2 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.

com

What’s in this issue ...

Fashion forward
4 Memphis pair combine talents to
launch a clothing company — and
“green” is core to their aspirations

Organic fabrics A new day

7 Use of sustainable
14 Exhibit tells the story of
materials on the rise eco fashion’s history

Trash to treasure
16 Jewelry made from paper in Africa
finds value in the retail market

Apothecary Fairy’s
19 Local chefs grow
organic produce
23 natural skin care

Dog park finds

26 Hotel supports
green practices
29 value in Fido's feces

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Going Green is a special online publication of
The Commercial Appeal. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Follow Going
Green on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoGreenMemphis.
Editor: Kim Coleman, 529-5243, goinggreen@commercialappeal.com
Community Editor: Emily Adams Keplinger, keplinger@commercialappeal.com
The Commercial Appeal
The Green Page
Chris Gang/Special to The Commercial Appeal
Vincent Van Crow, made by students at the
Phoenix School for Creative Learning, won
in the “Most Creative” and “Most Popular”
categories of the scarecrow exhibit at
Lichterman Nature Center.
Green scarecrows
In addition to enjoying the indoor festivities at
this year’s Stomp in the Swamp party, guests had
a chance to stroll through the grounds of
Lichterman Nature Center, to view and vote for
their favorite scarecrows.
For this seasonal celebration, area nonprofit
groups, clubs, classes and troops created
scarecrows, mostly from recycled items. Many
carried a “green” message, such as “Garden
Girly” designed by the Memphis Area Master
Gardeners; “Memory — The Original Recycle
Project” from Apple Grove Assisted Living for
Alzheimer’s & Dementia; and “Little Green Riding
Hood” from Scenic Hills Garden Club, just to
name a few.
The scarecrows will remain on display through
Nov. 12.
— Ronda Cloud, marketing manager for the
Memphis Pink Palace Family of Museums
Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 3
Greenline opening
It’s time to celebrate the progress
being made on trails and greenways
and, yes, to start looking at ways to
connect the riverfront and Downtown.
The grand opening of the Shelby
Farms Greenline is set for Saturday.
There will be a 7-mile block party
through the heart of Memphis.
Activities will include a bicycle-powered
mobile band, a community run and a
ribbon-cutting ceremony. The evening
will be capped off at Shelby Farms Park
with live entertainment.
For more information, visit
shelbyfarmsgreenline.org.
EVENTS
Pink Palace Crafts Fair
The 38th annual Pink Palace Crafts
Fair takes place Thursday through
Sunday, filling Audubon Park with
sights, smells and sounds.
More than 300 artisans will fill the
tents and booths, offering blown glass,
hand-made soaps, furniture, and all kinds
of unique pieces of art. The fair also
offers plenty for the kids, like the
perennial favorite Happy Times Farm
Petting Zoo and the Children’s Train. And
14 music acts will perform during the fair,
complemented by a beer and wine tent.
Yard sale
The Raleigh Community Council is
sponsoring a community yard sale on
Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the
parking lot of Raleigh Assembly of God
Church, 3683 Austin Peay Hwy.
Proceeds will be used to prepare
several acres of land for a community
garden and park. Call 386-5727 for
more information.
4 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

Hip&
Eco-fab
Indie clothing company
Sache keeping it ‘green’
By Emily Adams Keplinger
keplinger@commercialappeal.com

Look, Feel, Purpose — are the elements

that founders Eric Evans and John
Sylvester are using to design their
business, Sache. Based on the precept that
everyone buys clothes for either the way
they look, the way they feel, or the purpose
they serve, the two men recently decided
to merge their artistic and business
talents. And being “green” is central to
their business aspirations. Step-by-step,
Evans and Sylvester have designed their
fashion business to have little-to-no
negative impact on the environment.
Using Sache, the name Evans was
already using for his initial business, a
Print on Demand (POD) company, the
pair began searching for a unique design
or style that would become their
company’s identity.
“To help reduce our footprint on the
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 5

Sowing the seeds of a green biz

Native Memphians Eric Evans and John
Sylvester met through their former jobs;
Evans was the logo and graphics designer
for the local band Free Sol (now signed
with Interscope Records) and Sylvester
was a consultant to the group. Evans
already had a successful Print on Demand
(POD) business for custom clothing.
Customers could bring him a piece of
clothing and request a specific design, and
he would print up the desired quantity.
Sylvester recalled, “At the time, Eric was
working out of his home, and just about
every room in the house was taken over by
it. But what really caught my eye were his
own designs — they were posted
everywhere. It just took a little nudge to get Sache
him on board with having his own design Native Memphians Eric Evans and
company and give him the confidence to John Sylvester knew being ‘green’ was
start printing designs on his own label.” central to how they wanted to run
“I’ve always had a fascination with their indie clothing company Sache.
fashion. And given my design background, From using sustainable fabrics to
once I started this POD business, printing water-based inks, they have designed
T-shirts, etc., the next step was to begin their clothes to have minimum impact
designing my own line,” Evans said. on the environment.

