social

barriers by allowingmore women todress stylishly, but ata cost, as evidencedby the tragicTriangle Shirtwaistfactory fire, whichclaimed the lives of146 workers in 1911.

New syntheticdyes broughtexciting colors toapparel, but therewere healthramifications, as an1865 two-piece

“poison green” silk tulle dress dyed witharsenic attests. “We tried not to breathein while we were handling it,” Hill says.

Eco-fashion is complicated because itis often a trade-off of positives andnegatives, as illustrated by a wrinkle-resistant cotton nylon seersucker wash-and-wear men’s suit from 1959. “It wasintended to minimize ironing, whichshows evidence of saving energy overthe garment’s lifetime,” Farley says.“But it’s made from nylon, and nylonproduction is concerning because itproduces nitrous oxide gas, which staysin the environment 120 years.”

Photo courtesy of FIT

The collection includes this Cezannepump by CharmonÃ©.


Women find marketfor paper bead jewelry

31 BIts now employs 60 women in Uganda to craft beads rolled from bits of paper.

By Candice ShihThe Orange County Register

It’s not often one will stumble into afashion design business while workingwith a charity in Uganda.

But it happened to Kallie Dovel, agraduate of Vanguard University inCosta Mesa, Calif.

Uganda is still recovering in many

ways from a civil war, and Dovel metsome of the women affected by thebloodshed in a refugee camp in Gulu in2007.

She noticed they made necklaces frombeads rolled from paper and trash andsold them to whoever might pass by.

When Dovel, now 23, returned home,she brought back boxes of the necklaceswith her, sold them and sent the money


back to these women.“It got our minds rolling,” said Alli

Swanson, a friend and now businesspartner. “How could we do this?”

Now Dovel, Swanson, Anna Nelson,Brooke Hodges and Jessie Simonson —all recent graduates of Vanguard — runa jewelry and shoe company called 31Bits (31bits.com).

The name comes from the Bible’sProverbs 31, whichdescribes a womanproviding for her family.The “bits” refers to thebits of paper from whichthe beads are made.

Having started outwith six women in Gulu,200 miles from Uganda’scapital of Kampala, 31Bits now employs 60wo m e n .

Out of the five co-founders, usually twoare working in Ugandaand three in Costa Mesaat any given time.

Dovel is in Ugandanow with Hodges. Theylive in a compoundwhere the jewelry makers do their work.

“My day normally includes spendingtime with each lady making sure she isdoing her assignment for the monthcorrectly, rolling beads with her, gettingsupplies for them and answering anyquestions they might have about thedesigns,” Dovel said in an e-mail.

According to Swanson, the 31 Bitspartners on site will buy the rawmaterials in Kampala, which requires asix-hour bus ride. The paper for thebeads is all recycled, often originating asleftover material from printers. If it isn’t

the right color for the design, they willhave it printed.

The Ugandans who make the beadsfirst roll the paper and then apply avarnish to make them hard andwaterproof. Then they are strungtogether. One worker might make 80single-strand necklaces in a week. Stylesinclude chunky, single-strand necklacesand multistrand pieces with smaller

beads. The women makebracelets, too.

The jewelry is sold atstores in California for$25 to $55 for necklaces.Simpler styles areavailable online.

31 Bits also formed apartnership with Reefsandals to make paperbeads that embellish T-strap leather shoes.

With the money theymake from working with31 Bits, the Ugandanwomen “are sending theirchildren and otherorphans to school whenthey were not able tobefore, buying large

amounts of local produce to sell, buyingpigs, chickens, buying chairs andm att re s s e s , ” Dovel said.

For Swanson, the contradictions of 31Bits make sense.

“Here we are, five young girls whoknow nothing about starting a business.We ’re working with women who havenothing, and it’s a product made out oftrash. It’s definitely not a recipe forsuccess,” she said.

“But that’s the coolest thing about it.It works.”

