A priority of the St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project will be the creation St. Louis Greenprint 2011, a strategic plan to advance innovation, efficiency and conservation in the use and reuse of resources to help increase employment, income, productivity and regional competitiveness.

The Greenprint will contribute to RCGA's goal of improving the St. Louis region on indicators of regional vitality, economic health and the creation of community wealth through programs and activities that:

• Increase the depth and breadth of regional companies and organizations adopting more sustainable business practices;
  
  
• Increase the regional supply and demand for clean-tech and climate prosperity products and services, as well as increase regional clean-tech exports;
  
  
• Spur entrepreneurial growth and innovation in clean-tech and climate prosperity industries and services;
  
  
• Strengthen the regional workforce for clean-tech and climate prosperity industries and services;
  
  
• Enhance quality of life in the region through sustainability attributes and restaging of a regional "green" brand;
  
  
• Integrate RCGA targeted industry sectors into the Greenprint, with emphasis on the the Sustainable Technologies Cluster (e.g. advanced energy technologies, plant science/ag tech and sustainable design and materials)

In preparation for St. Louis Greenprint 2011, the RCGA has launched a new webpage for the St. Louis Climate Prosperity Project. Web page viewers can learn more about the St. Louis Green Business Challenge, read the St. Louis Green Economy Profile, and find resources on green jobs in our community via StLouisGreenJobs.com (see article below for more information).  Additional pages feature the meetings and presentations from RCGA's Energy and Environment Council and Sustainability Resources from across the region. To go directly to the new RCGA Climate Prosperity Project page, click on the graphic below.

The St. Louis Green Business Challenge is an RCGA initiative to help companies adopt more sustainable business practices and improve their bottom lines.  More than 75 companies, institutions, and organizations are participating in the RCGA's 2011 St. Louis Green Business Challenge (see below graphic) to form green teams, reduce energy usage, minimize waste, conserve water, improve indoor environmental quality and provide cleaner transportation options (view the Challenge scorecard here). The Missouri Botanical Garden's EarthWays Center provides consulting support and visits with the Challenge teams to assist with implementation of sustainability strategies.  This year's Challenge began in February and will conclude with a recognition event in December.

RCGA Green Business Challenge representatives listen to a presentation at the downtown offices at Thompson Coburn and, via videoconferencing (upper left screen), at Color Art Integrated Interiors offices in Creve Couer.

 

Scott Harding, Vice President of SCI Engineering, shared with the Challenge teams how sustainability initiatives are transmitted to their customers and their employees. SCI Engineering is a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting firm, and sustainability training is incorporated throughout the organization.  SCI incorporates sustainability in their company-wide programs through participation in EPA WasteWise and the RCGA's St. Louis Green Business Challenge. Since 2009 their recycling efforts have diverted three tons of trash. Externally, SCI educates their clients on environmentally friendly and low-impact products and processes, such as reuse of fill, recycled asphalt and recycled materials.

Scott Harding, Vice President of SCI Engineering, describes how his firm incorporates sustainability with their clients and their employees. Click on the graphic above to view his presentation.

Employer benefits from greater use of transit was the final presentation of the May 25^th St. Louis Green Business Challenge meeting.  Courtney Sloger, On-Line Media Specialist for Metro, the region's transit system, presented on why employers should get on board with transit. Employers can offer their employees a payroll deduction for transit passes or directly subsidize the monthly passes. Regular transit users are encouraged sign up with Citizens for Modern Transit's Guaranteed Ride Home program, which will pay for a taxi ride home in an emergency. Other clean transportation options for employers include setting up carpools and vanpools with Ridefinders, providing bike racks, and subscribing to WeCar (for downtown companies). Sloger encouraged employers to perform a transportation audit to determine the best mix of transportation options for their business.

Courtney Sloger, On-line Media Specialist for Metro, describes the many benefits of transit usage for employees and employers. To view her presentation, click on the graphic above.

As a special one-time benefit, the St. Louis Green Business Challenge invites all interested RCGA members to attend the Green Products and Services Expo on June 8^th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Missouri Botanical Garden's EarthWays Center, located in the Commerce Bank Center for Science Education (4651 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis 63110).  This free Expo will feature more than 25 green products and services to assist in your company's sustainability goals, including exhibit tables on:

energy efficiency renewable energy high-efficient lighting green printing  financial services

green office products waste reduction and recycling information technology education programs  clean transportation options

To RSVP for the Green Products and Services Expo, contact Sherri Bailey at sbailey@stlrcga.org.

 

The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center's Confluence Field Station in East Alton hosted the May 26^th RCGA Energy and Environment Council meeting.  Located at the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers, a watershed of 1.2 million square miles that drains 41% of the continental United States, the Center aims to become the leading research center about the Mississippi River and other great rivers around the world.
 

The RCGA Energy and Environment Council met at the Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center.  The Field Station is LEED-Platinum designed and its building and grounds feature a limestone interior, solar lighting tubes, bioswales, permeable pavement, and on-site water recycling system. For more information on the building's sustainability features, click here.

 

RCGA Energy and Environment Council members gather on top of the award- winning green roof at the Field Station.  The innovative roof features natural materials and native plants to absorb and filter stormwater. This water is recycled into the building's water  and irrigation system.

Dr. Dale Chapman, President of Lewis and Clark College, described the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center's mission of becoming an international center for science and education, and public outreach on sustainable management of large rivers. The Center is also gathering watershed stakeholders to develop a long-range sustainability plan for the Mississippi River.  With their research on hydrology, sediment, river flows, invasive species and the sustainability of large rivers, the Center is receiving recognition around the globe. This month, researchers from the Yangtzee River in China and the Mekong River in Vietnam will visit the Field Station to learn about the Mississippi River. Dr. Chapman announced that the Center recently won the Clean Water America Alliance 2011 U.S. Water Prize for watershed-based approaches toward water sustainability.

