News

November 28, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX

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Published on Monday October 16th, 2023

Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Rebates & Tax Credits for Climate Action

Tuesday, November 28, 2023
3:45pm-5:00pm Presentations (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/tZIkcOihrDwrHNajo2lyWET7HA0kKTtMhoJ1

The November Sustainability Lab will focus on incentives (which can be combined!) for weatherization, electrification, and renewable energy projects, including:

1) Home Energy Rebates: Representatives from the Missouri Division of Energy and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will share an update on the upcoming Home Energy Rebate program, which offers rebates for efficient home upgrades such as electric stoves, heat pumps, and insulation.

2) Incentives from Ameren: Representatives from Ameren will share about their available incentives for electric vehicles and energy efficiency. Incentives for EV chargers are available from Ameren Missouri. Ameren Illinois also has a residential and business charging program to provide a bill credit for charging during preferred times and incentives for multifamily, transit, education, corridor, and public charging locations.

3) Tax Incentives: Eric Schneider, Director of Business Development at Straight Up Solar, will share about incentives available to tax payers for weatherization, electrification, and renewable energy projects. Tax-exempt entities such as local governments and nonprofits interested in taking advantage of tax credits through "direct pay" are encouraged to watch this webinar from the Midwest Climate Collaborative.

Businesses, individuals, local governments, and nonprofits can find resources about these programs that are specific to each stakeholder here.

Click here to download a calendar invite for this Lab.

Food Waste Day

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Published on Saturday September 23rd, 2023

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

 

Did you know that food waste globally releases more carbon emissions than commercial air travel? OneSTL partners recently released a Food Waste & Rescue Potential Report, and earthday365 is hosting a Restaurant Food Waste Challenge to put that data into action. The challenge will end with a celebration on Friday, Nov 17 at 5:30pm, at Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, 4465 Manchester Ave. (in the side room). Mayor Tishaura Jones has declared November 17th Food Waste Day and the Mayor's staff will be on hand to present the official Proclamation.

 

 

 

 

 

October 31, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX

Details

Published on Friday September 22nd, 2023

Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Virtual Reality Lab Tour

Tuesday, October 31, 2023
2:30pm-3:30pm Tour and Q & A

Location (This Lab will be offered in person only):
T-REX, 7th Floor, VR Lab (911 Washington Ave. in downtown St. Louis)
Plan your trip using public transit here.

This event has been approved for 1 AICP CM credit.

Virtual Reality can help communities plan for growth and sustainability. It can allow residents to easily comprehend design alternatives, as described in this article from the American Planning Association. At the October Sustainability Lab, the team at T-REX will offer a tour to experience their virtual reality lab. Brad Martin, founder and CEO of Another Reality Studio, will show attendees a platform used for city, community, and individual project planning and development called LookingGlass. He will also discuss other platforms used in planning elsewhere, such as Iris Prospect VR and the Hololens 2/ Magic Leap 2 headsets.

Success Spotlight: Making Recycling Work

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Published on Friday September 22nd, 2023

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Photo credit: Republic Services

 

After a billboard and targeted ad campaign lasting only 6 weeks, Republic Recycling saw over a 20% reduction of contamination in targeted routes in North St. Louis County. The team at Republic was especially excited to see a drop in items they had advertised not to put in the bin, including troublesome plastic bags. Plastic bags are a “tangler” that clog up sorting machines, causing headaches and slowdowns at the Republic material recovery facility. Plastic bags should only be recycled in dropoff locations at grocery stores - or better yet, eliminated through the use of reusable bags.

 

News has surfaced nationally and locally that undermines public confidence in recycling. While Republic Facility Manager Brent Batliner admits that recycling is not a perfect system 100% of the time, his team sorts everything that enters their facility and works hard to ensure that recyclable materials make it to manufacturers that will process the materials into new products. The better the quality of the material that comes in, the better the recycling system works. You can find out where Republic sends each type of material to be recycled into new products here. Residents of the St. Louis region are reminded to “Stick with the 6” when they recycle, as shown in the graphic below. More information about what to recycle in the St. Louis region is available here. 

 

Reducing, reusing, refilling, repurposing, and repairing should be at the top of consumers’ priorities to reduce waste. But when items do need to be recycled, it’s important to put the correct items in the bin to keep the process working.

Heat Island Effect Research in St. Louis

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Published on Tuesday August 22nd, 2023

Author: Aaron Young, Sustainability Planning Manager at East-West Gateway Council of Governments

 

The National Weather Service reported in 2022 that heat is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the United States. Extended periods of extreme high temperatures also can result in increased incidence of crimes, non-fatal heat injuries, lower work productivity, high energy bills, degraded water quality, and stress on infrastructure. 

 

These trends are exacerbated by the urban heat island effect, in which  concrete and other physical aspects of cities cause higher temperatures in city centers and suburbs. In response to calls for action about extreme heat, East-West Gateway Council of Governments conducted a preliminary study on the urban heat island effect in the St. Louis region. 

Over 300 Trees Planted Along Katy Trail

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Published on Monday August 21st, 2023

Author: Meredith Perkins, Executive Director of Forest Releaf of Missouri

 

 

 

Forest ReLeaf of Missouri—in partnership with Missouri State Parks, Magnificent Missouri, The Robert J. Trulaske Foundation, and community volunteers—recently completed a three-year tree planting initiative along the Katy Trail State Park corridor. 

 

More than 300 native trees were planted at the Dutzo, McKittrick, and Marthasville trailheads to improve the watershed. The trees will provide habitat and food sources for wildlife in the region, help mitigate flooding issues, and create an even more enjoyable experience for trail users.