Ms. Betty's Water Leak

We met Betty Prise after Fox 13 ran a story on our On Track Program. Ms. Betty got into the program after a water leak caused her utility bill to rise.



She's lived in the same home in Barton Heights since 1962. Betty paid someone to fix the leak, but they took her money without fixing the problem. Plus, they left her yard full of holes.

Her story caught the attention of Andy Collier. Andy just happens to own Bullseye Leak Detection Service. He brought his crew to Ms. Betty's house to see if he could help.



They quickly found the leak by the house. Andy explained how a split in the coupling can happen due to wear and tear, but reassured her that it was in a easy spot to fix.





The men wasted no time, and had it fixed in just a few minutes.



Ms. Betty was thrilled. But little did she know that Andy also set up a Go Fund Me to help pay her utility bill and asked his men to clean up the holes in her yard from the first failed attempt to correct the issue.



We love a happy ending!

Bobby “Blue” Bland statue joins MLGW’s musical block

Emotions were running high. A musical legend and storyteller was finally getting his due. Family members, supporters, fans, members of the Downtown Memphis Commission and The Blues Foundation all gathered on May 12, for the statue dedication honoring the late Bobby “Blue” Bland.

The statue sits at the corner of South Main and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue on the Administrative Building’s property at MLGW.  It is just around the corner from the widely popular Elvis Presley statue which is also on MLGW’s green space overlooking Beale Street.

A lifetime Memphis-area resident, Bland is known as one of the greatest Blues singers of all time. He died in 2013 at his Germantown home. He was 83. Former Blues Foundation President & CEO Jay Sieleman lead the drive and rallied support to create and install the life-sized Bland statue. Bland is shown elegantly dressed, holding a microphone and hitting a high note in his signature style.

President and CEO of MLGW Jerry Collins Jr. didn’t hesitate when he was approached by the idea.

“The decision-making process on whether we would agree to put the statue here took about five seconds. We are going to do this,” Collins said. “Just like Memphis is famous for having the best drinking water in the world, we are also famous for having the best rock’n’roll and the best blues thanks to people like Bobby “Blue” Bland.”

Bland’s style stood the test of time. In Bland’s obituary, the New York Times reported, “His vocals, punctuated by the occasional squalling shout, were restrained, exhibiting a crooner’s delicacy of phrasing and a kind of intimate pleading. He influenced everyone from the soul singers Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett to rock groups like the Allman Brothers and The Band. The rapper Jay-Z sampled Mr. Bland’s 1974 single “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” on his 2001 album, “The Blueprint.”

The next time you are Downtown, check out the new statue or listen to Bland's hits online. 

Planting Native Grasses and Wildflowers in Kennedy Park

From Midsouth Greenprint...


MLGW is planting 13 acres of Electric Transmission ROW in Kennedy Park with species of native warm season grasses (NWSG) and native wildflower species. This effort began with herbicide application in October, 2015, and additional herbicide application and planting of seeds and plants will take place in the spring 2016. This replanted area will create an area more beneficial to local wildlife and pollinators, and it will result in lower ROW maintenance expense for MLGW. It should also serve as a pilot for other similar efforts.

The Wolf River Conservancy (WRC) generated this idea as MLGW and WRC were collaborating to identify opportunities to protect the Wolf River watershed. The City of Memphis is the landowner, and is supportive of the project. While the majority of planting will be seeds, Clean Memphis will organize an effort to use school children to plant plugs of several species of the wildflowers in the more visible areas of the ROW.

Representatives of local garden, bird, and pollinator societies were consulted prior to the project to get ideas on species. The neighborhood associations near Kennedy Park were notified prior to the project to give them an opportunity for input. Local and regional agencies with experience and knowledge of the topic were asked for guidance in the project: Those include Memphis Botantic Garden, Memphis Zoo, UT Extension Service, Overton Park Conservancy, Agricenter, Ducks Unlimited, TDEC and TWRA.

