Green Living

EcoBUILD
All new Uptown homes are built to EcoBUILD standards, which is a voluntary "green building" program created by Memphis Light, Gas and Water. Homes are designed to be 30% more energy-efficient than typical residential construction in Shelby County. On average, new Uptown homes save 34% on electricity and 56% on gas. After new construction is completed, MLG&W estimates Uptown will contain approximately 400 EcoBUILD-certified single-family homes, making it one of the largest "green communities" in the nation.

The BRIDGES Center
Opened in September of 2004, the BRIDGES Center is a state-of-the-art facility that combines innovative green building design, all the amenities and modern technologies of tomorrow and a prime location near Downtown Memphis, featuring an outdoor garden and amphitheater.

Technologically and Environmentally Responsive Residential Architecture (TERRA) at North Main and Greenlaw
On June 12, 2007, the Center for Sustainable Design at the University of Memphis broke ground on a sustainable design demonstration house in Uptown. The two-story, 1,700-square-foot home will be one of the first in the region built to conform to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED guidelines for homes. The house will also adhere to MLG&W EcoBUILD and American Lung Association’s Health House standards. The home’s construction will feature energy efficient and environmentally responsible techniques, materials, appliances and fixtures. The yard will feature plants indigenous to the Mid-South, which eliminates the need for irrigation. For more information, contact Jim Lutz, project director, at jlutz@memphis.edu.

Biofuel plant in Uptown
In October 2006, the first in a series of biofuel plants opened in Uptown. Milagro Biofuels of Memphis opened the city’s first biodiesel facility at 61 Keel Ave. The plant had an initial capacity of 3 million gallons with plans to expand production to 10 million gallons a year. Biodiesel is a fast-growing alternative to petroleum. It can be used solely or be blended at any level with petroleum diesel, and it can also be used in diesel engines. Shelby County, Millington and Germantown governments are converting their diesel vehicles to biodiesel. For more information, visit www.milagrobiofuels.com.

Best of Both Worlds:  Live in downtown Memphis and have a yard


Uptown is a walkable, pet friendly neighborhood