“Here we are, fiveyoung girls who

know nothing aboutstarting a business.We ’re working withwomen who have

nothing, and it’s aproduct made out of

trash.”

KALLIE DOVEL


Sierra Club event at Randolph BluffsBy Keith HooverSpecial to Going Green

Join the Sierra Club and theTennessee Parks & GreenwaysFoundation for the Randolph Bluffs FallSunset Picnic on Oct. 10 from 1-7 p.m.The event will be held on BallardSlough Road near Needham Road, inRandolph, Tenn.

The event is designed to allow thepublic an opportunity to explore, enjoyand help protect this riverfront propertyas a site for a future state park. The siteis the last non-privately owned bluffalong with the Memphis riverfront, andoffers one of the most spectacular viewsof a long bend in the Mississippi River.

Come enjoy an afternoon along thissingular example of natural riverfront,and stick around for a spectacularsunset over Ole Man River. Some foodand beverages will be provided, butplease bring a side dish or dessert toshare. Also bring your own water bottle,beverage cup or mug. Plus, everyone iswelcome to bring their own cooler,beverages, lawn chair, and/or blanket topicnic while enjoying the great viewsfrom the top bluff. No pets will beallowed due to an artilleryd e m o n s t rat i o n .

Throughout the day, weatherpermitting, several hikes will beconducted, including one of a nearbyrare, preserved underground Civil Warpowder magazine. Living historydemonstrations, spanning the area’shistory from the Native Americans to

the Civil War, also will be conducted.This event is also a “Global Work

Pa r t y ” for 350.org, a global day ofclimate action to jump-start thetransition to a world free of fossil fuels.There will be literature regardingclimate change.

Donations will be collected to restoreand maintain the site.

For directions or additionalinformation about the picnic, see theSierra Club Chickasaw Group Facebookpage (facebook.com/Chickas aw.Group),e-mail [email protected] or call363-8299 or 276-1387.

More information can be found at3 5 0 . o rg / ra n d o l p h - b l u f f s - s u n s e t- p i c n i c .

Keith Hoover is vice chairman of theChickasaw Group of the Sierra Club.

On Oct. 10, join the Sierra Club andthe Tennessee Parks & GreenwaysFoundation for the Randolph BluffsFall Sunset Picnic from 1 to 7 p.m. Theevent will include living historydemonstrations, spanning the area’shistory from the Native Americans tothe Civil War.


By Suzanne ThompsonSpecial to Going Green

Any cook knows that nothing tastes better than vegetablesfresh from the garden, which greatly enhance the flavor ofalmost any dish.

Now chefs at restaurants throughout Memphis and in partsof Northern Mississippi are able to incorporate ingredients intheir dishes that were picked the same day.

One of Memphis’ major restaurant groups, River City

Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Chef Michael Patrick shows off some of the locally grown produce heuses to create the signature dishes at Mesquite Chop House.

Farm fresh

The Holly Springsgarden providesingredients forMemphis-arear es t a u r a n t s .

Organic garden supplies local restaurants


corn, okra, pumpkins, melonsand many other vegetables.

“All of the chefs andmanagers have donated theirtime out there,” Lamm said.

“We ’re definitely veryi nvo l ve d , ” said MichaelPatrick, chef at the UnionAvenue location of theMesquite Chop House. “Iusually go down there one ortwo days a week.”

Patrick said he uses thefarm-fresh items as much as

possible.“When I

came up withthis new menuabout a monthago, I tried tointegrate asmuch as I couldof the organicvegetables and

the herbs.”Lamm attributes the

success of the garden in partto the unique irrigationsystem used at the farm.

“We were going to dig awel l , ” he said. But instead,they decided to pump waterfrom the pond near thegarden to water it.

A bonus they hadn’tcounted on was the addedbenefit from the pond water,rich in minerals and algaewhich complemented the fishemulsion they used asf e r t i l i z e r.