MLGW expects this area will grow to a well established mix of native grasses and wildflowers, and increasing the abundance and diversity of wildlife around the site. Water runoff into the Wolf River should be well-filtered. MLGW will need to do less mowing and less herbicide applications to keep trees and vines from growing into our electric transmission lines. Users of Kennedy Park and the Wolf River Greenway will enjoy the beauty of the native plantings and the associated wildlife. Children involved in the effort will gain an appreciation for the need for wild areas. We hope this effort serves as a template for similar projects.

Exercise + Energy

Would you exercise for an hour every day if the workout powered your home for twenty-four hours?



From True Activist:

People often complain about the high costs of energy and the fact that they “never have time to workout.” This invention certainly solves both conundrums.

And, most importantly, this free power invention has the potential to lift the 1.3 billion people who presently live without electricity out of poverty.

As Manoj Bhargava, the founder of the Free Electric hybrid bike, shares in the video above, it is possible to generate electricity at home while simply doing a daily workout routine.

When an individual pedals the bike, the action drives a flywheel, which turns a generator and charges a battery. This means from just one hour of pedaling, a rural household can be supplied with energy for 24 hours.

The billionaire and his team developed the bicycle to take advantage of mechanical energy created by humans to solve one of the world’s most pervasive problems.

“Everything requires energy. Energy is the great equaliser,” says Bhargava, adding that over half of the world’s population have no access to electricity or access to electricity for two or three hours per day.

Having access to clean, free energy will enable poverty-stricken communities to not only light their homes but to connect to the internet and get educated. Bhargava says the reason the majority of those who are poor stay poor is because they have no power. He aims to fix this with the free energy bicycle.

One bicycle could potentially provide a small village with electricity if each household spends on hour per day pedaling the bike.

In developed nations, the bike could also be utilized to cut energy costs and remedy the obesity crisis.

Credit: NationalGeographic

The bicycle is also a clean way to generate power. As Bhargava says himself, if half of the world uses a Free Electric bike, half of the world would be using eco-friendly energy. Manoj’s plan is to distribute 10,000 of the bicycles in India next year. In addition, he has pledged 90% of his wealth to charity and research. 

Company lineman’s ready for his close-up after makeover

It was as if his right leg had been badly twisted out of place. The pain must have been so intense the top of his safety helmet brushed against the electrical line.

That’s what many workers at MLGW’s Administration Building walked by daily as the lineman for the company stood watched over the main road of the lobby.

Graphic artist summer intern Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Wery hated what she saw in the lineman portrayal.  “With his head touching the power line in the display, it was like what not to do,” she said.

With the help of Steve Fury, Joe Burch, Will Gardner and others, the company lineman looks better now. Cassie carefully touched up his face after at least ten years of wear and tear and cleaned his yellow hard hat.  Workers operated on his knee and replaced a worn out bolt, re-laced his boots, tucked in his shirt and soon he was strapped  back on the utility pole like the Wichita Lineman  “searchin’ in the sun for another overload.” 

How Much Power will the Turkeys Gobble Up this Year?

Our friends at the American Public Power Association created an infographic to show how much electricity the U.S. might gobble up to cook our turkeys this year.

Harlem Shake, MLGW Style

There’s almost nothing that our Leadership Team and employees wouldn’t do to promote Plus-1, the MIFA-administered program that provides temporary utility assistance to families in need. Man phones for 16 hours as we did for the recent Plus-1 Push Telethon, which raised nearly $50,000! We’ll even jiggle a little Harlem-Shake style, which our Leadership Team did as a challenge to employees to raise funds for Plus-1. Employees raised about $5,810 to meet and exceed that challenge – and true to their word, the Leadership Team shook for families in need. The video debuted at the MLGW Board of Commissioners meeting on April 11. You too can help by donating at mlgw.com/plus1.

Utility Pole Gnomes

Heard a blurb about this story on NPR this morning, and went to find the full scoop. Via NY Daily News:

Residents grow attached to cute hand-painted gnomes who popped up on utility poles in Oakland, Calif.  

Oakland, Calif.’s Pacific Gas & Electric Co. wanted to get rid of the gnome paintings that an anonymous artist placed around the city. But residents don’t want to say goodbye to the friendly neighborhood creatures.

