MIFA Employee Goes Green

I noticed a nice profile of Sarah Terry in today's Commercial Appeal. She works at MIFA, an agency that we frequently partner with on programs such as Plus-1.

East Memphis woman thinks globally, acts locally -- and benefits financially
By Andria Brown

Memphian Sarah Terry has turned her passions for reducing waste and reusing as much as possible into simple ways of being earth-friendly without blowing her budget.

For instance, she makes her own laundry detergent, turns material from old clothing into beautiful quilts and bags and has even crocheted orange and white plastic newspaper delivery wrappers into a large, sturdy tote bag.

She's out to prove that small actions add up to a more financially and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Terry's interest in a greener way of living began at the most basic level. When she became aware of loosening food safety laws in the 1990s, she was immediately concerned.

"I read about it and was horrified. Since the growing of our food is so connected to how we live, it went from there," she said.

As a part-time employee at Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association and the mother of Gwen, a vibrant 11-year-old with special needs, Terry's ability to jump full-tilt into ecological responsibility was limited by available time.

She discovered, however, that she could make a difference in her daily life, just by paying closer attention to how she accomplished regular tasks. Something as simple as washing vegetables became a conscious act of conservation.

"I started keeping a bucket by the sink and put water in that we would normally dump down the drain, and then I used that to water my plants."

The 46-year-old native Memphian admits that she doesn't fit the typical image of an avid recycler.

"I'm not a crunchy granola woman, but I looked for things I could do."

One of the first projects she took on was making her own liquid laundry detergent, a process that requires 15 minutes of her time but saves her in other ways.

"The main reason I did it was to try to cut my grocery bill. A big gallon jug can cost $10 to $12, but if you buy $11 worth of supplies, you can make 12 gallons of detergent, and then only have to replace part of that to make more."

She easily found detergent recipes online and was happy with the first one she used, although she cautions that there can be an adjustment period when trying a homemade product.

"They don't always work the way you normally do, so you may have to get used to them. When you wash things without perfumes, they end up smelling like clothes, not perfume."

A little bit of essential oil can be used to remedy this, she says, or you can leave your laundry au naturale.

Once she saw how easy it was to change her laundry habits, she noticed other ways to green up household tasks.

She hung a second shower curtain rod in her bathroom for drying towels, saving the energy needed to machine-dry these heavy items. She began composting to prevent greenhouse gas-producing waste from entering landfills.

And she analyzed her morning routine to determine where she was over-using water, although she discovered that not everyone in her family was as eager to make the same changes.

"I take way shorter showers than my husband does. I realized I could wash my face and shave my legs outside of the shower, and it cut a lot of time and we use a lot less water that way.

"When I do something new, I just tell him what I'm doing, and if he wants to do it, he can. If you're a parent, you can have an influence on your children, but you can't nag your spouse."

Which is not to say Sarah's the only environmentalist in the house.

She praises her husband, Larry, a computer programmer, for his enthusiastic recycling, and they have made a joint effort to be environmentally aware while renovating their East Memphis ranch home. They are aiming for changes that are easy on their budget, as well as on the earth.

They are reducing the amount of grass in their yard to cut down on water and chemical use. As windows need replacing, they are choosing more energy efficient upgrades. In the meantime, they cover older, draftier windows with Plexiglass.

"Money is as much a resource as energy, and you can't just go throwing it around," she says.

But even with these changes underway, there is more Terry would like to do.

"Because I have to get Gwen's wheelchair around, I can't drive a very fuel-efficient car, but I try not to go anywhere I don't have to and save up all my errands that are in the same part of town."

Terry's ultimate goal is to install solar panels and create her own source of energy. Until she can make that self-sustaining leap, however, she plans to keep incorporating one change at a time.

"It's probably a drop in the bucket, but if you're going to have a full bucket, you have to have the drops."

Terry's favorite detergent recipe is at commercialappeal.com, click on the link with the story. Examples of Terry's recycled clothes and bags, as well as a link to the detergent recipe can also be found on her blog: gwensmom.livejournal.com.

Terry's Tips

Sarah Terry has found small ways to care for the planet, without emptying her wallet.

Think globally, shop locally.

"I saw some ceramic crocks online to put kitchen scraps in for composting. To buy and ship one, it would be about $50. And then I thought, there are potters in this town who can make me a crock to put my scraps in. They'd make it all pretty and in the colors I wanted. There'd be no shipping or packaging and I'd be supporting a local artisan."

Good things come in small packages (and recyclable ones, too).

"I try to watch what containers are made out of -- is there a glass or metal alternative, is there excess packaging? I don't buy a lot of yogurt because they're in teeny containers in 1 or 2 plastic that can't be recycled by the city. I use shampoo that comes in a bar with just a little paper wrapper -- practically no packaging at all!"

Take one for the road.

"I noticed when I got fast food or went to restaurants where they give you a Styrofoam cup that you can fill yourself, and we started taking our own cups there. Every time we go to Central BBQ, we bring back the cups with their logo that they gave us on an earlier visit."

Thrift into gear.

"I love to go to thrift shops. Working at MIFA (she is the coordinator of the Love Cap Knitting and Crocheting Program), that's my favorite (thrift shop). I don't buy many clothes for myself, but if I see a $2 skirt that has a cool print, I'll bring it home and sew it into a bag. I may only have to spend $10 on notions and I'll have a great gift."

Reduce, Reuse, Re-educate.

"You can find out everything online. If you want to try to make something yourself, search for 'homemade' and you can find lots of ways to do it. Going to everyday people is the best way to find things because they're like you. I think that the more you learn to do yourself, the better off you are."

Slow and steady saves the earth.

"I encourage people to try things. If they don't work, that's OK. Make it like a science experiment, or just a personal challenge. Once you start, it just snowballs!"