“We ended up with a veryhealthy organic crop,” Lamms aid.

Management Group, plantedits own garden in HollySprings, Miss., this summer.

River City owner PrestonLamm said starting anorganic garden is an idea hehas been toying with for awhile. River City providesmanagement services forrestaurants includingSpindini, Papa Pia’s, theMesquite Chop House, RumBoogie Cafe and other BealeStreet eateries.

“We ’ve beenlooking for afarm to start thegarden forseveral years,”he said.

Lamm, whohas growntomatoes formost of his life,said he has provided thetomatoes for the Beale Streetrestaurants for years.

“We wanted to expandthat ,” Lamm said.

Everything fell into placewhen Rusty and MissyHensley, owners of Spindini,donated a small portion oftheir 1,000-acre property,Woodland Farms, to be usedfor growing fresh herbs andvegetables for the restaurants.

The whole gardeningoperation has been veryhands-on. Rusty Hensleyjumped on the tractor andtilled the soil and plantingbegan of 300 tomato plants ofvarious varieties as well as

SummerGardenLe t t u ceOn i o n sCo r nEg g p l a n t15 varietiesof tomatoesSq u a s hZu cc h i n i20 varietiesof herbsCucumbersB ea n sOkraWa t e r m e l o nCantaloupePu m p k i n

Wi n t e rGardenTu r n i pgreensWi n t e rl e t t u ceCo l l a r dgreensWi n t e rcucumbersBrusselssprouts


Michael Patricksays thegarden “haselevated theflavor andfreshness ofthe food, andhas inspiredthe staff” athis restaurant.

RCM Restaurants

He said theinvolvement of therest aurants’ staff —servers and otheremployees are paid fortheir work at the farm —has been beneficial tothem because they canspeak knowledgeablyabout the ingredients inthe entrees they serve.

The farm also housesfive honeybee hivescontaining 15,000 beesproducing honey for usein the restaurants.

The image of a beeappears on restaurantmenu items that containthe natural honey and asmall tomato iconidentifies menu items thatcontain organicvegetables harvested fromWoodland Farms.

Flowers are grownthere too, which go on thetables and into bouquetspredominately for use atSpindini, Lamm said.

Patrick said the cropsfrom the organic gardenhave greatly enhanced thedishes he creates andp re p a re s .

“It has elevated theflavor and freshness of thefood, and has inspired thestaff. To me it’s a kind ofa trickle-down effect. Wegrow the food, they areproud to serve the food,and the customers enjoythe food,” Patrick said.

Lamm said thegardening project is goingso well that he already hasplans to farm anadditional acre in 2011.They have also discussedbuilding greenhouses onthe land.

The organic garden is aproject that has already

gained recognitionbeyond the restaurantc o m m u n i t y.

The DeSoto CountyCommunity HealthCouncil recognized RiverCity Management as itsHealth Champion at theo rga n i z at i o n ’s Junem e e t i n g.

Memphis:Rum Boogie CafeBlues HallKing’s Palace CafeBeale Street Tap RoomAbsinthe BarPig On BealeMesquite Chop House

Papa Pia’sSpindiniMississippi:Mesquite Chop HouseNatural Born GrillersPapa Pia'sFillin Station Grille (toopen Oct. 4)


After a summer of big beefy burgers and foot-long hot dogs, you may needa break from all that mystery meat. Enter All Naturale.org (a l l n a t u r a l e.o r g ) .

The blog is dedicated to providing the latest information and honestreviews of “all healthy, natural, organic, vegan and environmentally friendlyt h i n gs . ” And it does — from recipes for vegan granola to ways to drinkmore water, and top foods to buy organic to tips and uses for cucumbers.

Writing on the site is clear and concise and most of the entries includelists or tips. It’s heavier on health and food tips and advice than it is onrecipes. But the site does allow for searching and has separate tabs toorganize past entries (food, green living, beauty, etc.).