Small paintings of gnomes that have popped up on utility poles have become a community sensation in Oakland, prompting Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to say Tuesday that it will keep them in place for now.

The hand-painted portraits on 6-inch blocks of wood began going up last year in an apparent effort to brighten up the blue-collar California city. There are currently more than 2,000 of the images on utility poles, with many screwed to the bases.

The gnomes have red hats, white beards and brown shoes. Some of the images contain a mushroom.
Word that PG&E planned to remove the paintings sparked an outpouring of support from residents who said the gnomes add character to the city.

PG&E spokesman Jason King planned to meet Tuesday with the artist, who requested to remain anonymous, and a member of the City Council. The utility hopes to eventually relocate the gnome paintings from the poles to other spots in the same neighborhoods.

"We've received a lot of feedback from residents who love the gnomes," King told The Associated Press. "We're looking for solutions. We'll keep them where people can enjoy them."

King said PG&E did not want to encourage such installations, explaining a proliferation of such images could cause damage or make it difficult for crews to access the poles.

Students transform utility boxes

We love this project! See the full story here.

Students from the Memphis College of Art are in the process of transforming ugly green utility boxes on Main Street Pedestrian Mall into works of public art.

Five MCA students and artists are volunteering their time and talent to help make our city a more vibrant, creative place as a part of MCA’s “Give Back” program.

Artist Carl Moore, Lauren Lane, Brittany Vega, Justin Bowles and Zahra Nazari developed concepts for each box, ranging from a Tennessee emblem theme to a Number 2 pencil. Students experienced the process to install public art by presenting their ideas to the Design Review Board and Landmarks Commission for approval. The boxes are expected to be complete next week, with two more box transformations expected to start next month.

MCA was approached by the Downtown Memphis Commission, which is coordinating this project, to bring more color and imagination to the Main Street Pedestrian Mall, the most walked thoroughfare in the city.
“Several  stakeholders have asked what could be done to make those 6-foot electrical boxes more attractive, but it was Jason Wexler, the president of Henry Turley Company, who came up with the idea to turn them into works of art,” said Leslie Gower, vice president of the Downtown Memphis Commission. “We just ran with his idea.”

Information provided by the Downtown Memphis Commission.

New Book on Water Pumping Stations

Former MLGW employee, James Ingram, has a new book out...

From Memphis Magazine...

New Book Features Memphis Light, Gas & Water Pumping Stations
By Vance Lauderdale



You probably drive by these massive structures on North Parkway, Southern, Summer, and elsewhere in the city without even thinking about them, and that's a shame, because they play a critical role in our city.

No, I'm not talking about the buildings on the grounds of the Lauderdale Estate. Instead, I'm referring to the complex of Memphis Light, Gas and Water pumping stations, which supply a clean and steady source of water to every home, business, factory, and every place else in Memphis.

James Ingram, a longtime MLGW employee, has just published a very handsome book that takes a close look at these stations, inside and out, and it's packed with really wonderful information. The book has a lengthy title, which gives you a good idea of what it covers: Memphis Water Works Pumping Stations: The Story of Memphis, Tennessee's Artesian Water Supply and the MLGW Division in the Era of Steam Machinery.

Though just 74 pages, it's filled cover-to-cover with terrific images: beautiful architectural renderings of the various plants around town, such as the Sheahan Pumping Station just east of the University of Memphis campus (shown here), photos of the buildings under construction, details of the machinery and equipment, along with letters, records, charts, and other documents.

If you've never paid much attention to these buildings before, Ingram's book will certainly give you a better appreciation of them. If nothing else, you can't help but admire the architectural features and overall design of structures that, in the hands of lesser architects, would look rather utilitarian. Instead, some of the plants come across as majestic "temples to water," and Ingram helps convey that with the photographs he uncovered while researching this book.

So why would someone focus on such a specific subject? Well, Ingram and his father devoted most of their lives to working in and around these stations. He tells me, "My dad worked at both the North Parkway station and the Sheahan Station over by the U of M. He started in 1938 and retired in 1973. As for me, I graduated from Messick, went to Memphis State, and worked for the City of Memphis at the North (Maynard Stiles) Wastewater Treatment Plant."

