News & Events

June 25, 2024 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX

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Published on Monday April 29th, 2024

Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
New Options for Reuse & Reducing Single-Use Waste 

Tuesday, June 25, 2024
3:45pm-5:00pm Presentation & Discussion (join in person or on Zoom)
5:00pm-6:00pm Networking (in person only)

Join in Person:
T-REX (911 Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis)
Sharptooth Boardroom (5th Floor)
Plan your trip using public transit here.

Register and Join on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqcequqz0iE9aKO7K_OvioTSLaOqSEd3dN

At this Lab, earthday365 will be sharing about the environmental benefits of reuse and the effort to build a 'wash hub' in St. Louis, to expand the availability of reusable cups and serveware. More information will be posted here soon. 

Click here to download a calendar invite for this event

Bike to Work Day

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Published on Monday April 29th, 2024

May May is National Bike Month, and May 17 is Bike to Work Day. Metro Transit, Trailnet, Great Rivers Greenway, and Washington University in St. Louis have partnered to host “bike hospitality stations” at four MetroLink stations on National Bike to Work Day to support cyclists celebrating the holiday, promote biking and alternative transportation, and encourage more people to give biking a try. Click here for more information about the stations. 

Success Spotlight: Food Shares are More than Just Food Distribution Sites

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Published on Sunday April 28th, 2024

Author: Amir Tibbs, All Hands on Deck

 

The St. Louis Food Share Network, founded by Casey Stinemetz and Elizabeth Vega in 2016, served as a beacon of hope in the fight against hunger in our city. What began as a twice-a-week effort to redirect surplus food from one retailer has continued to grow and blossom. It is now led by the team at All Hands On Deck, an initiative dedicated not only to expanding access to nutritious foods across food deserts and food insecure communities but also to increasing environmental sustainability and community spirit. The All Hands On Deck team now provides food assistance five days a week in underserved, under-resourced areas throughout the City of St. Louis and North St. Louis County.

 

Since inception in 2016, the network has diverted a staggering 195,000 pounds of food annually from landfills, totaling approximately 1.4 million pounds to date. What sets All Hands On Deck apart is our commitment to inclusivity. Food SHARES are open to ALL without any qualifying criteria regarding residency, income, proof of identification etc., ensuring that no one in need is turned away. SHARE stands for Share Health And Resources Equitably, which embodies our ethos of fairness and accessibility.

 

In addition to addressing food insecurity, All Hands On Deck prioritizes sustainability. Donations received from local grocery stores and big box retailers are distributed—same day—to the community. We establish a direct line of distribution to those in need. Before composting the last remnants, surplus food that is past human grade but still edible is repurposed as animal feed for chickens, rabbits, and even a patron’s peacock! This aligns with the EPA’s Wasted Food Scale, which advocates for the donation or upcycling of surplus food before resorting to landfill disposal or composting.

 

All Hands On Deck’s grassroots movement transforms and nurtures community spirit too. SHARES are more than just food distribution sites. Each SHARE location has become a community hub where residents don’t just access food, they share, connect, exchange information and ideas, and support each other—all while contributing to environmental sustainability and helping decrease landfill waste. SHARES help heal divides - with an inclusive, diverse team of volunteers and patrons.

 

Support for All Hands On Deck;s vital mission can take many forms, from donations to volunteering. To learn more about how you can contribute, reach out to Amir or J at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For those in need of food assistance, our SHARE Leads operate five food SHAREs at various locations throughout the city each week, ensuring that help is always within reach. Our weekly calendar is posted on our AHOD Facebook page. 

 

Lastly, we would like everyone to get ready for an exciting day of fun in the community at our upcoming All Hands On Deck Community Clean Up and Resource Fair in Fairgrounds Park! Our event is held twice a year on the third Saturdays in May and October. Don’t miss the opportunity to join us as we come together to beautify the community, connect with valuable resources, make a difference for residents, and strengthen our bond with the community we serve.