You also can find All Naturale on Twitter and Facebook. And it’s beennominated for a 2010 Blogger’s Choice Award.

— Wendy Zang, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The garden providesmore than just vegetablesand herbs. Lamm saidjust working in the gardenhas been a team-buildingex p e r i e n c e .

“For me and some ofmy mid-level managers, totake a Sunday off and godown there and just dig inthe dirt — it’s a goodrelease. We’ve had a lot offun with it,” he said.

Joseph Cartwright, chefat Spindini, said he,Patrick and Lamm put inthe herb garden together.

“M i ke Patrick and I talkabout being on our kneeswith the presidentdigging in the dirt,” hesaid. “We planted about15 or 20 different herbs.”

Cartwright said about30 percent of the total

ingredients used in thedishes at his restaurantcome from the farm.

His favorite vegetablefrom the garden so far isJapanese eggplant, whichhe uses in a variety ofways .

“You can grill ’em, chill’em, core out the centerand stuff them,”Cartwright said. One ofhis favorite special dishesis the Japanese eggplantstuffed with crab meatand served with ablueberry compote.

The blueberries alsocome from the farm.

Customers havenoticed the difference inthe food’s flavor sinceCartwright began usingthe organic items.

“I used to stop by the

tables and ask customersif they were noticing thefresh veggies. Now theywill stop me and say, ‘B oy,you can really tell ad i f f e re n c e . ’ ”

“When you can startusing fresh things thatcame out of the gardentoday, it makes acomplete change in thedish. It’s like a brand-newthing for people.”

Even thoughCartwright said he lovescooking with the freshvegetables, it’s the use ofthe many varieties offreshly picked herbs hemost appreciates.

“It’s the colors of thefood. The food is theoutline of the painting,but the herbs are thec o l o r, ” he said.

GREEN BLOGGING ❘ ALL NATURALE.ORG


Sonja Luecke/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Elia Singer turned a hobby of handcraftingsoaps, creams and other skin care productsinto a growing business.

Keeping it simpleBy Suzanne ThompsonSpecial to Going Green

Many family recipes arehanded down through thegenerations. While most arefor favorite dishes thatfeature special sauces orsecret ingredients, EliaS inger’s Norwegian motherand grandmother passed onsomething a little differentto her.

They showed her how tomix flowers, oils, vitaminsand other ingredients tocreate skin care products,and that knowledge hasgrown into a thrivingbusiness for Singer.

Some of Singer’s earliestmemories are of watchingher grandmother make hairgel from flax seed.

“These things were reallyfascinating to me. Iremember sitting in adrawer in her kitchen, andin my mom’s kitchen, too,watching them make littlethings like this,” she said.

Singer began selling herproducts when she was inher mid-20s, holding downtwo jobs as a means to fund

Apothecary Fairy offers all-natural skin care products


her college education.“I was finding my way,”

she said of changingmajors several times andattending both theCalifornia Institute ofDesign and C a l i fo r n i aState University in LosA n gel e s .

When she realized shewas spending more timeon her business than on herschool work, she made thedecision to turn her craftinto a full-time enterprise.

“As it got moreinvolved and I decidedthat I was going to makesome different productsto go along with this soapthat I had formulated witholive oil and vitamin Eand all of the good things,I realized that this wassomething that I reallywanted to devote my timetoward, so I ended up notfinishing college.”

It is a decision she hasnever regretted, thoughshe said she does plan toreturn to school andfinish her degree work atsome point.

In 1996, she launchedthe first line of productsfor the Apothecary Fairy.

Singer started bymaking all-natural soapand began selling it atfarmers markets and craftf a i rs .

“It was starting off littleby little and it was

something that I justl ove d , ” she said.

Her plan from thebeginning was to neverhave an inventory.

“I wanted to make myproducts fresh, like food.There are so many thingson the shelves that arepreserved for years andyears. I thought that it

approached by aproduction team from theTV show “Ally McBeal.”

