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Christmas
15 trees: edible
and delicious
Leading the way
4 in solar innovation Poinsettias
The Tennessee Solar
18 good for all
Institute awards funds for seasons
statewide energy projects
A new year,
Institutions partner with Oak Ridge
laboratory on research, outreach. PAGE 8 22 a greener
Jacob’s Ladder works on pilot solar
panel as part of its mission . PAGE 11 Chattanooga
On the cover: Electrician Everett Carpenter works on the installation for a solar panel array on the roof of the
Great Neck Saw Manufacturing facility. Photo by Brandon Dill, Special to The Commercial Appeal.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 2, 2011 | GOING GREEN 3
A leader in solar
New institute helps fund installation, innovation
By Suzanne Thompson In a speech, Gov. Phil Bredesen said
Special to Going Green he wanted “Tennessee to be a leader in
all things solar,” and mentioned a vision
What started out as a discussion be- for creating the TSI.
tween leaders at the Oak Ridge National The idea was to bring together state
Laboratory and the state of Tennessee experts, scientists and engineers —
has now grown into the Tennessee So- mostly from the Oak Ridge National
lar Institute (TSI). Laboratory — with policy makers and
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 2, 2011 | GOING GREEN 5
Workshop
The Tennessee Solar Institute will hold a
Grant Workshop from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Jan. 5 in Nashville at the UT Center for
Industrial Services, 193 Polk Ave. The
workshop is designed to walk applicants
through the Solar Innovation Fund
application process.
Electrician Everett Carpenter (left) shows Great Neck Saw manufacturing vice
president Ron Dunlevy one of the tools used to install the rails for a solar panel
array. The company received nearly $1 million in grant money with help from
the Tennessee Solar Institute.
opment, renewable energy products in- to apply for grants in each one of the six
tegration, process improvements, tech- different categories, Patterson said.
nology improvements and facilities and Mid-South Sustainable Energy Solu-
equipment improvements. tions Inc., and Sharp Manufacturing Co.
The state released its request for pro- of North America are the Shelby County
posals (RFP) for money in the Solar businesses that will receive funds from
Innovation Fund in August, and accept- the first round of grant approvals.
ed applications until Sept. 24. TSI officials announced Dec. 8 that it
The 116 RFPs that were received has begun accepting applications for the
were evaluated by TSI and sent on to a second round of Solar Innovation Fund
third party for final approval. Grant money.
On Dec. 8, TSI announced the com- Applications for companies wanting
panies that were approved for funding. to vie for funding must be received by
The number of RFPs isn’t representa- Jan. 20. Detailed information and ap-
tive of the number of companies that ap- plications are available on the TSI web-
plied, because companies were allowed site, solar.tennessee.edu.
8 GOING GREEN | Sunday, January 2, 2011 commercialappeal.com
A $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation is being used to build
a statewide research and education program for solar energy.
Participants
“It is also about outreach
Faculty from 11 institutions are
committed to participate in the and education. So we will
nodes. The institutions include: also promote research
East Tennessee State University
among the students and
Fisk University
King College collaborate for the good
Middle Tennessee State of everyone.”
University
Oak Ridge National Laboratory DR. YONGMEI WANG
Tennessee State University Professor of chemistry at
the University of Memphis
Tennessee Technological
University
University of Memphis
ponents and devices for energy
University of Tennessee, storage and conversion; and
Knoxville nanostructures for enhancing en-
University of Tennessee Space ergy efficiency.
Institute The program is so new, that Pat-
Vanderbilt University terson just recently had the first
face-to-face meeting with partici-
Projects pating faculty members at the U of
Specifically, the grant will fund: M, so organizers are in the process
of ironing out the exact details.
Awards to new faculty at “Our research might have
nonresearch-extensive institutions. slightly different goals and we are
Scholarships/stipends for doing a lot of research here. For
graduate students participating in that specific project, we don’t
academic bridge programs between know what specific thing we are
Fisk University, Tennessee State supposed to work on,” she said.
University, Vanderbilt University Wang speculates that most of
and other research universities. the research conducted by the
Summer research experience for group she is in will center around
undergraduates. solar storage.
Summer mini-sabbaticals for But the project is not purely
high school, community college and about research, Wang pointed out.
four-year college faculty. “It is also about outreach and
Outreach to K-12 classrooms. education. So we will also pro-
mote research among the students
Summer internships and a and collaborate for the good of
yearlong undergraduate training everyone,” she said.
program.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 2, 2011 | GOING GREEN 11
right to work on projects, and Plumley wonderful to have this project come to
and Lisle are proud that it fits their fruition, and we are getting great
green philosophy. feedback from everyone who has seen it.”