earth, we chose to use as many natural
fabrics as possible. Mostly we use cotton,
a renewable resource, for our clothing,
some of which is organically grown. And
we get our cotton garments from a
regional distributor, so we are buying
locally. One of our signature fabrics is a
ring-spun cotton, with a slight nap, that
give it the feel of jersey,” Evans said.
While a few of the garments come to
Sache in color, most of the clothing they
get is initially white, and they dye it in
their shop using their own techniques.
“For our designs, our dyes are actually
organic pigments made from minerals,
like those used thousands of years ago.
For instance, we use iron to produce a
coppery tone. We like the fact that our
pigments are materials actually found in
nature, not synthetically produced in a
lab somewhere,” Evans added.
The resulting finishes have names like
“Ocean Wash” and “Dip Dye” that offer a
sense of visual texture through a
gradation of colors.
In addition to using natural products,
Sache uses silk screening to process
their designs onto the clothing. And
they’ve opted to use an eco-product line,
by Enviroline, that takes some of the
6 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010
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 keep
contaminants out of the ground water.
harmful processes out of the loop,
ultimately keeping contaminants out of
the ground water.
“We use a water-based print
application, and all of the chemicals used
to clean our equipment are
environmentally-friendly. We also
practice being green by reusing much of
our technical material, such as the silk
screens,” explained Evans.
And rather than adding artificial
embellishments to give their fashions a
unique flair, Evans said the accidental
light bulb moment came when he was
trying to push the design component
and found a unique style he calls
commercialappeal.com
Sache
“corseting.” Evans cuts horizontal slits
in the clothing, then “weaves” the strips
into a corseted design. The customized
aspect of their clothing continues in that
customers can request where they would
like the corset component to be placed
(shoulders, hips, neckline, back, etc.).
On Aug. 26, Sache held a grand
opening for its retail shop at 525 S.
Main. Sache is having its first fashion
show this weekend, as part of the Mid-
South Fashion Week event being held at
the Cook Convention Center.
For more information about Sache, call 201-
4046 or visit sacheclothing.com. You can also
follow Sache on Facebook.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 7

Demand for eco-friendly fabrics

making its way into mainstream
By Suzanne Thompson
Special to Going Green

As people continue to incorporate sustainability into

their lives, organic fabrics have experienced an increase
in popularity.
This past week — in Vancouver, British Columbia
— saw the first fashion week dedicated exclusively
to trends in sustainable fashion. New York Fash-
ion Week finished its run two weeks ago, where
an entire event called “The GreenShows” pre-
miered designs exclusively committed to eco-
friendly, ethically sound and fair-trade fashion.
Major retailers like H&M and Nike have
incorporated sustainability policies into their
business practices — increasing the use of
sustainable fabrics, reducing carbon emissions
and advocating for workers’ rights throughout
the supply chain.
Heather Hocker, programs manager for the
Organic Exchange, said the use of organic fab-
rics has continued to grow so much that the
organization is changing its name and focus to
be more inclusive.
“We’re seeing more synthetic fibers, cellulosic
fibers, hemp, some silk, though we’ve not said
we are going to do much with organic silk. We’re

Sourcing cleaner fabrics — from organic yarns to

recycled polyester — and rooting out sweatshop
practices in Asia and elsewhere are the twin planks
of the sustainability mantra adopted by many major
brands — and the most visible example of this is
organic cotton. H&M fashion giant launched its first
exclusive sustainable collection this past spring.
8 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

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

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 New
York 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 is
throughout the globe,” Hocker said.
“We expect about 250 companies from
the 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 grown
from $2 million to a $4.2 billion industry.
“Definitely from 2001 to now it has
grown exponentially,” Hocker said.
Traditionally grown cotton is treated
with more industrial pesticides than al-
most any other crop.
Hocker said in her opinion, consumer
outreach has become increasingly impor-
tant, which is being done by retailers with
the use of hang-tags as well as websites.
Short of going organic, dozens of
brands and retailers — who combine
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 9

use about 15 percent of global cotton

production — have committed to an
international effort called the Better
Cotton Initiative.
The programs aims to cut water and
soil pollution, deal with child and bonded
labour issues by enlisting and educating
100,000 cotton farmers in China, Central
Asia, Brazil and West and Central Africa.
Big brand companies like Ikea and
Levi Strauss sit on the council.
“Consumers have to demand it in or-
der for retailers to provide it,” Hocker
said. “The more they hear that, they can
work down their supply chain and make
sure they’re sourcing what the con-
sumer is interested in.”
Chris Geyer, assistant manager of
Outdoors Inc.’s original location on
Poplar Avenue, said a large percentage Arbor
of the clothing sold by the company is
made from organic fabric or fabric made Bamboo-based denim is one of the
from recycled materials. sustainable fabrics Arbor uses in its
Geyer said Outdoors Inc., which op- clothing line. A durable yet
erates three stores as well as an outlet comfortable material provides the
store around the Mid-South, carries perfect weight between a shirt and a
items made by Patagonia, a manufac- jacket. It features an updated western
turer that has been at the forefront in yoke, matching front snap pockets,
using sustainable fabric. full snap front, inside breast pocket.
“Patagonia’s whole company is trying
to have a very green, eco-friendly prod- Who’s who
uct. So, anything they make in cotton
tends to be organic cotton,” he said. The world's top organic-cotton using
Outdoors Inc. carries other lines, in- brands for 2009
cluding Icebreaker, which uses Merino
wool (organic) and Arbor, which uses 1. C&A 7. Coop
bamboo. 2. Nike Switzerland
Many customers make purchases 3. Wal-Mart 8. GreenSource
specifically for the brand name and cloth- 4. Williams 9. Levi Strauss
ing made from bamboo has become very Sonoma 10. Target
popular at his store, according to Geyer. 5. H & M 11. Adidas
“It seems the trend more and more is
that people are asking for bamboo,” 6. Anvil Knitwear 12. Nordstrom
Geyer said. Cotton Exchange
10 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