“There I met makeupartists, and my productline became much moreex t e n s i ve . ”

This contact led Singerto a list of high-profileclients including LucyLiu, Salma Hayak andHarry Connick Jr.

The heavy make-upactors wear daily is toughon the skin, and her skincare products gainedpopularity with thecelebrity crowd becauseof the restorative effect ofthe all-natural line ofcreams, soap, gels andmassage oils.

When make-up artistsbegan to use her productson set she began gettingorders for customproducts for the crew andcast of “Without a Trace,”“The Practice” and otherTV shows.

Her business was abooming success. Thenshe made a decision thatwould make mostentrepreneurs cringe.

She completely shutdown her business tomove to Memphis withher then-husband in 2003.

By 2005, Singer couldno longer resist the pull ofcraft and began makingher products again.

“This is my art form.

was such a nice conceptto have fresh things andto tell people that theywere just made within thelast three or four days.”

Singer discovered itwas a concept that otherpeople liked, too. Herproducts began gainingpopularity through thebest advertising, word-of-mouth.

After she participatedin a farmers market inMalibu, Calif., she was


This is an extension ofme,” she said.

She knew what hadworked before, so shebegan selling her goods atthe Downtown Farmers’Market .

T h at ’s where KathleenHall began purchasingS inger’s skin products.She said she’s been usingthe products for morethan four years.

“My favorite are hercreams, her lavender andgrapefruit cream, and Ilove her soaps. I like touse all-natural products,”Hall said.

Because S ingerconsidered the company arebirth, she began herMemphis operation underthe name OpheliaSnodgrass Apothecary. Bythe end of the first year,she returned to heroriginal name.

Since she started usingthe name Apothecary Fairyagain, she said many of herCalifornia customers havereconnected with herthrough her website,a p o t h e c a r y - f a i r y. c o m .

She considers itimportant to keep areasonable price point.

“I don’t come from theframe of mind that I needto sell it at $100 a jar tomake it better.”

Her products range inprice from $2 for a sample

bar of soap to $28 for anOrganic Sugar Scrub or alarge jar of Ginger MuscleRu b .

Singer packages mostof her products in amberglass jars that are madefrom recycled beerbottles. She encouragescustomers to bring thejars back for reuse, andoffers them a credittoward the next purchaseto do so.

Her labels are printedwith soy ink on 100percent cotton paper.Eventually, she plans tomove to tree-free paper.

This is one of manyplans the ApothecaryFairy has for the future.

In spring 2011, Singerplans to launch a line of

perfumes.She also is developing a

men’s line she will callApothecary Harry, whichwill contain shavingp ro d u c t s , skin productsand her trademark soap.

Another line in theworks, Apothecary Furry,will feature all-naturalproducts for animals. Shecurrently makes a horseflyspray, inspired by a friendwho is a Downtowncarriage driver, and sheplans to slowly add moreproducts to that one.

Now divorced, thesingle mother of threesaid her children havebeen the catalyst forproducts she hasdeveloped for infants andyoungsters, such as all-

L avenderflowers andIrish oatmealare blendedwith pureessential oilof Frenchlavender for ac o m p l ex i o nsoap.

“This is my art form. This is anextension of me.”

ELIA SINGER


natural mosquitorepellant applied witha roller and talc-freebaby powder.

“My children haveended up inspiringme to make certaindifferent productsthat people werelooking for, butcouldn’t find.”

She is completingconstruction on astudio behind herhome, which sheplans to open by mid-October to host“evenings with theApothecary Fairy”b i m o n t h l y.

The space will havea warm ambiance,with music playing asshe offers guests teaand cake.

Singer also willopen the space to thepublic during theholiday shoppingseason.

Eventually, shewould like to growinto a retail spacewith decor thatreplicates that ofapothecaries in theearly 1900s, andreflects the down-to-earth products shes el l s .

