S

The City of Memphis

The Department of Public Works

The Office of Materials Management (Solid Waste Mgmt.)

“The Team”

Stefen White—My Bio

My name is Stefen White, and I am a graduate student at The University of Memphis. I am earning my Master’s of Science degree in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership (ICL) in the School of Education, and I am a Graduate Assistant in Adult and Commuter Student Services (ACSS) at the University of Memphis. I am building a software company, and I am very fortunate to be selected as a 2016 City of Memphis Urban Fellow.

Arion Cage—My Bio

My name is Arion Cage. I am currently attending The University of Memphis. I am currently pursuing a undergraduate degree in Integrative Studies in the School Education. I have played many active roles within the City of Memphis. I have been involved in multiple large youth organizations within the City. I have also received the opportunity to intern with the City of Memphis multiple times. I am very honored to have been selected as intern for the Urban Fellows Program.

Joshua (DJ) Coker—My Bio

My name is DJ Coker, and I am a highly motivated student-athlete at Rhodes College pursuing a Major in Business with a concentration in Finance. I am determined to gain knowledge, add value, and pursue my career goals. I am blessed to get the opportunity as a Fall Urban Fellow with City of Memphis. This internship has allowed me to gain everlasting knowledge of Data Analysis and utilizing social media on a large professional scale..

Sustainability Leaders in Memphis

1. The Crews Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Memphisa. The Crews Center for Entrepreneurship is an innovative center that fosters the ideas and efforts of

our next generation of dreamers, thinkers, and doers.2. Tiger Blue Goes Green Sustainability Plan & U Mpact, U of M

a. The U of M’s Sustainability Mission serves as a model for practices supporting urban ecologically-friendly sustainability that preserve the earth’s resources and promotes a higher quality of life for life.

3. The FedEx Institute of Technologya. MIT is an advanced technology and research organization that serves as the front door to the

research infrastructure and innovation capabilities of the University of Memphis.4. The Mid-South Regional Greenprint 2015/2040 Plan

a. The plan is designed to enhance regional livability and sustainability by establishing a unified vision for a region-wide network of greenspace areas or Greenprint.

5. The Closed Loop Funda. The Closed Loop Fund is a social impact fund investing $100M to increase the recycling of

products and packaging.

Life as a Sustainability Data Analyst

Our responsibilities and the learning opportunities as a Sustainability Data Analyst & Sustainability Ambassador consist of:

1. Analyzing Public Works data and perform data entry

2. Researching corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices

3. Analyzing the City of Memphis Public Works recycling pick-up process

4. Understanding the cost/profit ratio of the Department of Public Works

5. Determining the definition of Sustainability

Our Social Media Campaign

Our Social Media Campaign “The Overview”

The Memphis Solid Waste Department is working to incorporate social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.) as a means to deliver the City’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycling message to targeted audiences.

This effort also creates a cost-effective way to improve customer communication and service allowing the City to encourage recycling participation and increase recycling quality throughout the entire city.

Our Social Media Campaign “The Plan”

Memphis Solid Waste Management Department plans to increase the conversion of single-family households (137,000 additional households) from 18-gallon bins to single-stream 96-gallon rolling recycling carts; improving Memphis’ role as a leader in the diversion of solid waste from Tennessee landfills.

Our Social Media Campaign “The Purpose”

The purpose of the “Social Media Campaign” is to address a challenge facing the City of Memphis recycling program; engaging city residents and increasing participation in the curbside recycling program. 

Sites PurposeFacebook recycling education,

brand awareness, engagement, news and content sharing, recruiting stakeholders and groups

Instagram service updates, customer support, brand awareness

Twitter brand awareness, recruiting stakeholders and groups, content sharing

“Recycle Memphis” Marketing

One of the major “recycle Memphis” marketing efforts included: Setting up “recycle Memphis tent, with the new 96 gallon single

stream carts at the Liberty Bowl for the University of Memphis football games for tailgaters and attendees to put their recyclables in.

In addition to, the social media campaigns that supported the physical community presence efforts increased the Materials Management Department’s sustainability goals of improving recycling awareness.

“Recycle Memphis” Press Event

The Department of Public Works at City of Memphis (soon to be Materials Management) hosted its “The Recycle Memphis” press event at the FedEx Forum on November 3, 2016. The event was hosted to highlight the Closed Loop Fund’s investment of $3.25 million into Memphis’ transition from dual-stream recycling to single-stream recycling. This allows residents to put all of their recycling in one single 96-gallon cart and roll it to the side walk. This event was coordinated by Joy Williams and Amanda Frier, facilitated by Robert Kenecht, and special guest appearances were made by Mayor Jim Strickland and others. Overall, this event was a major success and a step in the right direction in Memphis becoming a more sustainable city.

“Recycle Memphis” Press Event

“Our Challenge”

We cannot expect our residents and citizens to be committed to sustainability unless city government is completely bought in and leads in this understanding.

We are seeing promise in the sustainability awareness and practices in Memphis due to the increase in our #Dare2Recycle social media campaign.

We need to continue to raise the sustainability conscious of the people in order to become more progressive so that we can compete with the best cities and be that city that people from all over the world want to move to and prosper in.

Case Study

The City of Memphis’ Department of Public Works needs a strategic plan that is easily accessible and informative about it’s Sustainability long-term vision. This could help tremendously with the City’s ability to attract and keep today’s best and brightest, considering that the world is global and Millennials are seeking cities with strong Social Entrepreneurship.

1. City of Memphis Public Works strategic plan2. The City of Memphis’ Social Entrepreneurship plan

Website Suggestions

In 2016-17, an interactive and exciting website will make all of the difference when it comes to people interacting on a web page. The City of Memphis’ Public Works website could use a major transformation. Some example of cities that have great, progressive websites include:

1. City of Nashville, TN2. City of Dallas, TX3. City of San Francisco, CA

Special Thanks to:

1. Mayor Jim Strickland & The City of Memphis2. Tyler Stegall3. Joyce Williams4. Amanda Fryer5. The Entire Public Works Department

Thank You!!!