Sustainable and Resilient Communities
Sustainable resilience is the ability of communities to confront changing conditions, absorb disturbances with flexibility, and utilize existing resources and local partnerships to achieve community goals, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The Sustainable Resilience for Communities program, administered by the Office of Policy and Sustainable Practices (OPSP), is piloting a year-long Risk and Resilience Program to assist six Tennessee communities in strategic planning and community engagement work related to community resilience. The pilot communities are the Town of Stanton, the Town of Spring City, Cocke County, Humphreys County, Morgan County, and Montgomery County. OPSP will work with these communities on self-identified priorities ranging from flooding to smart growth and waste management.
Through the Risk and Resilience program, each of these communities will participate in two workshops – the first workshop will focus on strategic planning efforts, and the second workshop will consist of technical assistance and a community engagement activity. This program aims to build community resilience, promote proactive and strategic county and city planning, and provide technical assistance through partnerships with state and federal agencies.
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January was Radon Action Month in Tennessee. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which is invisible, odorless, and tasteless, and cannot be identified in your home without testing.
Activities conducted during Radon Action Month continue to bring awareness and test kits to Tennesseans. The TDEC Radon Program received over 13,000 requests for test kits in January 2020, sent over 4,000 kits to Tennessee residents, and continues to send hundreds of kits every day.
OPSP makes determining if you have elevated levels of radon at your home easy, by providing free test kits. Visit the website or call 1-800-232-1139 to request a free test kit. Test kits come with detailed instructions and paid postage, allowing you to send your kit back to the lab to be analyzed. It is important to know your radon levels by testing your home as high levels of radon can occur in every county in Tennessee.
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| State of Sustainability Podcast
January was Radon Action Month, so we sat down and talked with our colleague, Lexi Brown, about everything radon. She enlightened us on the importance of testing our homes and how to request a free test kit from our office. The Ranger Report highlights T.O. Fuller State Park in Memphis, TN. Park Ranger Decoda Muller updated us on their new sustainability projects and the rich history behind the park.
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Through the Office of Policy and Sustainable Practices' organics collection program in select areas of the Tennessee Tower, employees are able to divert their food scraps from the landfill, and send them to be composted. Specially marked bins located in each breakroom are emptied twice a week and collected by Compost Nashville. In 2019, the compost program diverted almost 900lbs of food waste from landfills.
In an effort to expand the program and further reduce our building's impact, a partnership was formed with one of the cafeteria food vendors. Last month, the Tennessee Tower Cafe began collecting their back-of-house food scraps to be included with the material picked up by Compost Nashville. So far, the average weekly weight has been over 200lbs. At this diversion rate, the projected annual total for 2020 could be 10,000lbs—more than ten times what was previously collected. All employees in the Tennessee Tower are encouraged to take advantage of the 2nd Floor compost bins to maximize this program’s potential. For any questions about the program, please email Mark.Valencia@tn.gov or call (615) 253-5239.
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| Leading by Example
Roger McCoy, Director of TDEC’s Division of Natural Areas has a Certified Tennessee Tree Sanctuary through the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. With over 34 tree species, Roger and his wife, Thorunn's sanctuary creates a habitat for a variety of resident and migrant birds including owls, woodpeckers, and Cooper’s hawk.
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Take that leftover meat from the rotisserie chicken and turn it into these delicious tacos!
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Application Due: February 20, 2020
Applications Due: March 31, 2020
Conferences/Workshops/Training Opportunities
Ongoing Opportunity
February 17-19, 2020
March 15-18, 2020
March 18-19, 2020
March 23-25, 2020
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