“I believe inpractical, simple skincare that works.”

Neal Patel, owner and operator of The Quality Inn inMillington, is a participant in Choice Hotels’ “Ro o mto be Green” program.

Room to be green

By Kim Odomkodom@commercialappeal .com

Neal Patel, owner andoperator of The QualityInn in Millington, is asupporter of greenpractices that will helpsave the planet.

His hotel, located at7726 U.S. 51 North, is aparticipant in ChoiceH o t el s ’ “Room to beGre e n ” program. Theproperty-level program isdesigned to reduce

environmental impact andwaste, meet the changingexpectations of today’senvironmentally consciousguest, and potentiallylower operationalex p e n s e s .

Hotels meeting all therequirements of the Roomto be Green program arerecognized with adesignation from Choice asa hotel that supports greenways .

As a business ownerand green supporter, Patel

Local hotel owner supports green practicesand quality customer service


complies with therequirements on energysavings, wat e rconservation, andrecycling and wastere d u c t i o n .

“Hotels can do a lot ofthings to cut back,which is beneficial insaving energy andm o n e y, ” said Patel.

Among many changesin the business, Patel hasreplaced hotel applianceswith energy-savingproducts. “I try to buyproducts with the EnergyStar qualified symbol.”All the new washingmachines are G-Forcemachines, which, Patelexplains, “use less waterand in turn save e n e rg y. ”

His hotel uses energy-efficient indoor lightingsolutions, such ascompact fluorescent(CFL) bulbs and LEDexit signs. CFL bulbs areused in all guest roomlamps and light fixtures(excluding ceiling-mounted lighting).

Every day millions ofgallons of water are usedto wash towels that havebeen used once. Theh o t el ’s towel and linenreuse program for waterconservation encouragesguests to help conservethe Earth’s vitalresources by reusingtheir towels by hanging

them up to dry. Any towelhanging upon enteringthe room for cleaning isleft in the room.

The program’sminimum requirementfor recycling and wastereduction requires atleast one recyclingreceptacle in plain viewfor guest usage in hotelcommon areas.

In addition toreceiving Choice Hotel’sdesignation into theRoom to be Greenprogram, Patel’s hotelwas recently recognizedas a recipient of a 2010Gold Hospitality Awardfrom Choice HotelsInternational, Inc.(NYSE: CHH),franchisor of the Qualityb ra n d .

As a top-performingproperty among thecompany’s more than4,800 U.S. franchisedhotels, the Quality Innhotel is among the top 10percent of propertieswithin the Quality brand.

For Patel and hisfamily- operatedbusiness, qualitycustomer service andsaving the planet go handin hand.

For more informationabout the Room to be Greenprogram, visitchoicehotels.com .

Carpetindustry seesgains bygoing greenBy Ellis SmithChattanooga Times Free Press

DALTON, Ga. — Theextent that the carpetindustry has transformedfrom merely complyingwith environmentalregulations to becoming agreen leader has made animpression on U.S.Department ofCommerce officials.

Ronald Lorentzen, thedepartment’s assistantsecretary for importadministration, said thereis now “a recognition thatenvironmental innovationhelps the bottom line”within the carpet industry.

Carpet companies havespent over $400 millionon sustainableinvestments in recentyears, he said, makingU.S. mills “one of themost progressiveindustries” in the nation.

Lorentzen, whose 26employees address marketaccess issues for the carpet


industry and others,encouraged the leaders at arecent SMARTer Textilesconference to continuepushing for greatersust ainability.

“In the long run, thiswill reap substantial costs avings,” he said.

There is still room forgovernment to play a roleby pushing for higherstandards indeveloping nationsthat can competemore cheaply dueto little or noenvironment aloversight ,Lorentzen said. Hesaid he would“certainly supportraising environmentalstandards overseas tolevel the playing field.”