Fabric made from bamboo has prop- Newspaper-inspired fashions

erties that are attractive to people who make headlines on the runway
lead active lives and participate in NEW YORK — Four leading green fashion
sporting activities. designers made news — “yesterday’s
“The bamboo fabric is very moisture news,” that is — by turning recycled
wicking, whereas cotton feels good on newspaper into eco-friendly fashions. The
your skin but if you really are working unique, trend-setting designs were unveiled
out or something like that, cotton just at the Yesterday’s News@ Green Catwalk
tends to soak up water, and it never will Event and Workshop in New York City.
evaporate,” he said. “Bamboo is nat- Made with recycled newspaper,
Yesterday’s News brand cat litter served as
urally wicking, and the other thing, inspiration for eco-friendly designers
bamboo is also naturally microbial, so Anthony Lilore of RESTORE CLOTHINGT,
bamboo doesn’t stink.” Bahar Shahpar, Lara Miller and Samantha
Once customers have tried bamboo Pleet, who debuted their original fashions
products, they ask specifically for things made from newspaper at the New York City
made from it, Geyer said. event. The designs were auctioned off for
Doug Dinerstein, marketing manager charity from Sept. 22-29 with proceeds going
to each designer’s green charity of choice.
for online retailer GreenEarthBam- The campaign is helping to spread the
boo.com, said it’s the amazing wicking word that going green is in fashion.
properties of the material that has made “Today’s event demonstrates that good,
socks the best seller in the company’s green choices should be a part of every
clothing line. aspect of our lives — from the way we dress
“People just love the socks, because to the food we eat,” said Renee Loux, green
they’re really soft, and for people who living expert, author and spokesperson for
have athletes’ food, or whose feet just the Yesterday’s News Do-Gooder Design
Challenge.
sweat a lot, they are amazed at the
difference between a bamboo sock and a
regular cotton sock.”
Geyer said consumers who want bam-
boo clothing must be ready to pay for
those benefits because bamboo shirts at
Outdoors Inc. are about $10 more ex-
pensive than those made from cotton.
Striving to support the American
work force also makes their socks and
baby 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 is
outperforming its sales this year 200
percent over business in 2009.
“The demand seems to be increas-
ing,” he said.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 11

MCT
Generic Youth fashions are designed and hand-sewn at Jeff Yokoyama’s
California workshop.

Not so generic
Unique By Candice Shih With few exceptions, each
The Orange County Register garment is designed, hand-sewn
garments and sold by Yokoyama and his
After more than three decades small team at his workshop in an
crafted industrial area in Westside
in the activewear industry, what
from Jeff Yokoyama does now with Costa Mesa, Calif.
Generic Youth is possibly his The centerpiece of Generic
discarded least generic project. Youth (genericyouth.com) is its
His clothes aren’t made in approach to raw materials.
fabric
China, mass marketed or sold to “We hand-make items from
retail stores. fabrics left over on the open
12 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010
Discarded fabric is used to make Yokoyama’s one-of-a-kind designs.
market,” said Yokoyama, 55, of
Newport Beach, Calif. “We take
advantage of the things people are
discarding and make one-of-a-kind
items.”
Fleece, cashmere, flannel, T-shirts
and oxford shirts are mixed and
matched to make new garments. A
square swatch is cut from an old kimono
and sewn on to a new T-shirt as a pocket
for $38.
Generic Youth also uses beach towels
as a featured fabric, lining or trim on a
garment. A fleece hoodie is decorated
with a pelican cut from a beach towel.
To collect beach towels and promote
community spirit, the workshop hosts
commercialappeal.com
MCT
an event called Burger Wednesdays.
Anyone who donates a beach towel (or
$5) will be treated to a cheeseburger
made by Scott Andrews, who is also
Yokoyama’s assistant.
Yokoyama’s youth and activity-driven
aesthetic comes from the magnetism he
feels toward the beach and the waves.
“The smells, colors and feel of warm
water — that’s what pushes me to
design.”
He began designing at 24 and
started Maui and Sons as well as Pirate
Surf, both of which he sold. His last
company before Generic Youth was
Modern Amusement, a sportswear
company he sold to Mossimo.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 13

“I saw the market evolving and charcoal on Burger Wednesdays.

changing, and what I saw the market But he is inspired to do his small
doing is what we’re doing, being more part and to encourage other companies
resourceful with the products given to to reconsider the way they do business.
you,” Yokoyama said. The Generic Youth workshop,
“I used to make product in China. I located for the past three years among
used to make it by putting a giant car repair shops, is also a testament to
carbon footprint on the market.” Yokoyama’s alternative vision.
The idea for Generic
Youth came from a “I saw the market On the left side of the
collaboration five years building is the sewing
ago with his daughter evolving and space where Sergio
Coco, who is embodied in changing, and Chiguil makes patterns
the company’s silhouette and samples and sews
logo. That year Yokoyama what I saw the maybe 20 pieces a week.
asked his then-15-year-old market doing is Stocked fabrics
daughter what she represent a myriad of
wanted to do that what we’re doing, colors, prints and
summer. textures but come in
being more quantities impossible to
Now studying art at the
University of Oregon, resourceful with negotiate given the
Coco suggested sourcing nature of leftovers.
the products given
materials for a clothing “We have to design
company from the open to you.” into the fabric instead of
market. Kids didn’t want designing and making
a brand name emblazoned JEFF YOKOYAMA the fabric fit,” Yokoyama
on their clothes, so that’s Clothing designer said. “We design around
where the “generic” part some of our zippers
of the company’s name originated, her even.”
father said. A desk piled with fabrics and odds
It was also her idea to use keys as and ends is where Yokoyama
zipper pulls. “Every key is cut brainstorms his ideas.
different, like every kid in the world is
On the right side of the building, the
different,” Yokoyama said.
finished product is laid out and hung
Generic Youth garments are made
among vintage furniture.
from an average of 50 percent recycled
or discarded materials, although some Although far from a traditional retail
pieces reach 100 percent. environment, Generic Youth is friendly
Yokoyama cautions that he isn’t a to visitors, who sometimes contribute
standard-bearer for environmentalists. their art if not their beach towels and
Products for his 3-month-old store in dollars.
Kamakura, Japan, were first made here “It’s not high-pressure,” Yokoyama
and shipped, although now they’re said. “These kids are a lot smarter than
made locally. He also admits to using us. They know if we’re faking it.”
14 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

A new day for couture

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, from
the fall 2010 collection.