Chris Cahnovsky, Regional Coordinator for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, presented to the RCGA's Energy and Environment Council on the agency's priorities.  Cahnovsky manages a nine-county region in Southwestern Illinois.  The agency will resume the I-RID program to collect used tires, a prevalent environmental problem in our region. To date the program has eliminated 100,000 cubic yards of waste by recycling used tires. The agency is also working closely with area hospitals on the proper disposal of pharmaceuticals in order to protect water quality. The IEPA Bureau of Water will begin conducting a public water infrastructure survey to identify needs and improvements in the region.

Dr. Dale Chapman, President of Lewis and Clark College and Chairman of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center.	Chris Cahnovsky, Regional Coordinator, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Just down the road from the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center sits the Tri-City Port District, one of the busiest inland ports in the United States, moving 3 million tons of goods a year. Dennis Wilmsmeyer, Executive Director of Tri-City Port District, described the operations of the District to the Council, explaining that one 15-barge tow barge can remove the equivalent of 1,050 large semi-trailers from the road, improving our region's air quality. With the expansion of the Panama Canal, Wilmsmeyer expects even more goods to be shipped along Mississippi River. The District recently won a $6 million TIGER grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete a rail loop for the harbor.  To improve sustainability at their own operations, solar thermal heating is planned to be installed on the District's residential buildings and a park and ride lot will be built to connect to Madison County Transit.

Dennis Wilmsmeyer, Executive Director of the Tri-City Port District describes the District's operations and environmental benefits to the RCGA Energy and Environment Council. To view his presentation, click on the above graphic.

Tri-City Port District is also home to the Abengoa Bioenergy ethanol plant. Plant Manager David Henderson explained that Abenoga chose to locate their sixth plant in the U.S. at Tri-City Port District because of its excellent connections to rail, truck and barge transportation. Every day 120 truckloads of corn enter the plant to annually produce 88 million gallons of fuel. Abengoa Bioenergy participates in the Global Reporting Initiative and reports not only greenhouse gas emissions from their operations, but also the greenhouse gas emissions of their suppliers. Henderson said that vendors are evaluated by Abengoa for price and greenhouse gas emissions when chosen for their supply chain. 

David Henderson, Plant Manager of Abengoa Bioenergy of Illinois, presents Abengoa's sustainability initiatives to the Energy and Environment Council (click on graphic above to view his presentation).

Building on the success of the RCGA's Green Labor Market Information Project, a collaboration between the RCGA and area Workforce Investment Boards that was completed earlier this year, a new regional green jobs website has been launched.  StLouisGreenJobs.com, hosted by StLouisGreen.com, enables employers to post job opportunities for environmental or sustainability-related positions.  St. Louis area career centers also provide job listings to the website which is constantly updated.  The website aims to be the one-stop on-line access for St. Louis area green jobs, with resources allowing job seekers and businesses to connect in the St. Louis green community.  

In addition, StLouisGreenJobs.com provides a comprehensive listing of training classes and degree programs for individuals interested in entering a green occupation or looking to improve their skills.  Since its launch in January, the website is averaging more than 5,000 visitors a month. To visit the website click on the image below.

There is no fee to post job openings or course information on St.LouisGreenJobs.com.  For more information contact Craig Jung of StLouisGreen.com at (314) 835-9900.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD), which provides stormwater and wastewater infrastructure to businesses and residences in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, has proposed a 12% average annual increase from FY 2012 to FY 2016 for their new Wastewater Capital Improvement and Replacement Program.  MSD officials say the new rates are needed to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows, reduce combined sewer overflows and minimize untreated discharges into area rivers.  According to the MSD, the four-year capital program is necessary for the District to comply with anticipated regulatory requirements. MSD is currently in discussions with the U.S. EPA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to settle a lawsuit alleging the District's violations of the Clean Water Act.  The new rate proposal uses debt financing to moderate its costs to ratepayers, and it would require bond approval by MSD voters. 

The rate increase was presented to the 15-member MSD Rate Commission in May, which will review the proposal and make a recommendation to the MSD Board of Trustees. The RCGA's Senior Director of Energy and Environment, Eric Schneider, is a member of the MSD Rate Commission.  Public hearings on the rate case will be held from August 16^th - August 24^th. For more information on the rate proposal, click on the presentation below.

June 8 - Green Products and Services Expo
The RCGA's Green Business Challenge will host a Green Products and Services Expo on Wednesday, June 8^th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Missouri Botanical Garden's EarthWays Center at 4651 Shaw Boulevard.  This expo will feature green products and services to assist in businesses sustainability initiatives. More than 25 vendors will exhibit products and services related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, recycling information technology, lighting products, office supplies and cleaning products, printing services and much more!  To RSVP and for more information on the Expo, contact Sherri Bailey at sbailey@stlrcga.org

June 29 - RCGA Energy & Environment Council Meeting
U.S. Representative John Shimkus (R-Illinois) will speak to the RCGA's Energy and Environment Council on Wednesday, June 29^th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the RCGA's Regional Collaboration Center.  Congressman Shimkus (pictured right) serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.  He also serves on the Subcommittee on Energy and Power. He will speak about recent energy and environment legislation under debate in Congress and how it would impact the St. Louis region. The meeting is free for RCGA members and $20 for non-members. To RSVP, contact Sherri Bailey at sbailey@stlrcga.org.