St. Louis Sustainability News - October 2017

Photo by Catherine Werner

Monarch Missives:  Many thanks to the National Park Service and the many partner organizations who made The Great MonArch Migration Event at the Gateway Arch such a success.

Special thanks to Jennifer Schamber of Greenscape Gardens for providing beautiful goldenrod plants for people to plant and monarchs to enjoy. More MonArch Migration event photos are postedin an online gallery.

There are two special opportunities to share your stories and photos about monarchs:  The  2017 St. Louis Monarch Photo Contestincludes the following categories: Best Monarch with the Gateway Arch, Best Monarch on Nectar Plant Source, Best Youth Photo, Best Monarch as a Caterpillar, and Best Monarch as a Chrysalis.

Need some inspiration? Check out these Smithsonian Community of Gardens stories from St. Louis! Email me at WernerC@stlouis-mo.gov by Thanksgiving to be eligible for photo contest prizes and  inclusion in the printed booklet/exhibit of Smithsonian Monarch Garden Stories.

Environmental Justice Forum: I hope you will join me November 9th at the 2017 Whitney and Anna Harris Conservation Forum on Environmental Justice at the Saint Louis Zoo.  The distinguished speakers include Jacqueline Patterson of the NAACP, Pandora Thomas, Sacoby Wilson and Carole Gibbs. This is sure to be a terrific evening that includes a light dinner. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. See the event flyer for details.

City Energy Project/City of St. Louis is the proud recipient of the 2017 East-West Gateway Council of Governments Outstanding Local Government Achievement (OLGA) Award for Exemplary Public/Non-Profit Collaboration. The honor reflects the partnership, leadership and hard work of many, including the USGBC - Missouri Gateway Chapter, the NRDC, the City's Buildings and Facilities Divisions, and Alderman Coatar. For more information on the City's Energy Benchmarking Ordinance, visit www.stlbenchmarking.com or contact Rajiv Ravulapati, City Energy Project Technical Advisor, at ravulapatir@stlouis-mo.gov.
 

Seeking Sustainability Interns: I am seeking interns who have experience in sustainability and would like to assist my efforts in the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability on some new climate and urban ecology programs being planned for 2018. If you are interested in this unpaid learning opportunity, please send your resume in an email noting your interest and availability.

Share Your Input!

• The OneSTL Leadership Network has developed a survey to get input on the goals that were developed at the OneSTL Sustainability Summit.

• The Regional Arts Commission is seeking input on the “first-ever comprehensive cultural planning process for the region”? The survey is open until October 28th.

• The Downtown St. Louis Multimodal Transportation Network is collecting input until October 31st.
   

Sustainability Grants and Resources 

• USDA Farm to School Grant: opportunity for funding to support efforts that improve access to local foods in schools.  Deadline is December 8th.

• Free milkweed plants are available to schools through Monarch Watch. If you want to create a school monarch garden, don’t forget to check out Monarch Gardens for Schools: A Resource Guide for PreK-12 Urban School Communities

Upcoming Sustainability Events (All events free & held in the City of St. Louis)

• Trailnet Breakfast for Bikers at Kaldis Coffee on DeMun from 7-9am on October 20.

• Great Rivers Greenway 15th Annual River Des Peres Trash Bash at Willmore Park on October 21 from 8am to 2pm. For more information and to sign up, click here.

• Greening Your Special Event “How To” Workshop: October 23, 6:30-8:00 pm at MBG Commerce Bank Education Center.

• Energy Benchmarking Training: October 25, 12:00pm-1:30pm at MBG Commerce Bank Education Center

• 2017 Global Inequality Conference: October 26-October 27. Click hereto register for all or part of the conference. The conference will be held at Washington University.

• Forest Park Forever Fall Color Tour: October 27, 9:30am-10:30am at Apotheosis Statute

• Volunteer for Honeysuckle/Invasive Removal Day at Forest Park on Saturday, October 28 from 9:00am-noon.

• Saint Louis University Gardens to Tables Food Day on October 26, 11am-1pm at SLU’s garden at the corner of Compton and Rutger on the medical school campus.  

• 2017 Whitney and Anna Harris Conservation Forum at the St. Louis Zoo: November 9, 5:45-9:00. Registration required through Ashley Johns: (314)-516-4246 johnsa@umsl.edu

As always, thank you for all you do to advance sustainability in the City of St. Louis.

With kind regards,

Catherine L. Werner

Sustainability Director

City of St. Louis Office of the Mayor

WernerC@stlouis-mo.gov

Twitter: @GreeninSTL