New York By Booth Moore

Los Angeles Times
City
exhibit NEW YORK — Did you know that Halston’s famous
1970s-era Ultrasuede dresses are not biodegradable?
chronicles Talk about timeless fashion.
eco-fashion Or that Madame Gres was using faux fur way back in
1942, to get around real fur shortages during the
through German occupation of Paris during World War II?
the years Or that the democratization of fashion didn’t begin at
Target and H&M, but at New York City’s 19th century
The Commercial Appeal
shirtwaist factories, which produced
affordable styles that allowed more
women to participate in fashion, but at
the cost of fair labor practices?
These are just a few of the fascinating
tidbits from the exhibition “Eco
Fashion: Going Green,” on view at the
Museum at the Fashion Institute of
Technology in New York City through
Nov. 13.
The term eco-fashion is at odds with
the nature of an industry that thrives on
churning through styles. But over the last
decade, there has
been a growing
movement of
designers and
brands using,
producing or
promoting
sustainable and
ethical products.
They include Bono
and Ali Hewson,
whose Edun label
focuses on creating The collection includes this Cezanne apparel, but there
sustainable pump by Charmoné.
economies in Africa,
and Alabama
Chanin, who champions fair labor
practices by employing 80 women to
hand-stitch and paint garments.
There’s a rising consciousness among
more mainstream fashion designers too. is often a trade-off of positives and
But eco-fashion, as defined by the
curators Colleen Hill and Jennifer
Farley, includes industry examples of
both good and bad environmental
practices. Their exhibit provides 150
years of historical context on animal
rights, labor and manufacturing issues
to add to the discussion.
The exhibit is organized
chronologically, beginning in the mid-
Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 15
19th century, when fine silk brocades
were so rare and cherished that their
repurposing was its own kind of
conservation.
A pale green silk dress from 1840 is
an early example of multifunctionality.
To get more out of a dress made of
high-cost fabric, it has a removable
capelet and sleeves to take a woman
from day to night.
Mass production of ready-to-wear
pieces such as the 1894 Stanley
shirtwaist helped break down social
barriers by allowing
more women to
dress stylishly, but at
a cost, as evidenced
by the tragic
Triangle Shirtwaist
factory fire, which
claimed the lives of
146 workers in 1911.
New synthetic
dyes brought
Photo courtesy of FIT exciting colors to
were health
ramifications, as an
1865 two-piece
“poison green” silk tulle dress dyed with
arsenic attests. “We tried not to breathe
in while we were handling it,” Hill says.
Eco-fashion is complicated because it
negatives, as illustrated by a wrinkle-
resistant cotton nylon seersucker wash-
and-wear men’s suit from 1959. “It was
intended to minimize ironing, which
shows evidence of saving energy over
the garment’s lifetime,” Farley says.
“But it’s made from nylon, and nylon
production is concerning because it
produces nitrous oxide gas, which stays
in the environment 120 years.”
16 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010
Women find market
for paper bead jewelry
31 BIts now employs 60 women in Uganda to craft beads rolled from bits of paper.
By Candice Shih
The Orange County Register
It’s not often one will stumble into a
fashion design business while working
with a charity in Uganda.
But it happened to Kallie Dovel, a
graduate of Vanguard University in
Costa Mesa, Calif.
Uganda is still recovering in many
commercialappeal.com
ways from a civil war, and Dovel met
some of the women affected by the
bloodshed in a refugee camp in Gulu in
2007.
She noticed they made necklaces from
beads rolled from paper and trash and
sold them to whoever might pass by.
When Dovel, now 23, returned home,
she brought back boxes of the necklaces
with her, sold them and sent the money
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 17