Representatives forMohawk Industries,Beaulieu of America,Shaw Industries andothers detailed theirjourney toward zerowaste or “closed loop”m a n u f a c t u r i n g.

“We were unsustainablein many places, but nowwe ’re in transition,designing things to goright back into theproducts they startedf ro m , ” said Larry Cook,director of manufacturinginitiatives at Beaulieu.

Beaulieu will release itsfirst sustainability report

in 2011, joining Shaw,which this year releasedits second sustainabilityanalysis, and Mohawk,which released its firstreport this year.

“I would say thisindustry’s been prettyp ro a c t i ve , ” said PeterBailey, environmentalmanager and“sustainability ninja” at

J& J/ I nv i s i o n .“Although

Institute. Water usagedeclined 30 percent from2005 to 2007, and theamount of electricityrequired to produce asquare yard of carpet fellto 1.29 kilowatt from 1.77kilowatt in 2005,according to the report.

“Unfortunately, thecarpet industry has beentoo much of a well keptsecret, but now the word isgetting out” said VanceBell, CEO of Shaw.

Bell credited privateindustry as “the primarydriver of real change onenvironmental andsocial issues,” not“misguided mandates

and false incentives”from the government.

“We ’ve reallydone it on our

ow n , ” B elladded.

Dan Frierson, CEOof Chattanooga-basedDixie Group, said it wasnice to see competitorswho are usually“cooperating onsustainability initiatives.

“I’ve been in thisbusiness a long time, andmost of the time, we’vebeen playing defense, notoffense,” he said. “R at h e rthan being reactive toregulations, we’re beingproactive and developingresponses to issues beforethey’re regulated.”

it doesn’t always maketraditional businesssense, either way thereare intangible benefits.”

In real terms, theindustry has reducedemissions of everythingfrom carbon monoxide toparticulate matter by 35percent to 72 percentsince 2003, according to asustainability report fromthe Carpet and Rug


By Helen JupiterMother Nature Network

Dogs help us in so manyways, from herding cattleto sniffing out everythingfrom bombs to cancer.They’re our eyes, ears andlimbs when we’re disabled,and they predict epilepticseizures. They offer socialsupport and healthbenefits, and they can evenrescue us from drowning.

It seems the onlydrawback to owning a dogis the unpleasant chore ofhaving to pick up poop, buta dog park in Cambridge,Mass., is showing howeven that chore can have asilver lining.

PhysOrg.com isreporting on The ParkSpark project, a methanedigester that runs on dogwaste. Recently installedat the Pacific Street DogPark in Cambridge, the

“scientific-arti n t e r ve n t i o n ” wa sconceived by conceptualartist Matthew Mazzotta,and is the first dog parkmethane digester in theUnited States. It works bytransforming dog wasteinto methane, which isthen used to power alamppost in the park. Thepark providesbiodegradable dog wastebags, and encourages dogowners to drop their pup’swaste into the methaned i ge s t e r ’s feeding tube. Aturn of the hand crank,and voilà: The mixture ofexcrement and anaerobicbacteria helps themethane rise to the topwhere it can be burned.

Traditionally, dogowners throw their caninecompanion’s excrementinto a garbage bin, from

which it’s transported toa waste facility, and whereit continues to createmethane, a highlycombustible greenhousegas. Funded through MIT,and in partnership withthe city of Cambridge, thePark Spark project aimsto show that waste can bea precious resource —methane is an effectivesource of energy — all thewhile reducinggreenhouse emissions.

The team behind thePark Spark project hopesthere will be enoughmethane generated topower other objects in thepark and beyond. They’resoliciting input from thecommunity at large, so ifyo u ’ve got some brightideas on how Park Sparkmethane should be used,get involved.

L et’s notpooh-poohthe idea

Spark Park Project

Matthew Mazzotta is using dog feces to powerlampposts in a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Your dog's poopcan be an effectivesource of energy

Documents

Going Green Memphis 10-03-10