While the University of Memphis colors are blue, the Office of Sustainability reminded students how to go green on Tuesday.
The university hosted its annual Tiger Blue Goes Green fair on Oct. 7, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Student Plaza. This year’s theme, “Waste to Resource: Advancing Our Local Circular Economy,” encouraged students to think about how everyday materials can be reused and repurposed rather than discarded.
More than 30 local sustainability groups and businesses participated, offering educational materials, volunteer opportunities and even internships to the more than 700 students who attended. Anyone at the event could grab a free T-shirt and lunch, which was all fully compostable down to the plates and utensils. Attendees also learned about recycling, composting, reusing and other sustainable practices.
The host of Tiger Blue Goes Green, Amelia Mayahi, the Sustainability Manager for the University of Memphis, hopes that this event will continue to bring together the students who attended, the local businesses, and overall sustainable practices, together.
"We invite both on campus and off campus sustainability organizations, departments, businesses; whoever is out there doing amazing things in the community and in the community of sustainability,” Mayahi said.
Mayahi also spoke about the potential benefits and opportunities an event like this offers to students, along with what other possibilities can come from attending. “A lot of students get volunteer opportunities, jobs, internships, as well as an increase of their awareness about what they are doing in the community,” Mayahi said. “It is a great way for students to connect and broaden their networks, as well as the organizations tabling.”
The plaza was filled with tables representing different sides of sustainability, from homemade honey and lotions to bike programs, renewable energy, and wildlife education. Groups like Memphis City Beautiful, Tiger Bike Share, The Compost Fairy, and Tennessee State Parks all joined to showcase how small actions can add up to a larger environmental impact.
Packets of organic herbal teas made by BlackMajesta displayed at the Tiger Blue Goes Green fair.
“There is a MRF (materials recovery facility), where all of our items go, and that MRF can only accept certain things,” said Margaret McQuiston, who works for Memphis City Beautiful, “The best thing to do is go online to Memphis recycle and get the updated flyer, but a couple of things that cause issues at the facility are plastic shopping bags, it cannot go through the machinery they have, so the material clogs and tangles up, clogs it, and can shut it down.”
She also reminded students that major stores like Walmart and Kroger offer bins specifically for recycling plastic bags.
Nearby, Tiger Bikes and The Blue Line shuttle highlighted ways to move around campus without a car.
“Tiger Bikes is about sustainability, it’s about exercise and health, it’s about being able to get from place to place if you don’t have transportation,” said Art Johnson, the Tiger Bike Shop coordinator.
Tiger Bikes rents bikes to students for $35 a semester, teaches safe riding habits, and offers free installations and most repairs.
The Blue Line shuttle service also drew attention for its convenient routes around main and Park campuses. It runs regular loops and offers on-demand rides from 5 to 11 p.m., plus a Friday shuttle to Kroger for grocery runs.
Another table was set up by Marie Dennan, the Marketing and Communications Manager for The Compost Fairy. Dennan said the company supports Memphis through composting initiatives, local job creation and a website powered entirely by solar energy.
“We provide both the composting services to homeowners, and we make the compost at our compost facility,” Dennan said. “We are creating great jobs in Memphis, and we are just helping people divert their organic material out of the landfill and being turned into something valuable that can support our environment.”
Those interested in future sustainability events or volunteer opportunities can visit the Tiger Blue Goes Green page on the University of Memphis website to learn more about recycling, composting, and environmental engagement.
Sam Trigg can be contacted at sctrigg@memphis.edu.
Mel Eleftheriou can be contacted at mlfthrou@memphis.edu
Vanessa Sweet from the Blue Glass Jar hands out samples of their homemade lip balm collection.