back to these women. the right color for the design, they will
“It got our minds rolling,” said Alli have it printed.
Swanson, a friend and now business The Ugandans who make the beads
partner. “How could we do this?” first roll the paper and then apply a
Now Dovel, Swanson, Anna Nelson, varnish to make them hard and
Brooke Hodges and Jessie Simonson — waterproof. Then they are strung
all recent graduates of Vanguard — run together. One worker might make 80
a jewelry and shoe company called 31 single-strand necklaces in a week. Styles
Bits (31bits.com). include chunky, single-strand necklaces
The name comes from the Bible’s and multistrand pieces with smaller
Proverbs 31, which beads. The women make
describes a woman bracelets, too.
providing for her family. “Here we are, five
The jewelry is sold at
The “bits” refers to the young girls who stores in California for
bits of paper from which $25 to $55 for necklaces.
the beads are made. know nothing about
Simpler styles are
Having started out starting a business. available online.
with six women in Gulu, 31 Bits also formed a
200 miles from Uganda’s We’re working with
partnership with Reef
capital of Kampala, 31 women who have sandals to make paper
Bits now employs 60 beads that embellish T-
women. nothing, and it’s a
strap leather shoes.
Out of the five co- product made out of
founders, usually two With the money they
are working in Uganda trash.” make from working with
and three in Costa Mesa 31 Bits, the Ugandan
at any given time. KALLIE DOVEL women “are sending their
Dovel is in Uganda children and other
now with Hodges. They orphans to school when
live in a compound they were not able to
where the jewelry makers do their work. before, buying large
“My day normally includes spending amounts of local produce to sell, buying
time with each lady making sure she is pigs, chickens, buying chairs and
doing her assignment for the month mattresses,” Dovel said.
correctly, rolling beads with her, getting For Swanson, the contradictions of 31
supplies for them and answering any Bits make sense.
questions they might have about the “Here we are, five young girls who
designs,” Dovel said in an e-mail. know nothing about starting a business.
According to Swanson, the 31 Bits We’re working with women who have
partners on site will buy the raw nothing, and it’s a product made out of
materials in Kampala, which requires a trash. It’s definitely not a recipe for
six-hour bus ride. The paper for the success,” she said.
beads is all recycled, often originating as “But that’s the coolest thing about it.
leftover material from printers. If it isn’t It works.”
18 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sierra Club event at Randolph Bluffs
By Keith Hoover
Special to Going Green
Join the Sierra Club and the
Tennessee Parks & Greenways
Foundation for the Randolph Bluffs Fall
Sunset Picnic on Oct. 10 from 1-7 p.m.
The event will be held on Ballard
Slough Road near Needham Road, in
Randolph, Tenn.
The event is designed to allow the
public an opportunity to explore, enjoy
and help protect this riverfront property
as a site for a future state park. The site
is the last non-privately owned bluff
along with the Memphis riverfront, and
offers one of the most spectacular views
of a long bend in the Mississippi River.
Come enjoy an afternoon along this
singular example of natural riverfront,
and stick around for a spectacular
sunset over Ole Man River. Some food
and beverages will be provided, but
please bring a side dish or dessert to
share. Also bring your own water bottle,
beverage cup or mug. Plus, everyone is
welcome to bring their own cooler,
beverages, lawn chair, and/or blanket to
picnic while enjoying the great views
from the top bluff. No pets will be
allowed due to an artillery
demonstration.
Throughout the day, weather
permitting, several hikes will be
conducted, including one of a nearby
rare, preserved underground Civil War
powder magazine. Living history
demonstrations, spanning the area’s
history from the Native Americans to
commercialappeal.com
On Oct. 10, join the Sierra Club and
the Tennessee Parks & Greenways
Foundation for the Randolph Bluffs
Fall Sunset Picnic from 1 to 7 p.m. The
event will include living history
demonstrations, spanning the area’s
history from the Native Americans to
the Civil War.
the Civil War, also will be conducted.
This event is also a “Global Work
Party” for 350.org, a global day of
climate action to jump-start the
transition to a world free of fossil fuels.
There will be literature regarding
climate change.
Donations will be collected to restore
and maintain the site.
For directions or additional
information about the picnic, see the
Sierra Club Chickasaw Group Facebook
page (facebook.com/Chickasaw.Group),
e-mail hooverkw@yahoo.com or call
363-8299 or 276-1387.
More information can be found at
350.org/randolph-bluffs-sunset-picnic.
Keith Hoover is vice chairman of the
Chickasaw Group of the Sierra Club.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 19

Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal

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

Farm fresh
Organic garden supplies local restaurants
By Suzanne Thompson
Special to Going Green

Any cook knows that nothing tastes better than vegetables

fresh from the garden, which greatly enhance the flavor of
almost any dish. The Holly Springs
Now chefs at restaurants throughout Memphis and in parts garden provides
of Northern Mississippi are able to incorporate ingredients in ingredients for
their dishes that were picked the same day. Memphis-area
One of Memphis’ major restaurant groups, River City restaurants.
20 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

Summer Management Group, planted corn, okra, pumpkins, melons

Garden its own garden in Holly and many other vegetables.
Springs, Miss., this summer. “All of the chefs and
Lettuce River City owner Preston managers have donated their
Onions Lamm said starting an time out there,” Lamm said.
Corn organic garden is an idea he “We’re definitely very
Eggplant has been toying with for a involved,” said Michael
while. River City provides Patrick, chef at the Union
15 varieties
management services for Avenue location of the
of tomatoes
restaurants including Mesquite Chop House. “I
Squash Spindini, Papa Pia’s, the usually go down there one or
Zucchini Mesquite Chop House, Rum two days a week.”
20 varieties Boogie Cafe and other Beale Patrick said he uses the
of herbs Street eateries. farm-fresh items as much as
Cucumbers “We’ve been possible.
Beans looking for a “When I
farm to start the came up with
Okra garden for this new menu
Watermelon several years,” about a month
Cantaloupe he said. ago, I tried to
Pumpkin Lamm, who integrate as
has grown much as I could
Winter tomatoes for of the organic
Garden most of his life, vegetables and
said he has provided the the herbs.”
Turnip tomatoes for the Beale Street Lamm attributes the
greens restaurants for years. success of the garden in part
Winter “We wanted to expand to the unique irrigation
lettuce that,” Lamm said. system used at the farm.
Collard Everything fell into place “We were going to dig a
greens when Rusty and Missy well,” he said. But instead,
Winter Hensley, owners of Spindini, they decided to pump water
cucumbers donated a small portion of from the pond near the
their 1,000-acre property, garden to water it.
Brussels
Woodland Farms, to be used A bonus they hadn’t
sprouts
for growing fresh herbs and counted on was the added
vegetables for the restaurants. benefit from the pond water,
The whole gardening rich in minerals and algae
operation has been very which complemented the fish
hands-on. Rusty Hensley emulsion they used as
jumped on the tractor and fertilizer.
tilled the soil and planting “We ended up with a very
began of 300 tomato plants of healthy organic crop,” Lamm
various varieties as well as said.
The Commercial Appeal
He said the
involvement of the
restaurants’ staff —
servers and other
employees are paid for
their work at the farm —
has been beneficial to
them because they can
speak knowledgeably
about the ingredients in
the entrees they serve.
The farm also houses
five honeybee hives
containing 15,000 bees
producing honey for use
in the restaurants.
The image of a bee
appears on restaurant
menu items that contain
the natural honey and a
small tomato icon
identifies menu items that
contain organic
vegetables harvested from
Woodland Farms.
Flowers are grown
there too, which go on the
tables and into bouquets
predominately for use at
Spindini, Lamm said.
Patrick said the crops
from the organic garden
have greatly enhanced the
dishes he creates and
prepares.
“It has elevated the
flavor and freshness of the
food, and has inspired the
staff. To me it’s a kind of
a trickle-down effect. We
grow the food, they are
proud to serve the food,
and the customers enjoy
the food,” Patrick said.
Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 21
Michael Patrick
says the
garden “has
elevated the
flavor and
freshness of
the food, and
has inspired
the staff” at
his restaurant.
RCM Restaurants
Memphis: Papa Pia’s
Rum Boogie Cafe Spindini
Blues Hall Mississippi:
King’s Palace Cafe Mesquite Chop House
Beale Street Tap Room Natural Born Grillers
Absinthe Bar Papa Pia's
Pig On Beale Fillin Station Grille (to
Mesquite Chop House open Oct. 4)
Lamm said the gained recognition
gardening project is going beyond the restaurant
so well that he already has community.
plans to farm an The DeSoto County
additional acre in 2011. Community Health
They have also discussed Council recognized River
building greenhouses on City Management as its
the land. Health Champion at the
The organic garden is a organization’s June
project that has already meeting.
22 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

