More an initiative than an organization, EcoMemphis is working to make the Memphis area greener- one sustainable practice, one EcoMemphian at a time. We decided to learn more about this project, and now want to share the scoop with you. And don’t miss the EcoMemphis website, where you’ll find everything from environmental regulations to simple steps toward a greener lifestyle.

What is EcoMemphis?
EcoMemphis is a project with one simple goal: to facilitate people’s awareness of the green, environmentally positive things going on in Memphis and the surrounding area.

Too often, the people and non-profits having the most effect have no marketing budget – they have no way to let people know what they are doing to improve or defend our local environment.

EcoMemphis is for everyone. We’d like everyone to add a little more green to their everyday life – a product, a habit. We don’t expect anyone to make massive life changes, but we do encourage people to find one green habit they can add to their existing lifestyle. The integration of one green habit – and its positive results – will make it easy to integrate others. Those small efforts, as they grow in number, will have a long lasting positive effects.

What inspired you to create this initiative?
Memphis gets a bad rep in so many ways, yet we see numerous people working to improve the Memphis environment. There are people in the city getting off the grid; there is a farmer in Bartlett raising organic – and healthy – cattle; there are community gardens springing up; there is a family in Arlington who recycles their grey water and has a remarkably small carbon footprint – these people are only the beginning. Yet no one seems to know about them. Memphis isn’t a bad place to live; it just has a PR problem.

As a company, LunaWeb uses our in-house talent to shed light on the issues we feel are most important. We all spend time every month shooting video, taking photos, writing articles, and more for EcoMemphis.

What are the goals of EcoMemphis? What would you like to see happen in Memphis as a result of your organization?
People should know what their neighbors are doing to improve our environment. They need to know what our government is doing to improve or degrade our environment. We hope our fellow citizens will be inspired to add a few environmentally-friendly habits to their lifestyle – and that they know every change they make affects us locally.

We’d love some help! There are too many events, people and companies out there for us to cover. Submit stories and photos, comment on the blog. However you want to participate, make yourself at home.

Images of Agricenter Farmers Market, courtesy EcoMemphis

How are Memphians responding? Are we concerned enough with helping the environment?
People are concerned, but not making massive lifestyle changes – and that’s appropriate. We hear that people are making small changes, one at a time. They may start by searching for one product that fits within their paradigm.

They may consider the product’s effect on the environment, but they also consider more immediate issues, like whether it is available where they normally shop, and it’s price point. But if someone purchases the product, and it works for them, they’ll integrate it into their routine. Soon, they’ll be looking for something else to do – whether that means buying the next green product, riding their bike for short trips, or picking up another good green habit.
It’s a great process to see happening, and we like to encourage that.

What do you feel are our community’s key greening efforts?
It seems Memphians have learned they don’t need to ask permission from politicians to get the things they want – that’s across the board, not just greening. We, as a community, are taking things upon ourselves to make them happen.

The key greening efforts are being made by individuals – because it matters to them, not because they were given permission or because it was made easy by our government. We hear about apartment dwellers in Midtown who manage precarious circular stairs so they can take their recycling to a center – because their complex doesn’t offer recycling. We hear about a mom and dad in Bartlett taking their recycling to another center, just because they want to their child to understand why they recycle. A couple in Arlington has been recycling their grey water for decades – they even have a composting toilet. We spoke with a single mother on a budget who insists on buying organic milk for her children.

These people may not be completely green, but they are making grand efforts. They are completely inspirational.

What are some small actions that we can all take in our everyday lives to make Memphis more environmentally friendly?
Our favorite question! We tend to answer this with things people can do with minimal effort that have the most immediate effect. One of the best suggestions is to put a timer on your water heater. What is more wasteful than heating water while you are sleeping or at work?

Next? Shop local. The products we buy in big-box grocery stores travel a whopping 1200 miles on average before making it to our homes.

Next on the list? Prepare to sweat (okay, not really). Set your a/c to 74 degrees and keep a cold drink in hand. When you’re getting ready to travel by car, bring a cold drink with you.

With minimal effort, you can find hundreds of things you can do to live more green. However, some recommendations don’t have as much net effect as others – buying organic clothing is great, but the pollution from shipping is not. EcoMemphis will create our own list, and put it on our blog.

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