The mission of the Sustainable Shelby Implementation Plan is to set realistic, actionable, and quantifiable strategies that will guide Shelby County toward a more sustainable future. The Office of Sustainability will work with relevant public and private sector agencies and individuals to implement those strategies. 

Recycling

*Completed* Establish Recycling Containers in the South Main Area (Strategy 3.1.7)
With the assistance of funds from the Department of Energy grant, the Office of Sustainability located containers in the southern section of Downtown Memphis near the Memphis Farmer's Market to collect glass, plastic, and metal.  This provides a location for apartment and condo residents in that area to recycle as various groups in the community have already advocated.  View more information here.  

Provide Additional Roll-off Containers in the area (Strategy 3.1.7)
Funds will be used to provide two additional recycling containers for use at the Agricenter to collect glass, plastic, and metal.  Since the Department of Energy grant must be used for projects that reduce fuel or save energy, these containers will be used to reduce the number of trips for pick-up, and thus reducing fuel consumption. 

Energy

*Completed* Establish the Green Building Task Force & Hire a Consultant (Strategy 2.2.25)
The Green Building Task Force was charged with conducting an extensive review of local building codes and relevant technical codes to identify existing regulatory or administrative obstacles to green building, sustainable development, and adaptive reuse.  With funds from the Department of Energy grant, a consultant conducted a best practices review and made recommendations for the local adoption of a model green building code. Recommendations submitted by the Task Force can be viewed here. 

*Completed* Green Building Incentive Report (Strategy 2.7.6)
 Vivian Jaynes, a Memphis-native pursuing a master’s in City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill, approached our office wanting to survey local developers about effective incentives for sustainable design and develop case studies on comparable cities to determine what programs have been successful.  Her recommendations can be viewed here. 

Benchmark Several Public Buildings (Strategy 6.3.2)
Using Energy Star’s free online Portfolio Manager, the Office of Sustainability continues to track the energy usage (electric, gas, and water) of several City and County owned buildings.  Results of benchmarking will include an Energy Star score and a carbon emissions number for each building. 

*Completed* Conduct an Energy Efficiency Project on a Public Building (Strategy 6.3.2)
With the assistance of funds from the Department of Energy grant, the Office of Sustainability conducted energy audits on two public buildings, Shelby Farms Visitor’s Center and Memphis and Shelby County Code Enforcement.  With the help of Bartlett Chamber’s Team Green Zone a determination was made as to what upgrades had the most impact on reducing energy consumption within the budget parameters.  Three local firms performed various energy efficiency upgrades on the buildings.  More information can be found here. 

Outreach

*Completed* Host Sustainability Month (Strategy 5.1.2)
The Sustainable Shelby Plan called for the Mayors of Memphis and Shelby County to designate “Sustainability Month” in order to raise awareness about and support for sustainable practices.  For April 2012, the Office of Sustainability collaborated with various groups across the City and County to develop programming for Sustainability Month.

*Established* Sustainability Advisory Committee (Strategy 6.1.3)
The Sustainability Advisory Committee supports and assists the work of the Office of Sustainability.  The primary responsibility of the Committee is to monitor the progress of the Sustainable Shelby Implementation Plan, provide advice and support in program implementation and policy setting for the Office of Sustainability, and to hold periodic public meetings. 

Planning

*Completed* Mississippi River Trail-Shelby County Trail Plan.  A plan was developed for bicyclists and pedestrians and included reviewing, mapping, and resolving challenges for the existing Mississippi River Trail route through the county.  View the Shelby County Trail Plan here and supporting maps.    

Mid-South Regional Greenprint & Sustainability Plan. Shelby County Government received a $2.6 million grant that will be used to establish a “greenprint” plan.  This plan will be developed for the Mid-South area which establishes a unified vision for a region-wide network of greenspace areas including parks, greenways, byways, blueways, conservation lands, natural areas, wildlife management areas, open space areas, and other similar spaces.  A consortium of greenway organizations, related businesses and local and state governments will lead the planning effort which beings in June 2012.  In all, 25 organizations will establish the Mid-South Regional Greenprint & Sustainability Consortium. Government agencies include Shelby County, City of Memphis, City of Bartlett, Town of Collierville, the City of West Memphis, Memphis Area Metro Planning Organization and the West Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization. Other consortium members include the Hyde Family Foundation, Community Development Council of Greater Memphis, Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, and Memphis Regional Design Center.  View TV coverage here.  More information can be accessed at http://www.sustainableshelby.com/greenprint.