The garden provides
more than just vegetables
and herbs. Lamm said
just working in the garden
has been a team-building
experience.
“For me and some of
my mid-level managers, to
take a Sunday off and go
down there and just dig in
the dirt — it’s a good
release. We’ve had a lot of
fun with it,” he said.
Joseph Cartwright, chef
at Spindini, said he,
Patrick and Lamm put in
the herb garden together.
“Mike Patrick and I talk
about being on our knees
with the president
digging in the dirt,” he
said. “We planted about
15 or 20 different herbs.”
Cartwright said about
30 percent of the total
ingredients used in the
dishes at his restaurant
come from the farm.
His favorite vegetable
from the garden so far is
Japanese eggplant, which
he uses in a variety of
ways.
“You can grill ’em, chill
’em, core out the center
and stuff them,”
Cartwright said. One of
his favorite special dishes
is the Japanese eggplant
stuffed with crab meat
and served with a
blueberry compote.
The blueberries also
come from the farm.
Customers have
noticed the difference in
the food’s flavor since
Cartwright began using
the organic items.
“I used to stop by the
tables and ask customers
if they were noticing the
fresh veggies. Now they
will stop me and say, ‘Boy,
you can really tell a
difference.’ ”
“When you can start
using fresh things that
came out of the garden
today, it makes a
complete change in the
dish. It’s like a brand-new
thing for people.”
Even though
Cartwright said he loves
cooking with the fresh
vegetables, it’s the use of
the many varieties of
freshly picked herbs he
most appreciates.
“It’s the colors of the
food. The food is the
outline of the painting,
but the herbs are the
color,” he said.

GREEN BLOGGING ❘ ALL NATURALE.ORG

After a summer of big beefy burgers and foot-long hot dogs, you may need
a break from all that mystery meat. Enter All Naturale.org (allnaturale.org).
The blog is dedicated to providing the latest information and honest
reviews of “all healthy, natural, organic, vegan and environmentally friendly
things.” And it does — from recipes for vegan granola to ways to drink
more 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 include
lists or tips. It’s heavier on health and food tips and advice than it is on
recipes. But the site does allow for searching and has separate tabs to
organize past entries (food, green living, beauty, etc.).
You also can find All Naturale on Twitter and Facebook. And it’s been
nominated for a 2010 Blogger’s Choice Award.
— Wendy Zang, McClatchy-Tribune News Service
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 23

Keeping it simple
Apothecary Fairy offers all-natural skin care products
By Suzanne Thompson
Special to Going Green

Many family recipes are

handed down through the
generations. While most are
for favorite dishes that
feature special sauces or
secret ingredients, Elia
Singer’s Norwegian mother
and grandmother passed on
something a little different
to her.
They showed her how to
mix flowers, oils, vitamins
and other ingredients to
create skin care products,
and that knowledge has
grown into a thriving
business for Singer.
Some of Singer’s earliest
memories are of watching
her grandmother make hair
gel from flax seed.
“These things were really
fascinating to me. I
remember sitting in a
drawer in her kitchen, and
in my mom’s kitchen, too,
watching them make little
things like this,” she said. Sonja Luecke/Special to The Commercial Appeal
Singer began selling her
products when she was in Elia Singer turned a hobby of handcrafting
her mid-20s, holding down soaps, creams and other skin care products
two jobs as a means to fund into a growing business.
24 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010
her college education.
“I was finding my way,”
she said of changing
majors several times and
attending both the
California Institute of
Design and California
State University in Los
Angeles.
When she realized she
was spending more time
on her business than on her
school work, she made the
decision to turn her craft
into a full-time enterprise.
“As it got more
involved and I decided
that I was going to make
some different products
to go along with this soap
that I had formulated with
olive oil and vitamin E
and all of the good things,
I realized that this was
something that I really
wanted to devote my time
toward, so I ended up not
finishing college.”
It is a decision she has
never regretted, though
she said she does plan to
return to school and
finish her degree work at
some point.
In 1996, she launched
the first line of products
for the Apothecary Fairy.
Singer started by
making all-natural soap
and began selling it at
farmers markets and craft
fairs.
“It was starting off little
by little and it was
commercialappeal.com
something that I just approached by a
loved,” she said. production team from the
Her plan from the TV show “Ally McBeal.”
beginning was to never “There I met makeup
have an inventory. artists, and my product
“I wanted to make my line became much more
products fresh, like food. extensive.”
There are so many things This contact led Singer
on the shelves that are to a list of high-profile
preserved for years and clients including Lucy
years. I thought that it Liu, Salma Hayak and
Harry Connick Jr.
The heavy make-up
actors wear daily is tough
on the skin, and her skin
care products gained
popularity with the
celebrity crowd because
of the restorative effect of
the all-natural line of
creams, soap, gels and
massage oils.
When make-up artists
began to use her products
on set she began getting
orders for custom
products for the crew and
cast of “Without a Trace,”
“The Practice” and other
was such a nice concept TV shows.
to have fresh things and Her business was a
to tell people that they booming success. Then
were just made within the she made a decision that
last three or four days.” would make most
Singer discovered it entrepreneurs cringe.
was a concept that other She completely shut
people liked, too. Her down her business to
products began gaining move to Memphis with
popularity through the her then-husband in 2003.
best advertising, word-of- By 2005, Singer could
mouth. no longer resist the pull of
After she participated craft and began making
in a farmers market in her products again.
Malibu, Calif., she was “This is my art form.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 25