Ingram is now retired and living in Fort Myers, Florida. About the book, he says, "I was always fascinated with the Sheahan and Parkway stations — how the water was obtained from compressed-air-powered air-lift artesian wells, how the steam machinery worked, and as I got into my teenage years, they would let me explore the old stations. I was always pestering my dad with questions — how this worked and that worked — and I even pestered them for photos, which they were happy to give me."

Many of the answers to those questions, along with the old photos, ended up in the book. It's clearly a labor of love, and definitely worth a read for anyone interested in Memphis history. To order a book, or for more information, go to the publisher's website, Blurb Books.

Park(ing) Day

If you downtowners didn't make it over to Peabody Place on your lunchbreak, swing by before you leave the office. It's our first ever Park(ing) Day, which means that seventeen groups have transformed parking spots into parks. The idea being that if more people used public transportation or human-powered transportation, we wouldn't need so many parking spaces. The groups were asked to re-imagine the parking spaces as parks, art space, or whatever.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat during the event.

There wasn't a competition for the best spot, but my vote definitely goes to brg3s for their Teeter Tire. That's the Downtown Memphis Commission's president Paul Morris giving it a try.



I also liked the benches with bicycle parking. Here you can see the impact of cars vs. bicycles on the atmosphere.



And an honorable mention goes to Crosstown Arts for giving away free food and iced coffee in their booth.

It's a really fun event that is worth a look. I'm excited to see this event grow. We'll have to get to work on a MLGW concept for next year!

Mega Watt

What do you think of Reliant Energy's rapper, Mega Watt?



I think with a house that large, he might have addressed keeping the thermostat at 78 or higher in the summer, and adding some curtains to those nice, big windows!

In general though, it's pretty clever.

I'm also a fan of their other videos in their "Ask Jack" campaign. The videos don't seem to have a point other than to be funny, but after watching a few, I was convinced to click a link leading to their website with energy saving tips. And surely, that's the point. Well played, Reliant!

This is a first

Bird drops deer on electric lines, causes out power outage

When power company crews arrived at the origin of a power outage in East Missoula they were shocked to find the cause was a deer that had been dropped on power lines twenty feet above ground.

Investigators for Northwestern Power in Montana deduced the deer was probably dropped on the lines by a member of a nearby family of bald eagles, according to the official report released on Friday. It appears one of the eagles had captured the fawn and, as bald eagles do, carried the eagle to a high enough altitude that a drop would kill the prey. The entire eagle family could then enjoy the carcass.

This is the first reported power outage due to a flying deer however wildlife have been known to cause power outages.

Read the full story here...

Beach Plastic

It's been awhile since I've posted something fun and "green." I just came across this video and am awestruck.

One Plastic Beach from Tess Thackara on Vimeo.

It also strangely has me thinking of ways to turn the litter that collects on the road behind our house into something beautiful.

But also, the key message here is to reduce the use of plastic. Not just Plastic bags and Plastic bottles, but plastic everything!

I enjoyed reading about one local woman, Amy Stewart-Banbury, who has been avoiding plastic for several years in the Green Section of the Commercial Appeal. Check it out: Creative Solutions.

Bike to Work Day

Today was the second annual Bike to Work Day sponsored by the Center City Commission.



We were among the many organizations present at the expo today in front of City Hall. While MLGW did not place among the companies with the highest number of employees on bikes, we were pleased to hear that there were over twice as many participants this year as there were last year. This year's big winner was St. Jude, which had 38 employees who rode to work today. I was lucky enough to run into three of them in Overton park this morning. I rode all the way to St. Jude with them and it made the commute much more relaxing. Being in a group of four definitely felt safer than being alone.

If you missed the expo, then you missed chatting with some great organizations like MLGW, the Health Department, the Sierra Club, and the Greater Memphis Greenline. You also missed out on the opportunity to make your own smoothie in a bike-operated blender at the Live from Memphis booth!



Don't worry, there's always next year! And, just so you know, every day can be bike to work day if you let it!

Random Acts of Happiness

Great story in this week's Flyer...

