News & Events

May 28, 2024 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX

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Published on Friday March 29th, 2024

Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Food Waste Reduction Strategy

Tuesday,  May 28, 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/tZErc-igrj4oHNf0Ax7Li5IdSLnzS3D9G18Q

Did you know that food waste globally results in more carbon dioxide emissions than commercial air travel? A regional Food Waste and Rescue Potential Report was recently developed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, earthday365, and the Missouri Botanical Gardens' Earthways Center. As a result of the report, the City of St. Louis committed to develop a strategy by December 2024 to prevent food from going to waste, rescue surplus food, and recycle food scraps. Join us to discuss the strategy and the opportunity to rescue surplus food for those in need.

Click here to download a calendar invite for this event.

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

March 26, 2024 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX

Details

Published on Tuesday March 5th, 2024

Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Land Use Planning for Sustainable Communities

Tuesday, March 26, 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/tZEsdOiprDgrE91NRi9Vj2BojTI_UWBb-z2S#/registration

Join us to discuss with City Planning Executive Miriam Keller how the City of St. Louis is updating its Strategic Land Use Plan, the land use element of its Comprehensive Plan. This process is a unique opportunity to put into action community needs such as housing diversity, access to transit, and even climate resilience. Land use decisions are a key component of sustainable communities, because they can shape walkability, flood risk, extreme heat, and more. The City's Strategic Land Use Plan sets a vision for how to use land in the city, block by block, to guide future zoning and other land use policy.

Click here to download a calendar invite for this event.

February 27, 2024 Sustainability Lab @ T-REX

Details

Published on Monday January 1st, 2024

Sustainability Lab @ T-REX
Coordination for Resilient Urban Forests

Tuesday, February 27, 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/tZUpfuGtpz8sHNZYaDZ0nCKZ0agTg-pWfupV

How can we be more strategic about tree canopy in order to support an expanded, resilient urban forest delivering the biggest benefits? Join Meridith Perkins, Executive Director of Forest ReLeaf of Missouri and Erin Godwin, President of STL TreeLC to discuss how we need to have all the players at the table aligned around ensuring that trees reach their full potential and deliver on the eco-services we need for climate adaptation.

Click here to download a calendar invite for this Lab.

Green Schoolyard at Froebel Literacy Academy

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Published on Thursday December 28th, 2023

Author: OneSTL Communications Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currently in the design phase, Froebel Literacy Academy will host the first official Green Schoolyard, in order to improve stormwater management and access to nature for students. (Photo credit: St. Louis Public Schools)

There is increasing acceptance that nature-based experiences are vital to emboldening the shared generational response needed to limit negative changes to our biosphere. This motivation for fostering green spaces can be balanced against the individual health benefits that come from active minds and bodies. In the urban core, naturalizing a school’s outdoor play space is an opportunity that comes with many potential benefits.

The Nature Conservancy, Missouri Department of Conservation, and St Louis Public Schools, along with other local partners such as Dutchtown South Community Corporation, have collaborated to launch a pilot program to reinvent outdoor play spaces. East-West Gateway assisted with data collection and analysis for the Green Schoolyard prioritization and expansion plan. The first official Green Schoolyard in the St. Louis area will be at Froebel Literacy Academy in the Gravois Park neighborhood. There is a nationwide movement to reduce impervious surfaces and replace it with a more stimulating play space. This work will not be limited to Froebel Academy, but those students will be the first to benefit from this regional collaboration, made possible by funding provided by the Metropolitan Sewer District, TNC, MDC, SLPS, and SLPS Foundation. The project at Froebel Academy is currently in the design phase. For additional information about the project, click here.