This is an extension of Lavender

me,” she said.
She knew what had
worked before, so she
began selling her goods at
the Downtown Farmers’
Market.
That’s where Kathleen
Hall began purchasing
Singer’s skin products.
She said she’s been using
the products for more
than four years.
“My favorite are her
creams, her lavender and
grapefruit cream, and I
love her soaps. I like to
use all-natural products,”
Hall said.
Because Singer
considered the company a
rebirth, she began her
Memphis operation under
the name Ophelia
Snodgrass Apothecary. By
the end of the first year,
she returned to her
original name.
Since she started using
the name Apothecary Fairy
again, she said many of her
California customers have
reconnected with her
through her website,
apothecary-fairy.com.
She considers it
important to keep a
reasonable price point.
“I don’t come from the
frame of mind that I need
to sell it at $100 a jar to
make it better.”
Her products range in
price from $2 for a sample
“This is my art form. This is an
extension of me.”
ELIA SINGER
bar of soap to $28 for an
Organic Sugar Scrub or a
large jar of Ginger Muscle
Rub.
Singer packages most
of her products in amber
glass jars that are made
from recycled beer
bottles. She encourages
customers to bring the
jars back for reuse, and
offers them a credit
toward the next purchase
to do so.
Her labels are printed
with soy ink on 100
percent cotton paper.
Eventually, she plans to
move to tree-free paper.
This is one of many
plans the Apothecary
Fairy has for the future.
In spring 2011, Singer
plans to launch a line of
flowers and
Irish oatmeal
are blended
with pure
essential oil
of French
lavender for a
complexion
soap.
perfumes.
She also is developing a
men’s line she will call
Apothecary Harry, which
will contain shaving
products, skin products
and her trademark soap.
Another line in the
works, Apothecary Furry,
will feature all-natural
products for animals. She
currently makes a horsefly
spray, inspired by a friend
who is a Downtown
carriage driver, and she
plans to slowly add more
products to that one.
Now divorced, the
single mother of three
said her children have
been the catalyst for
products she has
developed for infants and
youngsters, such as all-
26 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010 commercialappeal.com

natural mosquito
repellant applied with
a roller and talc-free
baby powder.
Room to be green
“My children have
ended up inspiring
me to make certain
different products
that people were
looking for, but
couldn’t find.”
She is completing
construction on a
studio behind her
home, which she
plans to open by mid-
October to host
“evenings with the
Apothecary Fairy”
bimonthly. Neal Patel, owner and operator of The Quality Inn in
The space will have Millington, is a participant in Choice Hotels’ “Room
a warm ambiance, to be Green” program.
with music playing as
she offers guests tea Local hotel owner supports green practices
and cake.
Singer also will and quality customer service
open the space to the
public during the By Kim Odom environmental impact and
holiday shopping kodom@commercialappeal.com waste, meet the changing
season. expectations of today’s
Eventually, she Neal Patel, owner and environmentally conscious
would like to grow operator of The Quality guest, and potentially
into a retail space Inn in Millington, is a lower operational
with decor that supporter of green expenses.
replicates that of practices that will help Hotels meeting all the
apothecaries in the save the planet. requirements of the Room
early 1900s, and His hotel, located at to be Green program are
reflects the down-to- 7726 U.S. 51 North, is a recognized with a
earth products she participant in Choice designation from Choice as
sells. Hotels’ “Room to be a hotel that supports green
“I believe in Green” program. The ways.
practical, simple skin property-level program is As a business owner
care that works.” designed to reduce and green supporter, Patel
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN 27

