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October 31, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
- Published on Monday September 25th, 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.
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.
Click here to download a calendar invite for this Lab.
EWG is committed to ensuring that all meetings are both ADA and LEP accessible. To request a reasonable accommodation for this meeting please contact EWG's Title VI Coordinator at least 48 business hours prior to the meeting at (314) 421-4220 or (618) 274-2750 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Heat Island Effect Research in St. Louis
- Published on Tuesday August 22nd, 2023
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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
- 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.
September 26, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
- Published on Friday August 18th, 2023
Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Regional Climate Action Plan
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
3:45pm-5:00pm Presentations / Discussion (join in person or on Zoom)
5:00-6:00pm 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/tZIof-GrqDgpHdw-UmijWjQzH62C3-9P1OkV
The EPA is challenging states and metropolitan statistical areas to create Climate Action Plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050!
Through the IRA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, 46 states and 79 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) have accepted the challenge, including Illinois, Missouri, and St. Louis. East-West Gateway Council of Governments will be the grant administrator and project lead for the St. Louis MSA. At the September Sustainability Lab we'll discuss our region's first climate action plan, which will include a priority list of projects eligible for competitive implementation grants through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.
To create a plan that reflects the diversity of our entire region, we'll need input from all of our partners. Join us at the September Sustainability Lab to hear what is planned and to give your input early.
Click here to download a calendar invite for this Lab.
Stormwater Retention at Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food Agriculture Nutrition Center
- Published on Wednesday August 9th, 2023
Author: Amy Funk, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Photo credit: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food Agriculture Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) is founded by Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee and is a collaboration with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, Lansdowne UP, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. By leveraging the expertise among these four organizations, the JJK-FAN Innovation Center is working to build community capacity to address food access, while shaping experiences for K-12 youth in STEAM, agriculture, nutrition, and wellness. By providing youth and community members with avenues for personal and professional growth, our goal is to ignite economic empowerment and community development in the region starting with creating a 65-acre footprint surrounding the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in East St. Louis, which will include indoor and outdoor food production, education, and sports facilities. This four phase buildout will include a green roof that supports JJK FAN curriculum, edible buffers as transitions between agriculture, demonstration gardens (including multiple pollinator gardens), athletic programming and community green space. Watershed best management practices such as bioretention plantings to slow and filter runoff from parking lots, streets, and roofs will be integrated throughout the 65 acre facilities.
Input Needed - Sustainability Committees in the St. Louis Region
- Published on Tuesday June 27th, 2023
As OneSTL network members look to expand sustainability practices and plan for climate action in the St. Louis Region, we are looking to connect with sustainability committees and similar organizations at the local government level, within the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all red and gold counties in the image below.
Please see the list of sustainability committees we have connected with so far below the image and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if a local government sustainability committee or similar organization is missing!
24:1 Environmental Health Team
Brentwood Sustainability Commission
Clayton Sustainability Advisory Committee
Creve Coeur Energy and Environment Committee
Collinsville Cool Cities Committee
Edwardsville Cool Cities Committee
Florissant Environmental Quality Commission
Glen Carbon Cool Cities Committee
Godfrey Sustainability Commission
Granite City Cool Cities Committee
Maplewood Sustainability Commission
O'Fallon (IL) Parks and Environment Committee
Olivette Sustainability Advocates
Spanish Lake Clean and Green Committee
University City Green Practices Commission
Webster Groves Sustainability Commission
August 29, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
- Published on Monday June 26th, 2023
Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Flooding in East St. Louis and Stormwater Management
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
3:45pm-5:00pm Presentations / Discussion (join in person or on Zoom)
5:00-6:00pm 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/tZUvd-iqqj4vHNb5vn-KfeoNXY4GlavkebZp
Devastating stories of longstanding flooding issues in East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights have surfaced in the news this past year. What can be done to address these chronic challenges? At the August Sustainability Lab, John O'Donnell, Water Program Manager at Heartlands Conservancy, will share about the Prairie Du Pont Watershed Plan, which hopes to address these flooding challenges. Allison Joyce, Natural Environment Programs Manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden, will also be joining the Lab to discuss opportunities for everyday citizens to improve stormwater management, including through MSD Project Clear small grant opportunities for rain gardens and other rainwater management projects.
Click here to download a calendar invite for this Lab.
More Articles...
- St. Louis Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Released
- Environmental Network in Ferguson
- Repurposing Vacant Lots in STL
- What is Justice40?
- June 27, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
- July 25, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
- May 30, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
- Plant America Garden Expo May 13
- Food for People: How Reducing Food Waste Benefits Everyone
- April 25, 2023 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
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