VOLUME 55

 SUSTAINABILITY CONNECTION 

 

Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

  Knoxville Locomotive Works to Add New Jobs

 

                                                    

WBIR in Knoxville recently reported about a local company expanding their business and their plans for a more fuel efficient locomotive.

 

One homegrown Knoxville company is expanding. Knoxville Locomotive Works will add more than 200 jobs to the area in the next three years at its location along I-275 in north Knoxville.

Knoxville Locomotive Works opened in 1998 and grows every day. 15 years later, the company is changing the game. They are manufacturing a new locomotive and are the first ones around the state to do it.

 

"It's far more fuel efficient, it's got increased power to many of the locomotives you see on the railroads today, and most importantly it meets the EPA emissions standards," said General Counsel for Locomotive Works Greg Hall.

 

They call it the "Manhattan Project" or the "2250." Their prototype is already built and they are already working on one for their customers.

 

The new train has features that make it more environmentally friendly and gas efficient. Workers at Knoxville Locomotive Works say the engines are much more powerful. They said the new engines burn the fuel at a higher RPM, causing it to burn the fuel cleaner.

 

"It's been out on the road travelling across country being tested and utilized by what we hope are going to be future customers," said Hall.

 

This is great for business and the environment, but it also will give the Knoxville community a large boost by adding such a large number of jobs. The project involves purchasing the adjacent properties for more company space. It will create a total of 203 new jobs.

 

"I think this is a trend that we have been seeing since January of this year. We have announced more than 1900 new jobs created here in the innovation valley region," said Rhonda Rice with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.

 

The local impact is something this company has been focused on since it began.

 

"They could have gone to a number of different places to do this line of work, but they chose to expand here," said Rice.

 

"It's another industry. It's a redevelopment of this part of town which could use a shot in the arm which we hope will help do that," said Hall.

 

They are still in the process of buying the adjacent properties. This land will be used to expand the tracks and add space to work.

 

Currently, they have the space to manufacture up to 20 trains at a time. With the new property, they will have space to work on up to 100 trains. The company hopes to have the expansion up and running within a year.

 

Green Accomplishments in Montgomery County
              
The Leaf-Chronicle recently reported on several businesses in the Clarksville-Montgomery County area that are making a positive impact on the local economy and the environment.
  

This past week, we looked back at the creative ways local businesses, schools and churches, and the environment, can all mesh in our community.

 

To some people, business and the environment may seem like an unlikely pairing at times, but to local business leaders such as Kirk Steer with Hendrickson Trailer Suspension Systems; Adi Singh with Trane; Ron Smithfield, Smithfield Manufacturing; Daniel Binkley with the city of Clarksville; John Hooper, Page & Tuttle/River's End South; and Tim Swaw, Montgomery County's Human Resource director, well ... it's actually the perfect marriage.

 

These individuals currently form the nucleus of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Green Certification Program as its volunteer-based steering committee.

 

CMCGCP actually evolved from a 2010 Leadership Clarksville study about the environment - and how businesses, schools, churches and institutions can help make the community cleaner and "greener."

The movement is celebrating a milestone, with more than 100 local business and institutional entities having already participated in the program.

 

Within the industrial sector alone, 89 percent of local manufacturers and distributors have gone through Green Certification training. For those participants that haven't yet gained formal certification, the program's leadership is working on them.

 

Pete Reed, director of Bi-County Solid Waste Management System, said this week the Green Certification program for Clarksville-Montgomery County is the "next big step for improving our community."

 

"It educates and gets participation from our community to help increase recycling and save energy and protect the environment," Reed said. "What is great with this program is that people take what they learn home and increase the impact on our community and environment."

 

Michelle Newell, Green Certification program manager, came to the newly created post in September 2010, working under the auspices of Bi-County to improve environmental awareness and help extend the life of the Bi-County landfill.

 

Newell points to several individuals, including Terry Strange, former Clarksville site manager at Hemlock Semiconductor, who incubated the program, plus 2010 Leadership Clarksville study group members Elizabeth Black, Candy Johnson, Jeff Burkhart and Laura Schroeder.

 

She said they took the idea from an outline and successfully sought buy-in from our city and county mayors who are out front supporting the effort every time a local business or other organization celebrates formal certification with a "green ribbon-cutting" ceremony.

 

Green Certification built its foundation on solid ISO 14001 environmental business standards requiring it to show continuous improvement. In turn, program participants must be re-certified every two years.

 

Going forward, this program is picking up steam in the local schools, after Moore Magnet Elementary, this fall, became the first school to cut a green ribbon.