complies with the them up to dry. Any towel

requirements on energy
savings, water
hanging upon entering
the room for cleaning is
Carpet
conservation, and
recycling and waste
left in the room.
The program’s industry sees
reduction. minimum requirement
“Hotels can do a lot of
things to cut back,
for recycling and waste
reduction requires at
gains by
which is beneficial in
saving energy and
least one recycling
receptacle in plain view going green
money,” said Patel. for guest usage in hotel
Among many changes common areas.
By Ellis Smith
in the business, Patel has In addition to
Chattanooga Times Free Press
replaced hotel appliances receiving Choice Hotel’s
with energy-saving designation into the
products. “I try to buy Room to be Green DALTON, Ga. — The
products with the Energy program, Patel’s hotel extent that the carpet
Star qualified symbol.” was recently recognized industry has transformed
All the new washing as a recipient of a 2010 from merely complying
machines are G-Force Gold Hospitality Award with environmental
machines, which, Patel from Choice Hotels regulations to becoming a
explains, “use less water International, Inc. green leader has made an
and in turn save energy.” (NYSE: CHH), impression on U.S.
His hotel uses energy- franchisor of the Quality Department of
efficient indoor lighting brand. Commerce officials.
solutions, such as As a top-performing Ronald Lorentzen, the
compact fluorescent property among the department’s assistant
(CFL) bulbs and LED company’s more than secretary for import
exit signs. CFL bulbs are 4,800 U.S. franchised administration, said there
used in all guest room hotels, the Quality Inn is now “a recognition that
lamps and light fixtures hotel is among the top 10 environmental innovation
(excluding ceiling- percent of properties helps the bottom line”
mounted lighting). within the Quality brand. within the carpet industry.
Every day millions of For Patel and his Carpet companies have
gallons of water are used family-operated spent over $400 million
to wash towels that have business, quality on sustainable
been used once. The customer service and investments in recent
hotel’s towel and linen saving the planet go hand years, he said, making
reuse program for water in hand. U.S. mills “one of the
conservation encourages most progressive
For more information industries” in the nation.
guests to help conserve about the Room to be Green
the Earth’s vital program, visit Lorentzen, whose 26
resources by reusing choicehotels.com. employees address market
their towels by hanging access issues for the carpet
28 GOING GREEN | Sunday, October 3, 2010
industry and others,
encouraged the leaders at a
recent SMARTer Textiles
conference to continue
pushing for greater
sustainability.
“In the long run, this
will reap substantial cost
savings,” he said.
There is still room for
government to play a role
by pushing for higher
standards in
developing nations
that can compete
more cheaply due
to little or no
environmental
oversight,
Lorentzen said. He
said he would
“certainly support
raising environmental
standards overseas to
level the playing field.”
Representatives for
Mohawk Industries,
Beaulieu of America,
Shaw Industries and
others detailed their
journey toward zero
waste or “closed loop”
manufacturing.
“We were unsustainable
in many places, but now
we’re in transition,
designing things to go
right back into the
products they started
from,” said Larry Cook,
director of manufacturing
initiatives at Beaulieu.
Beaulieu will release its
first sustainability report
in 2011, joining Shaw,
which this year released
its second sustainability
analysis, and Mohawk,
which released its first
report this year.
“I would say this
industry’s been pretty
proactive,” said Peter
Bailey, environmental
manager and
“sustainability ninja” at
J&J/Invision.
“Although
it doesn’t always make
traditional business
sense, either way there
are intangible benefits.”
In real terms, the
industry has reduced
emissions of everything
from carbon monoxide to
particulate matter by 35
percent to 72 percent
since 2003, according to a
sustainability report from
the Carpet and Rug
commercialappeal.com
Institute. Water usage
declined 30 percent from
2005 to 2007, and the
amount of electricity
required to produce a
square yard of carpet fell
to 1.29 kilowatt from 1.77
kilowatt in 2005,
according to the report.
“Unfortunately, the
carpet industry has been
too much of a well kept
secret, but now the word is
getting out” said Vance
Bell, CEO of Shaw.
Bell credited private
industry as “the primary
driver of real change on
environmental and
social issues,” not
“misguided mandates
and false incentives”
from the government.
“We’ve really
done it on our
own,” Bell
added.
Dan Frierson, CEO
of Chattanooga-based
Dixie Group, said it was
nice to see competitors
who are usually
“cooperating on
sustainability initiatives.
“I’ve been in this
business a long time, and
most of the time, we’ve
been playing defense, not
offense,” he said. “Rather
than being reactive to
regulations, we’re being
proactive and developing
responses to issues before
they’re regulated.”
The Commercial Appeal
Let’s not
pooh-pooh
the idea
Your dog's poop
can be an effective
source of energy
By Helen Jupiter
Mother Nature Network
Dogs help us in so many
ways, from herding cattle
to sniffing out everything
from bombs to cancer.
They’re our eyes, ears and
limbs when we’re disabled,
and they predict epileptic
seizures. They offer social
support and health
benefits, and they can even
rescue us from drowning.
It seems the only
drawback to owning a dog
is the unpleasant chore of
having to pick up poop, but
a dog park in Cambridge,
Mass., is showing how
even that chore can have a
silver lining.
PhysOrg.com is
reporting on The Park
Spark project, a methane
digester that runs on dog
waste. Recently installed
at the Pacific Street Dog
Park in Cambridge, the
Sunday, October 3, 2010 | GOING GREEN
Matthew Mazzotta is using dog feces to power
lampposts in a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“scientific-art
intervention” was
conceived by conceptual
artist Matthew Mazzotta,
and is the first dog park
methane digester in the
United States. It works by
transforming dog waste
into methane, which is
then used to power a
lamppost in the park. The
park provides
biodegradable dog waste
bags, and encourages dog
owners to drop their pup’s
waste into the methane
digester’s feeding tube. A
turn of the hand crank,
and voilà: The mixture of
excrement and anaerobic
bacteria helps the
methane rise to the top
where it can be burned.
Traditionally, dog
owners throw their canine
companion’s excrement
into a garbage bin, from
29
Spark Park Project
which it’s transported to
a waste facility, and where
it continues to create
methane, a highly
combustible greenhouse
gas. Funded through MIT,
and in partnership with
the city of Cambridge, the
Park Spark project aims
to show that waste can be
a precious resource —
methane is an effective
source of energy — all the
while reducing
greenhouse emissions.
The team behind the
Park Spark project hopes
there will be enough
methane generated to
power other objects in the
park and beyond. They’re
soliciting input from the
community at large, so if
you’ve got some bright
ideas on how Park Spark
methane should be used,
get involved.