Sustainability
An overview of triple bottom line sustainability in the City of St. Louis
SUSTAINABILITY PLAN & ACTION AGENDA
The first City of St. Louis Sustainability Plan was formally adopted by the City's Planning Commission on January 9, 2013. On February 28th, Mayor Slay announced his Mayor's Sustainability Action Agenda of priority initiatives for Sustainability Plan implementation for the coming five years. The City anticipates holding a Mayor's Sustainability Summit III :: implement in November 2013.
NEW - Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative
The City has launched a Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative. Two 2013 efforts will be developing a searchable Sustainable Neighborhood Toolkit of resources, and holding a Sustainable Neighborhood Small Grant Competition (applications due June 15th). To learn more please visit http://sustainableneighborhood.net/ and if you have questions email them to sustainableneighborhoods@stlouis-mo.gov.
Sustainable Land Lab
The City partnered with Washington University on this innovative competition designed to generate sustainable solutions to the challenge of having too many vacant lots in the City. Forty-eight teams submitted creative entries, and five winning teams will receive $5,000 and the chance to implement their sustainability idea on four vacant lots in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood. A Groundbreaking will occur on April 27th at 10 am in Old North St. Louis. Follow their progress here.
Sustainability News
Click here to see the City's most recent Sustainability Newsletter.
Click here to see 10 Sustainability Successes in the City of St. Louis.
Stay Informed
If you want to receive sustainability e-blast news, send an email to WernerC@stlouis-mo.gov
Video Clip From Mayor's Sustainability Summit I
NEW Urban Sustainability Quest
The City is piloting an App-based contest to encourage people to take challenges associated with MetroLink station areas to have fun and learn more about sustainability in the City. Prizes awarded for first 30 to complete the contest. Pilot runs April-June 15th. Try it and See St. Louis Differently! Background presentation can be found here.
Internships Available
The Office of the Mayor is seeking sustainability interns for August-December of 2013. Skills desired include sustainability experience, project management, and communications. These are unpaid positions but very important to advancing sustainability in the City. If interested, please send a cover note and your resume to Catherine Werner WernerC@stlouis-mo.gov.
Awards and Recognition
The City's Cycling Initiative earned it the U.S. Conference of Mayors Livability Award honorable mention (2012);
The City was the Municipal recipient of Trailnet's Active Living Awards (2012);
The City of St. Louis was showcased as an Innovator in the Carbon Disclosure Project's CDP 2012 Global Report (Page 80);
The City is a current recipient of EPA Region VII Green Cleaning Pilot Program support, an EPA Urban Waters Small Grant relating to green infrastructure, and the Local Sustainability Matching Fund funded by the national Funders' Network and matched locally by 9 generous funders.
Sustainability and the City
The City of St. Louis promotes sustainability in several ways, but is perhaps most visible in its efforts to capitalize on its dense area, existing infrastructure and rich heritage to preserve and restore buildings, many of which possess impressive historic features. Bicycle-friendly streets and widely available public transportation help decrease car usage, thereby reducing emissions and improving air quality. Sustainable practices such as low impact development and residential recycling are encouraged. The City also requires all new municipal buildings to meet energy efficiency and green building standards. With its Habitat for Humanity developments, St. Louis has one of the highest levels of LEED Platinum Homes in the country. St. Louis also ranks among the highest for historic building rehabilitations. The City has been successful in growing its population by revitalizing its downtown and diverse neighborhoods.
The City is moving forward with many important sustainability initiatives. Developing an overarching sustainability framework and climate action plan for the City are two examples of short-term efforts designed to have lasting, measurable impact. Increased emphasis is being placed on celebrating and communicating the sustainability successes of the City and its many partners, as well as expanding upon both current and prior successes in order for the City to become even more vibrant, sustainable and competitive in the years ahead.
The City just developed its first Sustainability Plan. The City started a robust public engagement effort in 2011, and issued a Draft For Public Review of its Sustainability Plan in October of 2012. The City of St. Louis Sustainability Plan is both comprehensive and triple bottom line (economy, ecology, equity) in orientation. More information about the Plan and planning process can be found on the Sustainability Plan tab of this website.
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