 

Churches can also be part of the movement. I think back to, for example, Faith Outreach Church at Exit 11, where faithful members led by pastors William and Ginger Luffman see good environmental stewardship as the right thing to do in support of the natural world God has generously given. This church was the first church in town to be green-certified.

 

The more I learn about this program, the more it impresses me. It promotes cleaner air and water, and county-wide unity in a common purpose.

 

  Memphis Botanic Garden Turns 60

 

 

The Daily News recently wrote an article about the history of the Memphis Botanic Garden and the direction that it is going. 

 

In 1947, two parcels of land on the eastern boundaries of Memphis were purchased for $400,000 to be used as a new city park. 

  

At the suggestion of political boss E.H. Crump, an avid bird enthusiast, the park was nearly named Bluebird, yet would come to be known as Audubon Park, home to a shooting range and golf course among other amenities. 

  

There was no area set aside for formal gardens at the time. In 1953, however, 2,500 rhizomes donated by the family of Morgan Ketchum were planted on the east end of the park, known afterward as the Ketchum Memorial Iris Garden. The idea self-pollinated, and garden clubs and societies such as the Memphis Men's Garden Club and the Memphis Wildflower Society soon had their way with plantings. The city moved its rose collection from Overton Park to what was rapidly becoming heralded as the Gardens of Audubon Park.

 

Sixty years later and that rich patch of dirt has blossomed into the Memphis Botanic Garden with 28 specialty gardens spread over 96 acres in the heart of the city.

 

The 1960s saw growth as the Goldsmith family honored department store founder Jacob Goldsmith with a donation to create the Goldsmith Civic Garden Center as a gathering place. Three years later the Memphis City Council formally designated it the Memphis Botanic Garden, and in 1969, the foundation was formed that would manage the city-owned property.

 

In 1996, local philanthropists Helen and J.B. Hardin made a significant donation and Hardin Hall was built, creating space for receptions, conferences and a grand main entrance.

 

"That event certainly helped the Garden in terms of being able to generate income and sustain the operation," executive director Jim Duncan said.

 

Having said that, Duncan noted that hard times were ahead for the attraction.

 

"I was approached in 2004 about providing a business touch to the Garden," he said. "Our membership had declined to about 809 families at that time, we were about $600,000 in debt, we only had a staff of about 19 people and did not have enough gardeners, candidly, to create an attraction that people wanted to see. ... It was a challenging situation."

 

That plot of land for flowers, shrubs and trees, which had begun almost as an afterthought and practically by accident in 1953, had been set on a new path. There was a sense of urgency by Duncan and his staff to become better stewards of this city treasure. A renewed focus on the earned income component, the revenue-generating events that could be counted on year in and year out, would help them see their goal.

 

"It was difficult with the Garden's status being what it was then to ask people for money simply because, as we said, we hadn't earned the right at that time to ask for donations," he said.

They hired additional salespeople to boost rentals, revamped the model for the premier fundraiser, Live at the Garden, and "just focused on doing the things necessary to ... increase revenue and decrease expenses."

 

Over the next few years Memphis Botanic Garden paid off its debts, became a Level IV Arboretum (the highest classification achievable), was recognized as one of 15 certified Hosta Trails in the country, and increased staff to the point that there are more horticulturists than there was total staff nine years ago. A horticulture center was built, as were specialty gardens such as those for photography and herbs, and in 2009, a $5.73 million, 2.25-acre children's garden was created. Duncan said My Big Backyard "pretty much changed the face of us" and is one reason that membership has grown to more than 3,500 families.

 

Live at the Garden continues to dominate fundraising, setting attendance records year after year.

"We realize that every decision we make has a financial implication and we run this place like a business, and it works well," Duncan said.

 

Much of that business-minded philosophy includes looking to the future and a capital campaign is underway to build a permanent stage for Live at the Garden. Another goal is to attract young professionals. Last year The Roots, a membership level just for that demographic, was created.

"We're really trying to connect younger people back with the Garden ... in both horticulture and social outlets," said Ashley Mayer, manager of special events and sponsorship.

 

Benefits include free entry to events such as Food Truck Garden Parties, Cocktails in the Garden, and the upcoming Diamonds & Denim party to celebrate the 60th anniversary - the diamond anniversary - of Memphis Botanic Garden. The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $60, and are free for Roots members.

 

      

                      

Click on the owl to learn about winter outdoor nature opportunities at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary!!! 

 

 

 

Did You Know?
The Titanic had only 20 life boats.
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This newsletter was published by the TDEC Office of Sustainable Practices. If you have any suggestions for content please submit your information to this address.
 
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TDEC Office of Sustainable Practices