The Importance of Banking & Investing for the Climate

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Published on Saturday April 27th, 2024

People often debate the best things individuals can do to help reduce their contributions to the climate crisis. An often-overlooked action with one of the biggest effects is to avoid investing in fossil fuels.

 

It is estimated that avoiding oil and gas investments in your 401(k) can save 22 tons of carbon emissions per year. The following actions combined only add up to 16 tons: getting an electric car, installing solar, going vegan, not flying, buying recyclable materials only, composting waste, installing a heat pump, buying organic, buying local, upcycling waste, and unplugging devices. Baking and investing thoughtfully takes a bit of time but can have a big impact.

 

Roughly $1 trillion is invested in fossil fuel companies through Americans’ retirement plans. Find out how you and your workplace can make your retirement plans more climate friendly, and learn more about approaching your company about revising their 401(k) options. Make sure you have a stable planet to retire on as well as savings to retire with! 

 

You also can investigate savings and checking accounts that have a lower climate impact. According to Project Drawdown, every $1,000 a person has in savings is roughly equivalent to the direct emissions generated by flying from New York to Seattle every year. They claim that moving from a carbon-intensive bank to a climate-responsible bank could reduce the personal banking emissions of an average person in the U.S. by 76%. Learn more about reducing the impact of your bank accounts. 

Success Spotlight: Reduced Parking Requirements in Richmond Heights

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Published on Friday March 29th, 2024

Author: Anna Chott, Sustainability Planner at East-West Gateway Council of Governments

Minimum parking requirements can act as a barrier to sustainable development, resulting in a lost opportunity for more productive land uses (as outlined in the popular book The High Cost of Free Parking, by Donald Shoup). However, changing policies to reduce expansive unused parking lots in suburban areas is much easier said than done. For the first time, the City of Richmond Heights is right-sizing its minimum parking requirements, as a result of the city’s comprehensive planning process. 

 

Richmond Heights’ comprehensive plan points out, "In some parts of the community, parking is compact and has created a walkable environment. In others though, significant parking around large commercial areas has created expansive asphalt, negatively impacting the environment and pedestrian safety."

 

Residents engaged during the city’s comprehensive planning process noted a preference for dense, mixed-use development and vibrant, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods. Auto-oriented retail and shopping centers were least preferred when considering future redevelopment opportunities in the city. 

 

A growing number of cities and towns across the U.S. are starting to reform their parking rules. The City of St. Louis is considering changes to its zoning code near proposed Metrolink stations, including requiring slightly less parking, as well a context-appropriate increase in density.

 

Richmond Heights’ comprehensive plan points out "Typical municipal parking standards for retail development today are greater than what is now required. Particularly if new uses are added on or near retail developments, parking standards should be reconsidered, freeing up valuable real estate for new development." The parking lot south of the Galleria, in particular, offers an opportunity for mixed-use development which would be made possible by addressing minimum parking requirements. After the comprehensive planning process, a parking study was completed to better understand parking demand and activity. At the February city council meeting, Bill No. 5679 was approved to amend section 405.330 of the city's municipal code to right-size parking minimums and allow for shared parking. The change in the number of minimum required spaces is available here. 

For more information about reducing parking minimums, check out the tool for Parking Requirements in the OneSTL Toolkit.

Clean School Buses Coming to the Region

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Published on Thursday March 28th, 2024

 

Awards from the EPA's Clean School Bus Program Grants competition were recently announced for Cahokia Heights, East St. Louis, and Granite City in Illinois. In Missouri, the Ferguson-Florissant School District and Ritenour School District received funding for clean school buses. Funding was also awarded to a third party that will provide clean school buses to Normandy Schools Collaborative and Saint Louis Public Schools. Electrifying school buses can help reduce air pollutants that can be harmful to the health of children, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx). Electric buses also have a reduced greenhouse gas emissions footprint, compared to diesel buses.

Find press releases below for awards in each state:

Missouri

Illinois