Random Acts of Happiness
Grannies give anonymously to people in need.



Throughout the winter of 2008, Angelique Williams and her brother, Johnny, helped their elderly mother pay her utilities.

Then, out of nowhere, they started receiving notices from Memphis Light, Gas, and Water that the bills had been paid. This happened during the three coldest months of winter and the three hottest months of summer, when usage tended to be most expensive at the elder Williams' South Memphis home.

"We thought it was a joke," Angelique said.

So she went to MLGW to determine what was going on. Sure enough: Someone had paid her mother's bills. Who that someone was — and why they did so — remained to be seen. The only clue was a handwritten note on the utility receipts that said, "Happiness Happens."

"Then we started getting the sweetest little notes from Nana Pearl and Nana Mary Jane," Angelique said.

The "Nanas" didn't volunteer their identities, but they did give the Williamses a post office box in Germantown for any future requests they might have.

Angelique said she didn't want to impose on their generosity whoever they might be. She and Johnny were just grateful for the help. How the Nanas even heard of their mother's situation is something the Williams family probably will never know.

"It's like angels," Angelique said. "They show up, give you what you need, and then poof!"

And that's exactly the way Happiness Happens members prefer it, said Nana Helen Bowman, the group's new ambassador. She was hired just last week to serve as the public face for the nonprofit organization, whose members' identities are closely guarded. Where (or if) they're headquartered is anyone's guess, and that secretiveness even extends to Bowman.

"They want to be anonymous," she said. "I don't know who they are."

But she does know enough about them to feel a kinship with their mission. Happiness Happens members range from ages 50 to 70 and operate primarily in the Memphis area. All nine of them are grandmothers, four of whom are sisters.

The sisters, in particular, have a soft spot for abused or battered women, which is why they're planning to donate bedding and other items this week to a local YWCA shelter.

"They called one day and asked what our needs were," said Kathy Ivey, an executive assistant for the YWCA. "We've chosen to be a recipient, and we're excited about that."

Roughly 30 years ago, the women decided to pool their resources to commit what would come to be known as random acts of kindness — paying utility or grocery bills, helping single mothers buy their children school clothes, making car payments, or sending cakes and other goodies to people in the hospital.

"They decided to take a different path. People were just looking on and complaining, and they wanted to do something different," Bowman said.

The women find recipients by scanning birth announcements and obituaries or by choosing names at random from the phone book. Sometimes they overhear conversations that inspire them to give. On average, the group gives about 10 gifts every week.

"They randomly select strangers and surreptitiously send them a happy package [with] one of their homemade cakes, citrus curd, a T-shirt or bag, and a note signed by one of the Nanas," said Sarah Hughes, the group's media relations specialist. "Many people are taken aback that someone who doesn't know them would do something so nice."

Said Bowman: "It makes you feel like you're stepping into Santa's boots and giving gifts to children. It's like being a fairy godmother."

Or maybe the Publishers Clearinghouse prize squad. That's how it felt for Jolena Campbell and her family, who received an unexpected Christmas gift last year.

"Out of the blue, we get this Visa gift card for $300 with a short note that said something like, 'Spend this if you need it, but share it if you don't,'" the Olive Branch resident wrote in an e-mail. "Me and my husband were absolutely floored! With the tough economy, we were planning to cut back on Christmas gifts for the kids. To say it couldn't have come at a better time is an understatement."

And how it got to the Campbell family — nobody knows. Recipients never learn how they were found or who decided to help them. They just know the happiness that happens when someone cares, even if that someone is anonymous.

Thermostat Settings & Weight Loss

Glamour has a story about letting your body create it's own heat. It will save you money in utilities and help you stay nice and trim. You can read it here: Why Turning Your Thermostat Up May Be Making You Pack on Pounds

Eco Reminder Stickers

What do you think of this line of eco-reminder stickers, by British design firm HU2?

Gingerbread Earthships

I love the modern gingerbread houses over at Inhabitat, especially this earthship.


Are you incorporating any eco-friendly ideas into your holiday celebrations?

China's award winning public art

Treehugger has a great recap of China's award winning public art project to promote walking over driving. Check it out.