“It’s a great way to encourage recycling Each project is accompanied by
and reuse,” explains Lisle. “Children can photos of child-created examples and
learn how to make projects from scraps step-by-step instructions written
and outgrown T-shirts, and mend clothes specifically for kids. The book’s full-
and stuffed animals rather than throwing color photos of the authors’ actual
them away.” workshops are by Justin Fox Burks, a
“By sharing basic sewing skills early photographer for Memphis magazine.
with children, we can teach them Plumley has taught kindergarten for
confidence, improve fine motor skills, six years at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal
encourage creativity and provide the School in Midtown Memphis. Plumley
experience of pride through crafting,” and Lisle have also launched a sewing
says Plumley. blog: SewingSchool.blogspot.com.
“This is a kid-tested curriculum that we Marci Woodmansee is a communications
developed over years of teaching sewing associate for Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal
workshops for kids ages 5 to 10. It is School.
The Commercial Appeal Sunday, January 2, 2011 | GOING GREEN 15
EVERGREEN,
EVER DELICIOUS
A new way to recycle your Christmas tree: eat it
By Rene Redzepi
The New York Times
COPENHAGEN — In
Denmark, as in the United
States, the Christmas tree is a
primary icon of the season,
along with the falling snow and
Father Christmas. On Juleaften,
or Christmas Eve, around 9 or
10 p.m., most Danish families
join hands, dance in a circle
around the tree and sing
carols — a communal yet
intimate celebration of
Christmas.
Then we exchange
presents and everyone
exclaims over his
homemade cookies,
marzipan and other
sweets, along with dried
fruits and nuts.
16 GOING GREEN | Sunday, January 2, 2011 commercialappeal.com
The needles can be dried and mixed into a powder for an aromatic spice or
thrown into cooking butter to add flavor. Branches of spruce or fir can be used
as you would a sprig of rosemary or thyme.
Po in s e ttia s
Consider
saving yours
for summer,
and again
ramseymohsen/Flickr
It’s not hard to find a good use for that tacky sweater, ceramic frog or even the
nice food processor that you just don't need.
who truly wants and needs a pair of way. Donating it to a thrift or charity
squirrel underpants or a “Solid Gold” store is the easiest and most obvious
workout video. next step. Someone is bound to take a
And then there are the less inher- liking to your passed-on present and
ently ludicrous gifts that you simply swoop it up, with the proceeds going
don’t need. Maybe you already have to a charitable cause.
the item, maybe it’s the wrong size, or 3. The repurposed holiday reject:
perhaps you just don’t have room in Before you try to get rid of an un-
your kitchen for another hand mixer. wanted holiday gift altogether, put
For these kinds of items, the natural yourself in a DIY state of mind and
impulse is to wrap it back up — sav- think outside the gift box. Is there a
ing you time and money and elim- way a rejected item can remain in your
inating waste — and bestow it to a home but serve another purpose? If
friend or loved one who you think you’re handy with a needle and thread,
could truly use it. But this standard transform that hideous sweater set in-
method of re-gifting isn’t the only op- to a comfy blanket for your pooch. Or
tion. There are other ways, both char- break out the craft supplies and give
itable and crafty, to part with unwant- the coffee mug your cousin bought at
ed presents. the Cancun airport a makeover, turn-
Here are some of our favorites: ing it into a pencil or paintbrush hold-
1. Toy time: Has your scatterbrained er or a planter.
elderly neighbor given Junior the same
SpongeBob LEGO set for three years 4. Host a re-gift exchange: A white
in a row? Community toy drives are elephant gift exchange is a fun and
an excellent, feel-good way to part harmless way to unload questionable
with new, unused toys your family gifts on others while freeing up valu-
doesn’t need. The granddaddy of them able real estate in your home — and
all, the Marine Toys for Tots Foun- keeping rejected gifts out of landfills.
dation, offers nationwide toy drop-off But if you want to keep things on a
locations ensuring that your un- non-gag note, plan a re-gift exchange
wrapped re-gift makes its way to a less with friends and co-workers who also
fortunate child in your very own com- have amassed unwanted gift stockpiles
munity. Or, if you don’t have a surplus and want to keep things on the cheap.
of new-toy rejects, you can make a These get-togethers can be particularly
financial contribution to the founda- successful if everyone involved has a
tion. Another popular option is giving common interest, whether it be fash-
to the Military Children’s Charity. ion, cookware or interior decor. You
2. Get thrifty: Let’s say you have a never know ... you could walk away
slightly used gift on your hands — a with a pair of designer sunglasses or a
pair of shoes that don’t quite fit, or a bottle of your favorite red wine.
throw rug that became an eyesore af- Matt Hickman writes about the best ways
ter a weeklong trial run — and it can’t to go green at home on this blog:
be tactfully re-gifted the traditional mnn.com/featured-blogs/greenhome.
22 GOING GREEN | Sunday, January 2, 2011 commercialappeal.com
Visions of green